It's been a couple years since his last post.
Hopefully: he's still with us.
Happy listening!
Modding Synergistic Research MPC to Galileo status
I recently had the good fortune of upgrading my stock Synergistic Research MPCs closer to Galileo Status by the help of a friend who is inclined to do such work.
He replaces the Synergistic MPC's four cheap, general purpose 1 amp rectifier diodes with four ultra fast, soft recovery IXYS rectifier diodes and the 470uf 50 volt dirt cheap chinese electrolytic cap with a 680uf Panasonic FM extremely low impedance, high ripple current, long life (7000 hrs). It is now a super low noise power supply.
This mod provides better shielding to Synergistic Research cables resulting in more transparency, blacker backgrounds, increased detail and warmth with even lower noise floor than stock MPCs.
I was really taken aback by the improvements mentioned above. When considering the cost of a Galileo MPC, this mod is a downright bargain.
The cost of this mod will be $40-50. I can provide contact information for additional questions regarding components and price.
He replaces the Synergistic MPC's four cheap, general purpose 1 amp rectifier diodes with four ultra fast, soft recovery IXYS rectifier diodes and the 470uf 50 volt dirt cheap chinese electrolytic cap with a 680uf Panasonic FM extremely low impedance, high ripple current, long life (7000 hrs). It is now a super low noise power supply.
This mod provides better shielding to Synergistic Research cables resulting in more transparency, blacker backgrounds, increased detail and warmth with even lower noise floor than stock MPCs.
I was really taken aback by the improvements mentioned above. When considering the cost of a Galileo MPC, this mod is a downright bargain.
The cost of this mod will be $40-50. I can provide contact information for additional questions regarding components and price.
93 responses Add your response
@rodman99999 I've sent him a PM. Thanks! |
I sent to Michael three synergistic research tungsten power cable and one speaker wire element copper for mod.2. The mod.2 upgrade is great! The noise floor of my system went down significantly and now I can hear more details and layers in my music. The Soundstage became more naturally with a bigger 3d presentation. The sound is smooth and very pleasant , I enjoy the music much more then before the upgrade. Michael thank you very much! |
The following is a message that I received from Audiogon member (millercarbon) aka Chuck about his thoughts & impressions of my V2 modified SR MPC Michael,
Got home last night eager to unpack and have a listen. Running out of quality conditioned outlets I decided to just plug them into the wall. Which is a really crappy outlet, barely holds a grip, not even on the dedicated line. Plugged em in but didn't connect yet. Turned my amp on to warm up a few minutes. Usually hit all the wires with anti-static spray then run a demagnetizer over them and finally the record just before each side. Well I have noticed this removes a layer of grain and grunge. Anyway, skipped that. Went straight to Nancy Bryan, but just for a minute, just to get my bearings. Then without even pausing I got up and swapped the leads. Immediately noticed somewhat greater depth and a bit more presence but not much else. Well, I mean come on, its only a few minutes out of the box. I have for more than 20 years now enjoyed listening to the fascinating changes things go through as they settle in. So here we go... Within a few minutes the sound was a lot fuller and smoother and present. By the end of the first side it was already far beyond anything I'd ever heard from the CTS with Galileo MPC. Even before the side was over I was all "are you kidding me?" enough to get up and swap back to the Galileo. Because it seemed incredible to be so much better so soon. But with the Galileo the sound was so flat and dull and unconvincing I could only take it for a few seconds. Back to the mod. Ahh! That's the ticket! With CTS it is impossible to say what it does best, bass, imaging, etc. Its all fantastic. With this its much easier. Your modded MPC unveils an incredible wealth of inner detail, the most subtle shadings, dynamically and tonally, that really lets the music breathe. I mean it just brings it to life. Listening to Holly Cole "Temptation" I was repeatedly blown away by the vibrato and tremolo. What a voice. But before, compared to this it was like she was singing monotone. Now she is right there and full of emotion. Just crazy amazing. Plus there is a real presence, and not the hyped etched exaggerated leading edge BS that so many call detail but the real thing, smooth and natural yet palpably present. Kind of thing most people hear and say wow good speakers. Nah, same speakers. Another thing that hit me, this is exactly like what I heard the first time when I swapped out the diodes in my old Aronov integrated. Same across the board improvement in reducing noise and grunge, revealing dynamic detail free of grain, greater depth and layering, everything top to bottom just so much more effortlessly there. And this is with less than an hour- and plugged into an ordinary crap wall outlet! Good work, Michael! Chuck |
Yes, an10490413 I am still V2 modifying and repairing all SR MPCs to now of course much better than Galileo MPC status. I realize that SR has moved on from using MPCs, but there are still quite a few owners of SR's previous excellent Tesla, Element, and even older actively shielded lines that can greatly benefit sonically from my V2 modification performed on their MPC. rodman99999 I do pop in from time to time and very much appreciate forwarding contact info. |
@an10490413- Just in case Michael isn’t watching this thread; you can private message him through AudiogoN, via: https://www.audiogon.com/messages/new?recipient_id=275763&layout=true |
Here’s one more testimonial, to the efficacy of Michael Spallone’s MPC upgrade. The turn-around was amazing: from the time he received my SR Tesla Apex(pre to main amps interconnects) MPC, to his delivery to UPS = 2days(that included a day of burn-in). In the three days I’ve had it plugged back in and been listening, I’ve noticed a greater sense of individual voices(vocal and instrumental), a more enveloping, cleaner sound stage and better dynamics. Everything just POPS, in a GOOD way(apparently, typical for his work). According to Michael, it should get even better, as time goes by(eargasms in my future?). My system was no slouch before his upgrade, but there’s always room for improvement, in this game. I generally do all my upgrading/tweaks myself, but- at his prices, why bother? My SR AC Master Coupler’s MPC is next. Highly recommended. Thanks, Michael!! |
| Post removed |
| Post removed |
Many thanks to you all for your thoughts and impressions. I just wanted to mention that I currently have a few of my latest V2 modified SR MPCs in stock ready for audition. Out performs SR Galileo MPC and in some applications SR Transporter SE, but please don't take my word for it try one for yourself. |
Michael recently modded MPCs for my Syn Res Element Tungsten SC and PC, a Telsa T2 SE PC and Tesla Accelerator LE IC and Accelerator LE IC. The sonic improvement was noticeable - and not subtle. Expanded sound stage, greater depth to the sound and clarity in voicings. I cannot compare to Michael's to the Galileo upgrade, but for my ears - and my wallet - it was a great upgrade. Easy to work with. Great service. Thank you, Michael |
I’ve improved my system and room over the years with constant, uh…”research and experimentation." You know, audiophilia nervosa. Each beneficial change made it more challenging to focus on my work, or even reading, with the music playing. With Michael’s V2 MPCs in the system (on Power Cell SE and T3SE PC) it’s decidedly tougher. There is more of almost everything I enjoy about my system. The soundstage is larger, with more air and decay; the noise floor is lower, resulting in better microdynamics, detail and texture across the spectrum, and macrodynamics are improved, with bass sounding clearer and more powerful. In short, the sound is more engaging. Now, if I can just find more hours for sleep… Thank you, Michael! Andrew |
| Post removed |
I recently sent my SR Galileo Universal Interconnect Cell and SR Core Active Speaker cables halfway across the world to Michael for the MPC mod, not really having high expectations considering the cost of the mod. It's been close to a month since I got them back and when I put them back into my system, starting with the Interconnects, there was an immediate improvement to the SQ, with enhanced details and clarity. After a week or so, I re-introduced the Speaker Cables into the system and was pleasantly surprised when the soundstage, air and noise-floor bettered my Cerious Technologies Graphene Extreme cables, albeit just slightly. Bass slam was much improved too and the SQ seems to be improving day by day. I couldn't understand the improvement my ears were hearing on such an affordable mod, but I am not complaining ;) It was a pleasure dealing with Michael and I was pleasantly surprised when he sent me a refund for the price difference when delivering the MPC's back to me via regular postage. Thanks very much Michael. Fazee |
fazee, I am very much looking forward to modifying your stock SR MPCs for your SR Galileo Universal Cell RCA ICs, and your SR CORE SE speaker cables. As member folkfreak may have told you, his stock SR MPCs that I modified for him to my latest V2 status, improved the performance even over what he was getting from his Galileo MPCs that came with his Galileo LE speaker cables. They even improved the performance of his SR Power Cell SE line conditioner. As a matter of fact since I recently switched to a different main power supply cap in my V2 mod, (even more dynamic, with a greater sense of scale) I have been told the difference between my V2 modified MPC and an SR Transporter SE is negligible when used with SR Power Cells and some of SR's various active accessories. |
Recently I sent my stock MPC to Michael , all the way from Malaysia . Shipping cost me more than the mod itself but it's worth it . Excellent turn around time of less than a week. Amazing how a simple mod to the adapter can bring so much improvement to the syst- quieter, denser & definitely more dynamic . No brainer upgrade . In fact this synergistic research active USB cable got me very curious abt the performance of Synergistic Research ... |
I just wanted to share with all of you what I have already shared with a few of my latest customers. I cannot stress enough the value of using a single dc cabled SR MPC (whether modified by me or stock) on each SR actively shielded cable. Each SR AC power cable comes with its own MPC. I have found it just as important, if not more so, to use a separate single dc cabled SR MPC on each SR speaker cable. SR interconnects also benefit if you are using longer than 1.5 meters. Having a separate power supply for each cable is most important. I liken it to dual mono. I believe SR is doing this with their Galileo line. The SR MPC is a 30-35 volt dc power supply, ultimately limited by the size of its transformer. Using one on each cable, will bring about (among the usual benefits of increased air, decay, transparency, & blacker backgrounds) much better sense of scale, dynamics along with increased bass weight. |
I asked Michael mod two of my stock MPCs to his v2 status and I can say that these are great mods. Although I haven't been able to do proper A/B comparisons because of some ongoing system changes, I will say that I don't notice any difference between using these and my Transporter SE for the MPCs on my Tranquility Bases. Great service and turnaround time too from Michael to ensure that I didn't have much time without being able to use my MPCs. A big thanks to him. |
The michaelspallone mpc v2 upgrade is the best bang for the buck upgrade I have ever heard. I had 2 mpc mods done. One on a element copper tungsten and a Tesla3se. The improvements were substantial. Soundstage, air and noise floor were all improved. Communication and turn around were excellent. Thanks Michael. |
My system is completely fitted with Synergistic Research active interconnects, speaker cables, and power cords. A few years back, I bought four Galileo MPCs based on Ted Denney’s recommendation. The four Galileo’s were all I could afford at the time, leaving me with two of the stock MPCs to feed the DC-powered active shields of what I thought to be "less critical" subwoofer power cords. I recall that the effect of substituting the Galileos for the stock MPCs was not overwhelming, but it was significant. I was happy with the modest improvement and stored away my stock MPCs in a shoe box in my listening room’s closet for safe keeping in case I ever sold the Tesla stuff. I recently bought a second Classe’ Audio DR-9 amp to run them in bridged mono and I needed a second SR active power cord to match the one I already had. It so happened that Michael Spallone had one for sale, so I called him and during our conversation regarding the power cord, he told me about his V2 MPC mod. He did not exaggerate or make overly boastful claims about his mod, only encouraged me to try one for a $55 total cost including return shipping and offered me a money back guarantee if I did not hear significant audible improvement from my system. He did say that they needed a few hours of run-in to begin to bloom and that they would consistently improve from there over the first 3-5 days. Fair enough. Having only $5 for shipping at risk, I sent two of my stock dual-lead MPCs to Michael for his V2 mod. A few days later, the Spallone-modded V2 MPCs arrived and I immediately set to burning them in by plugging the male active-lead connectors of a couple of sets of SR active cables that were not in use into the V2 MPC females and, of course, the V2 MPCs themselves into my QLS-9 MPC power strip. Michael emailed me shortly afterward to see what I thought of them and I replied that they were "burning-in" off line. He told me to go ahead and install them into my system, starting with replacing two of the SR Galileo MPCs feeding the active shielding to my speaker cables and component interconnects. I did so, expecting them to take hours if not days to equal the effect of the well-seasoned Galileos. There was an immediate change in the sound of my system. Macro-dynamics were noticeably bolder and the soundstage grew. There was also a reduction in the noise floor so perceived detail and micro-dynamics were improved. I was truly shocked that Michael’s inexpensive V2 mod was so much better than the Galileo MPCs that retailed for $400 each when I bought them. It even seems that the blue LEDs indicating that the active shielding was functioning got brighter with the V2s. Amazing. Listening to one reference recording after another made it undeniable that the V2 MPCs had made a major improvement in the sound of every recording I played. I immediately set forth to get two more of the V2 MPCs from Michael. I already had a "new to me" SR Powercell 10 UEF/FEQ on the way and it arrived before the second shipment of Michael’s modded MPCs could get here. Well, the Powercell 10 UEF is a truly revelatory upgrade to any system and I thought that the second batch of V2 MPCs wouldn’t make much difference on top of the mind-boggling improvement from the Powercell. WRONG! After listening in amazement to my "new" system with the Powercell for two days, the second batch of V2 MPCs arrived. I used these to replace the remaining Galileo MPCs, including the one feeding the Powercell and its included Element Copper Tungsten powercord. Holy cow! Boy, did the Powercell and its power cord love the V2 MPCs! Just how far can this active-shielding improvement and electro-magnetic power conditioning take my system forward in sound quality? Don’t know yet. Intending to find out, I am shipping another two MPCs to Michael for his V2 mod to complete the replacement of the remaining two SR MPCs. I really can’t imagine the sound getting any better than it is now, but, you know, I said that not once, but twice before... Most highly recommended!! Dave |
Michael modded 9 SR MPCs for me recently, a few weeks ago. In my system, which is very revealing, after about a week of being just plugged in, and another week or so, the sound is remarkably improved. The sound stage is much more 3D and wider. The improvements from the mods even compelled me to adjust my Quatro speakers slightly to get the center and side to side sound stage more accurately set. The improvement in imaging and transparency allowed me to hear how to focus my speaker setup better. Michael also was the absolute best in service, shipping very quickly the modded MPCs. Without any exaggeration, and listening to sound on a very transparent system, the mod is absolutely the smart thing to do. Happy I did it. |
| Post removed |
Continuing on my tale of SR power I've now received the Transporter Ultra SE and have it hooked up to all my source equipment. It makes another major step up on Michael's MPCs preserving all of the air and detail but adding much more bass depth and overall scale. Recordings sound much more dimensional and rounded with more of an impression of projecting in front of and around the speakers as well as behind. And this is with the transporter only driving half of my CD player power cords and the pre-amp (plus the PowerCell they are all plugged into). I'm waiting on new connectors which will allow me to use the transporter with my speaker cords as well. Anyway I'd strongly recommend that anyone with a reasonable investment in SR Active power kit really spend some time thinking about the best power solution for their devices. ps I was advised by my dealer not to use the Transporter on the UEF but instead use the Galileo MPC (dual lead) -- I did the comparison and it's no comparison, the Transporter is much better |
Further to my last post Micheal suggested I try the modded MPCs on my speaker cables rather than the PowerCells -- great suggestion as this placement (with Galileo MPCs back on the two cells) made a nice step up. It also freed a Galileo MPC to go on the Element CTS power cord that powers the quantum strip into which all my other SR power cord MPCs are connected -- another step up Through all of these changes the effect I hear with each improvement is a lowering of the noise floor which seems at first to sound like a drop in perceived volume -- in fact I think what we often perceive as loudness in audio reproduction is actually the cumulative noise in the system, as the noise is reduced we can open up the volume control and appreciate more of the dynamic range in the recording. A great example of this is using a track from Vienna Teng's live recording "The Moment Always Vanishing". This is the last track on the extended version - "Soon Love Soon" (unfortunately only available as a memory stick live at her concerts in 2010 but there are a bunch of versions on YouTube from other shows so you can get a sense of what I mean). This is a recording of all the concertgoers singing along to a quiet slow song. As you get the noise floor under control it becomes easy to pick out tens of individual singers and hear each part and where in the room they are sitting. This even holds with applause, each clap and each person clapping is an individual -- and to think this is off a 16:44 DAT field recording -- makes me wonder what all the fuss with hi-res is for (ps I tend to do listening for system changes using my DCS stack as it's easier to do A:B comparisons, I also have an OK LP system which is my ultimate preference) Anyway as I appreciate more of the value of noise control my next step will be to invest in an SR Transporter to power all of my source leads -- I'll report back on that when I get it installed |
Just chiming in on this thread and am happy to add my experience. Based on a comment in my system description I sent Michael two of my old dual lead MPCs to mid to Ver.2. They are on my two PowerCells and surplus as I'd already changed them out to Galileo MPCs. Having gotten them back (super fast by the way!) I am very pleased to say that they represent a nice upgrade even on the Galileo. My system is finely tuned so changes such as the addition or removal of one HFT are pretty apparent. In this context the MPC Ver.2 go a good step towards making the system even more natural and open -- sounds are more natural and integrated and it is easier to her each instrument in its own acoustic (case in point “All I Want” track 2 on Tierney Sutton “After Blue”, untangling the bass from the vocal is what this track is all about, ideally the bass should be well separated in space from Tierney's vocal, and the vocal itself should have uniform echo into each corner of the room (a really hard trick to pull off if your room treatment is not ideal)) -- the MPC upgrades made a good improvement in this regard I'll now be sending six more Galileo MPCs to Michael for his work and will report on the cumulative effect |
Thanks Colin for all the kind words. You should know that Colin is the first that has experienced my latest SR MPC Ver. 2 mod. I have changed the rectifier high speed diodes and the electrolytic cap, and as needed, bypassed it with a .1 or .01uf polypropylene cap. I am now able to do away with the circuit board, and hard wire the components because of the now much smaller size of them. The sound is so much more transparent, with unbelievable air and decay, and with a wide open sound stage that now just explodes with unreal width and depth. It is so much better than my original SR MPC mod which was designed to be a great improvement over stock SR MPCs while sometimes approaching the performance of an SR Galileo MPC in some systems, that it is laughable! But such is progress. My new Ver. 2 mod is in another league altogether, now not only bettering the performance of my original MPC mod but now far exceeds those of a SR Galileo MPC as well. |
I too would like to add my very delighted feedback of Michael Spallone's SR MPC mod magic. Long time Agoner and enthusiast and can say that by far this mod has been my best and most cost effective tweak in my system over my 30yrs in this hobby. Based on the feedback from this forum, I sent Michael all (4) of my MPCs (for my SR ICs, PCs and speaker cables). Michael readily communicates and was a joy to deal with, very consultative & knowledgeable and turnaround was fast. I have had the modded MPCs in my system for a little over a month and I am more impressed every time I sit down for a listening session. The biggest impact is in a much blacker background which seems to allow the delicate details to emerge producing more air, separation, a deeper wider sound stage, more dynamics and overall a more 3d sound. My speakers disappeared. I am happy to recommend Michael's mods to any SR user...it did wonders for my Krell KCT & FPB300c, Cary 306/200, AAD 7001 setup. |
followup - A month or so ago I found this thread and was intrigued. I've thought about upgrading my SR Universal Speaker Cells' two std MPCs to Galileo MPCs since I bought them. But, I would need two and that mean't about $800. I thought - no way... but, I remembered what an impression the Galileo MPC (2x) made to my PowerCell 10SE MKII. ...hmmm, what to do... Based on this thread, I eventually got in contact with Michael, sent both of the units reg mail on a Monday and had them back (even burned in overnight Thursday) on Saturday. I really couldn't believe how fast Michael turned these around. More importantly, I couldn't believe what a difference they made! Right off the bat I heard increased high end extension, wider holographic spacial representation; yet, with more precise instrument localization - especially strings. Low bass pitch was even more melodic. The background wasn't blacker - just full of more of what the venue must have really sounded like. I like that... I like that a lot! The modded MPCs are plugged into separate SR Tesla Plex(s) because of the layout of my room. I use Nordost Norse Bi-Wire Jumpers configured diagonally; (or +ve) - red and (or -ve)- black on my Legacy Whispers. Michael's mods are highly recommended! twochanneldave |