Hi Zanash,

Black Gates can be amazing and can also be awful. In my experience, you have to experiment very carefully to find the right cap for each position, and sometimes it is not a BG. The different types all sound different, and seem to be suited to different applications.

When I first started using BG's, I found that they did not work as advertised. The response I got from the supplier was "they take months to break in - be patient". Sorry, but for me, a capacitor should work instantly.

I am afraid that I have never got on with Silmics - I have a big bag full of them in my cupboard  . I prefer Stargets, and as a standard cap the nichicon GS.

The player already has high quality rectifier diodes. I plan to do this in several stages. First stage is to do the filter and IV mods, second stage is to convert the transport, third is to upgrade all the local decoupling, and the fourth is to move the thing to a bigger box and build a bigger more rugged external power supply.

I will experiment with bypasses, but often in the past, I have found most of them to sound worse. The little 0.1 50v BGNXHiQ does, however, seem to work for this.

Agreed, this is an area that does require great care. The current player has cross braces already, and the machine sounds better with the steel (magnetic) lid removed. However, any light getting in degrades it. A new lid made of black perspex will do the trick, but it will need to be rigidly fixed to the machine.

I have liked the op627's in the past. They have always sounded better soldered directly.

Thanks for your suggestions

Dave