ARCAM Alpha One

[weissi]

Hi!

once again I would be very pleased if anyone can give me some Info on that player... (DAC, pickup, etc....)

Thank you for your efforts!

 

[Andypairo]

The mechanism is a CDM9, the DAC probably a TDA1547.

I've got one but never tried to tweak it.
All the tweaking is reserved to my Philips CD931.

Cheers

Andrea

 

[weissi]

Hi, thanks for that info!

So, it´s a 1-bit DAC... hmm, CD931 utilizes a TDA1541A, right?
What do prefer when listening a longer time to (>1 hour)
It would cost ~30€, Do you think it´s worth it?

Thank you!

 

[jean-paul]

AFAIK Arcam Alpha One has a CDM12 that... well, you know my opinion on those.

Nothing special.

 

[Elso Kwak]

Wrong and Wrong

Hi, thanks for that info!

So, it´s a 1-bit DAC... hmm, CD931 utilizes a TDA1541A, right?
What do prefer when listening a longer time to (>1 hour)
It would cost ~30€, Do you think it´s worth it?

Thank you!

Hi,
The Philips CD931 has the SAA7350 DAC and the SM5840A digital filter I read from my servicemanual.
The TDA1547 will only work with accompanying digital filter TDA1307 or SA7350 as in the marantz CD17.
If you like the TDA1541 or not depends on your taste or as Thorsten Loesch (KYW) so elegantly puts it, on your character......

 

[rfbrw]

Re: Wrong and Wrong

The TDA1547 will only work with accompanying digital filter TDA1307 or SA7350 as in the marantz CD17.

And the TDA1373H.

 

[weissi]

I get more and more addicted in buying CD-Players

It´s really time to get my Buschhorns working, but It takes so much time to lacquer them really shiny....
And then my gainclone needs a pretty case.... Time that I use to surf on ebay

salute!

 

[Andypairo]

Jean-Paul is right... sorry for the confusion!

However, for 30€ it can be a good choice, if in good condition.

Cheers

Andrea

 

[weissi]

no good condition,

http://cgi.ebay.at/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3074567377&category=3293

 

[jean-paul]

Don't buy it. Lots of better cdplayers around.

 

[weissi]

Thank you jean-paul,

If you say it´s no good, I´ll trust you

btw, when examining my marantz, there´s a hybrid circuit located at the output, 2 hef4051 an 1 5532... what´s that - volume controll?

 

[mozfet]

Alpha = TDA1541A

the orig Arcam Alpha uses the TDA1541A Dac

mozfet

 

[pranas]

repair of an Arcam alpha one

Hello
i post here because the subject is related
my arcam alpha one i loved very much is out .. and opening and trying to clean it did not help
at the end it was in such a way that i had to throw it to turn and after it could start reading ...
the head is a sony KSS390a (in fact kss240)
and as i understood the mechanism should be either philips CDM9 or 12

i do not know what is responsible of this but now even helping it to turn at start does not help !

so first question : how to make it clear ?

i d like to repair it and i m living in lithuania were work is not so much expensive. i even found acceptable prices by internet for both optic (in russia - for about 20 euro ) and mechanism (in germany for about 45 )

and second question : how to decide what is the mechanism ?
i did not see any written thing like CDM on it !

thanks in advance (i hope by this to learn what s inside and how it works ! )

Francois

 

[tubenut]

Push starting a CD player >> probably spindle motor

not the laser head that is the problem.
I have never done this myself but I have been told that this can help:
wire up the spindle motor to its rated voltage or even a little higher through a toggle switch that allows you to reverse polarity, let the motor spin a few seconds and then flip the switch, it will now abrubtly change direction. A few seconds should do with one or 2 flips of the switch. This trick is supposed to dislocate gunk built up inside the motor.

If the laser is KSS2xx then the mech is also sony. I think Arcam used Philips CDM up until the CDM9. The Alpha 1 was I think the first Sony based player and this is what they have used since. I do not elieve they ever used the 12 or later variants.

 

[pranas]

thanks a lot
this make sense because my first impression was a bad behaviour of the motor ... and when i tried it more, helping it to turn at start, it was really not nervous at all ... so this special treatment could really help ! i ll manage with the one who will repair it
as well if this is not enough i ll try to find a CDM9
anyhow i ll ask Arcam first .. my alpha one is from 95
once i was asking them but they were sending me to the french importer of their products despite i bought it in UK ... and those usually make you pay twice the price considering you 'should have bought it ' at theirs !
with those information i ll look more serious !
thanks ...
Francois

 

[tubenut]

I am quite sure the Alpha one does not use a CDM9 but I may be mistaken. It is either a Sony KSS210 or one of the later Philips VAM12 or something. Does it hav a swing arm laser or a rail job?

If it is CDM9 (swing arm) then it may actually be the laser as CDM9 achieves focus before spinning up for TOC.... It sent me round the bend with a Theta. Once I sorted the laser the TOC problem (not spinning motor) never re occurred.....

 

[pranas]

probably sony inside yes - but mechanism - transport ?

thanks .. it was little silly from me yesterday to speak about CDM.

You are right the laser is KSS240A and this is SURE
so mechanism should be sony
and i read in an ebay that at that time arcam was using sony (and that alpha one is very similar to alpha7)

what is misleading me is that KSS240a is only a block with the laser - all the photos i got while search were such

But this could be working and i have serious doubts on the full mechanism (i mean the plate which can go out + motor)
when i saw CDM 9 is was in the style ... but i never saw a plate or base (i think the right word is transport) for sony products
and on mine there is no reference at all

so how to buy this mechanism (or base or transport) including the motor that would support a KSS240a - what reference is such a product ? this is my main question !
thanks in advance

 

[tubenut]

I would try the motor trick first, before hunting for a new mech.
I am however not sure what one would call the whole mechanism incl motor. Have you tried searching for a KSS240 spindle motor?

I am more au fait with Philips mechanisms.

 

[tubenut]

I just remembered something....

The sony mechanisms often do not read TOC if the tray gear system belt is worn/stretched. Try and insure that the belt is not to loose first... You can try this by closing the tray fuly by hand and seeing that the spindle lifts fully and engages the disc and clamp. switching the machiine on and off several times to see if it then reads TOC consistently on power up would prove or disprove the belt theory.

 

[pranas]

details - head - motor - mecanism

So at least, near the CD player, i could find so more details

definitely my arcam alpha one is using a sony mecanism
probably the confusion in the previous contributions telling about philips are due to a confusion on product - on the main board is a 74HCU04N philips made but this is not the reason why the whole is philips made

in fact i read that the alpha ONE was the first arcam using sony
so data given about philips may concern arcam alpha but not alpha one

head - definitely sony KSS240a

about transport
direct drive - no belt - and a rail - no arm there
one circuit is cxa1372AQ
motor is RF-310T-11400 (but here interesting here there are 2
- one for the disc - dg574317 (5.9 V)
- one for the rail - dg794317 (4.0V)
i cannot read reference on one circuit

the whole is with a letter S and ref Ksk-1220A
inside flat wire is marked sony

hope these info will be usefull

so coming back to my problem
either the main motor is out (trying to move little but very shy)
either the circuit for which i cannot read ref had overheat

for me it looks that the kss240a is OKAY and it would be more convenient to change the whole mecanism (this ksk-1220a) but i cannot find any info on this

could someone help?

thanks !
Francois