I really have no idea what I’m talking about, but i think it has the three Lundahl amorphous core in analog PSUs. I’m in no rush to upgrade. If it ends here then all the better.
As far as the harware, the Furutech rca outputs seem small and my Audience cables arent getting a good grip. They are loose. One of the inputs is also missing a “cap” which the seller noticed he never had from his own pictures. The seller was one of the nicest dudes I’ve met in a while.
Nope, those are not the dac chips. The section next to it has the two. They have what looks like a youtube logo on them.
Judging by your sheet your b4b was upgraded to pro spec. You can go NC core chokes and power but its an incremental increase vs the jump amorphous takes.
Those back RCA should look like this. Ive never seen one of those caps pop out and not sure if its a simple push in thing. But i would think it may not most give the most secure signal. Maybe the guy put in the wrong sized or a fat rva and it pulled it out?
I guess i have to move the dac and unscrew the 27 screws again. Btw, the blue light on the dac is barely visable.
Those look Z-ish to me.
I am not finding it very hard that Ben sold a bunch with this “rare” chip and didnt know.
@dB_Cooper do you know which one yours is?
Yep very subtle, which imho is good.
Thanks. Yeah, the spdif rca has a cap. Do you think i should i reach out to ben or Furutech? As it is, both rcas generally are loose.
Is it loose in the socket, or is the whole socket wiggling? It may still have warranty. I sm also not sure if those caps do anything mechanically besides hold it tighter, but it should still be there.
Yes, just would have been helpful to know that you needed to squint into the machine to see it. I thought the dac was not powering on. Lol
For the rca i would guess the previous owner did a bunch of cable changes, or had a pair out of size spec that pulled the cap out and may have stretched the sockets a little, that is if the rca plug only wiggles and not the whole socket.
If the whole thing wiggles then next time you open it up hold the backs n the inside and tighten the but on the outside.
If needed, these are more easily replaced on the evo since theyre point to point wired and not pcb mounted.
Just loose in the socket. It doest have a tight connection compared to every rca socket ive used. I did get some new rcas that i dont want to damage. Lol
It still has some warranty.
Looking at the serial number, this DAC has bounced around a bit. It was even listed on TMR.
These are the DAC chips. take a better pic of them. oops, sorry, you’re in good hands with @Souldriver.
Here are pics of mine for reference. The only difference between the two is that the Pro has all 5 of the chokes upgraded to amorphous. You’ve got everything else and if you are able to get a better pic of the DAC chips… A LOT of screws to take the top off, you’ll be able to confirm. They look z ish but it’s a tough image to make out.
also judging by that SN it’s probably the very first B4B Ben put out.
Thanks @dB_Cooper and @Souldriver. Much appreciated!
Wow, that was a pleasant surprise! The numbers all match up… just not the the six digit number under the YouTube logo. It’s too hard to make out, but dont think it has the 000940/000941 number. Ill take a better picture if I open up the case again now that i know where the dac chips are. Lol.
Okay, I see that two of the chokes on my unit are upgraded, but three are not. Do you know which goes to what? 
Once i get the rcas sorted, i should be golden.
The two amorphous chokes are the analog and the three are the digital.
Well it looks like the B4B is going back to Ben to have the RCAs repaired. He said the additional cokes were not worth upgrading, but now’s the time to consider upgrades if I am mailing it back.
I think only the NCs are left. Its a shame it has to go back for a small fix as i bet the shipping will not be fun.
For the NC chokes, at least on my X. They werent a huge upgrade but you get a few hairs more speed, separation, air, treble presence. This leads to more nuance, and layers. TLDR: you move less from a dense macro focus, and slightly more refined and micro. More balanced at the cost of so e of the mojo house sound leaning. You may also be able to pair it with other softer gear as it gets a little more backbone but once again just touches for all these.
Give it a good listen and see if that is what you want.
Honestly any decent reputable repair place to you should be able to switch the RCA connector. You just buy a replacement Furutech and there’s only two solder points. I should be all of a fifteen minute repair plus the cost of the panel mount RCA. I wouldn’t spend the three or four hundred dollars for the ship to a from unless you’re going to also plunk money on the upgrades. It’s just no worth it.
Yeah it is such a minor fix, but at the same time requires sodering and if I F it up then…
It was cool talking to Ben. He enjoyed your article and said it captured the nuances of each upgrade. He also said that he was sending it out to Lundahl and they might be pitting it on their website.
Tbh, knowing that the DAC has a Z chip, I’m really good on upgrades. I told Ben that the dac has a z chip and he said they are very rare chips…
Yeah, it is so minor. I’ve found a couple of places, but they would charge their minimum diagnostic fee (neighborhood of $125) then the cost of the rca sockets which are around $100. The issue is they may have to order the part and hold on to the unit for a couple of days.
The send to Mojo option would only cost shipping one way because it is still under warranty and Ben said he would get in back out in two days. Lame, not being able to just enjoy a new component. Ben wasn’t sure on the spot which model it was so that complicates things however i did not love the connection so maybe now would be the time to change. Who knows?
