Posted on Thursday, 15th March 2007 by Jimmy Auw
If you haven’t read my previous article, please click here. I discussed the mod of MX5021’s satellites. Now, it’s time for the electronic parts 
I opened the Altec MX5021 subwoofer yesterday. Here’s the picture of the board inside. We can see two big rectifier, some big capacitors (removed from the board), and some op-amps (all are ST4558C).
We have two chip for amplifier here, one is TDA7265 and other is TDA7295. Both from ST. One for driving the both satellite (TDA7265, 2×25 Watt), and one for subwoofer (TDA7295, 80 Watt).
Photo above shows the removed main capacitor. Well, they come from “well known brand”, Samxon. You can see the value, 4700 uF, 2200 uF, and 1000 uF. I remove them all.
Photo above shows the new modded board. Giant capacitors there. I also change the coupling and supply capacitor for the TDA7265. This is quite important since that TDA provide amplification for the satellites (I expect smoother mid-range and treble). I don’t change the parts on TDA7295 since I believe the subwoofer should be fine with stock parts (to save the cost to).
Photo above shows the side of the main capacitor. The 10.000 uF is the lug type so can’t fit the small hole on the PCB. I have to create a wire extension to fit that. I think I will need to drill it someday Two first pairs capacitors come from Elna, the last pair comes from Sanyo (Gold version). They are not the high price capacitors since I don’t have any intention to pay this upgrade cost more than the price of the MX5021 itself 
You also can see two wires (orange and white). I remove the standard cable to the subwoofer and replace it with this cables.
Photo above shows the important circuit of TDA7265. I trace the circuit a little bit more by using TDA7265 datasheet. Then, I replace the two coupling capacitor and one supply capacitor. Both from Elna Cerafine (non-polar version - special order parts?). The op-amp also should be changed (later). The stock one is ST 4558C. Any op-amp from BurrBrown like 2134 or 2604 should fit this job perfectly.
The sound at first impression:
The high is more detail, but far from bright. The mid is warmer. The low extension has more punch, power, and control. Overall, the subwoofer and the satellites are blended perfectly (better than the standard one). I have no doubt that this mod increase the musicality of my MX5021 and it’s very significant. The final touch should be the op-amp. This should bring a lot of improvements. I have stock of BurrBrown 2134PA and will upgrade it soon. Will post my upgrade later.
Three hours later…
Oh well, I can’t wait. I open the MX5021 again to replace the op-amp. I use BurrBrown OPA2134PA. Here’s the photo. Will update the sound impression later. I use a socket so I can change to op-amp easily next time. I have stock some op-amp (OPA2604/OPA627/AD825/etc).
Final impression (full upgrade with op-amp BurrBrown OPA2134PA):
I can’t wait any longer. I plug the fully modded Altec Lansing MX5021 to my EMU1820M sound card. Well, I’m shocked at first time. The vocal of Ingram Washington in “What a Wondeful World” locks tight on the center, while the other instruments have their own layers. The details of the baritone are there and you can feel it. Surely, the BurrBrown OPA2135PA increases the staging and separation of the music. I do enjoy this upgrade. The high is better in terms of extension, clear but not bright, quite airy. I think that is the most significant of upgrading that stock ST 4558 to the BurrBrown OPA2134PA.
Posted in DIY Audio, Personal | Comments (241)
March 21st, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Hy there, the article is very interesting and im planning upgrading my Altecs really soon.
First of all thank you for writing it, now i dont think that i get that opamp in my country, if so, there are some specs that i need to know in order to buy an opamp for the altecs ? (if you could give me some alternatives it would be just great)
Thank You.
March 22nd, 2007 at 8:58 am
Hi,
I think the most popular op-amp should be ok. BurrBrown 2134PA or 2604AP are two most popular.
Make sure you buy dual op-amp (not single or quad op-amp). Check the datasheet. Any op-amp should do, but watch out for faster op-amp… I don’t know whether the layout of the PCB can handle fast/high bandwidth op-amp…
March 23rd, 2007 at 8:32 am
[...] Read more: http://jimmyauw.com/?p=120 [...]
March 23rd, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Hai,
About the Samxon caps you’re removing, what series are they ? (4700 uF & 1000 uF)
Thanks
March 24th, 2007 at 8:55 am
@Rex:
I’m sorry, I dont get your point? What “series”? What does “series” refer to?
Thanks.
March 25th, 2007 at 5:00 am
hi there i also have a set of mx5021 and i found out that if u plug in a pair of headphone and then changes the treble or bass then unplug it, u will get different sound
and if u turn the speakers off and turn it on again u will get different sound too
i know its confusing but i just wanna if this happens to ur mx5021 or not
March 25th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Will check tomorrow…
April 5th, 2007 at 12:26 am
Hello again, ive opened my Altecs and i observed that one opamp is missing ! In your pictures i see 6 of them, ive got only 5. Anyways, if i want to change them, must i change them all ?
April 5th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Hi Marian,
I prefer to change the one that I’ve changed… Btw, can you post your photo of MX5021’s PCB somewhere around? So I can look it?
Thanks.
May 1st, 2007 at 2:26 am
Hello Jimmy,
Sorry for my bad English
I have any question. What op-amp OPA2134PA/OPA2604/OPA627/AD825 is better? How change op-amp? Removed stock ST 4558 and insert OPA2134PA and all? How many uF is this red capacitors?
I have another crossover in satellites. There are C1 - 4,7uF 50V on tweeter, and C2 - 15uF 50V + L1 - 2,0A 560uH on woofer.
And, Why you don’t change TDA7265? For what, I can upgrade this?
Thanks.
May 1st, 2007 at 2:33 am
And one questions:
Are you have a noise from tweeter, how i can delete a noise?
May 1st, 2007 at 9:06 am
Yes, there are noise, but very small… in typical my listening room (with a silent PC), only heard when I pump volume to maximum (4 to 5 LED) with no music played.
I think the noise come from the power supply… must be traced though, but I dont thinks it’s worth to try…
May 1st, 2007 at 9:11 am
Hi Elvir,
Hard to judge the op-amp quality… theoritically, 627 is the best… but 2134/2604 offers good price to performance… 825 is a single opamp, you have to use 2 for stereo (with extra dual-to-single opamp adaptor). Too complicated for this project, so I wont recommend it.
Some “better” opamp (high speed) needs a better circuit… so it may not fit for all application
The fastest solution is to change the opamp near the output. But off course you can change them all if you want it (and willing to pay extra cost).
For the satellite, change the 4.7uF first… this will affect the high frequency… if you feel the high is too bright after changing the capacitor, try to add 2 Ohm resistor (5 to 10 Watt) before the capacitor.
TDA is the main amplifier. You can upgrade to a higher powered chip, but again this is not worth to try since you may need to adjust the power supply voltage, etc.
May 6th, 2007 at 12:45 am
I’m about a noise from tweeter. I have a very big noise from tweeter. I don’t know, what do it.
May 6th, 2007 at 11:59 am
Hmm… I guess you have problem inside your amplifier…
May 6th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
About the ‘Red Capacitors’, what is the capacity (mF) each? Sorry, I can’t see clearly the capacity of the capacitor.
May 9th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Just replace it with the same original value.
June 10th, 2007 at 3:07 am
Thanks for the guide! I’m going to first try replacing the last output op-amp with an OPA2134 in a socket. Do you think this set would benefit if I replaced all of the op-amps, or would replacing the one be enough?
June 10th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I haven’t checked all the opamp circuitry and function… but you can try to replace the opamp nearest with the output… this will give most significant effect.
Thanks.
June 18th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Wow this modding-article really tempting me! But, coz I’m not experienced with some electronic stuff such as capacitor, rectifier etc, I’m confused in some part of this article.
I have this MX in my house, and I, after reading your article, intend to try modding this speaker.
There are some question I’d like to ask. First thing I need to know, are modding very risky? What if I replace some component with other component that coincidentally not match?
In your article, you use ‘Elna’ capacitor to replace the ‘Samxon’. If I use different type or brand from that capacitor, are the result will be different too?
I read two of your article, first article is about modding the crossover of the satellite speaker (if I’m not mistaken) and the other is this amplifier-modding article. If I just modding one of them (ex. I’m just modding the amplifier), how far the result will be different compared to modding both of them?
Thanks for your help..
June 18th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Yup, different capacitor should produce different result. But make sure you will use a better quality capacitor. Samxon is on the lower (near lowest) place. So any better caps like Panasonic, BlackGate, Elna, Nichicon, Nippon Chemicon, etc should improve the sound quality (but the sound characteristic will slightly different).
Better try to mod the speaker first (the crossover)… because it’s easier and almost risk free…
Thanks.
June 20th, 2007 at 6:37 am
Thanks for your advice, now I try to mod my speaker first.
But when I opened my MX… whoa, it’s different than your crossover, here’s the ‘picture?’
|—————————–| (0) is the regular ‘Samxon’ small capacitor (15uF, 50v)
| (0) |———-| | (1) is the same ‘big black thing’ like in your crossover, but
| | 1 | | with different inductance, which is ‘560 uH, 2.0 A’
| w |——— | | (2) is the big yellow tube, come from ‘Samxon’. It have
| o ——– | ‘4.7 uF, 50v’ marked on its body (Is it a capacitor??)
| o | | | Considering the size, why is it only have 4.7 uF of capacitance?
| f | 2 | | Do you have some clue of this case?
| e | | |
| r ——– |
June 20th, 2007 at 6:49 am
Oops sorry, I haven’t thought that the ‘picture’ would be like this (x_x)
Here’s a brief description of my cross over (the position is based on your ‘first’ speaker crossover picture):
- It have one ‘big black’ thing (560 uH, 2.0 A) placed horizontally, and one Samxon ‘big yellow tube’
(4.7 uF,50 V), placed vertically. My question is what the big yellow ‘capacitor?’ with small capacitance do there?
- It have only ONE regular capacitor, Samxon ‘15uF,50V’. Placed in upper part of the PCB, near the ‘top woofer’ mark and the big yellow thing (different from any of your crossover’s capacitor placement)
Do you have some clue of this case?
June 20th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
The 4.7uF is the high pass filter for the tweeter…
Replace this one with a better capacitor (Solen has good for price/performance ratio)…
August 21st, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Hi Jim,
Maybe, you can put also for the total cost of this Upgrading Mod, so from the start/beginning we can predict that how much total cost, for this nice upgrading and mod for Altec Lansing MX5021.
Elna = $, or Rp.
Opamp = $, or Rp.
Etc = $, or Rp.
So before we do the “jump” we have to prepare the parasut right..
it is nice Article, for helping people do the right mod.
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Forget the price exactly… but around $15 for satellite and $20 for amplifier mod…
August 30th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Hi Jimmy, I just bought MX 5021 and one opamp is missing. I want to know, if you could tell me, what is its purpose and if it’s worth to put one in i’ll send you a photo of the rest of the components around the IC that are missing. I send the photo of the missing IC to your email.
Thank you very much.
August 30th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
I think they have re-designed the amplifier… maybe to reduce the cost, they eliminate some components…
I dont know the function, have to check it first (have to open it again)… maybe next time…. sorry.
September 21st, 2007 at 5:36 am
Hey Jimmy,
I’ve been using the MX5021 for 2 yeards and I really love them. Hoever, I’ve had the subwoofer under my desk and against the wall. From repeatedly being jammed against the wall, the wire on the control pod that’s connected to the subwoofer got bent and now I can’t get power. I bought the fx 4021 but no comparison. Any idea where I can buy a control pod for the mx5021 or where I can bring it to get repaired? Thanks
October 6th, 2007 at 2:53 am
Hi there jimmy, good show. I just opened mine to take a look as the minijack is giving some trouble with some plugs. I am also planning a small set of mods. I already bypassed the tweeter caps with MKP, did not bother to change any other caps in the ‘woofer’ crossover in the sats. I must say you took a lot of trouble. Congratulations.
Two quick questions:
As a side note, all the active components are pretty poor quality - The 7265 specifications are pretty bad, the 7433D is a very basic processor, and the film caps are all polyester generics. Not sure how much advantage we can get from modding. The 4558 opamps make me shudder, now that I’ve opened it up.
1. Which caps are signal coupling? You changed the C61, C54 and C1. Far as I can tell the following also need to be changed:
C50 and 52 - these couple the return signal from the control pod to the TDA 7433D.
C45 and 34 - These couple the main input (back of the sub) to the first opamp U7
C41 and 46 - These couple the U7 output to the TDA 7433D. This first set is the input path for the input at the subwoofer back.
U7, U12, U14 and U9 (which you already changed). These are all directly in the signal path, not totally sure why so many opamps were required. There is also a TL074C on the back, I presume that is where the crossover for the subwoofer is, as it is routed straight to the TDA 7295’s + input. That cap is C118, BTW.
2. Do you continue to use the minijack for signal input? I think a worthwile mod would be to replace that with some panel mount RCA jacks - There’s plenty of space on the back panel, and the PCB has a nice blank square to drill through to route the wire and keep it short.
My quick observations show that C1 is a mute cap between pin 3 and 5, and is thus not important to the modding process for sound quality gain - though you did it anyway so was there a quality improvement?
My second observation is that the 0.22 uF is the only filter component in the satellite amps, and therefore should be replaced by a cap of the same value. A larger cap may pass a full range signal to the satellites, causing over-excursion. I luckily have some film caps of the exact same value salvaged from a NAD CD player, they will be helpful to me. I am not sure if the satellite signal goes through a high-pass earlier.
Sorry for the long post. Will check back later.
October 6th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Hi,
Thank you for your information.
Actually, what I did was a very basic mod. I just want to ask anybody to learn and do simple mod. Off course there are a lot of things to be changed to improve if you want to… I just have concern about “cost” and “difficulty” level. If I put too many mod, a lot of readers will consider this a “expert game” and will never try it.
I dont have the MX5021 on hand right now, so can’t do any observation. But I do agree with you that my mod is only the simple one. There are a lot space to improve there. About your 2 questions, I agree that they both will do a lot of improvement, but with extra sweat
Larger caps I think should be ok. The 3″ driver is enough to handle low frequency around 100-200 Hz. And I think you will feel “heavier” low… just try it and plug the original value if you dont like.
Thanks.
October 6th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Hi, I’m back
Changed 6 caps to Panasonic FC, replaced .22 caps just before TDA7265 to .47 metallised poly. System sound balance has remained, so maybe the small caps are only because Altec are cheap.
Added 22uF Panasonic FC as decoupling for TDA7265, as the decoupling is pretty bad. Just soldered on reverse side of board.
Replaced subwoofer wire with 18AWG quality wire. Broke the sub connector while opening, noticed how thin the wire is.
Best way to open sub is from the front. Use a knife to cut the glue or the connectors are dificult to remove. Sub can be desoldered.
Opamps not changed yet, considering cheaper opamps as the TDA7265 will be the limiting factor. Maybe NE5532 or OPA2134.
The board is pretty bad, all the traces come off easily, so watch it when replacing caps or opamps. smallest amount of heat is enough to break the trace. Keep superglue handy for fixing.
Wire to satellites changed for 15 gauge speaker wire (not expensive audiophile stuff, just plain good quality wire).
Sorry no photos, don’t have a camera.
By the way spent some time browsing your blog, nice stuff. Do you have some recordings you want to put up? I dabble a bit in recording too. Would love to hear your stuff and see your gear.
October 6th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
I just use my DIY speaker… some tubes amp… and some gears like EMU1820M, ESI Juli@, and Onkyo SE-90PCI… not much to show eh…
December 11th, 2007 at 4:57 am
Any advice on upgrading the OPMAPS in Altec Lansing 621. Thinking of upgrading to LME49720NA.
December 14th, 2007 at 1:35 am
Hi there jimmy, about the crossover on the satellites, i think i have the same one as Elvir, my satellites midrange both of them run on the same frequency cause both midrange speaker connected in series. the 4.7uF 50V connected series with the tweeter where the capacitor is way bigger than yours, almost as big as the inductor. did altec somewhat change their design? can u draw me or attach the bottom picture part of ur crossover? i like to try whats the difference between the design.
December 14th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Hi,
please upload your crossover design and i can suggest some modification for you.
December 17th, 2007 at 10:42 am
very intriguing article =)
just bought my set of mx5021’s, and i must say that i’m quite pleased with the sound quality so far. but even now i am feeling the itch to try out your mods knowing that the sound quality can improve even more. hmmm, but maybe i’ll wait out the 1 year warranty first though. that’ll give me time to read up some more about the mod since i haven’t tried anything like this yet. hope you won’t mind if i ask for help and clarifications about this in the future. thanks for posting this! =)
eric
December 17th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Anytime bro…
January 19th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
i modded it with (Rubycon 50v 6800uf, Sanyo 50v 3300uf, nichicon 50v 1000uf).
thanks dude…
Sound clearer than before, i can hear some musical instruments and background effects never notice before…
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:54 pm
hi jimmy, but i use LM4562 for the opamp?
March 4th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
You can try… No problem… But I do prefer “warmer sound” opamp… LM4562 tends to have brighter sound… I don’t think it will suit the MX5021 satellite…
March 24th, 2008 at 12:54 am
Does this mod fix the amplifier hiss in the sattelites this system is “famed” for? (audible hiss regardless of volume / conncetion)
March 25th, 2008 at 12:41 am
No…
March 25th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
does any one have the controller they what to sell ??? please e-mail me @ tha513@yahoo.com if so thanx
March 25th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Hi there jimmy, do u have experienced in modify Altec Lansing ATP3? I am goin to modify my ATP3,but I don’t know how to open the satelite speaker?where is the crossover located?Thanks for u reply…
March 26th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Never tried on ATP3, but the basic should be the same.
March 31st, 2008 at 10:30 am
hi jimmy, i already tried to open the altec lansing ATP3. I found that it is using TDA7377 as power amplifier, 3 comparators ST 4558C. Besides that, there is a big capacitor 10,000uFF25V SAMXON
So, what should i do now?change the better comparator as you changed? it is OPA2134PA similiar to ST 4558C?how about the SAMXON capacitor?do i need to change?what else component need to change to improve overall performance.
p/s: where can get the better capacitor and comparator?
March 31st, 2008 at 11:01 pm
I think you can replace the opamp first…
April 4th, 2008 at 9:22 am
I found another Op-amp which is LM4562 dual high fidelity audio operational amplifier.Is it can be used to replace the stock op-amp?Will burn the circuit if replace wrong op-amp?Which one is better if compare LM4562 with OPA2134?Thanks for your opinion.
The link below to see more detail about LM4562
http://cache.national.com/ds/LM/LM4562.pdf
April 6th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
As long as the opamp is compatible, they can be used with no problem.
LM4562 has higher spec compared to 2134.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
om jim, g juga rencana mau mod mx5021 punya g…bbrp bulan lagi(nunggu garansi habis)
ada beberapa pertanyaan,
1. komponen2 tersebut klo kepasang terbalik, akibatnya apa?
2. dalam menyolder apa perlu digunakan timah khusus?
3. kabel dari PCB ke driver diganti dengan kabel apa?
4. kenapa op-amp yang diganti cuma 1, gak semua?
5. caps elna dekat op-amp yang diganti, value-nya berapa?
6. dimana komponen2 itu bisa didapat di jakarta?
trimssss
April 10th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
resiko dalam modifikasi speaker ini besar ga?contohnya?
lalu apakah daya tahan speaker terpengaruhi setelah modifikasi?
April 10th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
1. Sebagian komponen tidak boleh terbalik. Kalo terbalik bisa rusak.
2. Pake timah biasa juga gpp.
3. Silakan coba dengan kabel yang kamu suka. Kalo murah meriah bisa coba Canare.
4. Kebetulan itu yang saya rasa penting. Kamu mau ganti semua juga silakan.
5. Ganti ama nilai yang sama aja.
6. Glodok atau Lindeteves?
Risiko kalo salah pasang yah bisa rusak… Daya tahan speaker harusnya lebih baik karena komponennya lebih bagus.
Thanks.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
hi… I came across this guide & am tempted to mod my acs45.1… there’re 4 types of main power caps
10KµF 25V X 1
1KµF 16V X 2
220µF 16V X 1
100µF 16V X 3
googled a lil bit… found out that increasing the capacitance could be good in sound quality wise… but some say too much of it will reduce life span of other components… & it kinda held me back….
unfortunately I went on to order replacement caps straight away after reading your guide in the very beginning….
22KµF 25V
2.2KµF 16V
470µF 16V
330µF 16V
overkill? any idea? thanks in advance
April 16th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Bigger size wont have any bad effect, but you will lose a lot of money (bigger size = expensive).
Thanks.
April 23rd, 2008 at 7:50 pm
hi… I kinda messed it up… seriously need your help T.T please check your blog email…. thanks
April 24th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
[...] amatuer messed up with acs45.1 speaker mod (cap & opamp swap) T.T hi… after reading this mx5021 mod guide, I’m so tempted to try it out on my ancient acs45.1 & without much hesitation.. I did… mess [...]
April 27th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Please check the connections and lines.
Changing capacitors and opamps won’t do such damage.
Thank you.
April 27th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Great writeup.
I am wondering if anyone has recommendations for the cheapest place to get these parts? From partsexpress, I calculated it is going to cost about $64 (not inc shipping) just to replace the capacitors and inductors for both satellites. A pack of 10 op amps to do the subwoofer mod will cost about $35. I am still unsure of how significant of a difference I will be heard and whether it will be worth it.
What individual mod do you guys think will improve the SQ the most dramatically?
April 29th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
hi… can you tell which opamp is nearest to output by looking @ these pics? thx again
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/sos-amatuer-messed-up-acs45-1-speaker-mod-cap-opamp-swap-t-t-319803/#post4126773
May 1st, 2008 at 7:34 am
[...] Mod for better SQ I came across this site: Jimmy’s Junkyard » Blog Archive » Inside Altec Lansing MX5021: Amplifier Mod I’d like to hear your opinions on how worthy you think these mods would be. These are a great set [...]
May 1st, 2008 at 2:35 pm
bro jimmy, gw br kelar mod ampli mx5021, awalnya gw pake komponen yg kaya bro pake, but suaranya gk terlalu mengalami perubahan.. akhirnya gw ganti pake caps kenwood 4700 uF 75 volt, elna for audio 3300 uF 50 volt japan (ukurannya lbh gede dr pny bro..), 1000 uF 25 volt panasonic fc, 2.2uF 50 volt 3 buah (warna hitam).. caps yg warna hijau di depen caps gede yg berjumlah 11 gw ganti jg (lupa tipenya bro..) n suaranya bassnya lebih deep banget… cm satellitenya msh metalik karakter suaranya… ;-( kynya op amp yg lain bisa di ganti juga ya… soalnya gw coba cek jalur n kl di ganti lebih bagus lg.. trus capsnya juga yg 1 uF yg deket2 op ampnya..
bro karakter op amp lm 833, 5532 and 2134 bagusan mana ya..? gw pingin suara yg detail, warm n treble yg gk nyakitin telinga..
thanx bwt blsnnya bro..
regard
May 1st, 2008 at 2:39 pm
sorry yg 1 uF aslinya gw ganti dengan elna cerafine 2.2uF 50 volt..
trus kl suata saat gw pgn ganti caps yg 4700 uF 50 volt dengan caps 10000uF tp voltagenya lbh rendah yaitu 35 volt gk apa2 kahn..? soalnya di cek arus voltage dr trafonya gk butuh sampe 35 volt…
mohon pencerahannya…
regard
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:37 am
Kalo mau harus upgrade XO satelitnya juga… efeknya pasti lebih terasa.
Pastikan aja capsnya asli tuh… kalo yang palsu2 biasanya ratingnya suka ngaco…. jebluk ntar dikasih rating rendah…
Dari tiga yang dipake lebih cocok 2134 rasanya… tapi saran saya kamu upgrade XO-nya dulu deh di satelitnya… itu efek yang paling kerasa.
Thanks.
May 2nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
bro jimmy, bagaimana caranya upgrade 2 way passive crossover, biar bass dari midbass lebih “gebuk”? harus besarin kumparan-nya? atau mainin nilai capasitor-nya?
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:28 am
Tergantung boss… harus liat rangkaiannya dulu deh…
Bisa dengan membesarkan nilai kumparan… atau menggeser titik potong… atau bahkan ganti merek komponen….
May 14th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Jimmy/all - recently bought the MX5021, and the transformer hum that this model is notorious for is driving me nuts! Did yours also suffer from this? If not, then perhaps I have DC on the mains and need a filter. If they all do the humming, do you happen to have any recommendations for sorting it?
Thanks
May 15th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
update: Jimmy has kindly replied by email to say that his never had this hum, so far as he knows. Anybody else had it or found a fix?
May 20th, 2008 at 1:40 am
[...] Originally Posted by SunnyBoi STUPID PCB. traces coming off. already damaged 1 hole, partially damaged another. damn have to use wires Yeah, seems like the PCB is very bad; Keep a superglue handy Sunny. Sangram’s posted here: Jimmy’s Junkyard Blog Archive Inside Altec Lansing MX5021: Amplifier Mod [...]
May 27th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Dear Bro, kapasitor 3 biji yang dekat opampnya diganti dengan kapasitas berapa ya???
thanks…
June 10th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Hi. I have the same problem as Andy above. I believe it is something to do with the power supply? Should the unit be grounded as mine came with a 2 prong non ground EU plug which I have used an adapter to modify to UK plugs. If so is there any way to do this myself and eliminate or reduce this hiss? Thanks.
June 11th, 2008 at 4:20 am
i haven’t had any hum at all heard from the sub/transformer,only hiss sound from da satelites.hev jimmy,im modding my mx5021 and jus wondering what are those c1815 transistor doing there?itrace the circuits and the output of the op amp connected to it, not only one but 2,should this trans change also since its only general pourpose trans..
June 15th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
hi,finally i changed all the stock op amp to OPA2134PA. The op amp i just received yesterday.now my ATP3 is nice…the sound is perfect, very clear, separate.I don’t change the capacitor because i couldn’t find elna cerafine capacitor. how to get the Elna capacitor?Order from Farnell?What else capacitor can be used except Elna. Very hard to get the good audio capacitor at my country.
June 15th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
hellow Jimmy,
after upgraded the op-amp, is there any way to improve the sound? use the higher spec op-amp?such as LM4562 or AD823? i already changed the audio cable for 3.5mm audio jack. I use the Canare cable with CanareF-12 socket. Now i wonder what will happen if I modify the capacitor?
June 18th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Boss Jimmy,
rangkaian pasif gue yang sekarang:
tw = SEAS Classic
pasif tw = caps 6,8 uF paralel dengan caps 1 uF, kumparan 0,22 mH, lpad 2 x 1,2R (seri)
mid = a/d/s/ A5is
pasif mid = kumparan 0,58 mH, caps 22 uF paralel dengan 3,3 uF
kumparan bawaan pasif a/d/s/, sementara caps pake caps biasa yang harga Rp. 1.000 per pcs.
mohon petunjuk lebih lanjut, boss ….
June 20th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
No need to find Elna. Any better capacitor like Panasonic FC, Rubycon ZA/ZL, etc should do.
Thanks.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Problemnya apa di pasif-nya bos? Apa yang kurang? hehehe…
Thanks.
June 28th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Please help me with the modding of this AMP http://my-cool-gsm.hit.bg/DSC00097.JPG
I wont to clear the sound.PLEASE HELP ME!!!
Sorry for my bad English.
July 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Hi Jimmy, currently i am using ARC2100xxk for my car audio. I am planning to upgrade the power by my self. I have question, is it possible to change the op-amp standard with op-amp BurrBrown OPA2134PA?. Thanks
July 16th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
What is your standard op-amp?
Could you upload some photos around?
Thanks.
July 17th, 2008 at 8:25 am
My standart op-amp is TL072C smd type. How to upload the picture, sorry i am newbe or can is send you through your email?.
July 17th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Hi Jimmy,
I already changed the OP2134PA to LM4562NA, then the output capacitor i change to RUBYCON ZL. After completed soldering, when i turn on my speaker, the sound huge different. Not like stock sound. Very clear during high frequency, less noise.improve alot from previous.You will more love your speaker.
OPA2134PA produce more warm compare with LM4562NA.
What will improve when i change the capacitor the power supply?At this moment, I haven change it.Because all the capacitor selling in SNAP_IN type in big Farad. The pin not enough long. So, do you any suggestion for the capacitor which can replace the stock SAMXON 10000uf.
July 17th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Hi Vincent, with one is better between OP2134PA and LM4562NA? Can you share a little bit about that? Thanks
July 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
@Archie:
You can try 2134 or 4562.
2134 somehow has less detail and resolution compared to 4562. It tends to have warmer sound.
On the other side, 4562 has brighter sound.
It depends on your taste and your equipment. Try AD opamp also like 825 (mono opamp), it sounds good also.
@Vincent:
Great sharing from you!
The capacitors at the power supply is VERY IMPORTANT. It provides the “food” to your amplifier, so you have to put it more attention. It may produce 25-40% improvement with good power supply. I also use snap-in type on the photo above (not really shown from that angle). I use thick solid copper cable as extension from the snap-in capacitor to the PCB. Though I still need to drill the PCB a little bit.
You can try this way also.
July 17th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
to Jimmy, where can i get LM4562NA with SMD type? and how much does it cost?. May be i will test it in too my both amp with using same speakers and cables. I just bought OP2134PA from http://www.langsungjadi.com, and i have not check yet whether they sell LM4562NA as well. Thanks
July 17th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
You can buy somewhere around at online website like Farnell, I think.
Thank you.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
@Archie
For the LM4562NA, the sound more brigther in detail compare with OPA2134PA. Both OP-AMP also are high performance product. You can try both if you want. At last also depand on your taste.
Both IC I order from FARNELL. But check before you make order for the package type. Between, you have register at the Farnell website first.
http://www.farnell.com/
@jimmy
Oh, you also use SNAP-IN type,no wonder i could not find any radial type with big capacity.
but then if too big, i scare no place to put it. because my power supply capacitor is “mengiring”/ sleeping type. so very hard to solder. So which type of capacitor to use?LOW ESR?High Ripple Current?can suggest any one for me?thanks
July 18th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Hi,
I prefer the low esr version.
Thank you.
July 18th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
hik hik hik the stock for opa2134pa is empty in http://www.langsungjadi.com. I am domicile in Jakarta, so i just direct call to PT Graha Sumber Prima Elektronika for order those things right?. Is it any simple way to buy those things?. Thanks
July 18th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Go to Glodok and find shop named Marconi.
You can get the stuff from there.
Thank you.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
thanks jimmy..
July 25th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
jim, what is the different between opa2134 and opa2604? Have you tried both op amp? If yes, Please share bro. Thanks
July 25th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
2604 is a little bit softer for my taste.
But depends on your taste. Both are good at its level. 2604 should be more expensive.
Thank you.
July 27th, 2008 at 11:58 am
hi Jimmy,
When choosing an op-amp, normally what parameter we concern?Gain bandwidth,Slew Rate?or any important parameter? can you sharing your experience?
You mention the Panasonic FC capacitor, I found the Panasonic audio cap, ECA series.
Actually what is the different?I compare both of them, ECA series’s ripple current is lower than FC, but is show in AC. So use which one better?
Normally low ESR capacitor show higher rippler current, the rippler current mention DC or AC?
When choosing an capacitor, what parameter we need to pay attention?
For power supply capacitor, replace the same Farad or higher Farad?What will happen if put higher Farad.
July 27th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Hi,
If you want to replace op-amp, I would prefer to get similar spec op-amp. Unless you really know what you are doing. Sometime, higher bandwidth op-amp could not match with your current system (either PCB layout, capacitor configuration, etc) and may produce into a non-stable system. It may produce oscillation.
FC is specified for lower impedance and this is one of important factor for audio.
If your purpose is for audio, FC is one of your best choice offered by Panasonic.
For audio, you have to do a listening test. Most capacitor specification can’t describe its audio performance. But it’s a good start to find lower ESR, lower impedance capacitor, etc. Remember, good spec doesnt have to be good sounding things.
For power supply, just replace with same Farad. Again, unless you know what you are doing. Replacing with too high Farad could produce trouble into your system and somehow, too big doesn’t sound good. This needs experience and testing. One rule doesn’t apply for all.
Thank you.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
hi there sir Jimmy i just want to ask some of modification of atp3 to be specific what op amp is the best to be used and what capacitor is to be change thanx in advance
August 6th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Hi,
Different speaker needs different mod. So you have to start one by one and check which parts need to be upgraded. There’s no single key to open all doors.
Thank you.
August 8th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Hey just wondering if anyone has good tips on desoldering the tiny op amps?
August 8th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Hi Anon,
what package of your op-amp?SOIC?or DIP?
if SOIC, you need special equipment or tools like hot-air gun to remove it.
if DIP, it is easier. just need normal soldering gun, sucker.
Hi Chales,
ATP3, i have change the 3-stock op-amp to LM4562. the sound more detail compare with stock ST4558C. OPA2134PA produce more bassy sound compare LM4562. then i change the output capacitor to Rubycon ZL series. I will change the power supply capacitor soon. But if you want clear sound, detail, but less bass. you can try look for the Sonic Gear A6, vacuum tube tecnology. now is cheap at the market. where are you come from?my country sell RM199.
Hi Jimmy
Sorry for given suggestion or sharing any experincec in your forum.
but anyway, may ask you about the ferrite core with claim at the wire to reduce EMC.
normally use in the USB cable or any power cord.
Do you have any experience with this? it is will help to reduce the EMI?
here attach the link to let you see what component i mention.
http://rocky.digikey.com/weblib/Panasonic/Ferrite%20Core%20Specifications%208-3-01.PDF
August 8th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Hi Vincent,
Feel free to use my blog to advise others. It’s ok for me.
About the ferrite, please check:
http://jimmyauw.com/2006/12/22/ferrite-in-audio-cable-just-hear-it/
Thanks.
August 12th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Hi Jimmy,
Is there any different after you add in the ferrite? because normally the ferrite to filter the high frequency. if you use in AC supply, is there any effect? no noise? how to select the ferrite?
pls advice on this.
Thanks
August 14th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
The significant effect is softer sound.
You can try it yourself. It’s a cheap trick anyway.
Thanks.
August 16th, 2008 at 3:25 am
Hi Jimmy!
I bought Sharper Image Bluetooth 2.0 Wireless Hi-Fi Speakers (#KO500) off the shelf (no box or instructions). I brought them home and hooked them up to my home amplifier and melted the TDA7265 chip on the circuit board.
None of the local stores are willing to fix it so I’m taking it upon myself to replace the chip. It’s apparent that you know much ore than I about the challenge at hand. Do you have any words of advice, thoughts, or things I should take into consideration? I’d really appreciate your time and effort.
All the best,
Ozzie
(714) 721-3131
August 17th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Hy Jimmy. I’ve got an Altec BXR1121. Yea not so powerfull. But i’ve worked on it a little and it was very good. Far on i’ve changed the power supply. It was 2×10V 0.7A, now has 2×12V 0.8A. I’ve took out the board from sub and putted a big cooper radiator over the amps (UTC2030) and above it i’ve mounted a 60×60 fan to keep them chill. I also put sillicone on margins to get a deeper bass. But i said i could get more of it, so yesterday i’ve went at shop and i’ve buyed 2 big capacitors 6800 uF 35V (not brand, Hexing) for bass filtering and one TDA2050V-ST to change one amp (the one that controll the woofer). But in my rush i’ve made some mistakes and now the power supply has gone boom :D. I also broken the TDA2050V-ST and the UTC2030 stock amp. I must go to shop and buy another one. My board also get broken, i’ve let too much time the soldering pistol on it, but i can make the connections manually with wires. But i’ve got some questions, and i’m glad that i’ve found you’re blog and i have who to ask.
1. Another amp, like TDA2050V-ST is a risky operation?
2. There is just one op amp, UTC4558. My system has a range from 100Hz to 20000Hz. Pretty good, but i’ve had to set the crossover from my sound card to a lower frequency to get a deeper bass. I think the op amp set’s the crossover. I am wrong?
3. There are others capacitors on the board, don’t know the values, but it’s a risk if i change all of them with a more uF ones?
I know this is not a high end sistem but is an Altec and the most important thing, i like it a lot.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:35 pm
1. If you are sure with the working voltage and pin layout, then there should be no problem.
2. The op-amp should act as buffer.
3. More uF should be ok. Perhaps it will add more bass if you go with higher value.
Thanks.
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:03 am
BXR1121 is broken. Tomorrow I’m gonna go to shop to buy another set of speakers. But i don’t know what to take…VS2421 or VS4121. I will mod it for sure. Can you help me?
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:27 am
I’ve got Altec VS4121. They rock! Much better than my BXR1121. I hardly wait to mod them :).
August 24th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Today I was able to give some power to the system, since i was home alone :). The bass enclosure needs some improvements. I’ll use the silicon again. Next week i’ll open it to see what’s inside.
August 24th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Jimmy, can you tell me what’s the wood tickness used in MX5021?
September 11th, 2008 at 11:54 am
hi Jimmy,
Finally I change the power supply capacitor, and the capacitor near to the IC regulator(7809).The value I replace the same value.After I changed it, i test with the music. I notice that the sound like more natural. Especially for the guitar sound.
Let say I change the capacitor to higher value, it there any changes, difference?
So far what important component I already swap with good component.
So which component have to replace again?any idea?
Below are the changes was make so far;
Power Supply =25V 10000uF (Low ESR from Vishay)
9V regulator capacitor = Nichicon UPM series 25V100uF
3 OP amp= LM4562NA (National) and test before OPA2134PA (BurrBrown)
Output capacitor = Rubycon ZL 16V470uF
OP amp capacitor = Panasonic ECA audio series.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Hi,
No need to change to the higher value… but you can try if you want it.
Now you can try to use better speaker cables and next better interconnect/RCA cable.
Thanks.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:22 am
hi Jimmy,
You mean the cable which connect to 3.5″mm Jack? that one i already changed to CANARE cable.
but then the output speaker cable i don’t change because i dont know how to open the satelite speaker. no screw at all. i scare will break it when i open it. do you have any idea?
September 18th, 2008 at 10:44 am
hi sir jimmy
i open my altec atp3 and i found that my 3 op amp of the atp3 is mc4558cn sir can you give some more clear and more bass kind of op amp
September 18th, 2008 at 10:49 am
sir jimmy,
i just want to add i found one more op amp tl074cn thanks in advance sir
September 18th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
hi Charles,
Do you open the ATP3’s satelite speaker before?
how did you open it?do you have any idea?
yours ATP3 also 3 op amp, and one big capacitor with 25V 10000uf?Samxon?
is not cut cost version?when did you buy it? i bought it last year. and just change the parts recently.
do you mind capture the circuit board and send it to me have a look.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
hi vincent
sir vincent i don’t know how to upload some pics in this site. sir the big capcitor is 25v 10000uf the brand of it capxon, i bought it last 3 years ago, sir i found that my 3 op amp mc4558cn and 1 another op amp tl074cn sir can you give me wat op amp can i change to mc4558cn and tl074cn i want more bass type and more treble thanks in advance!!!!
September 19th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Hi Charles,
You can change the mc4558cn to a better op-amp, let’s say OPA 2134.
Hi Vincent,
I think you need to open the satellite. Haven’t done this before, but I believe they are some way to open it.
Thank you.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:00 am
sir jimmy
i would like to ask about the op-amp OPA627 is it compatible with mc4558cn is the pin are the same? thank in advance sir
September 24th, 2008 at 9:35 am
627 is Mono OpAmp… you can’t just plug it to replace the 4558.
You need a dual mono to stereo adapter… Search for BrownDog converter, this may gives you an idea about what I’m talking about.
Thank you.
September 26th, 2008 at 2:56 am
Today I’ve managed to repair BXR1121. But I’ve got VS4121 broken. Damn.
October 4th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
@vincent_atp3
after read your replies in this blog, i tempted to modify my atp3 too. can you pls give some guidance, what should i do first? replace the opamp with a better ones, or modify the crossover? should i do it step by step and listen for the difference, or do the whole things altogether?
@jimmy
alhamdulillah i found this blog. keep up the great work sir..!
October 4th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Hiya Jimmy,
So glad that Google lead me to your blog after my MX5021 stopped singing last night!:-(
I think you must can give me some hints on solving the problem.:-)
My MX5021 just suddenly stopped working last night when I hearing some MP3s on my computer and couldn’t give out any music anymore whatever I connected it to the computer or a mp3. However, I think it is not totally dead as all the LED lights on the controller are still working like normal and I can even adjust them, meanwhile the normal hiss in the satellites and hum in subwoofer is still there. Everything looks like normal but just NO sound!
Is there any fuse or capacitor is fried may cause this faulty? How can I trace it and change the faulty component? Any idea or help on this will be much appreciated!
Thanks mate.
October 5th, 2008 at 1:38 am
Hi,
It’s unlikely to blame the fuse or capacitor since you still have power on the speaker.
I think the best way is to bring your speaker to local repair. They can check it for you.
Thanks.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
hi Ahmad,
You can try upgrade the op-amp 1st. Because I notice that op-amp playing an important role in audio system. Then you can upgrade the power supply capacitor(SAMXON 10000uF). After i upgrade power supply capacitor, the bass sound more solid. So far i haven open my satelite, because i dont know the way to open it. do you have experience? i think there is crossover circuit inside the satelite speaker.it may in capacitor form only. not PCB type.
where are you come from? Indonesia? If you want get those parts, you can order from farnell. there can get those low ESR capacitor and op-amp. http://www.farnell.com
some advise for you, buy a sound card better than modify. because from my experince, the cost which i modified already can purchase a sound blaster live. But you can go ahead for modify if you like it.
October 6th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Hi,
Doing the mod and buying a sound card are two different things.
If you dont have good enough card (let’s say you only use onboard), then buying a good sound card is a better option.
On the other side, if you already own a good sound card (like my case, I already have ESI Juli@, Onkyo SE90, and EMU1820M and some speakers/amplifier), I think upgrading this multimedia speaker is one of my only option
I just want to know how far can I go (with tight budget off course, around US$ 40).
Anyway, doing this mod is part of (my) hobby. Just like thinking why some people will spend money to dress up their old car? Why dont you buy a new one? Well, it’s a matter of their preference, I think. Everyone could buy a new car, but perhaps your modified car is the one and only in this world. Same thought with the speaker.
My US$ 0.02
Thank you.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Jimmy,
What are you saying is truth. Modification only unique in this world. I agree with you.
Besides that, I also like to modify anything, part of my hobby. As long as the part can be upgrade or add on, i also will try to figure out how to modify.
Since I am using the laptop, so the on board sound card not so good as separate sound card. I plan to apply PLYE preamp as my “sound card” since my friend gave me the pre-amp. But he problem is I need to supply 12V to the preamp. I dont know where can get 12V.
http://www.maxaudio.com.my/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1159
Do you have experience in using vacumn TUBE for audio amplifier? Different tube have different characteristic. So can I change it as i like.Maybe change it to warmer type.Just like changing the op-amp. as long as the pins count is correct. Is this the way work?
October 6th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Hi,
You can build a power supply, with good transformer and perhaps a good voltage regulator. You can search around for that or buy a kit like the one from TentLabs or WelborneLabs. Most of them are expensive. It will be cheaper if you can build one yourself. Or perhaps you can go with “standard” power transformer (buy it from the local electronic store). Make sure you buy the one with enough Ampere rating needed by your Pyle. Then, you can learn how to build a good power supply to replace your “standard” power transformer.
Different tube has different rating, from the bias to the working voltage. They also has different socket, from the old UX, to the common Octal or Noval socket. Not all the tube are interchangeable, since they may have different working voltage or heater wiring. But if you are sure that they are the same, then you can easily interchange it. They may not sound best without changing some of the parameter. In tube world, even same tube from different vendor or build date may have different sonic signature. Only sky (and your pocket) is the limit.
Thank you.
October 7th, 2008 at 12:13 am
hi Vincent,
thanks for your suggestion. i’ll do that.
no, i have no experience about opening my satellite. some information i read on internet said that the satellites assembled using a sort of super glue or something, and i won’t take a risk to open and broke ‘em.
yes, i’m from indonesia. gotta take a look at some local store first, then i’ll check farnell.com. anyhow, thank you.
i already have, at least i think so, a decent sound card, a audiotrak prodigy 7.1. maybe not as good as some hi-end sound cards that Jimmy has mentioned, but she’s enough for me. i only want to know how far this limited-budget-mod can change my old atp3. so it’s for fun, well, at first thought -lol.
October 7th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Hi Ahmad,
i think you can ask Jimmy where he order the component, may be he knows better in Indonesia. I from Malaysia. Don’t know where can get good component. I tried order from farnell which fast delivery if the component available.then need to wait 5 days for shipment from UK or US.
For budget, you can try change the op-amp 1st. Because they give you much changes in term of clearer background sound. The price of power supply capacitor 25v 10000uF is equal to 3 op-amp.LOL. i just change back to same value. Actually I wanted to change higher value to 20000uF.
but no $$$…pocket limit.haha
October 8th, 2008 at 2:54 am
Ok, got new info for VS4121. It has one TDA7377, one TL074C and two C4558. Last three, are powered by a voltage regulator, of 9V. When I’ve changed the voltage regulator with a 12V one, the bass speaker is excursioning. If I put back the 9V regulator, works well. But is one problem. Those op amps are made to run on 15-16V, so is weird to response so bad at 12V. The real problem is that the bass doesn’t grow if the volume is above 50%. How can I improve the sound Jimmy? Can you help me?
October 8th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I think you shouldn’t raise the voltage, but changing the 4558 might help.
Thanks.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Thanx. With what I can replace?
I can’t find BurrBrown in my country (RO).
Other thing is that on BXR i have one piece of C4558, but it works perfect. The bass grows until i reach the highest volume. I assume that in VS, C4558 is not properly feed. I think that Altec’s classes are well defined. VS series maybe are not for music, or not like MX, BX and FX series.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
If the bass doesnt grow at volume over 50%, then it’s the amplifier or driver limitation… not much that you can do… Changing the opamp might help a little bit, but don’t expect too much.
Sorry.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
So, changing the driver…would be an ideea. Initialy I believed that the driver is the problem. Maybe I was right.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:39 am
Jimmy, do you have ideea if I can replace TDA2030 from BXR, with TDA2050? Cuz this will give a significant boost of power.
October 12th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Jimmy can I use TL062CN on BXR and VS?
October 12th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
On which part?
Thanks.
October 12th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
hi Jimmy & Vincent,
Already changed op-amp to OPA2134PA from burrbrown. Then change the samxon 25V 10000uF capacitor to Nichicon with same value. They cost me about $14.
Like Vincent has mentioned above, the sound becomes warm, cleaner, more open and detail than before. As for replacing capacitor with Nichicon, the bass have more muscle, solid but also softer, which is fit my taste. no more metallic sound. Somehow, i feel that the mid is still a little bit recessed, maybe because of the downfiring model on atp3 satellite. couldn’t change it. fine with me.
That’s my initial impression. hopefully during time, some good progress will happen. Now i just sit back and enjoy the new sound.
thank you.
October 12th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Hi Ahmad,
Congratulation. how many op-amp you changed?3 of them? Your modification total cost you $14. quite low your expenses.What type of capacitor you replace?what series?Low ESR? The mid speaker is facing downward. So we can’t do much thing.
Hi Jimmy,
For the quad Op-amp(TL074), is there any quad op-amp IC which I can replace to make the sound better? ATP3 speaker has one quad OP-amp. Maybe wanted to change the higher spec.
October 12th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Hi,
What is the function of the quad op-amp?
If it’s not related with the output, I don’t think it’s a good idea since the cost is quite high.
Thanks.
October 13th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Jimmy Auw Says:
On which part?
Thanks.
Op amp.
October 13th, 2008 at 2:27 am
Hi Vincent, Thank you.
Yes, i replaced 3 of them. Sory, i don’t really know about technical specs of Nichicon capacitor i use. it just looks like a samxon 10000uF 25v power supply capacitor, but bulkier. A friend of mine had suggested me to use it. well, it works anyway -lol.
When i listen to Depapepe’s Latanta, i can hear the sound of those two guitar move a bit to right and left side from center stage, so i can hear them switch play each other from rythm to melody during the song. a little nice experience that i missed before.
October 13th, 2008 at 9:11 am
@Andrian:
I mean, what function of the opamp?
@Ahmad:
Enjoy your music!
October 13th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
It has one piece of C4558.
October 13th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Hi,
4558 as far as I know is double op-amp…
Thanks.
October 14th, 2008 at 1:15 am
I’ve changed, and it works. Better than C4558. Got more bass in sub and the overall sound is warmer.
October 14th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
I believe so…
Enjoy your music!
October 14th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Well…I wish to! But NOT! In my stupidity i putted a AN6562 as a op amp. There were no sound, just bzzz and brr and prrr. Putting again TL062CN didn’t work either. Buyed today another TL062CN, but when I powered the system, the response were almost the same (brr and bzz) but on background was some music. For a couple of seconds, because the TL got smoking :)) and heated very bad. The strange thing is that the system runs without op amp (before he didn’t work without it). With interupts, but works. I think the TDA’s (3 at number, TDA2030) are broken. What do you think?
Btw, LM358N works like op amp in BXR? The configuration of pins are the same like TL062CN and C4558.
Thanx
October 15th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
hi Jimmy,
Actually what is the different of JFET opamp and CMOS opamp? In term of sound, which one is prodcuce nicer sound?
I check through the price of LME49740, quad opamp. which is around RM50. The spec is same as LM4562 , the only different is price and pin counts. I am not sure what is the function of the TL074(quad OPAMP,14pins) in my speaker. maybe it could be end stage of active filter before signal goes to power amplifier IC. Actually how do we know what is the function of the IC on the board. We know what is that component base on the datasheet.
October 15th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
@Andrian,
I never tried that opamp so cant give you any idea.
@Vincent,
I think at current time, most are CMOS. For some reason, JFET is not capable to follow up the market demand for a lower cost opamp. Any other reason should be searched on Google. I’m not an expert in this IC world
You can find out the function of the part by tracing the circuit/schematic and combination from the datasheet also.
October 18th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Jimmy i need some help. I want to buy Altec FX4021. What do you say? I’ve read the little review you made on them. They’ve got my attention. They worth their price? Should I turn my attention on other systems?
October 19th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I like thee sub, but overall they are not as good as I expected…
October 19th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Maybe a little mod will fix it :D.
November 9th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I just bought the MX5021 in India. To me, the mids are a bit suppressed and the highs and bass overpower it to some extent. I plan to start by upgrading the 4558s. Now, the 4558 is a fairly low grade dual opamp. Has anybody tried the usual suspects i.e. NE5532, LF353N, TL072 instead of this? I can get these ICs locally, but not the Burr Browns.
November 10th, 2008 at 1:51 am
TL062 will work. For the rest, I don’t know. You can try LM833 also.
November 11th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
any dual opamp should do… you can read the datasheet first to confirm…
Thank you.
November 11th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Btw, I’ve buyed Microlab FC530 a few weeks ago. I wanted something different, and I saw that Altec has lost their quality. Just the MX5021 worths. But, I don’t have money for him.
I’m verry impressed and pleased by the sound. Clean and natural, already changed C4558 with TL062CP. I think Jimmy wouldn’t upset if someone is talking about another systems.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Thanks guys.. I am wary of voiding my warranty so soon..its not even a week since I bought it…but the DIY tweaker in me can’t resist the temptation of hot-rodding
November 17th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Halo Pak Jimmy, td barusan dapet caps dgn tulisan begini: For Audio ELNA 63V 12000uF(M) THAILAND CE85′C. Dimensi 35×51mm. Dibagian atas ada marking garis dgn palang bengkok, sama seperti ELNA 56V 10000uF nya pak Jimmy.
nah yg bingung kok liat di datashet elna lpo kapasitas maks 63V cm sampe 10000 saja ya, jadi takut dapet barang palsu nih.
mohon pencerahan pak jim…:)
November 17th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Kalo yang gini2an sih jujur aja saya ga tau asli apa enggak hehehe… secara harganya murah, ya gpp dipake hehehe…
November 18th, 2008 at 2:52 am
kalo liat dari label atupun cetakannya sih udah meyakinkan bgt, kalo yg palsu kan biasanya kusam. tp kalo liat ukuran di datasheet itu harusnya 10000uF. ukuran kakinya jg lbh pendek dr datasheet… hehehe… jd meragukan…
November 18th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Hehehe… begitulah…
November 28th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
haloo mr.jimmy, BTW gede juga tuh nilai capasitornya.
gmana klo pakai capasitor bank aja yg 2 farad. kayaknya bisa di coba juga tuh..
November 29th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Ga perlu segede itu bro… ndak ada gunanya hehehe.
Thanks.
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:14 am
masalahnya temanku ada yg pake mas, bunyinya siip bget mas…
pkenya aja speker simb6700. makanya aku pengen coba juga sih rencananya?
mas klo ic4558 bangusnya ganti sama seri brapa ya?
trus klo ganti dari tda2030 ke 2050 harus ganti Power Splai gak?
mkasih mas
December 4th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
IC4558 ganti ke 2134 aja dulu murmer…
TDA-nya antepin aja…
Thanks.
December 5th, 2008 at 1:38 am
selain seri OPA apa ya mas…
susah carinya…
harco jogja aja gak ada..
tp ganti tda2050 jadi bgus tuh bunyinya..
tinggal ganti OPA2134 nya aja..
December 6th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
OPA kayanya termasuk yang paling pasaran deh Pak. Yang lain macam AD lebih susah dicari..
Thanks.
December 8th, 2008 at 1:43 am
mas bisa pesankan gak mas seri yg OPA nya..
d jogja susah carinya..
temanku juga ada yg cari gak dapet2..
mhon bantuannya mas..
December 8th, 2008 at 2:10 am
harganya brapa itu yang seri OPA mas?
mksh
December 8th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Hi,
Harganya mungkin sekarang bisa 50 ribuan atau lebih.
Paling di jakarta harus cari di Glodok kali ya? Tapi masak di yogya ga ada sama sekali?
Thanks.
December 11th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
iya nih mas..
toko gede aja di HARCO jogja gak punya…
ada yg mau bantuin pesanin gak nih??????
mkasih..
December 12th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Opamp Dual “lumayan” emang sekarang langka, yang banyak itu NE553x, LF3xx, TL0xx dkk.
Marc*** juga gak punya yang OPA213x, terakhir nemu yang OP270 Dual di Leisure, 50k sebijinya…
sepekan yang lalu saya juga baru modd Simbadda CST6700 (punya kantor…)
Opampnya di replace ke NE5532,
TDA2030 nya di replace ke LM1875,
ELco PSU nya ( 2x 3300uF/50V ) di replace ke Nichicon 2x 6800uF/50V
Dioade Rectifiernya di replace ke IN5408,
Elco kecil 2x nya (1uF, 10uF, 22uF) di ganti ke Nichicon - seketemunya..
ELco Decouplenya (470uF/35V) saya replace ke Panasonic 1000uF/35V- seketemunya..
Capasitor di sinyal Input (mid-high) saya ganti ke Audiophiler 2,2uF
Boxnya di “jejelin” Glasswool + Dacron
Trafo rencana akan di ganti ke yang 3A
Hasilnya, ya jauuuh dari aslinya…
tapi biar bagaimanapun CST6700 ini khan aktif speaker multimedia, kalau memang “niat banget” dijadikan system buat denger musik kelas “Super Value”, ganti sekalian aja satelit speakernya. pake “2 Way Speaker” buatan sendiri, Speakernya bisa pake Driver lokal woofer 6″ seharga 70rb spasang + Tweeter 30 rb spasang + Box 45rb spasang. hasilnya.. lebih sip lagi…, penilaian subyektif saya, ini jauh lebih bagus dari Aktif speaker seharga 900rb-an yang di jejer di pameran di JCC sebulan yang lalu
Sebetulnya step modd saya tidak urut seperti diatas, saya mulai dari ganti satelite, baru upgrade komponen. ganti satelite Improve 65%, upgrade komponen Improve 35%.
Thx
Ady
December 13th, 2008 at 2:26 am
bagus tuh mas mod nya….
klo temanku di tambah cap bank ya seharga 750k sih katanya..
bunyinya nendang bgt….
klo aku lagi mood camac s 3000r, lagi jalan nih, dah ganti tda2030 ke2050, lumayan nambah nendah dari awaL..
pengen ganti OPA2134 susah dapatnya d jgja, ada yang tau gak d jogja jualnya dmana??
cap 4700uF\50v ganti ke 10000uF/50v….
pengen ganti subwoofer dalamnya malah salah beli ukurannya huuuh…..
December 14th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Hey folks,
I gotta problem, My precious lovely MX5021 speakers died.
The winding in the primary winding of the power transformer has no continuity.
Anyone know how I can get another transformer for 240v (Australia) have had no luck with electronics stores or Altec.
Thanks fellas.
December 17th, 2008 at 7:27 am
hi Jimmy,
Is the Slew rate is important in audio system?
the higher better or lower the better?
I had change the TL074 to MAX414. Comparing both IC, MAX414 low noise, and the bandwidth is higher than TL074. But the slew rate is lower than TL074.
So, I want to know is the slew rate is one of the concern?
December 27th, 2008 at 1:09 am
PCB ? SHEMATIC ?
January 6th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
hi jimmy
could you please give me mx5021 controller circuit mine controller was stolen
thanks in advance
January 8th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Hi,
I dont have the circuit information.
Sorry.
January 10th, 2009 at 1:36 am
Hi,
I have ATP3 around 4 years. Now I have problem with this gears. When playing something it’s suddenly drop the power (the volume down) and then a couple minutes later it’s up again.
What’s wrong with this ATP3. Thank’s
January 11th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Hi Jimmy
I,m hoping you can help me fix my son,s MX 5021 speakers.
It seems that the A/C power transformer has died. There is no A/C voltage readings between the
yellow/white 14v wires, or the orange/black 18.5v wires.
There is also no continuity on the primary windings where the mains leads are soldered on.
I have Googled the part # of the transformer and it’s model # with no joy.
I have also had a look in the local (Queensland Australia) electronic shops, and can,t find any transformers with those voltages.
Do you know of a readily available replacement.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Cheers Simon
January 11th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Hi,
I dont know where to get it on your country. Perhaps you can contact Altec directly to buy the replacement.
In my country, I can get local people to build a transformer with specific power requirements. But I dont think this is available in your country.
Sorry and thanks.
January 13th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Hi Jimmy,
Altec aren’t interested in supplying parts,
It is possible to get a transformer built in Oz, but the cost would be nearly as much as the speakers.
Is it like that in your country?
Do you think that the exact voltage is important, it looks like it goes through rectifiers and voltage regulators on the main circuit board?
Cheers
Simon
January 13th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Hi,
You can get two transformers. One for 14V and other for 18.5V.
It’s good if you can get two secondary windings at one transformer to reduce space.
The cost in here is not expensive, but the shipping cost is
Thanks.
January 15th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Hi Jimmy
Thanks for your suggestion,
Do you think that this would be able to be adapted ?
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MM2005&CATID=19&keywords=&SPECIAL=&form=CAT&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=411
If so would I need one or two.
Jaycar have quite a few transformers that might be able to be adapted to work the Altecs, but my knowledge of how to do it is a bit limited.
If you can point me toward anything on their site that might work I would be more than gratefull
Cheers
Simon
January 16th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Hi, Jimmy
sorry for me to here since i have Creative Inspire 5.1 5200.
pls help me.
my sattelite speakers are quite well performing and sounds so clear.but the subwoofer is my problem.
it is entirely lack of bass since some how 6 months.i have opened the woofer and studied some deails,so i can explain some here.it has TDA8510J as the main amplifier and TDA7372A as 4 x 6 Watt
amplifier ic.circuit has nearly 7 x ST4558 OP-Amps and one JRC 4556 ic.wofeer is 20 watt 4 Ohms
and the brand is printed as ‘csw’ , i dont know what is it.it is ported and has no damping material in woofer enclosure.all sattelites are 6 Watt.i have creative Sound Blaster Audigy Value sound card too.
but the bass is not much powerful and deep.i am very much upset with it, so please help me to fix it or mod to get deep and powerful bass.i again sorry to be here in altecs mod blog,but i am a newbie to mod and heard that your mods works fine,i got this by google. please try to fix mine too.sorry for my english.
January 17th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Hi Jimmy,
i forgot the main thing of the problem.that is the air turbulence sound from woofer.this is my main problem which comes when i increase the bass level and volume.when the bass level increases after a certain amount the turbulence sound increase too much,so if i turn the bass level down bass power and depth decreases.this is a common problem in some creative woofer systems.any of your suggestion is required and it helps most people using this model.thanks in advance.
January 18th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Hi,
This is the design limitation of your subwoofer. Actually, there is nothing much you can do to fix it. You can try to change the opamp and the subwoofer cable (from the PCB to the woofer). It will help, but wont much.
I would recommend you to buy a better one as a quick and reasonable solution.
Thank you.
January 18th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Hi,
I dont have the MX5021 on hand right now.
Actually the transformer on the Jaycar can be used, but I need to confirm the A rating of the current transformer used on MX5021. Do you see any “A rating” information on the original transformer?
Thank you.
January 20th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Hi Jimmy
thanks for your reply, if you mean amps, I think it’s about 2, but I must tell you what i have found, with the original transformer.
On closer inspection, i found that there are 4 wires entering the windings of the primary. 2 are copper coloured, and 2 are silver coloured.
The 2 mains leads are soldered to a copper and a silver wire. and the other coper and silver wire are sodered together, a bit like a center tap on a secondary.
When I tried for continuity,between where the two mains leads were connected, there was none.
When I tried for continuity,between where a mains lead was connected to a silver, and where the other end of the silver was connected to the copper, there was none, but when I tried between that silver/copper joint, and the other end of the copper Where the other mains was connected, I did have continuity!
Then I had a thought.
Maybe the silver wires are the leads of a thermal cut out, wired in series with the primary (copper coloured), and maybe it’s cut out and not reset.
So next I tried connecting mains to each end of the copper couloured windings, and to my joy, I found I had the right voltages on the secondaries.
So conviced that I was on the right track, I bought a $5 70 degC thermal cutout from Jaycar, and wired it in series with the working primary, and sat it so that its making thermal contact with the windings. Ive put everything back in the box, and the speakers work fine again.
Ollie, my son will be so pleased.
If anyone else gets transformer problems with their MX5021’s, this thermal cutout thing would be a good thing to check out first.
Thanks again Jimmy for your help and for a great blog.
Cheers
Simon
January 20th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Hi,
Congratulations!!!
If you want it, you can write your experience with photos and I will publish it on my blog. Off course, the credit is for you. For the sake of MX5021 user, let me know if you are interested.
Thank you.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Hi Vincent_ATP3,
Max414 max voltage is +-5v and i think is not good replacement for tl074.
I don’t know exactly how slew rate work in opamp, but the higher slew rate is better, for more dynamic sound.
You can try opa404 for replace tl074.
But i think you leave the tl074, because is one of the good quad opamp, since good quad opamp is rare.
January 28th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Hi Vincent_ATP3,
Did you try OPA4134, the higher slew rate is better, TL074 is low noise opamp, good for HiFi ,I use TL074 on my ELF (Extended Low Frequency) / low pass filter for sub woofer, no noise audible , Good result if the power supply is noise free, like hum, oscillation and other noise.
February 1st, 2009 at 10:21 pm
hi Isal,
I found this Max414 op amp from cross refference of LME49740. the website recommend me this IC.
as the result, the bass not so satisfy compare with LME49740. Max414 gives airy bass..
Is glad to know another OP amp ic, however I never tried OPA404. how is the sound output?better than TL074 and how much is it? Do we concern the Gain Bandwidth of the IC?the higher the better? what are the parameters that we need to pay attention when doing modification.
hi Freakerkid,
I could not get the OPA4134 due to obselete. So I decide to choose LME49740 as my quad op-amp.
It is very good op-amp for audio. Between, do you have any other good, quality op-amp?
Do we concern the Gain Bandwidth of the IC?the higher the better?
February 11th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Hi Vincent_ATP3,
Gain bandwidth in opamp is how much bandwidth that can handle by opamp, but it depend on other parameter.
Gain Bandwidth information in datasheet is in 0db gain, the higher gain and the bandwidth will decrease, but dont worry because in audio the gain usually not to high, only 1-10 for hifi preamp. And the bandwidth need for audio is around 20hz-20khz. And in my opinion Gain Bandwidth >1mhz should be enough.
That’s only what I know about gain bandwidth.
About OPA404, sorry I dont know about the price because I got that from my friend from Jakarta, the sound is nice and clear, but I dont really like it, I prefer tl074 for quad opamp, it depend on taste, I guess.
Thanks.
February 14th, 2009 at 8:20 am
help help, I have a short in my inspire 5200 wired remote controller, were can I get another or rewire the bloody thing, my music has no sub!!!aaaahhhh!!!!
March 8th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
[...] floating on the web (Eg. Jimmy from Malaysia has put up an article on his blog; read it here: Jimmy’s Junkyard Blog Archive Inside Altec Lansing MX5021: Amplifier Mod , our own TE member Sangram has compiled an article which prompted me to go ahead with this mod! [...]
April 1st, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Hi!
Electronics is not my area of knowledge/expertise, so i’ll just lay down the problem and hopefully find a solution.
The 5021 sounds better than 95% of the other 2.1 systems out there, but when comparing it to my headphone-amplifier-driven Sennheiser HD650 they’re not great. The satellites mod fixed some of the problems and now the bass bugs me the most: it’s all over the place, it lacks control and clarity of the punch. I use them on an Audigy 2 Zs modded with Audigy 4 software and the source are flacs.
Any recommendations on how to fix this? Like, maybe, suggestions with what to replace the TDA7295, if it would help.
Thanks.
April 7th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Hi Jimmy,
Regarding about the modding of mx5021, the caps should change to what voltage? should i follow the exact same specs of the stock caps or change to a different one? The OPA2134 how to change and replace the current stock op-amps?
thanks
April 7th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Hi John,
You can pick any caps with voltage equal or higher than original one.
You can change the opamp with most dual opamp available in the market. Most popular choice is 2134 or 2604.
Thank you.
April 8th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Hi Jimmy,
Okay thanks for your advice, but will changing the caps to a higher voltage than the original make it sound actually better or lousier than the original?
Thanks
April 8th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Hi Jimmy,
One more thing, when i change the caps, must i also change to other caps with the same μF value as the original ?
thanks
April 8th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Hi Jimmy,
Do you happen to have a video on modding the MX5021? I wanna mod it but i’m not a electronics expert, so i need some help going about it. anyways my MX5021 is the newer version
thanks
April 8th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Hi,
Some said higher voltage would sound better, so you can try.
If you dont know precisely what you are doing, then change to same value is a wiser idea.
I have no video.
Thank you.
April 12th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Hi,
my altic lansing 621 was in trouble according to the technician the IC is defective. the problem is there is no number indicated on IC. could you please help me regarding this problem i only need the code number of the IC.
thanks
April 16th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Frank, which IC ? Could you please post a link to your 621 picture with the defected IC marked on it ? I have a 621 and I can look into mine.
May 25th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Sorry Mr. Jimmy I want to borrow your site to ask Mr. Isal.
Hallo Mr. Isal,
I want to know why you choose the ANCIENT TL074 rather than OPA404?
Because in the datasheet OPA404 is a SUPERIOR IC and much, much higher spec than OPA4134.
Have you try LF347 and AD713? Which better compare to TL074?
June 1st, 2009 at 7:16 am
how 2 boost the amp by using same ic for eg tda 7295 it is mono but i want 2 make double ic mono
June 8th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Hi, budux
OPA404 is good in dynamic and detail of the sound, TL074 can beat easily. But the price of OPA404 is very expensive and rare too. I like TL074 because its very cheap but the sound is not so bad.
There are a lot of opamp that same performance to TL074 like LF347, AD713, OPA4131, TL054. But again, those IC is hard to find and if you can find them, the price is not so friendly.
Thats why I choose TL074 its cheap, good sound, and can install for many preamp and input filter design without getting headache because of oscilation or modifying power supply.
Thanks.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Hi Jimmy,
My Mx5021 does not produce any highs at all. I have kept the treble at maximum .till unable to hear any strings.my headphones plays it well.when i hear it over the headphones i realize that there are some high ends in the music.Low and mid are quiet ok.I haven’t modded anything yet.Is this could be the problem with TDA7265?Please advice.
June 16th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Hi Mark,
Well, it’s little bit difficult to define “highs” since we may have different standard. Have you ever compare with other speakers?
Thanks.
June 16th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Hi jimmy,
BY highs i meant there is not treble at all .All i can hear is bass and mid .If i connect the headphones i can hear the trebles (high tones).Yes i did compare with other speakers which are less expensive than Mx also with the base altec BXR 1211.These speakers did produce the highs like guitar string sounds. but my mx did not.
June 19th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Hi Jimmy,
Recently I openned Sonic Gear A6, I found the tube is 6N3-T. Here some question to ask u;
1. Can I replace the better tube?any suggestion?
2. There are many type of tube from different country. Which country produce better tube?How I know the function of the tube? some tube are bigger and smaller, all are the the same spec?
3. There are two 450V 100uF capacitor beside the tube. I guess is the smoothing capacitor. But my concern is , can I replace the bigger value of capacitor? would this affect or damage the function of the tube?Because I am new on tube world.
Appreciate your soonest reply
June 19th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Hi,
1. You can check to 5670 tube. This should share similar specs with 6N3 but with better quality. Try to get NOS (new old stock) one, like from JAN, GE, etc.
2. You need to learn the basic of tube operation first. Newer production tube, most of the time, sounds inferior than the old one. That’s why old tube (NOS), priced higher than newer one. Different tube has different specialty, but famous brand like RCA, JAN, Telefunken, Mullard, etc usually priced higher than other brand. But once again, it depends on the tube model itself.
3. It should be smoothing caps, you can replace with better one. 100uF should be enough actually, you can change to 220uF if you really want to, but I prefer to keep 100uF but with better quality one.
Thanks.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:48 am
Hii..
Is there any way to gain the output of MX5021 for headphone port on the controller?
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:02 am
Hi,
I dont think so, without changing the circuit.
Thanks.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Halo Pak Jimmy
Saya memakai Sound Blaster Live! (bisa 5.1), dengan speaker altec Lansing i151.
Beberapa hari yang lalu ic op-amp UTC4558 saya ganti dengan TL082 dari Texas Instrument.
Hasilnya : Suara tidak terlalu nge-bass, sudah bisa mereproduksi suara-suara yang tinggi (treble-nya keluar)
Tapi ada permasalahan, yaitu suara rear dan center lebih kecil daripada front (sebelum diganti semua suara pada level yang sama).
Saya sudah pernah mengembalikan dengan op-amp aslinya (UTC4558), tapi hasilnya sama saja.
Bagaimana menurut Pak Jimmy, apa yang harus saya lakukan?
Di PCB juga ada IC dengan tipe SJ3358. Tapi saya tak tahu kegunaannya (saya cari datasheetnya tidak ada), ada yang bisa bantu?
Terima kasih
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Maaf pertanyaannya di luar konteks
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Sepertinya ada problem di soldering yang mungkin keangkat saat proses replacement. Soalnya sound card ginian PCB-nya multilayer.
Thanks.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:54 am
how is the capacitor performance between stock Samxon, Nichicon HE/VR and Nichicon FG? Thinking to replace with HE/VR for temporary because I could not find any Nichicon FG withing my city in Malaysia. Going to buy from ebay or….
June 24th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Samxon is definitely avoided. I think you can just upgrade to FG, since the price is not much different.
Thanks.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
op-amp NE5532P produce brighter sound?
i also replace the cap around op-amp to higher polarity..nw sound brighter. so is the op-amp or cap polarity too high?
June 24th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
its quite bright n airy nw..making my ears pain..
June 24th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Op-amp yang diganti berada di dalam subwoofer altec lansing i151. Op-amp yang ada di Sound Card tidak diutik-utik (maklum tidak bisa nyolder yang hanya sebesar jarum.
Tolong pencerahannya Pak Jimmy.
terima kasih
June 24th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
@Cent88:
Changing caps to higher voltage wont make your opamp sound brighter. I think this is opamp problem.
Thanks.
@Dimaz:
Mesti diliat dulu bro. Sulit kalo analisa jarak jauh.
Thanks.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
hi Jimmy,
I already post out the photo what exactly inside a sonic gear A6.Kindly advise if you found anything that can replace or modify.
Thanks.
http://sweynt.blogspot.com/2009/06/inside-sonic-gear-a6.html
June 25th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
what player u use to play music? any better player to recommend for pure output? windows media player, winamp and creative player all totally different sound.
June 25th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
@Vincent:
You can start with the high voltage capacitors.
Thanks.
@Cent88:
Foobar and WaveLab are both the best.
Thanks.
June 26th, 2009 at 6:17 am
hi Jimmy,
Which capacitor?the one 35V?Replace with higher voltage?or higher value?any suggestion of capacitor?
hi Cent88,
Foobar not bad.currently I am using it. It can auto adjust the gain so that the song would not to “loud”.
June 26th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Hi Vincent,
I think you can change the 100uF/450V with a better one.
Thanks.
June 26th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Thx…Foobar really sound better…
Can I have the satelite crossover schematic diagram or picture of older version MX5021. Mine is new 1 and heard that older version is better.
June 26th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
which is the best speaker for pc as u know so far? any to recommend pricing between USD $150 - $450? quite dissatisfy with mx5021..especially the crossover, quality of amplifier mainboard and sound not warm enough. i had a friend using logitech z5500, the bass quite nice..but poor high/mid-range.
June 26th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Hi,
I dont have the speaker any longer, so I dont have the schematic. For up to $450 budget, you better pick a bookshelf with and integrated amplifier. Definitely better than any multimedia speaker.
Thanks.
June 26th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Hmm..i see..
Is class D amplifier expensive and hard to build?
Thinking of replacing the whole circuit of mx5021 and all of the drivers, hope can fit it all in.
Is it ok to put silicone in the satelite casing as insulation,since theres some echo from satelite casing?
June 26th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Class D most of the time will sounds worst, even compared with your MX5021 amplifier (which runs in AB Class).
Thanks.
June 26th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
So nw i just stay with mx5021 for temporary..what i can change for warmer sound?
How much u spent on ur DIY speakers that with vacuum tube amplifier? vry interested with vacuum tube amplifier…is it the best for high-end amplifier?
June 29th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Hi,
You can change the cable and the sound card to get warmer sound.
Vacuum tube could spend from few hundreds to few thousand $. It depends on the design and specification.
Thanks.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:51 am
Dear mas Jimmy,
saya punya Altec ACS45.1…pertanyaan nya;
kira2 worth ga klo speaker ini di mod seperti mas jimmy lakukan diatas? saya pengennya upgrade speaker itu bertahap mas.
terima kasih atas response nya.
Salam,
Whiki
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Hi,
Kalo ada extra waktu (dan dana), boleh saja. Kalo tidak, mending beli langsung yang lebih bagus.
Thanks.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Hi Jimmy,
Sharing out my modification on my ATP3…finally i can post it out for sharing….hehe..
http://sweynt.blogspot.com/2009/06/altec-lansing-atp3-modify.html
Can I replace with tube 5670 for my sonic gear A6?
Would the tube suitable to replace 6N3-T? Just pug n play? what is the different between 5670 vs 6N3-T?any big changes?
Thanks.
Hi Whiki,
Inside ACS45.1, there have 5 op-amp…is not mistaken…maybe you can change the 5 op-amp 1st..
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Hi Vincent,
Yes you can change 6N3 to 5670 directly.
5670 should be better quality compared to 6N3, especially if you can get NOS 5670 tube.
Thanks.