2nd hicap on 82

I believe it's one Hi-Cap per channel, so you should get one that's as similar as possible.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Dear Mike,

I think you are right about one Hicap per channel.

Finding a similar Hicap could be a hard job though, especially if this means that I have to find a Hicap with a 107xxx serial.

Do you know if there are differences between Hicap's produced before and after the one I own?


Dennis

My gut feel on this would be it would not be as important as matching 135's, Speakers, etc.

If you got a recent vintage hicap you could always have your older one serviced to bring the caps etc up to the same level. In this instance even slightly unbalanced Hicaps should be an improvement over just 1.

My friend has his 82 powered by an old style HiCap and a new one. No problems, it's great!

When you have to service the HiCaps you could have them matched.

BTW, I have 2 different pairs of 135s in my active SBL-setup, the newer ones are on the trebles...

- Jun

Don't worry about them being really close to the same period. Try to stay with new/old style, and approximately the same age (within a few years). I've heard old and new Hi-Caps, and there's definitely a difference in performance. However, after a service, this is often much less obvious.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

When using two high-caps I iunderstand on powers the input and the other the output. If this is true then they don't have to be identical.

quote:

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When using two high-caps I iunderstand on powers the input and the other the output.

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I believe this is incorrect. IIRC, the two rails on the Hi-Cap are split between intput and output duties, while the two Hi-Caps take Left and Right channels. Of course, if you have only one Hi-Cap, then it's two rails handle L+R Input and L+R Output, respectively.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

I've tried two hi-caps in my system to power my 82 - one was about five years old than the other. No problems.

When they were used singularly and compared against each other there was no obvious difference between the two either.

However, although I think two hicaps are better than one the difference is miles off a supercap. So I'm still saving.

Chris

for the unenlightened

so pray what are the differences between the old style Hi-Cap and the new style?

Herman

(owner of a 1994 Hi-Cap and soon, a 1997 one.)

Herm,

I don't think you are going to find any differences between those 2 Hicaps. I couldn't tell the diff between a 1998 unit and a recapped one from the 1980s. The old one has now been relegated to powering the Prefix, and replaced with a newer one serial 1220 000 (or thereabouts). Once again I can't tell the difference between these 2 units. One thing is very clear though: 2 Hicaps are much better than one, especially on CD replay via CDX.

Jens

Sure, but in general?

when did old school change to new school, and what are the differences?

Herman

Thank you all for the great replies.

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However, although I think two hicaps are better than one the difference is miles off a supercap. So I'm still saving.

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Is this really true? My personal experience is that differences are getting smaller higher on the ladder. If a Supercap is really so much better it might be better to wait a little longer. A Hicap would cost me about 700 Euro. A recap of the Hicap I already own probably about 300 Euro (shipping included). A Supercap (if I can find one) will go second-hand for about 2500 Euro. 2500-700-700-300=800 Euro. So a Supercap would cost me about 800 Euro (500 pound) extra if I sell my Hicap. Question is is the Supercap worth the extra 800 Euro or can I spend this money better. I could upgrade my 180 to a 250 for instance.

Dennis

They don't call it Super for nothing! The difference between 82/2*Hi and 82/Super is really quite astonishing, and definitely worth the difference in cash (assuming that you can afford it).

That having been said, you can usually re-sell a used Hi-Cap for the same amount that you purchased it. Therefore, I would suggest that you buy a recent Hi-Cap (less than 8-years old, so it doesn't require re-capping). You benefit from two Hi-Caps now, and keep saving for that Super-Cap upgrade.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

I had 2 older HiCaps, with Holden and Fisher transformers. When I had them serviced Naik 'matched' them for me. I assume this means that they calibrated the outputs to be as identical as possible. They sounded great. I think a 2 HiCap 82 sounds very good indeed.

However, if you mix old and new you will probably find that they have have differently rated transformers. My old styles were 240v, my new style HiCap is 230v. This, along with the different transformer manufacturer may account for the difference in sound reported by others in this thread.

I now have a Supercap and it's never sounded as good. If you can afford one. Buy it.

By the way, if you have internal phono boards but don't use them - remove them. I was really pleased by the improvement when I did this with my 82.

regards,

Mark

[This message was edited by Mark Packer on THURSDAY 09 May 2002 at 16:15.]

If the Supercap is that much better I know a second Hicap will eventually lead to another upgrade. I decided to keep the money in my pocket and save for a Supercap.

Thank you all for the advices.

Dennis