indeed with SMD ICs flux is essential to stop bridges and solder whiskers on the pads if manually soldering
Flux remover can be as straightforward as regular isopropyl alcohol - probably the same stuff when diluted that vinyl lovers use to clean their records…
Know what you mean about glasses - i do find 3x illuminated magnifier makes the job manageable for me at the moment with SMD - impressed if you did SMD reliably with the naked eye and manual solder
This is what i use - works an absolute treat - with Multi-core Crystal 505 tin/lead/60/40 solder. The Weller 175 Watt heavy-duty soldering iron for the professional user and light industrial operator. Need strong wrists though…
It used to take a morning to do a board. These were mostly 1805 size components which are
0.18" x 0.05". Very rare to have a fault… if we did it was with the aforementioned FPGA IC - that was quad sided and the legs tucked under the sides of the ic. Soldering that was a REAL pita. You needed lots of flux and a tiny soldering iron tip and very thin solder. Happy days
Ok, so I finally hooked up my 5 meter run of NAC A5 to my XS3.
I belong to the camp that believes that cables do make a difference. Im not hard core though. Throughout this hobby, I always bought branded cables but only their entry level, or at most lower-mid level models.
So my initial unbroken-in impression of the NAC A5 compared to my mostly entry level but branded (all 5 meter runs) speaker cables:
gives out the deepest notes, but a bit loose in the not so deep frequencies. I’d say a bit boomy in the mid bass region
above average in vocal (male and female) in terms of clearness.
among the most rolled off in the highs.
had the most huge sound. Huge in terms of soundstage - like a wall of sound compared to most which just became loud when the volume is cranked up. Yes it was huge (great), but probably one of the least air (bummer) between instruments.
hard to describe it, but I just felt that the Nait was able to “breath” better given my perception of the huge sound, coupled by the ease of delivering the deepest notes. But I just found the sound a bit too congested yet.
Let’s see what happens when I put more hours on it………
So how about you guys, what were your initial impressions when you hooked up your NACAs? How long before it settled in, and what further improvement (hopefully) can I expect.
I replaced an old set of Supra 4 cables with a used set of NACA5, so cannot comment on any change over time, I will say that the treble is more controlled and natural than via the supra, certainly consistent with some of the differences you mention!