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Improving your BAT 150SE

Most of you are aware of David's (davidgarretson) mod which includes coupling caps, input wires, and rectifiers. I just had mine modded, only the first two items. what I wanted to share with you is the input wires.

150SE is bridged internally from a 75SE, both input and output. both input are wired from XLR jacks to the main PCB, but you only use one input as the signal is shared using a cheap jumper near the very front of the amp. when you replace the input wires, skip the jumpers and run your input wires from XLR jacks to one of the main PCB and continue to the next PCB. I kept the ground wires in both, but removed the input wires of unused side to reduce RF pickup.

with caps and wire change, you will hear improve definition, speed, ambient retrieval, and probably details. well worth the effort and money.

thanks to davidgarretson for sharing his experience with happy BAT owners.
semi
9 responses Add your response
jfrech's avatar
jfrech
1,816 posts
 
Hi Dave has emailed me several times. I've openend up my 150se's and stared at that wiring. I did get a little nauseous seeing my mega buck Purist cables dumbed down for the last foot...then the automotive style connectors between the circuit boards...

For the price of these amps, we shouldn't see this.
rgurney
279 posts
 
Following Dave's advice, I did all 3 mods to my 150SE amps - TFTF V-Caps, input wiring, and rectifiers. Each step made a significant improvement. The easiest to do is the cap change, next the input wiring, then changing the rectifiers. The great benefit from the TFTF V-Caps is plainly evident in their increasing use by manufacturers in their products - the Joule Electra LA300ME pre-amp for example. These mods are like getting a new amp.
fjn04
1,561 posts
 
Are there any other preamp manufacturers that use these TFIF V-caps. They must be really expensive based on what the LA300ME retails for. I am not questioning it's value, as I am sure it may be worth every penny. Just wondering if there is any others employing these V-caps in their preamps, or for that matter, amplifiers. Hope I didn't stray too far from the topic here.
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
This will give you an idea of the V-Cap pricing structure: (http://www.partsconnexion.com/catalog/CapacitorsFilm.html) I've got soft-recovery FREDs in my mono tube amps, SS woofer amp, and TacT 2.2X. Don't hesitate to upgrade your power supply's rectifiers. You'll be delighted at the lack of grain, enhanced speed and ambience recovery if you take the step. How I wish Black Gate/Rubycon was still in the large filter cap business.
goldorak's avatar
goldorak
89 posts
 
Can those upgrades be done on the stereo VK-75SE?
semi OP
649 posts
 
any mods listed above can be done on 75SE, you don't need to run the input wires from one input jack to both PCB unless you want to run mono :)

the result, after 5 hours of listening, was astonishing and I assume it will only get better as the caps and cables break in.
dgarretson
2,588 posts
 
Hi Semi, thanks for the acknowledgment & glad you are happy with those mods.
dob
577 posts
 
"...Joule Electra LA300ME pre-amp for example"

This preamp has both Oil (OIMP) and Teflon (TFTT) V-caps but it has many more capacitors which I feel are better then V-cap - both in signal path and (other caps) in power supply.

I believe you should ask Victor's opinion - he is wonderful person, fantastci engineer and as I heard has an Steinway at home and thus listen directly "from the horse mouth"

All The Best
Rafael
rgurney
279 posts
 
Rafael - What are these other caps in the LA300ME of which you speak? Thanks.
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