Michi124 said:
Hi guys,
Been out for a few days....
Michael, I think it's a VERY good price
. I don't think Amplimo will touch that. I haven't heard anything from them yet (?), so I doubt if they are even interested in small quantities. The potted centre is perfect for easy mounting. What is the est. delivery time?I know a few other CD63/67 owners that might be interested in this tranny, so count me in for at least 3pcs. and maybe even five.
Now we have to find a way to organize all this. Maybe a post in the group-buy section, and set up a buyers list? It would be nice if we can get to twenty pcs.
What do you think Michael, since you are most likely going to be the one that will be placing the order (and pay for it...)?
Regards,
Ray.
6h5c said:Michael, I think it's a VERY good price
I told you so...
Have a look at the manufacturer's websites:
Mueller-Rondo
multipcb
Have to go out now - more discussion tomorrow...
6h5c said:
two weeks / twelve working days
rowemeister said:
I have no idea. From the back of my head I remember reading that all copper wire is OFC these days,
simply because this is the only manufacturing process being used today. Is that true?
6h5c said:Now we have to find a way to organize all this. Maybe a post in the group-buy section, and set up a buyers list? It would be nice if we can get to twenty pcs.
What do you think Michael, since you are most likely going to be the one that will be placing the order (and pay for it...)?
Yes, I will start a group buy thread and set up a wiki as soon as we have finalized the specifications.
I have a few more questions:
Is anyone from the US interested in dual 115V primaries instead of the single 230V?
Would you like to have the mounting bracket and a large M5 screw come with the toroids?
Technical question:
Why do we need 17V and 9,5V AC secondaries for regulated DC voltages of 12V and 5V?
The Audiocon regs should not be much different fron the ALW super regs I'll use
- which only need a raw DC supply of max. 5V above their regulated output.
In other words: Shouldn't 14V and 8V secondaries be more than enough?
This would allow for a higher current rating, too...
Michi124 said:
Hi Michael,
For me, I don't need to have a bracket supplied with the tranny. I can easily bend it out of a strip of aluminium, or buy something that's made to fit at the hardware store. But if other people are interested, i'm going to save myself the trouble of bending it
As for the 115V primaries: I think that's a good one! It will make the tranny more versatile (lovely word...versatile...). I can't imagine it will add loads to the cost.
The idea behind the voltages is that it should be possible to use two-stage regulators, but to stay below 24VDC raw input voltage for the various commercially available regs. With 17VAC that will just be the case, and it's not going to be unloaded anyway.
For two regs we'll need at least 2 times 2,5...3V drop-out, plus the required 12V = 17...18VDC, plus some ripple and diode drop. We'll have a spare drop-out voltage of a few volts.
Regards,
Ray.
6h5c said:So, while we are in suspense for the trannies, what's the next mod-move on the CD63/67 players?
Personally, i'm scraping parts together for a tube output stage, to get rid of the opamps (= feedback) entirely. Will need another custom tranny for that I guess,
Anyone out there that already built one and has good tips?
Regards,
Ray.
Hi.
Now that the tx is 'sorted', perhaps we can move on to a tube output stage?
I found this article some years ago. It has a circuit suitable for the dac used in the'63.
http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/xentar/1179/theory/vasfda/vasfda.html#
The main problem, as I see it, is the tube circuits usually use a HT of 200v+.
I have found 1 circuit using a E88CC with HT of 125v.
http://pw2.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/tubedac.htm
A tube output dac from Hong Kong uses 24v.
Question :- Why can we not design a tube output with a HT of say 30v using a mini Tx of 15-0-15 ie off the shelf components.?
Andy
SimontY said:
hey all
I just got my CD63 mkII and certainly impressed with the sound of it coupled with my arcam delta 290 amp and monitor audio b2 speakers, but I WANT MORE !!!!
The mods listed by simon tY are pretty much what i want to do. I'm ok at soldering, and am preactising at the moment by removing DC output caps, bypassing output buffers, and replacing the op-amp with an lt1364, all on my emu 0404 soundcard. I have all the tolls needed to solder, and im ok at this soldering malarky too, but not too hot yet on SMT soldering.
Right the mods:
- Firstly im going to fill the 4 feet with blu-tac, and use either some car sound dampening bitumen pads, or the isolation stuff off audiocom to dampen the insides of the player.
- (1. removal of dc blocking caps*). I have the service manual, but am not sure which caps are the dc blocking caps, and what is is the safe DC offset that can be allowed when the caps are removed + bypassed ??
- (2. add on clock with totally dedicated psu). I have seen the cheap audiocom superclock 2 on ebay for £70 and was wondering if i should get one of their upgrade kits including the clock and supregs ranging from £100 - £120 - £130. Are the upgrade packs worth it etc etc ????
Also, is it easy to fit the new clock, and is it really necessary for another PSU, as i cant be bothered to make an external one?
- (3. op-amps to opa627 or other top notch solution). Will i need a/some browndogs for op-amp replacement, and how many op-amps will i need? also where about are they on the board ?
finally - (5. bypassing hdam) This seems fairly simple, and involves removing a few things and bridging the gaps with some wires. btw. what sort of wire should i use for internal connections, and where can i get it from?
Very final question. Are these mods only for the analog circuit, or is it worth just using the cdp as a transport and buying a nos dac or monica2 dac??? Would the mods listed above be bypassed with a DAC or will they make the player sound better than getting a DAC ??
sos for all the questions, but im a newbie. Will it be better for me to start a new' help adam mod his cd63) thread rather than clogging this one up?
Thanks all
ad
adfinni said:
Hi Adam,
It sounds like you're chomping at the bit to get stuck in, and rightly so.
Damping the insides should help the sound, but the feet really ought to be replaced with hard cones. It's my experience that this provides a more lifelike sound than soft feet (more solid and tuneful bass especially).
These caps block DC from going to the amp, as such they are near the output sockets - C655, C657 (left channel) and C656, C658 (right channel). I wouldn't worry too much about the DC, but you should measure it - just stick multimeter probes into the socket and turn the player on. Tell us what you get and someone will comment. DC is almost certainly dealt with in your amp though, making the caps ENTIRELY superfluous. They ruin the sound, again it's the bass more than anything.
Audiocom Superclock2 for £70 is good value, as it used a proven design, uses nice parts, and it's ready made for you. I think if you don't want to spend too many hours poring over schematics and learning to build circuits just buy their parts because they seem nice and will certainly do the job.
Ok, IME, a clock upgrade like this takes the player from 5/10 to 6/10, then a psu takes it to 7.5/10 (only relatively speaking!). It is absolutely necessary to feed it good power, and I say 'dedicated' because it's known that the voltage rails in the CD63 are fully cr@p - this would explain my listening results.
You'll need 'dawgs for using OPA627, and as these are single op-amps replacing doubles you'd need 4. I would suggest sockets be installed for safety, and convenience for comparing. Try OPA2134, LM6172, AD8620(?) and whatever else people routinely suggest. Those 3 are doubles and drop straight in with no adapters. You may prefer one over another. It's absolutely mandatory to bypass the psu pins of the op-amps (can do that under the sockets - I did) with electrolytic caps (33uF/50v Panasonic FC worked for me). If you don't understand what I mean I can show you pics of what that looks like.
The wire doesn't matter too much. Just as long as it's not silver plated.
These mods are for the analogue parts, and the DAC used is generally considered to be very good, so it's not worth making the player a transport only. An old player surely isn't the best for that job anyway. The player can sound stunning, so don't bother with a separate DAC!
Well, hopefully I've answered most of what you asked. No need for a new thread IMO.
Good luck.
Hi
What Simon says is pretty spot on. I would do each mod at a time though!
You need to hear what mod has done what. Its gives you a better insite into the player and what effect different bits do.
Here is a basic guide I use when modding players
1) Output caps bypassed - little bit more open sound and much better bass (and remove muting transistors)
2) Op amps - fit something like a OPA2134 first, you wont beleive the difference. You can at a later date change for 627 on browndogs etc to push the sound further.
3) Clock - I have that Audiocom clock from ebay - bargain. Dont worry about making a dedicated supply just yet unless you are confident.
4) HDAM bypass - a must do mod once the op amps are changed.
5) change all the resistors around the opamps to 0.1%tol types and all the blue se caps to silver mica.
6) Work on a way of seperating all the 5V rails to the DAC and the Decoder. You have Analogue 5v , digital 5v and clock ref 5V to these. Even using 3x cheap 7805 will give benefits (trust me I have tried it)
Here is the extensive reg pcb work I have done
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=54009&perpage=10&pagenumber=37
Dropping in a few good caps like Black Gates will help too.
7) You will need a seperate +12V supply for the clock. That reg package is very good from audiocom on ebay. I would buy them to suit what you are going to do though.
The package they have is to replace the 2 12V regs and one 5V reg. If you are going to make seperate regs circuits for dac etc these wont be needed in these places.
It will also be easier for people to help you if you do one mod at a time
Good luck
What Simon says is pretty spot on. I would do each mod at a time though!
You need to hear what mod has done what. Its gives you a better insite into the player and what effect different bits do.
Here is a basic guide I use when modding players
1) Output caps bypassed - little bit more open sound and much better bass (and remove muting transistors)
2) Op amps - fit something like a OPA2134 first, you wont beleive the difference. You can at a later date change for 627 on browndogs etc to push the sound further.
3) Clock - I have that Audiocom clock from ebay - bargain. Dont worry about making a dedicated supply just yet unless you are confident.
4) HDAM bypass - a must do mod once the op amps are changed.
5) change all the resistors around the opamps to 0.1%tol types and all the blue se caps to silver mica.
6) Work on a way of seperating all the 5V rails to the DAC and the Decoder. You have Analogue 5v , digital 5v and clock ref 5V to these. Even using 3x cheap 7805 will give benefits (trust me I have tried it)
Here is the extensive reg pcb work I have done
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=54009&perpage=10&pagenumber=37
Dropping in a few good caps like Black Gates will help too.
7) You will need a seperate +12V supply for the clock. That reg package is very good from audiocom on ebay. I would buy them to suit what you are going to do though.
The package they have is to replace the 2 12V regs and one 5V reg. If you are going to make seperate regs circuits for dac etc these wont be needed in these places.
It will also be easier for people to help you if you do one mod at a time
Good luck
Hi Andy,poynton said:
My thought exactly
I'm gathering parts now for the Thorsten Loesch valvestage, the one in the first link. I didn't come across the other one yet, thanks.
I'm going to give this circuit a try first, and see if I like the (opamp-less) results. I chose it because it is fairly simple and uses only one tube per channel. I'm going to use a simpler PSU initially.
In theory it is possible to use any tube with considerably lower B+. But the characteristics will not be that nice in that region. It will also be difficult to draw some current with that low anode voltage.
There are tubes that are specially made for low-voltage (battery) use, that could be an option. I don't know any typenumbers though.
It's not very difficult to build a PSU that can deliver +240V/20mA, and I'll need another tranny anyway. There's a transformerbuilder nearby where I live, and he can make me a small 200V/50mA + 6,3V/1A tranny just like that (for the dutch people: yep, it's Automatic Electric Europe). I'm very lucky
.Regards,
Ray.
Thanks a lot simon and rowmeister, that info was goooood.
I reckon im going to try to dampen the CDP with bitumen isolation first, and then remoce the DC caps, as its cheap.
then il probs try the other mods, espec the clock upgrade. do i have to build my own psu for the clock, or can i get a pre-built, or possibly an internal one ???
ta ta
ad
I reckon im going to try to dampen the CDP with bitumen isolation first, and then remoce the DC caps, as its cheap.
then il probs try the other mods, espec the clock upgrade. do i have to build my own psu for the clock, or can i get a pre-built, or possibly an internal one ???
ta ta
ad
avr300 said:
Hi avr,
Good one
. I use a CD57 to compare my CD67SE-XXXL with.Does the 63SE have an improved chassis, like the CD67SE?
Then I would say, use the SE for modding.
If there's no difference, use the standard for modding and the slightly better SE to compare it with. The PCB's are the same, and you're gonna take out all the parts anyway.
Regards,
Ray.
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