TEAC VRDS-10 vs VRDS 25X

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Hi All,
Recently I bought a TEAC VRDS-10 and using it as a transport. I am extremely happy with the result of this transport. However I also now have an option to buy a TEAC VRDS 25X. It will cost me a lot more...around $1500. That is thrice the cost I paid for the VRDS-10. But I have heard lot of good things about this player so I thought I may want to give it a try. Also the 25X is a more recent model and is in mint condition so it would hopefully give me longer service.

But But But, the milllion dollar question is.......how much better is the 25X as a TRANSPORT compared to the VRDS-10 ??

I know its transport is similar to the VRDS-10 but has some additional mods...now with all that will it be a significant upgrade from the VRDS-10 ? Please do look at the price factor also. I do not want to just go for it for the sake having a newer better model unless it really takes the whole game to a higher level.

I was initially thinking of using the VRDS-10 for a couple of years and then as I save some money, I would have tried to go for a newer Esoteric model. But this VRDS 25X is a bit tempting so I thought I would ask people who have more hand on with these machines and only then take a call.

Please suggest asap because I have to take this call soon.
 
johnYks said:
Hello Pani

Are you aware of this article?

http://www.lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/REFERENCES/TEAC VRDS_25/TEAC_VRDS%2025_CD_player.html

His evaluation and judgement of equipment is first rate.

His site can be found at

http://www.lampizator.eu/

Hi John,
I have read that article before. But if you go by article carefully you may notice that:

1. He does not talk a lot about this player as a standalone transport. He talks about it mostly as a CDP. Obviously that would be his main concern because that is what matters to him and his lapizator mod.

2. He doesnt hold a lot of respect/value for VRDS. He considers it to be yet another decent transport. Now thats not something I would buy after using some very good transports in the recent past with my Reimyo DAC and then discovering how much better the VRDS is compared to others.
I do not know what TEAC does and whether VRDS really does any magic but at the end of the day its one hell of a transport.

So basically that article does not help me in getting the inputs I am looking at. However good the 25X might be as a standalone CDP really does not matter to me because I am only going to use its transport section. If that is radically better than my VRDS-10 then I would have to think


:rolleyes: .
 
TEAC VRDS-10 2 x TDA1547 – SAA7350 – SM5840APVRDS CMK-3.2 KSS-151A

TEAC VRDS-10SE 2 x TDA1547 + 2 x SAA7350 - SM5840VRDS CMK-3.2 KSS-151A

TEAC VRDS-20 2 x TDA1547 – SAA7350 – SM5840VRDS CMK-3.2 KSS-151A

TEAC VRDS-25 4 x AD1862N-J - SM5843 - CXD2545VRDS CMK-3.2 KSS-151A

TEAC VRDS-25X / XS 4 x AD1862N-J - SM5843 - CXD2545VRDS CMK-3.2 KSS-151A

TEAC VRDS-50NSdap FN1241VRDS CMK-3.2 KSS-151A

As you can see everything uses the same CMK3.2 mech and KSS-151A laser. Stick with the 10se that you have, if using it as a transport.
Cheers George
 
Hei,
Fant nicket ditt i forbindelse med en VRDS-problemstilling. Kunne jeg få snakke med deg om noe tilsvarende? Ring vær så snill.
mvh Knut Selsjord, Oslo 932 56 217

Nice to put in Norwegian language ;)

translation from a translator webby

Found nicket like in connection with a VRDS-problem. I could talk to you about something similar? Ring weather so Mild.

In your language? we do use english here
Maybe you understand Dutch?

Heb hier een soortgelijke probleem gevonden met het vrds probleem Ik kan met jouw wel over een soorgelijk probleem praten
Dat laatste snapt toch geen hond hehehehe bel weer als het mooi weer is ? hahahaha

SO now its been said in Norwegian, English and Dutch :D
 
THere are after all, also the better powersupplies and transformer on the VRDS-25/25x cpompared to VRDS-10/15/20. Plus as mentioned earlier the chassis and the rather strange upsampling. It does sound a bit thin in the top frequencies, so as a drive it' good. As a player, it's bettered for the same money also with VRDS 3,2 or even 4,0 drive, but owkr on the analogue part (I prefer the VRDS-25 instead of the 25x), and it becomes great.
Cheers,
Redfox.
 
Well okay, just installed a new laser for a CMK 4,0 drive on one of my Copland CDA-288 cd-players. Here's a small guide to do it yourself, if you are not familiar with the procedure beforehand:

1/ power off and connector out.
2/ undo cover
3/ undo 4 screws for the plastic top cover on bridge.
4/ undo 2 screws holding top of bridge and top spindel (big clamp).
5/ lift off big clamp with top of bridge and lay aside. No cable undoing needed.
6/ on my machine, it's easier to take out drive now, so undo 4 screws holding drive down.
7/ undo flat grey cable from laser to digital board.
8/ undo two small white, one black and oen red small multiconnectors at the front of digital board.
9/ with cd-tray closed, lift out the whole drive and place on table.
10/ turn laser sldge gear by hand. Do NOT push on the laser to move it.
11/ then after a bit of turning, stop when laser is in the middle of it's total travel.
12/ at rear end of long metal shaft that laser sledge slides on, press slightly down on a small horizontal tab, and pull rearward the metal shaft. But not all the way. Just so that the laser sledge is free.
13/ turn drive upside down and carefully undo the flat cable from laser sledge.
14/ turn drive around again and lift out the now free laser sledge by angleing it a bit.
15/ plaser old laser sledge on table and locate two springs horizontally locked between two small pins. Hold on to and undo both springs. Put aside.
16/ the outer gear of the sledge can now be moved a bit and released by positioning the gear so that it's at it's wide openings on location holes on two small tabs.
17/ repeat with inner gear.
18/ laser is now free and new laser have to have the inner gear with securing spring, and then outer gear with it's securing spring reinstalled.
19/ do this by placing inner gear over and down on laserunit, then move it to locked position.
20/ place ione end oof spring on to it's locating tab and hold on the spring while using a small flat screwdriver to compress the spring enough so that it can slip onto the other end's location tap. Spring is now in place.
21/ repeat with outer gear. Laser unit is now complete and can be installed on the long metal rod.
22/ clean gears and theeth with a cotton swap with isopropylalcohol and let dry for a moment.
23/ repeat cleaning on the long metal shaft.
24/ lubricate metal shaft and all gears on laserunit plus laserunit drive gears (and change if theeth broken) with a little teflon oil on the tip of a cotton swap. Do NOT spray oil or grease on to parts from can.
25/ locate laserunit on it's gear and puch the long metal shaft back through laserunits locating hole.
26/ push long metal shaft further so that it's other end (near front of drive, near front of cd-player), slips into it other end hole, and clicks when the small release tab at the rear end (the one you pressed down to release it in the first place), when it's fully home and reinstalled.
27/ eventually repeat lubrification. Just a bit as you may have touched lubed parts while reassembleing.
28/ turn drive upside downa nd very carefully puch in flat multicable for laserunit into it's socket on laserunits' circuit board. Turn drive around again.
29/ carefully spin the laser sledge gear so that laserunit slides to it's most rearward position (where it was before disassembleing). Do NOT push on laserunit or it's sledge.
30/ Now move back the cdtray by turning a little the big black cogwheel underneath the cdtray itself. Do NOT start by pushing the cdtray itself.
31/ after the movement of the cdtray has begun, you can now gently push the cdttray home to it's "playing" shut position.
32/ reposition cdtray with complete drive into cdtray opening at cdplayers frontpanel while observing eventual suspension. On mine there are two springs that sits underneath the whole cddrive's front.
33/ reinstall all 4 screws that holds complete cddrive unit into cdplayer.
34/ reposition topbridge with upper big clamp onto it's bridge and reinstall two holding screws.
35/ reinstall the plastic cover over bridge and tighten it's 4 screws.
36/ reconnect the flat grey multicable very carefully into it's socket on servo board (digital board).
37/ reconnect them two small white, the red and the black multiconnectors at the front of the servoboard as well.
38/ take a close look at everything and make sure everything is in it's tight place.
39/ repeat. Then connect powercable, turn on and observe if lasersledge moves correctly with gears and position. It will move forward, look for a disc and move up and down a few times before returning to it's rearward parking position.
40/ press eject and insert cd and press play. Observe if lower clamp clicks into positiona nd if laser sledge moved under cd and upper big clamp spins up and laser unit reads the toc and eventually starts playing.
41/ if okay, repeat eject and splay a number of times to make sure lube is well moved on the gears and the long metal shaft that laser unit moved on.
42/ reconnect cdplayer to system, play a disc and have a cup of tea ;)

That takes about ½ hour. 1 hour if you are first timer. Eventually take some snap shots of assembly before dissasembleing, and positioning of parts when undoing, springs etc. They can only be locased one way, but it's worth doing anyway.
Most laseruinits come preadjusted, so no need for adjusting laserunit in very most cases. That is a scope job and you also need infor and experience with that. But as said, normally they are ready to run. No need to ramp up the laserpower as it's will burn out quickly.
Now take a close look at the old laserunit. I shhook mine, and could clearly hear the laserdiode rattleing, as the laser is far from burnt out, but it's suspension is shot.

This is a guide for all units that work with Teac VRDS CMK 4,0 such as VRDS 7, 9, T-1, similar Esoteric units, Copland CDA-288, Krell CAV-300, some Wadia units etc. Easy peasy :)

Hope this short guide can be of use to someone out there.

Kind regards,
Redfox.

ps: I wrote a guide to changing gears elsewhere on this page if need be.
 
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