As much as I like this thread ...this thing is grown so big that it is almost impossible to read through that thing and recognizing every change or good information. A few weeks back it tried to find the Voltages for a custom transformer...took me a while
We need a new thread as "table of contents"
Im not sure but http://www.raylectronics.nl/pdfs/CD63mkII-KI_mods.pdf could be the most recent.
Ray's Audio Page <- best website - begin with that. Download a mod list - you will find some "partremoving" moddifications. They will cost you nothing but time. I started with them, too.
Voltage Regulators are cheap and they will gain a good improvement.
I.m.h.o. the highest impact on sound will have the opamp replacement. (I went for the bb opa627- but this doesnt have to be the best version- some others have found good and cheaper opamps )
Adding some wimas here and there as bypassing caps will help aswell.
Ray's Audio Page <- best website - begin with that. Download a mod list - you will find some "partremoving" moddifications. They will cost you nothing but time. I started with them, too.
Voltage Regulators are cheap and they will gain a good improvement.
I.m.h.o. the highest impact on sound will have the opamp replacement. (I went for the bb opa627- but this doesnt have to be the best version- some others have found good and cheaper opamps )
Adding some wimas here and there as bypassing caps will help aswell.
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hi the opamp is very expensive
Burr Brown OPA627AP | eBay
do i just replace the old with this directly? thanks
Burr Brown OPA627AP | eBay
do i just replace the old with this directly? thanks
Couple of comments:
- I seriously doubt that random bypassing with WIMAs improves anything. In fact, I'm personally convinced that it can be detrimental.
- Best and cheapest are most likely mutually exclusive qualities.
- These players can be fragile, and are still fairly valuable in an unmolested state. It's better in many cases to take the time to research what you want to do, and do it right, than run head-first into doing 'cheap mods' that you'll ultimately end up wanting to redo. If you do swap op-amps, I think it's worth putting a socket in so you can try alternatives easily in the future.
Good luck!
Cheers,
Ben
- I seriously doubt that random bypassing with WIMAs improves anything. In fact, I'm personally convinced that it can be detrimental.
- Best and cheapest are most likely mutually exclusive qualities.
- These players can be fragile, and are still fairly valuable in an unmolested state. It's better in many cases to take the time to research what you want to do, and do it right, than run head-first into doing 'cheap mods' that you'll ultimately end up wanting to redo. If you do swap op-amps, I think it's worth putting a socket in so you can try alternatives easily in the future.
Good luck!
Cheers,
Ben
Hi John,
You're welcome. Have you tried putting everything back to the original state, and using the clock signal coming from the DAC (with original crystal)? It could be that something's wrong with the decoder.
It's also quite picky about it's power supply, if you happen to have tied or separated some of it's PSU pins, that could be the cause.
Ray
The best FREE mods are the removal of the muting transistors and the bypassing of the output caps. The rest is gonna cost you...
I wouldn't use OPA627 by the way, it's a single opamp and the ones in the player are dual, so you'll need four of these expensive beasts. Also, my personal opinion is that it sounds quite 'brown' (pun intended...) and muddy...
Good starting point for the opamps are OPA2134, AD826, AD8599, LM4562 (=LME49720), AD8620, LT1361. These are a few dual opamps that i've tried over the years and they sound a lot better compared to the original NJM2114. They are all drop-in replacements. Simply put two good IC sockets on the board (the ones with turned pin contacts, the others won't last very long) and start swapping!
But beware: some of these will reveal details that may not sound pleasant when the rest of your player is still unmodded. I would start with the OPA2134 if you want to avoid that, it sounds better than the 2114 but it is less revealing than the others.
Regards,
Ray
Nope you need a BrownDog adaptor [https://www.google.de/search?q=brown+dog+adapter&biw=1000&bih=900&noj=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Sf72VOOmH8vWPLLRgagM&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg ..you could to this by your own. with some wires.
@Ben Hanke in never said randomly - If I might give that impression ...you should never do anything randomly but WIMAS are cheaper ad the mentioned Panasonic PPS and easier to get in any local electronics store. It seams Holmes want to do the cheaper tweaks first.
@Ray Some like others more, true. I prefer the muddy "Brown"-Sound. But honestly the value for money ratio is not good
@Dj_Holmes Try Rays recommended Opamps
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Any suggestions for cheap output (dc blocking) caps (<$3)? I know none is better but I want them anyway. I've tried Panasonic PP 4.7uF 450V, which was great for low frequencies but terrible for treble, a 4.7uF Silmic II which was a bit harsh and 2x 4.7uF in series in opposite polarity to make a non-polar which seems best so far but dynamics could be better though.
Coupling caps are really frustrating me. Seems that bad coupling caps can undo all gains you make with any other mods you do. At least that was the case with the Pana film caps.
Coupling caps are really frustrating me. Seems that bad coupling caps can undo all gains you make with any other mods you do. At least that was the case with the Pana film caps.
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I'm afraid there's no such thing as a cheap coupling cap that also sounds great...
In that price-range, you'll end up with entry-level metallized PP. A bit better when compared to an electrolytic, but most of them are not that great.
Check out Partconnexion, there's Axon, Solen PB and Clarity Cap PX that are not too expensive. Second in line are Mundorf EVO and Obbligato, but they are a bit more expensive.
May I ask why you want to keep them? If the DC offset at the output is low, you don't need them. Besides, most amplifiers have input caps.
The cheapest best-sounding output cap is a bare wire
Ray
In that price-range, you'll end up with entry-level metallized PP. A bit better when compared to an electrolytic, but most of them are not that great.
Check out Partconnexion, there's Axon, Solen PB and Clarity Cap PX that are not too expensive. Second in line are Mundorf EVO and Obbligato, but they are a bit more expensive.
May I ask why you want to keep them? If the DC offset at the output is low, you don't need them. Besides, most amplifiers have input caps.
The cheapest best-sounding output cap is a bare wire
Ray
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I think I read somewhere that 5 or more 1uf WIMAs in parrallel can sound quite good, not tried them myself yet though.
Pete
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I want to increase the Supplyvoltage of the Output Opamps. A few month back I allready replaced the 78/7912 Regs with some LM3x7. So my question can I just adjust/increase the voltage from 12 Volt to lets say 15 without increasing some Voltages elsewhere.
I allready did some investigations in the schematic...as far as I know it should be possible but im not sure if I miss something?
Regards
Alex
I allready did some investigations in the schematic...as far as I know it should be possible but im not sure if I miss something?
Regards
Alex