Hikari

Thnals B-Man. I just replaced the 22uf coupling caps with 2.2 film caps. No DC output and it's sounding good. Caps haven't broke in yet but I am hearing more air on cymbals and no reduction of bass.

Thanks B-Man. That's exactly the info iam looking for. Galaxy: Iam using a Yaqin CD2 with NOS tubes. It sounds good but mostly because it serves as an impedence matcher between my sources and passive preamp. I imagine a jfet or solid state buffer would be good as well. The yaqin improved dynamics, improved imaging and killed a little top end. Might not be so great in a more conventional setup though. Also, despite what you will read in reviews on this buffer I noticed a slight loss in detail. My system is a thorens tt or playstattion 1 into the carver for phono and then to the yaqin. The buffer feeds a 20k ladder pot in front of a homebuilt tripath amp (class t). Speakers are Focal Chorus 714v towers. Iam pretty heavy into the diy thing and iam also cheap. So this system is working pretty well for me and has bested all the recievers and integrated amps I've tried so far.

Well, I know this is the Carver forum and love for the C1 us probably unanimous here but Ive realized that the best preamp for me is no preamp at all...just a stepped attenuator in front of the amp. I still like the C1 phono stage though and the variable loading is handy. With the passive preamp setup you give up ability to get loud (less gain) but you get a greater sense of transparency and detail. Its a trade off for sure. The great thing about this setup is a still use the c1 to switch between cd and phono. Now if I could only figure out if I need those coupling caps in the phono stage I could potentially make the phono stage even better sounding....

Hey guys, I modded my Carver C1 w/the 2134 op amp and new caps. I am currently using it as a phono stage only, running it through the tape out into a tube buffer then an amp w/a passive preamp in front of out. Sounds good. In fact, the C1 w/the 2134 IC makes for an excellent phono stage. Which got me thinking... the only "bad" component I can see in the signal path of the phono stage is the 22uf electrolytic coupling cap right before it goes to the tape out. I replaced the stock cap with a nichicon es bipolar but do I really need a coupling cap here? I've got input caps on the tube buffer, input caps in the amp. DC shouldnt be an issue. Could I replace the 22uf coupling cap w/a lower value (say 2UF) non-electrolytic? Should I go capless? Thanks. You guys know this stuff better than me.