DK Design VS.1 Reference mkII - Optimization

One tweak that I tried that makes a BIG difference is playing the amp with the cover off. When the cover is on, electromagnetic waves bounce off the metal and back into the amplifiers circuitry. When the cover is off, you will be surprised how much better it sounds.

Tvad, I am fairly certain that it is not due to the cooling effect because the amp doesn't get very hot in the first place. And it makes logical sense that the electromagnetic bounce effect is at play here. In any case, whatever you want to call it, the DK amplifier sounds substantially better with the top cover off, try it and see for yourself.

One way to achieve the best sound and still have a cover for your DK is to have one made from Lexan. It is a clear material, so the cover will be see through, but it wont have the electro-magnetic bounce effect like the aluminum cover does. I think that DK really dropped the ball on this detail because really it sounds MUCH better with the cover off.

This is so far, the most polite discussion about DK Design Group products I have ever seen in the forums. This is a nice change for the better.

Tvad, I am telling you the amp sounds better with the aluminum cover off. In an industry where people use little pebbles, roller blocks, and expensive power cords I find it surprising that you should have difficulty accepting that the aluminum cover degrades the sound of the amp while a Lexan cover does not.

Also, while aluminum is non-magnetic it still will bounce more of the EMI then a Lexan cover will. If you shoot an electron into an aluminum plate the results are very different then if you shoot an electron into a Lexan plate.

I have not tried ERS paper, but one manufacturer that supplies a lexan cover instead of an aluminum one is DartZeel. Their amplifier, as you can see in a lot of literature, is supplied with a clear cover specifically for that reason.

Maybe shoot an email to DartZeel to explain this effect in more detail?

Also, while I believe that almost all components sound better with the aluminum cover off, this effect is especially prevalent in the DK amplifer where the difference is quite dramatic.

I dont think vibration is an issue with the DK amp. It is a very massive peace of equipment and there is no vibration to speak of. This brings me back to the EMI issue. The concept is quite simple, some of the EMI bounces off the aluminum cover and goes back into the circuitry, creating a sort of a negative feedback circuit. When a small amount of signal goes back into the circuitry it gets amplified again. This is the reason I believe the amp sounds better with the cover off.

What I hear is that the midrange becomes even more open and organic when the cover is off. There is also a bit more detail and texture in the bass.

Tvad, you are absolutely right.

The DK amp is supplied with a regular computer power cord, such as the one that comes with most Dell PCs. I had several discussions with DK regarding this and they are simply selling the amp and circuitry at the lowest possible price with a cheap power cord and tubes which they believe are user upgradeable. Also, the previous owner, Daniel Khesin, was not a big believer in power cords, although he heavily emphasized upgradingthe tubes.