Hi,
I think I have a sugestion. I bought a philps CD723 especially to use as a CD spinner and as mod platform... and it performs nicely for that purpuse.. but the analog out once modded is nice too.. easy to change output op-amps (not smd!), change Voltage supplies, change headphone amplifier inside, good philips designed CD spinner inside (cdm12.1).. all that for 100 Euro (98 dollar) ... out of the box it allready outperforms my sony.
goodluck,
Thijs
I think I have a sugestion. I bought a philps CD723 especially to use as a CD spinner and as mod platform... and it performs nicely for that purpuse.. but the analog out once modded is nice too.. easy to change output op-amps (not smd!), change Voltage supplies, change headphone amplifier inside, good philips designed CD spinner inside (cdm12.1).. all that for 100 Euro (98 dollar) ... out of the box it allready outperforms my sony.
goodluck,
Thijs
jwb:
Can you say a little about what's in this player (DAC and op amp, construction, space for mods, etc.)? I'm looking for a machine in this price range. This machine has been recommended to me by a couple of other folks.
And how'd you find a factory reconditioned machine?
thanks,
mlloyd1
Can you say a little about what's in this player (DAC and op amp, construction, space for mods, etc.)? I'm looking for a machine in this price range. This machine has been recommended to me by a couple of other folks.
And how'd you find a factory reconditioned machine?
thanks,
mlloyd1
jwb said:
Pacific Microsonics is one of the few who have correctly designed their digital filter in order to avoid aliasing-intermodulation distortion.
You certainly got a good player to start with.
What MODs would be good on this platform?
A new, low-jitter clock perhaps?
Separate PSU for the clock?
A better power supply & grounding in general?
regards,
Halcy
You certainly got a good player to start with.
What MODs would be good on this platform?
A new, low-jitter clock perhaps?
Separate PSU for the clock?
A better power supply & grounding in general?
regards,
Halcy
I don’t know if it’s still available, but have a look at the C.E.C. CD1100. I paid 198 EU for it (which is about the same in $) After replacing the ceramic resonator with a good X-tal oscillator and replacing some electrolytic caps with pp’s it sounds pretty good. Also a better powersupply was a good thing (there was room enough). Total cost for de mods: app. $50
CD ON THE CHEAP
People always seem to overlook the obvious.
If you really want it cheap get a computer CD-rom.
Add an old PC PSU and get your analogue output hooked up to a little amp.
This may take some splitting but it's pretty straightforward
That's what I use in the bedroom and it isn't have as bad as cd-players costing twice as much.
The Plextor brand has a good rep on sound quality.
Ok I admit I run the CD into a SE 2A3 tube amp but if the source were bad si would be the end result.
Happy listening,
People always seem to overlook the obvious.
If you really want it cheap get a computer CD-rom.
Add an old PC PSU and get your analogue output hooked up to a little amp.
This may take some splitting but it's pretty straightforward
That's what I use in the bedroom and it isn't have as bad as cd-players costing twice as much.
The Plextor brand has a good rep on sound quality.
Ok I admit I run the CD into a SE 2A3 tube amp but if the source were bad si would be the end result.
Happy listening,
jwb said:
I took this rig apart today with some proper tools. Inside, it is pretty nice. The power supply is a torroidal transformer with five secondary windings, followed by three rectifiers using discreet diodes. The main high voltage supply is regulated with LM317 and LM337. Electrolytic caps are all Nichicon. The power supplies for the digital processor and the analog condtioning are regulated with 7805 and 7808 regulators.
The DAC is a Burr-Brown PCM1732U with internal HDCD filter, which cannot be purchased on the open market. The clock is taken from a 16MHz tin can crystal, which is encased in foam and rubber cement. I guess this is to damp vibrations.
The analog filtering uses two Burr-Brown OPA2604 DIP packages.
The digital output is via a cheesy-looking sheilded through-hole pulse transformer. The output grounds are all decoupled with ceramic caps.
A good deal of internal space is wasted on the "NAD Link" misfeature.
The main modifications would probably be soft recovery rectifiers, linear technology regulators, and a stable clock. Opamps could be replaced with two OPA2227s or, more daringly, four OPA627s. There is enough room inside to mount modification boards above the main board. However, all the ICs are mounted on the bottom of the PCB.
This is my very low budget Favourite.
Pioneer PD-206 comes with remote. PD-106 does not.
It does not use the Legato Link, which I am not convinced
I need.
It is in the top of its price range,
even BEFORE you have
upgraded with better OPamps, fed by voltage regulators,
and better Output Capacitors (elyts!).
This review, which I found now,
confirms my opinion about this machine.
It is compared with a Marantz with separate DAC.
Unfair? Yes!
Performance:
A Marantz CD-63 KI Signature CD player hooked up to a Cambridge Audio DACMagic 2 DAC and Cambridge Audio A1 amp were favoured terror tools, with speakers a pair of Monitor Audio 201. Cabling was MIT Terminator 3 throughout.
Pioneer PD-206 Review
I believe it can be found in most countries around the world.
Pioneer PD-206 comes with remote. PD-106 does not.
It does not use the Legato Link, which I am not convinced
I need.
It is in the top of its price range,
even BEFORE you have
upgraded with better OPamps, fed by voltage regulators,
and better Output Capacitors (elyts!).
This review, which I found now,
confirms my opinion about this machine.
It is compared with a Marantz with separate DAC.
Unfair? Yes!
Performance:
A Marantz CD-63 KI Signature CD player hooked up to a Cambridge Audio DACMagic 2 DAC and Cambridge Audio A1 amp were favoured terror tools, with speakers a pair of Monitor Audio 201. Cabling was MIT Terminator 3 throughout.
Pioneer PD-206 Review
I believe it can be found in most countries around the world.
I have buy recently a Sony scd-xb940.
It reads cd and sacd but not cd-r.
It feature a single ended output but the dacs are balanced.
There are 2 dacs .
It is worth to modify the output stages first couse that way it is avaiable a balanced output . Second a J fet output stage is easy to implement with the internal regulated supply and sound much better .
It reads cd and sacd but not cd-r.
It feature a single ended output but the dacs are balanced.
There are 2 dacs .
It is worth to modify the output stages first couse that way it is avaiable a balanced output . Second a J fet output stage is easy to implement with the internal regulated supply and sound much better .
Re: CD ON THE CHEAP
Although very few Cd-Roms have buttons to control access, and alot that do only have a forward track button. Plextors are nice though, we had a quad speed that lasted forever and had an access time lower than probably most cheap ones do today. I know they used to make externals that were top loaders. I was thinking about this, but the lack of control of the disc scares me off. Is the digital output on CD-Roms an SPDIF form that a DAC could interpret?
fdegrove said:
People always seem to overlook the obvious.
If you really want it cheap get a computer CD-rom.
Add an old PC PSU and get your analogue output hooked up to a little amp.
This may take some splitting but it's pretty straightforward
That's what I use in the bedroom and it isn't have as bad as cd-players costing twice as much.
The Plextor brand has a good rep on sound quality.
Ok I admit I run the CD into a SE 2A3 tube amp but if the source were bad si would be the end result.
Happy listening,
Although very few Cd-Roms have buttons to control access, and alot that do only have a forward track button. Plextors are nice though, we had a quad speed that lasted forever and had an access time lower than probably most cheap ones do today. I know they used to make externals that were top loaders. I was thinking about this, but the lack of control of the disc scares me off. Is the digital output on CD-Roms an SPDIF form that a DAC could interpret?
Hi all,
I have examinate the inside of almost all the CD players of the market and, my preferred for tweak are: Yamaha CDX-396 and Yamaha CDX-593.
Reasons: Have the most big AC transformer on your price bracket, also include AC filter. The internal construction are excellent (well, the PCB ca be slightly better, are all) the electronics are very easy of extract from the chassis, and are specially good choice the 593.
Have display off, the busses of supply are made with 1mm wire, the supply and the output have low esr capacitors and, in the best design that I have see in this price, have buffers from the output of the DAC to the filters, and high current buffers -with transistors- from the filters to the output RCA's.
I have the service manuals of the two and y have modified many, so I can send you photocopies if you want.
Have a new model: the CDX-596 but I yet don't know.
Happy days,
Raúl Couto
I have examinate the inside of almost all the CD players of the market and, my preferred for tweak are: Yamaha CDX-396 and Yamaha CDX-593.
Reasons: Have the most big AC transformer on your price bracket, also include AC filter. The internal construction are excellent (well, the PCB ca be slightly better, are all) the electronics are very easy of extract from the chassis, and are specially good choice the 593.
Have display off, the busses of supply are made with 1mm wire, the supply and the output have low esr capacitors and, in the best design that I have see in this price, have buffers from the output of the DAC to the filters, and high current buffers -with transistors- from the filters to the output RCA's.
I have the service manuals of the two and y have modified many, so I can send you photocopies if you want.
Have a new model: the CDX-596 but I yet don't know.
Happy days,
Raúl Couto
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