DK Design VS.1 Reference mkII - Optimization

07-06-06: Audioari1
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.

Aluminum is non-magnetic, just like Lexan, so there should be no difference in performance between these two materials. Plastic (Lexan) encourages static electricity, so it seems to me the aluminum cover would be the better choice.

Tvad, What is needed is a magnetic cover - that will absorb those electro-magnetic waves and they won't just bounce about in the amp. If you don't believe in electro-magnetic waves or fields just look for the Aurora Borealis. Maybe there is a look alike in the amp that only appears in the dark. ROTFLMAO, but not at you. :-)

Audioari1, can you provide a link to an article discussing electro-magnetic bounce effect?

I have done a search for "electro-magnetic bounce effect" and found nothing. I have found several articles discussing electromagnetic field radiation, and ground bounce, but these are two separate phenomenon, and ground bounce is controlled by the adjusting size of wire traces.

Here's the article

Work in progress....My speakers don't really allow me to turn up the volume much past the 9 o'clock position with out involving the neighbors and I also noticed the lack of heat produced and decided to try something to see if it improved the performance. In the past my MC275 tube amp sounded ok at lower levels but really started performing at the higher volume levels. Anyway I have a sony cd with an adjustable output so I simply dropped the input signal and cranked up the DK to the between the 11 & 1 o'clock positiion to see if hopefully it works a little better. I think I may be on to something.....
Does anyone have any info on what the pots on the preamp board relate to? I remember reading something about the adjustablity of the input...
The meter is not as entertaining but I am thinking at this point that it sounds 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.