Modifying a Coincident Dynamo Mk1

@imhififan, thanks for making the magic happen!

@sns, thanks for the comments, so far I have done the same, just better quality parts (not always better sounding at the end). I will also try contacting Israel on this matter and see how it goes. 

@noromance, thanks for the suggestions! At the time being I have the power supply cap bypassed with a polypropylene Solen 4,7uF and small 0,1uf PPE Solen on top of it. This was a good change but it does not increase the reservoir by much.  After reaching out to Israel on the matter his reply was that he does not recommend any other modifications and I have the feeling that he does not want to get into it, which is understandable. Heard excellent things on the VCap but the prices are a bit too dear for my current budget and also taking into account the value of the amp being modified. What I did do was use a pair of Mundor Supreme caps instead of the Solens with great results.

Regarding the volume control, I had the chance to hear it can have a dramatic effect in the amp. I have read about these attenuators and they get good reviews the only problem is they are either very expensive or too large to fit, or both. Does anyone have any experience with the Audio Note basic 100k pot or TKD pots?

Removing the pot was my idea when I got the amp but at the time when I asked Israel he told me to just use the pot wide open. Although I sometimes adjust the pot to a lower setting its open or almost open most of the time as I use a preamp.

If you could show an example of how this could be done I would be very interested to try it.

Paul, thanks for joining the topic, and yes I completely agree. After trying several different caps at various price ranges my conclusion was that it is a matter of taste and one has to judge by himself. It also helps to try and forget the "bigger is better" and "cheaper must be inferior" logic and just listen. That being said, the products  have to meet a certain price point and at the end of the day it has to be a compromise to an extent so this synergy needs to make financial sense. This is where our modding comes in where we try to improve our gear and tune it to our taste.

Israel commented that he does not recommend any other mods other than the ones that were already done, and as I said I understand his point.

@noromance, I wanted to post the original photo of the amp for starters to see where people would suggest their own ideas for modding and maybe being a little easier to navigate, also my version does not show the values on the stock power supply cap. But if it may be of any interest to others here is the current state of the amp.

https://ibb.co/dBt4DhT

For some reason Im still having issues with the image showing in the post thus the link.

@imhififan to the rescue again, thank you!

So Im still trying to understand if/what can be gained from increasing the two Epcos caps? Also can someone please confirm their respective name and role in the amp (some call the input supply, others power supply etc). If I understand their voltage ratings add up and the uF rating in this case is only half of the first caps value, being 11uF correct? This could leave room for a larger rating since the 5AR4 could endure more?

As for the other single large cap, 470uF 500V, what is its role, what can it improve and is this the reservoir cap (any other names for it?) that @noromance suggested could be doubled if it does not impact the choke rating? 

Thanks for your patience guys.

Thanks guys for all the useful insights and navigating the parts! So basically I could increase the reservoir cap by how much and remain on the safe side? I saw on the Mk2 Dynamo that the reservoir caps are two 1000uf/315V and I assume you cannot just slap these units on the Mk1 and get good results, but would putting another same cap in parallel to mine be possible or should I try one bigger cap?

Heres a picture of the Mk2 showing reservoir and smoothing caps.

https://ibb.co/R7YJVdg

Here is what was advertised for Mk2:

Power supply filter capacity has been increased by 70% and capacitor voltage ratings have been doubled for increased reliability.

So anyone has an idea how much I could size up the reservoir cap and still be on the safe side?