Tony has completed my DAC mods and it's on soak test. I will pick it up on Thursday - can't wait!

Tony was telling me he did a good bit of work on it. So it should sound even better

I’ve got popcorn at the ready.

Can you let us know what more has been done to the dac please Martin?

I'm starting with no grounding boxes and will then build them up. I, too, don't want to mix changes as you just don't know what has had what effect on the sound. Listening to my LKS on Tony's system last night, it did sound pretty damned incredible so I have high hopes.

The DAC has been further modified while it was away with Tony of Coherent. I can't remember the detail of all the mods but the key areas were rewiring the mains input side with 3D cable and twisting the transformer pairs; lots of capacitor improvements using those superb K caps that Tony has specially made for him; some ultra high performance LT regulators to replace the standard ones; faster diodes in the rectifier section and trimming the balanced output DC offsets.

Firstly, I tried the DAC driving the power amp direct, but this time from the XLR outputs. Decidedly better than when I had tried it from the phono outputs some time ago, but there was still something lacking, it all sounding slightly lightweight. Then I reinserted the buffer between DAC and power amp and the potency and slam were back.

The LKS still has its detail and dynamic potency (strengths of the ES9038 chipset) but somehow seems calmer now, delivering the music without effort and with even lower levels of harshness than before.

Then I played with the grounding boxes. There are almost infinite permutations so forgive me for not trying them all. I did try, at one point, grounding the reclocker with all four leads from the SGS-1s but that wasn't as good as I had heard the system before.

I've now settled on this arrangement, but being very careful to route cables hanging in the air rather than touching each other:

• SGS-1 to the router (via the power plug)
• SGS-1s to the DAC (two cables to analogue and digital grounds) and the buffer (two cables to output grounds)
• BR Eflos USB to the streamer
• BR Eflos phono to the reclocker (S/PDIF ground)

Something I’ve noted, a clue that there is less system noise and better grounding, is that the Mutec locks faster than before. I often missed the start of a song while it sync’d with the blue LED flashing. Now the music starts even before the LED has stopped flashing.

I think the DAC still needs more hours to complete its burn-in but what Tony has given me is the best of the LKS' abilities – detail, impact, bass extension and power – without any Sabre hardness or treble tilt. What I also notice is a whole wealth of extra texture and new sounds now brought to my attention. The power of Kraftwerk's Minimum-Maximum is still there but I'm hearing a lot more from this amazing live album while the overall potency has taken another step up. As for Yello, even ChrisB might be impressed with the sheer welly of Touch.  I love this DAC and I love my system when it sounds like this!

Glad to hear it is all back and sounding even better. I must arrange with you to come and listen if that's still Ok, and to pick up that cable.

Sounds good already and almost certainly more to come !

What are the lipstick like tubes on the floor Martin?

They look too small to be tube traps.

uplighters