That is a culmination (well so far) of a few years of obsessive tinkering! There is a fair bit that I've reclaimed from other projects. I really wanted to give this one a proper go this time as the last couple I've done have been a bit half hearted (although I learned masess along the way). One thing I have learned is when you are chasing that ultimate sound, you need to use the best components you can source. I've decoupled every analogue rail & the HF with BG FK's and the digitals with Nichicon solid polymer (same construction as SEPC). Every rail has its own Low noise reg right on top of the pin its supplying. All the smoothers are Audio Upgrades SI or original Munorf SI 22,000uF and there will be at least 10 independant rails plus the small display TX.
Its got a lot to live up to!
No Multichanger tho!!!!
It is not the cd players fault if a recording is crap!
I would not want to sugar coat a bad recording otherwise you are not hearing what is on the disc properly, and if the artist cannot hear how bad their recordings are they should not be singing imho.
Wear ear muffs for those recordings and it will sugar coat it for you
Brent
I would not want to sugar coat a bad recording otherwise you are not hearing what is on the disc properly, and if the artist cannot hear how bad their recordings are they should not be singing imho.
Wear ear muffs for those recordings and it will sugar coat it for you
Brent
Before modding all cds sounded very similar now well produced ones stand outIt is not the cd players fault if a recording is crap!
I would not want to sugar coat a bad recording otherwise you are not hearing what is on the disc properly, and if the artist cannot hear how bad their recordings are they should not be singing imho.
Wear ear muffs for those recordings and it will sugar coat it for you
Brent
eyeopener really.alan
I find that the more you mod the player, the more separated the various layers of sound become and the less intrusive bad recordings become.
They still sound like bad recordings, but if the cd player has no nasty peaks they are much more listenable.
Edit: I think this takes a lot of mods though.
Lee.
They still sound like bad recordings, but if the cd player has no nasty peaks they are much more listenable.
Edit: I think this takes a lot of mods though.
Lee.
Just enjoy it now I'd say Alan, that and think about super regs (such as S-Powers).
Lee, that's exactly what happens when you upgrade to a good level, I couldn't have put it better myself.
Another thing I've found happening is some recordings I thought were quite bad have improved enormously. This doesn't happen with many but for me, and this is embarrassing, Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces, just keeps getting better!!! It's an HDCD so should've been well recorded but I've always found it a bit shrill. The truth would now appear to be that it's just a very testing bit of music given the Chicks' high-pitched vocals combined with violins. Now that my system is pretty good it sounds wonderful and I can listen to it VERY loud, as I can almost anything.
Lee, that's exactly what happens when you upgrade to a good level, I couldn't have put it better myself.
Another thing I've found happening is some recordings I thought were quite bad have improved enormously. This doesn't happen with many but for me, and this is embarrassing, Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces, just keeps getting better!!! It's an HDCD so should've been well recorded but I've always found it a bit shrill. The truth would now appear to be that it's just a very testing bit of music given the Chicks' high-pitched vocals combined with violins. Now that my system is pretty good it sounds wonderful and I can listen to it VERY loud, as I can almost anything.
The regs will do more than the psus and are easier to fit but the PSUs can be cheaper. You can look at your interconnect too, dunno if that wants upgrading...
Some PSU separation and beefing up is really rewarding (e.g. servo drivers) but most only add a little bit. At this point it's a case of diminishing returns to be honest.
Some PSU separation and beefing up is really rewarding (e.g. servo drivers) but most only add a little bit. At this point it's a case of diminishing returns to be honest.
Last edited:
LM4562 opamp replacement
Hello, I've a question. I own a marantz cd 63 mkii ki. I've read a lot of pages in this thread and I want to do some first steps in modding my cd player. I came upon this post by Simon, which was appealing to me:
I ordered 2 LM4562NA on ebay in China, because that was much cheaper than buying them in local shop. After installing the opamps, the sound really openened up, but additionally the sound is also distorted, quite annoying. It's some kind of hiss that has a familarity with the hiss you hear when playing old weary vinyl records. The HDAM circuitry is still there, so I'm wondering if the distortion is the result of interference with the HDAM. Al other components are still untouched. I also read about the HF noise out of the dac chip, that can be eliminated by placing a cap between the 2 outputs of each channel (on Ray's site).
I'm not shure what's causing the distortion. Could it be the opamps from China are fake? Or am I overlooking something else?
Thanks in advance!
Hello, I've a question. I own a marantz cd 63 mkii ki. I've read a lot of pages in this thread and I want to do some first steps in modding my cd player. I came upon this post by Simon, which was appealing to me:
So I decided to first change the opamps by experiment and then later decide wether or not to replace the analog output circuit with the DOS and do perhaps the other recommended mods. First I removed the 4 DC blocking caps. Then I mounted 2 IC-sockets for the opamps, so they could be easely swapped.
I ordered 2 LM4562NA on ebay in China, because that was much cheaper than buying them in local shop. After installing the opamps, the sound really openened up, but additionally the sound is also distorted, quite annoying. It's some kind of hiss that has a familarity with the hiss you hear when playing old weary vinyl records. The HDAM circuitry is still there, so I'm wondering if the distortion is the result of interference with the HDAM. Al other components are still untouched. I also read about the HF noise out of the dac chip, that can be eliminated by placing a cap between the 2 outputs of each channel (on Ray's site).
I'm not shure what's causing the distortion. Could it be the opamps from China are fake? Or am I overlooking something else?
Thanks in advance!
Alan. Low noise regs are the way forward. They're expensive, but you don't have to go to town on them like I have done to get amazing results.
Simply add one to the dac to supply all of its 5v pins and you'll get a massive upgrade. You can then add a psu which will bring a bit more separation.
What is your output stage?
Lee.
Simply add one to the dac to supply all of its 5v pins and you'll get a massive upgrade. You can then add a psu which will bring a bit more separation.
What is your output stage?
Lee.
Got the servo, uP and 2nd DAC reg's in, nice! I also changed the cap under the cd mechanism (c107) for a Cerrafine, bypassed with a Vishay 1837. The sound is a little bright now, is that normal?
Oh, and does anyone know's a purpose for this:
TE CONNECTIVITY / RAYCHEM|CLFH-178CK0135|CABLE, COAX, ZERO HALOGEN, PER | Farnell Nederland
The idea was to connect the output filter directly to the RCA (with a 40r2 resistor), but it's a bit smaller than I thought...
No. of Strands x Strand Size:7 x 0.1mm
Conductor Material:Silver Plated Copper Coated Steel
External Diameter:1.8mm
Oh, and does anyone know's a purpose for this:
TE CONNECTIVITY / RAYCHEM|CLFH-178CK0135|CABLE, COAX, ZERO HALOGEN, PER | Farnell Nederland
The idea was to connect the output filter directly to the RCA (with a 40r2 resistor), but it's a bit smaller than I thought...
No. of Strands x Strand Size:7 x 0.1mm
Conductor Material:Silver Plated Copper Coated Steel
External Diameter:1.8mm
Thanks Brent. With the original opamps there is no distortion at all. So the new LM4562 causes the hissing. Do you think the probem is solved when I buy new LM4562's in my local shop? I really like the open sound it delivers. How can I be sure that the new opamps I'll get are genuine?
Nino
Get the opamps from a reputable dealer!
Producten Zoeken | Farnell Nederland
Make the minimum order up with a few caps!
I've been running LM4562HA for a few months now and have been quite happy with the sound. Then I removed my DC blocking caps (220uF/25v BG FK) a couple of days ago and I've found the sound too bright for my taste since then. Siblants and electronic hi-hats, etc., are very exaggerated compared to a stock unit. I swapped the 100pF filter caps for 150pf as suggested by Thorsten Loesch (Marantz CD 57/67 tweakings) to bring the -3db high point down and I think that might have helped a little bit - I'll see if I can listen to 'So Suxxecy' by Metric without my ears bleeding tonight.
Check out the 1st post. In the PDF that Ray originally uploaded, it is suggested that C605 and C606 are changed from 1000pF to 470pF (Bessel Filter). This changes the filter to design and should also help.
http://www.raylectronics.nl/frame_it_en.html?http://www.raylectronics.nl/cd63_mods_en.html
Last edited: