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Killer Accuphase P300

Fast996

Fast996

Mod that Vintage Gear
Hi.....I just got my 34 year old Accuphase P300 back today. I have been inpatiently waiting.....as I love to do upgrades on Vintage electronics. I just thought I would post a few pics.....and then go hook it up.

The big caps were replaced with Mundorf M-Lytic 47,000uf80v's.....these are big and I originally thought they were too big....but my tech...god bless Fred Thompson.....shoe horned them in.

The rest of the electrolytics were replaced with Blackgates....and a 3 prong ICE was used to replace the original 2 pronger.

The 2nd pic is of the big Mundorfs and the 3rd is all the parts that Fred replaced.

I 'm going to set her up and listen.....I'll post some more info later....

P.S. I hope it does sound killer as the title implies......I hope....please dear god!

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Those Mundorf are 90mm diameter. I'd love to see how he managed to get them mounted (top and bottom view)...:scratch2:
 
After listening to this amp for about 2 1/2 hours....is it better than a stock p300...yes...alot better. If I could pick one word that stuck in my mind it would be transparency....This amp will get better. The break in for Blackgates is how much? 300 hours.....some say 1000+.....I have to think about that....because right now this amp does a lot of things very well....
 
The linch mob demands more pics, and especially more impressions, such as a comparason between how the new compares to the old.
 
Yeah-and please explain in scientific/understandable terms, how a capacitor could "break in". Give me a break! phil
 
It's saturday morning and the lions are really hungry.....

To compare this amp to the old is kinda unfair.....the unused P300 had been sitting up at my Dad's place for the last 20 years. But I remember that.....I had given it to him because I had come across better. Now that is not to say that the sound was not bad.....As a Amplifier designer friend told me....."this amp does nothing objectionable".

The upgraded P300.....with the Blackgates and Mundorf caps is better than.....right now my Platinum Mono blocks that put out about say 1200w a piece. I have been listening to the blocks this past month....they have unlimited effotless power...as an example....Enrico Rava's trumpet...The 3rd Man album soars and actually sounds like it bounces off my ceiling......The London recording Puccini Madame Butterfly with Pavoratti....The orchestra has as much detail,weight, and power as I have heard....the part about 3/4's of the way into the first disc where the tuba's blast is enough to startle you.....but the Acc is better...with only hours on it.....I listened and to the same tuba's and said....Holy S***......and laughed....Big and I mean big with with immense power and majesty that filled the sounstage...yet with a detail that blew my mind....I have never experienced anything like that. This amp has tons of power and resolving ability....it sounds like it produces power equal to my monoblocks...which is saying something.

Now it should get better...because in my experience equipment when new usually sounds a little closed and is less smooth than when broken in.

Was I dissapointed in anything? Well the bass could have had more slam.....but it was very good....I'm thinking with the power that the amp exhibited that....that will happen soon...maybe in the next few on off cycles as the big caps settle in. The Mundorfs with their design should be extremely fast....so we will see.

The Blackgates have a reputation for resolving detail sometimes to a fault.....Right now I am just soaking up the change in the way I have heard music before and so far they sound very very good.

The Big test will be when I get My VAC 140's hooked up and compare these giant push pull 300B amps to the P300.....right now the P300 midrange is very full and involving but the VAC's have a reputation built on a beautiful liquid midrange and a soundstage to die for.....should be a popcorn kinda showdown.

Any questions please ask....and I'll post some more pics with the lights(meters)on.
 
WhiteSE said:
is that also a VAC tube amp with the gold facia?
Click to expand...

Yes that is my 70/70 Vac stereo 300B Amp bought in '94 . It is a great amp the best I have listened to in my experience.That is why i jumped at a pair of Vac 140's purchased last month.Waiting for my Adona rack to light them up,should be next week.Isn't this hobby great amps galore.
 
Here's a pic I took of the P300 and my C200....the P300 is powered up but you can't see the meters....I'll wait till dark. But I left it on all night with my Sony CDP as the source. Today the highs(cymbals) sound really well defined with plenty of air. This biggest thing again I notice is the amount of transparency.....by that I mean the way the Music is presented in such a lifelike and clear manner. To look deep into the soundstage from side to side and clearly make out each instrument or vocal.....front to back also.

Also that is not to say the my original P300 didn't have some of these qualities.....it does.....but now everything is so much more evident.

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jhal said:
No more window love, we want nudes!:yes::D

Very nice amp, by the way.
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very NICE - I'm a stone guy and the granite in pic3 is holly cow nice, not to mention the teaser rack in the 1st pic.
Okay what is the stone and do please send a pic of the rack there dude???

I'm getting cranky!

Cheers,

Bob
 
Hi Bob,

Cranky.......that's the way I feel without sound or ""......I won't go there.....
The granite is....light bamboo green from Italy.....and the rack is a Bello....you guessed it...also from Italy. I will post some nudes tomorrow....as I have been busy....listening....go figure.
 
Sorry to not get it. In this reference, heavily clothed in pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo are purely subjective listening conclusions. Perhaps my knowlege of electrical theory prevents me from hearing my power cords. For me, it's about listening to music. Your audio types are eating the menu instaead of the meal. phil
 
pfcs49 said:
Sorry to not get it. In this reference, heavily clothed in pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo are purely subjective listening conclusions. Perhaps my knowlege of electrical theory prevents me from hearing my power cords. For me, it's about listening to music. Your audio types are eating the menu instaead of the meal. phil
Click to expand...

My mom use to tell my father....."Daddy you take all the fun out of it."

I guess it goes both ways...
 
Fast996 said:
Hi Bob,

The granite is....light bamboo green from Italy.....and the rack is a Bello....you guessed it...also from Italy. I will post some nudes tomorrow....as I have been busy....listening....go figure.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply - the granite sure is purty, and so is the amp.

Oh and I always thought new caps need a little break in - prolly NOT 1000 hrs tho. More like a few days of listening. That's my "thought". I may be wrong....


Cheers,
Bob
 
Hi Bob,

Your welcome......I think a 1,000 is a big stretch....my experience is 100 hours will do just fine at the max. My 300B Sophias are like clockwork....100 hours and you think what happened here...who flipped the switch.
 
Here's some Nudies.....for Audio porn lovers.....sorry no underware......


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Here are the Mundorf M Lytic HC'S 47000uf 80v installed .They are well made and large.
 
After listening to Enrico Rava's third man album on ECM.......this amplifier after 35 hours burn in is the best amplifier I have ever heard.
 
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