leok Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 The Philips 963SA upgrade recommended by Wolfram is easy, inexpensive, and very effective. The upgrade, repeated here: ---------------------------------------- 'Open your 963SA and on the right side is the power supply board that is totally seperated from the reast of the unit. The board has three screws holding it in and two power wires that unclip by hand. Remove the board and remove the biggest capacitor and replace whith the BG VK150/350v cap and make sure that you replace it whith the arrow on each cap the same and your all set. This is as easy as cap mods get but if you can't solder or don't feel comfortable doing so....bring it to someone who can.' ---------------------------------------- Wolfram said: " .. I can really recommend this mod as it improves the sound quality of an already good player into something quite stunning...plus you can experience yourself some of this tech talk going on around here" My impression: There must be some impressive noise in that unit. Because the Black Gate cap is certainly soaking up a lot of trash that didn't belong in the audio. I had been aware of some upper midrange noise in my 963SA/SET/RF-7 combination. Sometimes it sounded like resonances, and sometimes like intermodulation and sideband trash, and sometimes like aliasing. With the Black Gate cap in place that stuff is way down in amplitude .. often not there at all. Just like Wolfram said: " .. it improves the sound quality of an already good player into something quite stunning .. " Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 Leo, it was a pleasure to bring up something as effective and simple as this mod. I am glad you like what the cap is doing to your player, so happy listening . Wolfram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 I'm heading over to Leo's, 963 in-hand, for the cap upgrade. We'll condition my ALK Khorn crossovers while there ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Disc Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 The blackgates worked wonders in my unit. I wish some of you guys lived closer to me and could here what the Richard Kern mod has done with my Sony 777 SACD player. I'm amazed at the difference the mods have produced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted May 29, 2004 Share Posted May 29, 2004 I love good capacitors. Guess I'll be tearing my 9000es down for a peak inside. How complicated can it be? Chris, since you are going to Leo's to have him condition the crossover caps -- the single most significant thing you can do with those besides conditioning the caps is removing the 39uF Solen and 1uF Harmony bypass cap and replacing them with two 20uF conditioned Auricaps. If your ALKs also have the 6.2uF Solen and bypass cap instead of the Hovland, pulling those out and replacing with 7uF Auricap in the spot is beneficial as well. I'm sure Leo would approve. I receive OEM pricing on the Auricaps, and I would order and sell them to you at cost. Let me know if you are interested. http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=48265 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Thanks for the thought, Dean. I just saw your post now, having already done the roundtrip to Leo's place. I'll give the conditioned cross-over a listen, and then upgrade possibly later. Thanks to Leo, again, for taking the time to swap out the caps on the 963. It's in place again and sounds just wonderful. I popped in a couple of older CD's that have always been a challenge to listen to at higher volumes, and the midrange seems to be a touch smoother already with only an hour on it. Listened to Leo's Cobalt Moondogs & RF7's playing some very fine violin performances, and I would agree with his assessment that the tonality of the violin is spot-on, without any of the edginess sometimes found in the midrange. We took a few pix of the mod in progress, and Leo will post those later today or whenever he has time. Thanks again, Leo and Wolfram! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whell Posted May 30, 2004 Share Posted May 30, 2004 Anyone in or around the Detroit area and who is way more competent than I am with a soldering iron, please let me know if you wouldn't mind doing a 963SA owner a favor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted May 31, 2004 Author Share Posted May 31, 2004 Pictures of the 963SA electronics and cap upgrade: By the way. I had reported that the Yo-Yo Ma "Simply Baroque" recording was a bit bright. Well, that was the player. That recording, and many others I've tried, now exhibit sonics free of upper mid and high frequency artifacts that had previously characterized output from this player. Bear in mind that this is a substantial improvement on something that was already quite good. But, the better audio gets, the more obvious the flaws. The upgraded 963SA is very remarkable. First picture: 963SA overview. Power board is on the right, video on the left, audio rear center. Also, by the way, all screws are #9 Torx. (make sure unit is unplugged and you and the unit are in a static free work environment .. use a grounding strap) Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted May 31, 2004 Author Share Posted May 31, 2004 Second picture: Power board. Line connector: top and DC distribution: bottom are easily disconnected. There are 3 black #9 Torx screws and a white plastic clip (use needle-nose pliers to squeeze the clip to remove the board). The target cap is the blue can on the left. Carefully note and observe cap polarity. Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted May 31, 2004 Author Share Posted May 31, 2004 Third picture: Power board removed from unit (on an anti-static mat). The Black Gate cap is installed (soldered from the bottom). Note that polarity (indicated by (-) negative stripe on the cap) orientation is same as it was for the removed blue cap. Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Man, I may be giving up my search for a Sony 222es/333es/555es and go for a Phillips 963sa with all this talk. Has anyone possibly done an A-B comparison with any of these players against the Phillips? I am probably going to be using Redbook CD-R's 95% of the time on it. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Leo's really a good egg. I showed up yesterday with my 4-year old, Jack, in tow ... Never even blinked, and fetched him crackers and peanut butter, and a glass of milk to boot. Watching Leo work is always interesting. Meticulous, careful and pretty darned quick. I asked him about fear of electrical shocks, and he proceeded to tell about the first thing he learned in his Brown EE program: how little electrical juice it takes to kill a person Then he pulls out this black stick with a pump on the end ... and I said, "What's that??" "Solder sucker ..." Dang, the job gets a little easier with the right tools. Having watched him do it once, though, it can be duplicated even by a dope like me. Just be careful and watch those polarities, as Leo advises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted May 31, 2004 Author Share Posted May 31, 2004 Chris, Jack was sooo paitient for 4 years old. Just imagine what eternity that hour and a half was for him. Bob, I listen primarily to Red Book CDs. I have not compared the Philips to the Sony machines. The Philips 963SA reproduction of CDs is good, and with this upgrade, astonishing. I guess, if people who have the Sonys say the same, then you just have to compare. What makes it hard, of course, is what good is a comparison of stock units when an upgrade is planned? Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Looks like I can get one new in the box near me for about $290. Seems like a good deal for a new one compared to getting a used Sony for a little more coin. I also need to upgrade my DVD player (4 years old, non progressive scan), so maybe this multi-machine may be a good bet for me. I do like to tweak also, with a background in avionics, so of course I will be fiddling with whatever I buy. I am still hoping some Sony guys chime in and help me make my decision. If I do jump on it, where did you guys order your Blackgate caps from? Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Bob, I don't think getting the Blackgate cap from the UK is really an option for you (but in my case faster than getting it from a German dealer who didn't respond to either email or fax ), but as a DVD player the Philips is ever so much better than the previous Pioneer unit I always borrowed from work (about three years old). I am using the player for Red Book CDs and SACD and I don't see any reason not to get the Philips....but I have no experience with any Sony player. Wolfram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louis Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 bob where did you find one for 290 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeritageBob Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 I called around to the local Tweeter stores in my area and found one. They are closing them out. I did this after reading a previous post from forum member "gtDark" who did the same in his area of Atlanta. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Leo: Do you know if there is a bleeder resistor used in the power supply to drain that big capacitor. I was just thinking about this to help avoid a nasty zap. edit: This question is just out of the concern for some who might be interested in doing this, but haven't done much work with electronics. In past months, one or two people on the forum have reported being shocked pretty badly. High voltage power supply capacitors can provide a pretty hard jolt if they are not drained off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 ---------------- On 5/31/2004 4:12:48 PM Erik Mandaville wrote: Leo: Do you know if there is a bleeder resistor used in the power supply to drain that big capacitor. ---------------- Well, he had a big resistor soldered to a lead which (I think) he used to drain off the stored electrical energy. He then checked it with a VM to be sure. Of course, this could be wrong, but it was part of his routine. I've had a few shocks with some large caps, and you don't soon forget it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Thanks, Chris -- that's exactly what I was wondering. I had been studying the picture Leo posted, and didn't see such a resistor. Sorry you got shocked, by the way. I know from experience that it's not much fun. This work should really be done by someone familiar with working with electronics and power supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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