Mounting alternate clamp
Does anyone have information on how critical the height from the lens to the CD is.
That is if I mount a different clamp than the orginal one, how critical is it that the base of the clamp (where the CD sits) is the same as before.
I'm looking into either getting a clamp from a laptop CD-ROM or making a screw type clamp (shigaraki style).
Regards, Johannes
Does anyone have information on how critical the height from the lens to the CD is.
That is if I mount a different clamp than the orginal one, how critical is it that the base of the clamp (where the CD sits) is the same as before.
I'm looking into either getting a clamp from a laptop CD-ROM or making a screw type clamp (shigaraki style).
Regards, Johannes
Here is a picture of my RCEZ32 based version of the ShigaClone.
Both the DAC and the transport are built into SESCOM boxes which are now sold by Wolgram Engineered Plastics.
The transport is built on a 3/16" 6016 alloy aluminum chassis plate which is mounted inside the box. Additional mass is provided by two 7" x 1.5" x 1.5" AL/bronze bars mounted on either side of the mechanism - they add about 7lbs of mass to the transport which now weighs about 12lbs.
The mechanism is mounted on heavy ~ 1/2" AL standoffs which are threaded for 10-32 screws, final trimming of height is by washers which have the same od as the standoffs.
I did upgrade to a 50VA 12.6vct transformer which might have netted a subtle improvement. I was tempted to try a Radio Shack 25.2VCT @ 2A with fullwave center tap, (slightly more compact) but decided to leave it the way it is. The transformer is internal to the transport.
Main power is always on, and power to the mechanism is controlled by the micro-controller board.
Everything has worked reliably for several months now, and it sounds really good with my dac.
It's not quite as nice looking as some of the others I've seen here, but my metal working skills are improving and I have acquired a small milling machine and will add other tools to my budding machine shop..
Both the DAC and the transport are built into SESCOM boxes which are now sold by Wolgram Engineered Plastics.
The transport is built on a 3/16" 6016 alloy aluminum chassis plate which is mounted inside the box. Additional mass is provided by two 7" x 1.5" x 1.5" AL/bronze bars mounted on either side of the mechanism - they add about 7lbs of mass to the transport which now weighs about 12lbs.
The mechanism is mounted on heavy ~ 1/2" AL standoffs which are threaded for 10-32 screws, final trimming of height is by washers which have the same od as the standoffs.
I did upgrade to a 50VA 12.6vct transformer which might have netted a subtle improvement. I was tempted to try a Radio Shack 25.2VCT @ 2A with fullwave center tap, (slightly more compact) but decided to leave it the way it is. The transformer is internal to the transport.
Main power is always on, and power to the mechanism is controlled by the micro-controller board.
Everything has worked reliably for several months now, and it sounds really good with my dac.
It's not quite as nice looking as some of the others I've seen here, but my metal working skills are improving and I have acquired a small milling machine and will add other tools to my budding machine shop..
Attachments
Re: Mounting alternate clamp
Focus range is very limited.. You should try to install the clamp as close as possible to the original height, and you must measure that height very carefully with a set of calipers before proceeding.. You also want to get the height right because even if the focus servo can focus properly there is a position that should result in minimal focus coil current, and that presumably is as close as possible to where the stock mechanism normally operates. (Allowing for mechanical tolerances in the mechanism and the disk itself.)
Incidentally more than one person I know has destroyed a motor removing the clamp. Originally I thought I would upgrade the clamp, but it works well enough that I think I will leave well enough alone.
joir said:
Focus range is very limited.. You should try to install the clamp as close as possible to the original height, and you must measure that height very carefully with a set of calipers before proceeding.. You also want to get the height right because even if the focus servo can focus properly there is a position that should result in minimal focus coil current, and that presumably is as close as possible to where the stock mechanism normally operates. (Allowing for mechanical tolerances in the mechanism and the disk itself.)
Incidentally more than one person I know has destroyed a motor removing the clamp. Originally I thought I would upgrade the clamp, but it works well enough that I think I will leave well enough alone.
I have got my 51 machine...up and running.
I also managed to buy the 31 last saturday.
The 51 was screwed to a birch panel and I used the dig out without resistors...and removed the coke
I must admit it was an unexpected miracle coming out of a boombox........ but first impression is that it simply was not in the same league as my Wadia 23 (modified) transport.
It was easy to compare cause both were hooked up in my Genesis digital lens allowing switching (though the difference was that great that it was not neccessary) to the Audionote dac.
The soundstage was much smaller and less deep...also the musical involvement was not there....it was al too coarse....the pinpointing was also more difficult/vague
I am now in doubt wether the efforts of all the future tweaking will take it to a very much higher level.
I guess it all depends how you look at it....
the sound of the JVC-51 is surprisingly good and the biggest bang for the buck and a hell of a lot of fun to build....but for me the (first) impression is that it is hard to believe that it will hold ground to be among the best of the best...
Is there anybody out there with simular experiences.....
I will continue to listen to it the rest of the evenings this week to make sure that I gave it all the chances it deserves...so far I listened to it for about 1 hour with a wide variety of cd's.
Regards
Erik
I also managed to buy the 31 last saturday.
The 51 was screwed to a birch panel and I used the dig out without resistors...and removed the coke
I must admit it was an unexpected miracle coming out of a boombox........ but first impression is that it simply was not in the same league as my Wadia 23 (modified) transport.
It was easy to compare cause both were hooked up in my Genesis digital lens allowing switching (though the difference was that great that it was not neccessary) to the Audionote dac.
The soundstage was much smaller and less deep...also the musical involvement was not there....it was al too coarse....the pinpointing was also more difficult/vague
I am now in doubt wether the efforts of all the future tweaking will take it to a very much higher level.
I guess it all depends how you look at it....
the sound of the JVC-51 is surprisingly good and the biggest bang for the buck and a hell of a lot of fun to build....but for me the (first) impression is that it is hard to believe that it will hold ground to be among the best of the best...
Is there anybody out there with simular experiences.....
I will continue to listen to it the rest of the evenings this week to make sure that I gave it all the chances it deserves...so far I listened to it for about 1 hour with a wide variety of cd's.
Regards
Erik
Pretty much standard -51...only removed the choke...and some ferrite....and placed the transport with 2 long screws (in 2 copper tubes) firm to the birch-plateau.....placed the birchplateau with the whole show on the (marble)floor and connected it with a nice NordOst coax to the Audionote Dac
It was just to get an quick impression...right after dismanteling very precisely ...like a surgeon.... the boombox...
But my hopes were maybe a bit too high listening straight out of the box.....
Since the -51 is nearly identical to the -31....I am not certain that there will be a substantial difference in soundquality...
I will therefor wait rigging up the -31....
Has anyone heard them both -51 and -31 in comparison...
I am (like I said) a bit lost now if I should go ahead with serious modifications mechanical and electronical and by doing so if I am able to get it to the desired (my desired) level...being at least an equal partner to the Wadia...but preferably better
(to my taste)..
It was just to get an quick impression...right after dismanteling very precisely ...like a surgeon.... the boombox...
But my hopes were maybe a bit too high listening straight out of the box.....
Since the -51 is nearly identical to the -31....I am not certain that there will be a substantial difference in soundquality...
I will therefor wait rigging up the -31....
Has anyone heard them both -51 and -31 in comparison...
I am (like I said) a bit lost now if I should go ahead with serious modifications mechanical and electronical and by doing so if I am able to get it to the desired (my desired) level...being at least an equal partner to the Wadia...but preferably better
(to my taste)..
You really, really need to do Peter's mods, out of the (boom) box the stock transport is NOT that impressive. (My experience is with the RCEZ32, but comments should generally apply.) No one said it was - the key is the basically the good chipset, simplistic mechanism, and the fact that it responds extraordinarily well to modification.
The electrolytics used in this board are very inexpensive and don't do a good job. As I modified my unit I could not only hear the difference, but when I looked at the quality of the spdif signal I could see improvements in ground bounce, edge quality, and noise riding on the spdif waveform. Now it is extremely clean.
Also you are blasting the input of your digital lens and Audionote dac with 5Vpp digital signal which in most cases badly overloads receivers designed for spdif levels. (Some will not even lock at these amplitudes.) You need to add the attenuating resistors mentioned elsewhere. Standard values would be 392/92 resulting in about 1vpp at the output unloaded. (In a pinch you can use 301/100 this gives you slightly more output voltage, but is at the upper recommended current limit for the dsp IC.) This also provides the proper terminating impedances to the chip and to the presumably 75 ohm coax as well. (Important!)
The electrolytics used in this board are very inexpensive and don't do a good job. As I modified my unit I could not only hear the difference, but when I looked at the quality of the spdif signal I could see improvements in ground bounce, edge quality, and noise riding on the spdif waveform. Now it is extremely clean.
Also you are blasting the input of your digital lens and Audionote dac with 5Vpp digital signal which in most cases badly overloads receivers designed for spdif levels. (Some will not even lock at these amplitudes.) You need to add the attenuating resistors mentioned elsewhere. Standard values would be 392/92 resulting in about 1vpp at the output unloaded. (In a pinch you can use 301/100 this gives you slightly more output voltage, but is at the upper recommended current limit for the dsp IC.) This also provides the proper terminating impedances to the chip and to the presumably 75 ohm coax as well. (Important!)
Hi
What do you guys suggest for digital cable from DOUT to a AudioSector NOS DAC with BNC input.
There´s no Synapse any longer so I must narrwow my options among these. See Digital Cable folder (DHLabs, Furutech, Iluminati)
http://www.partsconnexion.com/catalog/wire.html
Thanks
What do you guys suggest for digital cable from DOUT to a AudioSector NOS DAC with BNC input.
There´s no Synapse any longer so I must narrwow my options among these. See Digital Cable folder (DHLabs, Furutech, Iluminati)
http://www.partsconnexion.com/catalog/wire.html
Thanks
Hello,
here is an update on the construction of mine:
http://homepage.mac.com/angaq0k/PhotoAlbum14.html
here is an update on the construction of mine:
http://homepage.mac.com/angaq0k/PhotoAlbum14.html
Thanks Kevin very useful advice based upon experience.
I think I will give it a try after all....
You said...nobody said so but the fact remains that a lot of people were impressed at first hand and even changed the mods back to the original...that made me unsure of what to expect...
I must admit that the unit sounds a lot better than yesterday meaning a 24 hour under voltage....
I am planning to take my time and built the thing up-to-spec and if it turns out less I think I can make somebody VERY happy...
The point of my carefulness is that my projects take a lot of time
(my speakers 2 years 3 hours a day and my pre amp 1 year 2 hours a day) ...so I try to eliminate as much disapointments.
I think I will give it a try after all....
You said...nobody said so but the fact remains that a lot of people were impressed at first hand and even changed the mods back to the original...that made me unsure of what to expect...
I must admit that the unit sounds a lot better than yesterday meaning a 24 hour under voltage....
I am planning to take my time and built the thing up-to-spec and if it turns out less I think I can make somebody VERY happy...
The point of my carefulness is that my projects take a lot of time
(my speakers 2 years 3 hours a day and my pre amp 1 year 2 hours a day) ...so I try to eliminate as much disapointments.
Attachments
Erik van Voorst said:Thanks Kevin very useful advice based upon experience.
I think I will give it a try after all....
You said...nobody said so but the fact remains that a lot of people were impressed at first hand and even changed the mods back to the original...that made me unsure of what to expect...
I must admit that the unit sounds a lot better than yesterday meaning a 24 hour under voltage....
I am planning to take my time and built the thing up-to-spec and if it turns out less I think I can make somebody VERY happy...
The point of my carefulness is that my projects take a lot of time
(my speakers 2 years 3 hours a day and my pre amp 1 year 2 hours a day) ...so I try to eliminate as much disapointments.
Hi Erik,
If nothing else you will have a blast doing it. Currently I am so enthralled with the thing that it and my new diy dac are providing about 90% of all of the music in my listening room..
My other sources are quite good as well and in some cases cost a whole lot more.There was a certain amount of wrangling over the ceramic resonator vs. the recommended crystal on this thread - I tried both and much preferred the crystal, to me it was a clear cut difference that I preferred..
Mine sounded ok out of the box, a bit better mounted on a heavy AL chassis, better still with some selected component upgrades, and better still with a real power supply.
I had the PSA Lambda Drive and Ultralink II combo, and while I cannot do a direct comparison as I sold both a few years ago I think they are better in many ways. (And I was able to compare the replacements to this set up - and this won.)
Erik van Voorst said:They did not....I thought my english was rusty.... but now they do...
I am burning the JVC Thingie in..
with the cd .
Oceana from Till Bronner...check it out...
BTW
I call my JVC.........................The PitBull..
I'll be sure to check out that CD.. These days I can barely stand to listen to the radio so it is always good to hear about what other people are listening to..
The PitBull... Interesting, any explanation? Hmmm I think mine is called something like "The MoneySink"... For an explanation just read my parts of the saga..
I just ordered an Apogee Wyde Eye cable this morning. Used one of their AES/EBU cables with the PSA setup for the last year or so that it all worked properly and liked it. My experience with it seems to echo Peter's. The one I ordered is the 75 ohm version with the appropriate 75 ohm BNC connectors. (Their pn is WE-BB and this cable is normally used for external word clock, etc.)