Hi
I have a Cambride Aduio CD5 v2.0, and am thinking about modifying/tuning it, before I go diving in just wondered if anyone has done this before to this machine? Are there any schematics online anywhere?
I'm thinking of changing the powersupply, beter diodes more capcitance (possibly a new trafo with seperate rails and upgrading the Opamps. I also might have a go at adding a headphone stage.
Cheers
Ed
I have a Cambride Aduio CD5 v2.0, and am thinking about modifying/tuning it, before I go diving in just wondered if anyone has done this before to this machine? Are there any schematics online anywhere?
I'm thinking of changing the powersupply, beter diodes more capcitance (possibly a new trafo with seperate rails and upgrading the Opamps. I also might have a go at adding a headphone stage.
Cheers
Ed
one option....
I'm not sure but some CD5's had the synclock toslink input on the back. If you use the Cambridge external DAC (ISOmagic for sure - not sure about the other DAC's) you can sync the clock in the DAC with the player. This is *supposed* to avoid the pitfalls of the DAC trying to reconstitute the clock from the incoming S/PDIF signal.
I have the DAC and have often wondered if this is worth doing . I think the synclock was on the CD5 (NOT the SE models), the DISCmagic and the Pink Triangle CD transport.
ISOmagics crop up from time to time on ebay. Richer Sounds sold these off very cheap a few years back, which is when I bought mine and they are very good. Based on the Philips 7350 DAC they also have the PM HDCD digital filter and are sprinkled with OSCONS and decent AD Opamps. The PCB is suspended on some kind of isolating offsets (vibration ?) inside the DAC which also forms an isolating platform. Quite a lot of engineering for £30 !
just a thought
I'm not sure but some CD5's had the synclock toslink input on the back. If you use the Cambridge external DAC (ISOmagic for sure - not sure about the other DAC's) you can sync the clock in the DAC with the player. This is *supposed* to avoid the pitfalls of the DAC trying to reconstitute the clock from the incoming S/PDIF signal.
I have the DAC and have often wondered if this is worth doing . I think the synclock was on the CD5 (NOT the SE models), the DISCmagic and the Pink Triangle CD transport.
ISOmagics crop up from time to time on ebay. Richer Sounds sold these off very cheap a few years back, which is when I bought mine and they are very good. Based on the Philips 7350 DAC they also have the PM HDCD digital filter and are sprinkled with OSCONS and decent AD Opamps. The PCB is suspended on some kind of isolating offsets (vibration ?) inside the DAC which also forms an isolating platform. Quite a lot of engineering for £30 !
just a thought
If I ever saw one for £30 I would of bought it like that, I just want to do the best I can with the on board DAC, I think when I have time (after my exams) I will try and find the datasheets of all the ICs work out what they are all doing, and build my own DAC/headphone pre. Seriuosly upgrade the PSU at the same time, there is a lot of empty space in there!
Ed
Ed
I modded my Cambridge D500 - see
http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/audio/cdp/cdp.html
Ultimately, you can't really make their DAC sound really good - I am only using it as a Transport these days. However, that's not to say the modded unit doesn't sound great for the money. It clearly beat a Wadia 301 in a direct A/B shootout in my system. Ok, Wadia wasn't on roller bearings, etc, but you'd expect at that price....
anyway - hope this helps - it's probably stuff you can do to your player as well
Peter
http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/audio/cdp/cdp.html
Ultimately, you can't really make their DAC sound really good - I am only using it as a Transport these days. However, that's not to say the modded unit doesn't sound great for the money. It clearly beat a Wadia 301 in a direct A/B shootout in my system. Ok, Wadia wasn't on roller bearings, etc, but you'd expect at that price....
anyway - hope this helps - it's probably stuff you can do to your player as well
Peter
WOW
Cheers for that, very interesting, it seems the main board is very similar if not the same to the one in my CD5, just mine has no copper shield (but it does have markings for it on the board, I wondered what they were). However the CD5 doesn't have that second board in the top right at all.
So I wonder what is different, it looks almost like what I was planning for my CD5, ie a new PCB with quality op/amps and output circuitry, plus mods (maybe replacement) to the DAC on the mainboard.
Is there a seperate feed from the toroid to that board in the top right? Are there +/- supplies on that board, any idea what ICs are there? Any idea what those three wires connecting the mainboard with the output board are? Digital, Analogue, clock?
Hmm I see serious potential for my CD5!
Ed
PS, if I blew on your CD500 would it roll off those ball bearings!?
Cheers for that, very interesting, it seems the main board is very similar if not the same to the one in my CD5, just mine has no copper shield (but it does have markings for it on the board, I wondered what they were). However the CD5 doesn't have that second board in the top right at all.
So I wonder what is different, it looks almost like what I was planning for my CD5, ie a new PCB with quality op/amps and output circuitry, plus mods (maybe replacement) to the DAC on the mainboard.
Is there a seperate feed from the toroid to that board in the top right? Are there +/- supplies on that board, any idea what ICs are there? Any idea what those three wires connecting the mainboard with the output board are? Digital, Analogue, clock?
Hmm I see serious potential for my CD5!
Ed
PS, if I blew on your CD500 would it roll off those ball bearings!?
that's not a torroid - just a round plastic can that's double stick tape glued on top of a regular square transformer. Crap basically, dressed up with "copper colored" plastic covers (same on the PCB - that ain't copper, not at that price point!)
the board on the top right, which is the DAC and SPDIF output stuff has its own power feed, yes. The PCB where the clock chip sits has a lot of vacant component holes on my player, possibly the same board you have fully loaded to take over the functions of the secondary board of my player.
ultimately, you want a really nice DAC on these players and bypass the stock stuff. Even modded, the built-in DAC sound is vastly inferior to a well designed external DAC. I'm comparing to a DDDAC1543, and after hearing that I am glad I didn't waste much time on upgrading the internal DAC of that player by much. Bypassing the power supply caps on that putput board was pretty good though, but if I had to buld the whole thing, I'd just go external.
I'm actually getting ready to mod an NEC 602 CD-ROM drive as transport. I'm curious if my Cambridge will have any reason for existence after I get done with that (other than the cheesy remote, which is still better than no remote on the NEC
)
Regarding the clock - that sits on the rectangular PCB you have as well, so you may have that going to the output as well. However, I am not reclocking in the external DAC and it kills the built in D/A conversion, so whatever they're doing in the D500 isn't really where you may want to take your player.
Peter
the board on the top right, which is the DAC and SPDIF output stuff has its own power feed, yes. The PCB where the clock chip sits has a lot of vacant component holes on my player, possibly the same board you have fully loaded to take over the functions of the secondary board of my player.
ultimately, you want a really nice DAC on these players and bypass the stock stuff. Even modded, the built-in DAC sound is vastly inferior to a well designed external DAC. I'm comparing to a DDDAC1543, and after hearing that I am glad I didn't waste much time on upgrading the internal DAC of that player by much. Bypassing the power supply caps on that putput board was pretty good though, but if I had to buld the whole thing, I'd just go external.
I'm actually getting ready to mod an NEC 602 CD-ROM drive as transport. I'm curious if my Cambridge will have any reason for existence after I get done with that (other than the cheesy remote, which is still better than no remote on the NEC
)Regarding the clock - that sits on the rectangular PCB you have as well, so you may have that going to the output as well. However, I am not reclocking in the external DAC and it kills the built in D/A conversion, so whatever they're doing in the D500 isn't really where you may want to take your player.
Peter
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.