Black Lion Audio 002 Mod

[Ping Pong]

Greetings to All,

In a quest to improve the sound of the audio I listen to when recording and mixing I decided to go for the Black Lion Audio “Tweakhead” modification for my Digi 002 Interface. Keep in mind that I am not the greatest AE in the world nor do I have the best ears in the industry. But, I have applied myself for the last 7 years learning as much as I can about recording and mixing by reading, asking millions of questions, and actual practice by recording Artists and Bands. As Bob Katz says: “Ear training, ear training, ear training!”

I was curious if I was going to be able to “hear the difference” after spending $750.00 for the upgrade. So many “upgrades” of audio components don’t necessarily bring huge and “in your face” improvements. More like subtle shifts and the nuance of detail.

I did my best to listen to a reference track over and over to brand it into my head before sending the unit out for about a 10-14 day turn around for the Modification (they do have “rush service”). The front people at BLA, Jim and Matt, are a pleasure to work with. As Pro as you can go in the way they handle their Customers.

After getting the 002 unit back I eagerly hooked it up and proceeded to listen to the reference track. It had been about 2 weeks and quite honestly I was having trouble noticing any “huge difference” in the audio.

After a couple of days I started having some trouble with “low frequency hum” being present in outputs 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8. (I will output a 2 channel mix to pass through my Manley Voxbox’s and back into the 002 to give those tracks some tube warmth).

Turned out that the “Tweakhead Mod” does increase the internal heat of the 002 (extra power supply) and proper ventilation is VERY IMPORTANT. Those outputs were in close proximity to the new power supply addition. I had the 002 stuffed into a tight, closed in area and the unit over-heated and caused the output DAC to go thermal thus causing my output hum problems.

So…….I had to send the unit back for repair. Matt Newport (owner of BLA) paid the return shipping and did the repair ASAP. I explained to Matt that I was in the middle of a project with a paying customer and could not deal with the down time. Matt sent me a “Loaner unit” to keep me up and running while I waited for the repair. Now, that is trust!!!

I was very thankful and very impressed by that action.

The Loaner unit was not the full Tweakhead Mod. Because I received the Loaner before I shipped my unit I had a chance to plug them both in and A/B them. Now, with 2 units in my possession I was able to easily hear a difference between the 2 of them. (More on this later)(the output problem did not seem to affect the monitor outputs)

While waiting for the repair I was on Ebay and snagged a new 002 (never used/sealed in original box) that was a great deal. When I got my 002 back I was now sitting on a new, stock original 002, a $500 BLA Mod 002 unit (Loaner), and a Tweakhead ($750) Mod 002 unit (my original).

What a chance to get to the bottom line on the value of the BLA Mods. Using the reference mix and being able to hook up each unit within minutes of each individual test I was able to clearly hear the difference between each unit.

Is there a difference? You bet there is! Increased head room, increased fidelity, more detail! (i.e., I could now hear the action of the compressor that I thought was invisible before.) Preamps sound notably better.

Worth the money???

In my humble opinion………YES!

After hearing the difference there is no way that I could be content with a stock unit. I will be sending the second (new) 002 to BLA for another Tweakhead upgrade which, will allow me one unit for the studio rack and a second unit to be mobile with when traveling to record “out of the studio” gigs.

Matt Newport is providing a great service to the hordes of Digi 002 owners. He is extremely dedicated to his business and his customers. He stuck it out with me when I had a problem (that I may have caused), he provided warranty service (at his expense), he spent valuable time with me answering my questions and explaining his procedures. Not every Company does that!

With all that being said, Digidesign (and others) purposely leave a huge gap in the options between the $1000 Digi 002 Unit and the Digi HD systems in the range of $30,000.

The home studio that is now prevalent throughout the world has opened the doors for so many musicians being able to play, record and market their own music without the huge financial demands that the Pro Studios (and Record Labels) require to get that great sound (and you do get what you pay for….but you must have the money). Now so many can have the exhilaration of unrestrained and affordable creativity that…..done properly…..can be a self-marketable product.

For the seasoned Pro (AE) who knows the sonic difference between the 002 and PTHD it is now possible for the masses to have something that brings us a little closer to that sonic purity without the $30,000.00 price tag.

My heart felt thanks to Matt Newport and Jim Jedlicka for being the “Robin Hoods” of the audio world and getting me a little closer to sonic nirvana without having to mortgage my house or sell my first born child.

You might want to keep an eye on these 2 guys………..

Sonny Yambor (Ping Pong)
President
Sun Splash Of New Smyrna Beach, Inc.

[GTBannah]

I feel your pain, muh brutha! All you have to do now is, save for HD!!

I went to the site and heard the A/B guitar tracks. If I wasn't so far away (Barbados) I may have been tempted to have the mod done too.

Enjoy!

[niros]

Wow I have My 002r (tweakhead mod) pretty cramped up gonna go home and make some room in the rack.

I second everything he said about the sound quality headroom and customer service at BLA definitely worth looking into if your in the market for some high end conversion.

Niros

[Wheeltard]

Point of clarification. I'm getting back my 002 this week from BLA. But BLA will only do the Full Tweakhead on 002R units because the 002 doesn't have enough room to dissipate the heat. There's some fine print verbiage on their site. I had originally sent mine in for the full mod and got credited back the difference on an HD vs. Tweakhead. FWIW.

But I'm glad to hear from you that the HD mod delivers a measureable difference as well. After doing research and comparing programs, I decided to go with the mod as my long term solution to a DAW platform. I can't wait to get mine back.

And ditto on Jim and company. They're a super good guys. Very responsive, and by the only true measure that counts in customer service, they'll do what they say they'll do when they promise to. I'm really glad to hear about that shootout. Thanks for posting.
Wheels