Extreme Audio Mod X-Fi SB-0460( Coz im Extreme :) )

[Nikolasz]

I just did capacitator mod to myx-fi sb0460. (without op amp swiching and opamps soldering)
I add fiew bigger capacitors to da-c and capacitators to op amps, im shocked with scores. Im really one of wery fiew who actualy make it that way up with scores, really good.

Links that i use..
http://www.overclock.net/sound-cards...will-void.html
http://www.head-fi.org/t/226975/hotr...s-guide-no-56k

Moust important pict to me, it whows where i can put bigger caps for 3.3volt and 5volt for da-c and op-amps
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...ltagesgl3.jpg/

Thats my scorelist with moded X-fi..
Today i replace two more caps and then i run tests 16-24-32 bit and i took pictures for you ppl

And i folow proper test for win7
http://audio.rightmark.org/downloads...tGuide_V12.pdf
http://audio.rightmark.org/download.shtml

16bit


24Bit


Check score lol total harmonic distortion up to 0.0000%

______________________________________
Original topic
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...gin-for-winamp

[Nikolasz]

Thats my cap moded soundcard. all non black, non default caps are replaced with hi quality 105c 220uF 6.3 volts...
http://freeweb.siol.net/nikolas3/Nikolz/SB.JPG
That image is BIG 4.2meg and it has hiest quality

[Ultimate PC Man]

Might as well have put japanese solid caps

[miahallen]

Wrong forum

[Nikolasz]

Might as well have put japanese solid caps

That is what i did : D , i even put those 6 caps from older used foxconn mainboard
I just did new proper test, check new scores from pictures above !

[Ultimate PC Man]

I meant the kind of caps found on the Asus Rampage IV Extreme

Nice scores btw.

[Nikolasz]

Thanks!

If someone is interesting i can post reply wich caps i swich and what values on certain places need to be replaced..

[Nikolasz]

Updated, above.

[Tim]

Sounds great, but why does the link to overclock.net says this : "This mod is no longer recommended and not supported by members of OCN. Perform at your own risk."?

I still have my old Xtreme music and wouldn't mind doing this.

[Nikolasz]

Shure. Infact you got all data regarding soldering, there.
All you need is more details where you replace capacitators on your soundcard.

Thats my cap moded soundcard.


On my picture that i provided,
http://freeweb.siol.net/nikolas3/Nikolz/SB.JPG

green capacitators are 220uF 6.3volts or 10 volts.

At big connector there is one bigger this one got 1000uF 6.3 volts
and
At DSP black big cooler, is 470uF 16volts

I put all of those 105c <-- hier temperature operating.

Just be shure to install good ones, that got no internal resistance and good capactitive.
Internal resistance will fall when you rechadge and empty capacitator many times to be 100% shure capacitator is factory ok.

What those capacitators do, is to Filter all noise that IS comming from other other digital chips, and voltage regultators.

I didnt put biger capacitators simply those wery small voltage regulators wont handle chardging big FAT capacitators.

[DFI pit bull]

Thankyou very much for this thread Nikolasz, been wanting to mod my card for a long time. I've got an xtreme music card and have already started soldering on caps (quite fun actually), just waiting for the LM4562 to arrive. Was never impressed by the card's sound quality, hopefully this will get me using it instead of my motherboard sound.

Again, very good guide, thanks for posting.

[Tim]

Thanks for that, looks easy actually. Weird how I've been visiting forums for years, and have had this card for years and never came across this. Going to swap the opamp as well as the surround opamps.

Does it really make that much difference to the sound?

[Nikolasz]

Thanks for that, looks easy actually. Weird how I've been visiting forums for years, and have had this card for years and never came across this. Going to swap the opamp as well as the surround opamps.

Does it really make that much difference to the sound?

I dont have to, i set my windows 7 sound settings for output to maximun quality and i ran winamp 32/24 bit output.


You may put better op amps but some of are not powerfull enugh in some rare power hungry headphones.
I did order LM4562 smd housing, but all i got LM4562 big housing that dont fit into souncard.

Ppl did put LM4562 into they soundcards but they didnt put good capacitators in corect way and they think they got good scores, and they try with others op amps too :/
And scores they got are
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/sh...d.php?p=836856

[NEOAethyr]

Thanks for that, looks easy actually. Weird how I've been visiting forums for years, and have had this card for years and never came across this. Going to swap the opamp as well as the surround opamps.

Does it really make that much difference to the sound?

I'm not the thread op but...
I modded the dfi sli-dr audio module along time ago, by replacing the 2x output caps with old school (VERY OLD, from a half dead freebie stereo), rubycon (the blue ones) solid electrolytic caps.

Err, wait a sec, I modded that board but how would of I of tested the lows with that pos...
Lemme go check my nf2, maybe that's the one I modded.
Oh I remember now lol...

Ok, the nf4 I modded, I still got the module but not the board it's self.
I think the only diff was a tiny improvement in quality.

The nf2, I didn't replace the onboard sound caps, instead I wired the board's grounds to dc ground, instead of ac ground.
Which allowed me to use 3x perameq on the lows at 100% boost(all 3 of them).
Before that it was limited to around 20-25%, after which it would cause lots of distortion, after the weird hookup deal I was able to max it out along with the volume and have zero distortion from all the lows.

On a normal setup, the case it's self is hooked into ac ground fault.
I don't even know why I'm saying this stuff lol, it's not a mod I recommend anyways unless you're using plexi as a case.

Anyways whatever.
Take note that most audio caps are a min of 16v.
The higher the better, volt wise (less resistance and higher amperages possible perhaps).
The size of the cap uf wise well I dn, I always used 470's on the output audio caps...
I only modded one card(dfi module) though so I can't speak from much experience.

Edit:
Way off topic wise...
Found out yesterday nana meant seven in japanese .
Just a weird trivia thing...

One more edit:
The experience I had back in the day with nichicon solid gel caps, 2.5v rating, they could only handle around 1.35v max before causing lots of probs.
This doesn't have anything to do with audio though, I had added a 2.5v 470uf(err either 470 or 270uf, whatever was on the dfi nf4 cpu reg's...) cap to my nf2's ram vref (half of 2.7v, actually 2.7v on that board equ's 2.87 or something so maybe 1.4v).
I'm just mentioning this because say you use a 16v solid gel cap, it might handle half that in reality.
When I replaced it with a 1000uf 6.3v ruby mcz electro cap it's fine all the way up to 2.5v(5v ram voltage) so go figure...
I'm not talking out my @rse or anything, I just saying that solid caps don't seem to handle as much voltage as they say they can without major distortion.
An odd coincidence is that my nf4's cpu voltage, max stability was about the same level as that nf2's ram vref voltage...
Same exact caps, 2 diff uses, same voltage barrier before instability.
I probably didn't make that very clear to understand, I'm trying to edit it right now...

[Nikolasz]

Yeah, i think i know your point..

There is small update for using 24-32 bit and 192khz.. on latest post relpy
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...gin-for-winamp

[Nikolasz]

In the end i add, LM4562 chip.

Edit
sound is great,

edit
maybe too great

[Nikolasz]

Soon i will take pictures what i did for mods

[Barr3l Rid3r]

nice!

that's my Auzen X-Fi using Nichicon Audio caps and Wima polypropilene, Opamp upgraded to LME 49860

[Nikolasz]

This topic got nothing to do with my motoric skills, or my personality, or with my educations.

protection, with gnd to gnd

multilayers..


2 new chips lm4562. In place, one for microphone IN and one chip for stereo out.


Posting new scores is known. More mods, better sound.