Nickel OPT's on the way: what to expect?

[Dr. Toobz]

As the title suggests, I'm interested in hearing from fellow SEX enthusiasts (sorry, could't resist!) who've updated their amps to utilize MagneQuest's famed, full-nickel OPT's. Despite needing to pinch pennies right now (research positions pay poorly), I went with the full nickel after hearing so many comments about sweetness, extended range, nice mids, etc. My amp is just about perfect at this point with my Senns, but it could use a bit more clarity in the mids, a bit more sparkle in the highs, and deeper, more taut bass (things get a bit poofy with the stock irons). I'm hoping this upgrade improves those areas without taking away some of the "sweetness" or magic to the sound that I'm enjoying so much, especially with the maxed-out Quickie in between. I'm basically looking for the last 5%, without changing what I already like about the amp.

[Paul Joppa]

Give them some time to settle down; they'll sound like c#@p at first! It will get better after about 20 hours, but you'll want at least 100 hours of music before making an real judgements.

[Dr. Toobz]

I've always wondered why OPT's would need break-in time - I mean, isn't it just a bunch of wire wound around a metal core? Capacitors, I get, and in fact, I do plan on slipping some 2uF capacitors under the hood well in advance of recieving the MQ parts (which won't show up for about another five or six weeks).

[Paul Joppa]

I've never heard more than barely-plausible explanations for capacitor and transformer break-in. However, I've heard the effect consistently, and sometimes "blind", that is running the amp into a dummy load so it can't be that I am getting used to the sound.

Some say of transformers it is the capacitance between winding layers; other have suggested that the wire moves under magnetic forces and this moves the impregnant until it finds some mechanical stability.

Nickel will get magnetized by the turn-on and turn-off transients, more than iron. It takes a few minutes of music to de-magnetize the core in a parafeed design; sometimes as much as an hour. This is another audible effect.