XXHighEnd

Ultimate Audio Playback => Phasure NOS1 DAC => Topic started by: Gerard on March 22, 2011, 10:33:36 pm



Title: Another new Color
Post by: Gerard on March 22, 2011, 10:33:36 pm
All,

I have let paint my Blue dac into Antraciet (Ral 7016) The inside is still blue though. When someone like's to do it i have some tips that i would share when asked.

The DAC transformed into a "mean" machine!   :aggressive:

 :)



Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: praphan on March 23, 2011, 07:45:11 am
Hi Gerard,

Your new color looks very formal and will match with the rest of my gears in the listening room. With all due respect Peter, I like blue as well. But it is too strong for the rest of my gears.

Gerard, would you like to share it here or rather use PM ?

Thanks,
Praphan


Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: Gerard on March 23, 2011, 07:49:04 am
I allready got a question from someone by PM. So here is the way i did it.  :)

Remove the cover from the Dac. Before you do that look how much room is left between the side of the cover and inner side from top of the dac. Because there will be paint added to the cover maybe it could happen that it won’t fit. You can also remove some blue paint from the side of the cover by sandpaper. (I did not btw)

Unscrew the PSU and push it a bit to the side so that you can unscrew the touch screen. After you have done that make a picture or remember how the connector to the screen is placed. Because i think you can place the connector  back the wrong way.

I removed the screen out of the box.

Screw the PSU back into place

After that you can pull out the 5 switches. Do it carefully they are very tight mounted in the dac. Also and that is very important look where the white dots are that are painted on the inner side of the switch. Write it down how they are mounted in the dac.

After that, wrap the switches in tape. Do that carefully so that no paint can touch the switch. There are 3 switches that will be hanging out of the dac and two that are spare and can be removed.

Do that also too the power connectors and the DVI connector on the back. The DVI connector will be staying so wrap a bit of tape around it. The other connectors can be unscrewed and the connectors can lay down carefully in the dac. Also remember well how they where placed.

Now put thick paper or cardboard behind the openings. But do not make contact to the dac. Be sure there is a cm left between the paper and the DAC. Why? Because after painting the paper will stick to the dac and it will result in nasty looking edges. I made these kind cardboards. [

After you have done that put the dac full with handkerchiefs. So that the electronic is protected. After  you have done that make a dummy of the cover. (Cardboard or thick paper) Be sure the dummy is 5 mm smaller on each side so that you can put it under the steal supports. Also remove a cm of the cardboard on the corners at the inner side of the dac where the plastic supports are. So that you can have that cm there too. (You will see)

Make sure the dummy is mounted by tape 1 cm under the top of the dac. So that the first cm of the inner side is painted aswel.

I wrote on the dummy at  the top of the clocks that they cannot push or touch it there. Maybe you can remove the Juli@ card?? But ask Peter first. ( I did not remove )

If the painter like’s to hang the dac do not use the touch screen opening to hang. Better one of the 5 switches.

Because the dac is full with handkerchiefs you do not have to tape the dummy 100%. Just at some strategic places.

Placing the 5 switches back first remove some paint on the inner side of the holes. Now the switches can be placed back more easy.

After picking up the DAC from the painter i heard that the dac is painted in a room where the temperature is 50 degrees. Ask Peter if that will be no problem. Certainly do not let it paint by + -

Of course all is done at your own risk so be careful!!  :o

My painter was not so happy with what i asked him and kept shaking his head when i explained what and how they should treat the dac. So that was a exciting week for me. But it is back and everything works just fine.  :heat:

Trying to put mount the cover back on the DAC at the painter the cover did not fit anymore!! Really no way i could get it right. At home nothing was the matter. Temperature??  :wacko:

And please think and take you time for this and do it slow. No mistake's  :(


 :)



Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: Gerard on March 23, 2011, 07:49:57 am
Hi Gerard,

Your new color looks very formal and will match with the rest of my gears in the listening room. With all due respect Peter, I like blue as well. But it is too strong for the rest of my gears.

Gerard, would you like to share it here or rather use PM ?

Thanks,
Praphan

Is that quick?   ;)


Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: PeterSt on March 23, 2011, 08:53:17 am
I must honestly say, it looks great. Much more eay to make photos of it as well, because at least my camera doesn't like this blue, and it gets more blue. :)
Not sure what sound will come from this, but it should be more dark. Haha.

That 50 degrees Celcius, wow, I didn't think of that at all. Luckily this is normal painting, because the powder coating occurs at a much higher temperature, and then I'm not sure what may happen (to little plastic parts etc.).


With the notice that Geard went to the same painter I went to for Mani's white sheep of his family :
While this has been done with car paint (by an official car painter), it is not all that easy to do it right. I don't know myself what exactly was applied, and all I know is that I was quite persistent in letting the structure persist (which always will be something less from a layer of paint). This is related to the sanding (which isn't done with sandpaper at all), the thickness of a layer and how many layers are applied (I think here two have been applied).

Looking afterwards to matters, it should be so that everybody can order his colour. Why not. Well, maybe because it isn't cheap to do it.
Four general means exist :

1.
Doing it completely afterwards. In the case of Gerard (and Mani - both were done at the same official car painter) this was 125 euro ex VAT). -> Not easy to do, and while I gave general instructions on e.g. to let the structure sustain as good as possible, you can wonder how it will turn out at "your pace".

2.
Doing it afterwards by us. This means, a blue case is the base. Same 125 euro, but I'd like to add another 100 for arranging it, bringing it, collecting it.
This will put constraints on the "production flow" because while right now we can decide underway to exchange two cases (one more ready than the other) because one customer is on a vessel in some sea anyway (aren't all Norwegians ? :)), now this can't be done. This means unnecessary waiting time for others, or less efficient operation on our side (which in the end is $$).

3.
Doing it in advance (bare case). Price unknown, but will be way more expensive. Of course then it's original power coat, "scratch free" and hardly prone to contamination of finger prints etc., but if you'd see the ovens this goes through and the price of a bag of powder (which bag will always be too large) ... I really don't know. Also this will mean quite some "logistical operation", plus the now necessity to have bare cases, which *have* to be dealt with at some stage. That's not much efficient.
I think we must forget about this option.

4.
Same as three, but now with an efficient amount for a colour, and pre-produced.
This is a little dangerous because of rising stock for less courant colours. Logistically it's quite allright because this will go in the flow of producing the cases themselves which had to be powder coated anyway. Will be more expensive but not *that* much (maybe 25 euro per case ?). One problem, it needs a whole new batch of bare cases to get this done hence keep the price low. That would be 17K while only half of the previous batch is consumed ...

So, not sure about it all, but I must honestly say that if I see results like this, plus how infinitely better it would fit people's interiors, I just can't say otherwise than "of course it is possible". But maybe think about 250 euro for it, and option #2.



PS: Gerard, you mention "amp" a couple of times. I think you wanted to say PSU there (you can change it of course).



Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: Gerard on March 23, 2011, 09:12:58 am
That 50 degrees Celcius, wow, I didn't think of that at all. Luckily this is normal painting, because the powder coating occurs at a much higher temperature, and then I'm not sure what may happen (to little plastic parts etc.).

Maybe wrap all the electronic in Aluminiumfoil and than handkerchiefs.

If i had known that before they painted it i would have taken it home.

But it looks like everything is okiedokie.  ;)


Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: BertD on March 23, 2011, 09:21:00 am
The DAC transformed into a "mean" machine!   :aggressive:

Indeed, looking much more attractive and real to my eyes. Must sound a lot better too! ;-)

I won't repaint mine (leave it just as it is) but I do not have to look at it all the time soon when it will be fully decoupled "hanging" under my table. Only the front will be visible (if you know where to look).

Bert


Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: praphan on March 23, 2011, 10:16:27 am
Umhhhh,

It is not that easy.
I have better keep it "blue" and conceal it in the lower rack on my shelfing.
Thanks anyway.
Praphan


Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: BrianG on March 23, 2011, 12:57:17 pm
I have let paint my Blue dac into Antraciet (Ral 7016)
The DAC transformed into a "mean" machine!   :aggressive:


and I thought whilst I was doing this I would do something with Mona Lisa's smile  :prankster:
(http://lipsmacker.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/monalisa.jpg)


Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: Gerard on March 23, 2011, 03:34:20 pm
So just home and finally i can play again!

Really really happy it's back.  :)

Last picture.  ;)


Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: manisandher on March 23, 2011, 05:19:34 pm
The DAC transformed into a "mean" machine!

Very nice... Looks like Darth Vader's TIE fighter.

Mani.


Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: Gerard on March 23, 2011, 05:30:04 pm
Very nice... Looks like Darth Vader's TIE fighter.

Now that you mention. It does!  :rofl:


Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: praphan on March 27, 2011, 11:07:33 am
Hi Peter,

I don't usually turn on the "blue eyes" meter on McIntosh. But I did today to  monitor the sound level.

One thing that immediately strick me is NOS 1 Blue matching with the "blue eyes". Well it is not that clear in the photo, but the real thing looks really cool. I am going to slide NOS1 replacing the Alpha DAC in the photo. After I do this, your NOS1 will give a big Blue Eye effect too. Cool.



Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: PeterSt on March 27, 2011, 11:27:14 am
Haha, nice.

Btw, I resized your picture because otherwise we'll never get to see the overview (of colours).
If you really wanted to have it that big, just upload your large picture again.

Peter

Edit :
PS: I actually wonder what may happen if I activate the display, and what that might do to colour schemes. :)


Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: praphan on March 27, 2011, 01:46:38 pm
Thanks for resizing.

I think you should activate the screen real soon. With dark screen, the NOS1 big "blue eyes" look like pirate.

What colour is the screen when lid?

Cheers!
Praphan 


Title: Re: Another new Color
Post by: PeterSt on March 27, 2011, 02:10:30 pm
Oh, I guess one of the options will be any image to your liking (could be a fixed colour as well of course). So, apart from controls as such (Play etc.) it could even be showing your vacation pictures.
In the end anything which comes to our mind as being more or less useful (and settable of course).
But a first thing to think of is just the Coverart like you see it as the "Wallpaper" from XXHighEnd. Track Length - that kind of stuff.