If Thorsten was the engineer the AMR 777 would also be outstanding.
There is a DAC maker in Australia making a limited nukmber of TDA1541A DACs that sound very good, GIESELER AUDIO Kompakt II TDA1541A. I had one on load and was extremely impressed with it, would have got one if budget allowed.
There is a DAC maker in Australia making a limited nukmber of TDA1541A DACs that sound very good, GIESELER AUDIO Kompakt II TDA1541A. I had one on load and was extremely impressed with it, would have got one if budget allowed.
Ahh very interesting!! Just looked it up.
Difference between 1541A and 1541A SE ?!?!
Shame really just.. then one must have a cd transport and cables and all that… CD77 would probably be a better choice in this regard
Difference between 1541A and 1541A SE ?!?!
Shame really just.. then one must have a cd transport and cables and all that… CD77 would probably be a better choice in this regard
I did of course.
I used one for years at home with a Non-feedback KT-88 Push Pull Class A Amplifier.
It used the TDA1387. Depending on version, one or four in parallel. Active regulated Vref and "over clocked" to 2mA PP full scale current.
It was really good.
We often used it interchangeable with the CD-77 at shows. The CD-77 was better.
But not much I felt I had to get one.
The DP-777 has a lot of flexibility, especially in "Pre-amp" mode, it really is a system control center more than just a DAC.
Can I recommend used AMR gear? No. There are no spares and no support worth the name.
If buying a DAC today, off the shelf, I think anything competent designed with CS43131 in dual mono is really good. I'd probably propose that to anyone wanting a "new" design from me.
A kind of "almost filterless" operation is possible and if you turn off all the charge pumps and feed it +/- 3V low noise "super regulated" power sound quality improves quite bit. The build in line driver has external feedback connections, so there is some mileage to be had.
Unfortunately the 1.8V logic supply, extensive software requirements and difficult soldering make it totally unsuited for DIY.
Thor
Funny thing you mentioned the spare part and so on. The guy that own the CD 77 has in for repair this moment. The input is not working. And he also told me the guys who is trying to fix it said the same thing. There is no one with the knowledge of this things anymore it seems. Although I will never use the input..
The SE is a slight improvement over the non SE. He also does a tube output version.
There are also the TDA1541 based Abbas DACs that are also well regarded. Also the Audial DACs.
Ah, so you need a CD Player rather than separates, I did not pick up on that.
yeah it’s just that this topic has evolved to many other interesting things it seems 😅
I have many old CD players and I really appreciate the work that has gone in to them. Real craftsmanship there. But also agree with people here that newer Dacs have aloooot better measurements than those old 1541 and other old Dacs. And I am the type that follow measurements … but it seems that my ears do not agree with me. Those old Dacs just seems more natural..
There was this Romanian dude I bought my PD-91 of. And he hade the sickest Technics setup ever. He hade everything!
Amp,preamp,tuner,Eq,cassette,vinyl
2 CD player the SL- P1200 and SL-P999
Even the speakers where Technics.
And he’s system just sounded so damn good, And I asked him why not a newer dac or something, and he said that newer Dacs sound “synthetic “ I could actually agree (Almost)
But those Australian Dacs are very tempting… A bit expensive though
I have many old CD players and I really appreciate the work that has gone in to them. Real craftsmanship there. But also agree with people here that newer Dacs have aloooot better measurements than those old 1541 and other old Dacs. And I am the type that follow measurements … but it seems that my ears do not agree with me. Those old Dacs just seems more natural..
There was this Romanian dude I bought my PD-91 of. And he hade the sickest Technics setup ever. He hade everything!
Amp,preamp,tuner,Eq,cassette,vinyl
2 CD player the SL- P1200 and SL-P999
Even the speakers where Technics.
And he’s system just sounded so damn good, And I asked him why not a newer dac or something, and he said that newer Dacs sound “synthetic “ I could actually agree (Almost)
But those Australian Dacs are very tempting… A bit expensive though
That should be an easy fix. Ask them to contact me for schematics.
Only me I'm afraid.
The Lasers in the CD drive are known to fail. Even good CD-77 are now old enough for the other end of the bathtub curve.
Way I hear it, after I was forced out, the remaining people intentionally ran the company into the ground, taking out excessive compensation and dividends.
The company was then de facto bankrupt and sold of to Chinese investors. I do not know details, but I have heard repeatedly that what remains is a new entity with new people.
I suspect 77 and 777 spares were still in the warehouse, but likely disposed / sold as scrap or simply binned when the new owners moved everything to a new location.
So while I designed these send while they are good, I wouldn't buy anything AMR 2nd hand and it pains me to say that.
Thor
PD91 is a beast, it has literally legendary PCM65 dac chip and is well done for it's time.
That is some news.
Were you involved in the design of the Ifi Zen Stream? It happens to be number 1 of most crappy audio devices I ever owned. Depending on how you look at it that is an achievement 😉
Absolutely not.
I tabled the original idea for the "Zen Stream" which was to take the the WIIM/Linkplay Wifi module which as 384kHz/32 Bit (and linked DOP DSD) used in other iFi Products, combine it with the neccessary extra logic to provide analogue outputs from a on board DAC or an SPDIF feed (192kH/24Bit max.).
It never got greenlit while I still had any involvement with the company.
So I hear. I am sorry about that. It was predictable though.
I guess so.
The "ifi" now has no real links to AMR/iFi pre 2019. Any number of competent and capable dedicated people got the sack or were heavily encouraged to leave. These days, best I can tell, it's just a Chinese Company like all the others, but without competent and capable engineering staff. Or Visionaries. Or any people with any competence.
Thor
if you need a full set for repair purposes, get the shop to contact me.
I need to get the correct version to match the PCB's (presuming I have it) as there are many minor revisions.
If you are just interested in what went on around the TDA1541 and in the tube output stage, I have posted those before here on DIYA, just look for them.
I think in 2025 we understand the TDA1541 better than I did 20 years ago and I would not promote uncritical copies of what I designed two decades ago.
Thor
But if you would compare other CD players with TDA 1541. Like the Revox b226 and Philips CD880 and other high end players. The AMR must do a better job right?
I think so.
There was a comparison review against the Marantz CD-7 (dual TDA1541, multiple Motorola DSP's and fully discrete, balanced "HDAM" analogue) somewhere on the net. I think the CD-77 did marginally better.
Thor