Posted by manualblock [ 24.191.167.32 ] on August 08, 2004 at 12:15:06:
To all; This weekend I replaced the stock rectifier diodes in my A.E.S. Pre-amp with Hexfreds. It's a mod offered by A.E.S. for 60$. That may appear pricey but they include wire(pure silver) and a terminal strip. It was somewhat of a pain in the rear due to very tight tolerances in the circuit. I really had to squeeze some of the leads in there. And soldering in such tight quarters ain't easy. However the mod is done and it has made a nice difference in the sound.
What I noticed right off is the sound is decidedly smoother; ie.,less mettallic sounding and more musical. The bass is deeper with more body and low notes are clearer and more easily distinguishable from each other. Clarinet has a little more woody tone and bass drum has less of that one-note character; not a huge difference but definately worth 60$ and 2 hours of work.
Female voices have a little less of that back of the throat sound and more of a full-bodied breath with slightly less sibilance quality. On Cassandra Wilson's album "Blue Light Till Dawn", there is a couple spots in the cut "I Can't Stand The Rain", where her voice transitions from a whisper into a falsetto an octave higher. This would sound slightly strident prior to the change. It's smoother and gentler with the mod. Highs seem a bit more defined with a natural attack instead of that artificial snap some recordings seemed to exhibit before the change.
I never had a/b'd the Hexfreds in any piece before this so I am pleasantly surprised. While the differences are not huge they are noticeable and enjoyable. Recommended!J.R.
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