CD63SE Modding work Completed !!
At last I have completed the modding work for my friend's CD63SE. Ray's 2 fleas are now installed.
The SQ is really really exceptional and my friend cannot believe his ears that an old CDP can have such GOOD performances.
My next project will be to add a muting relay to my own CD63KI (modded) similar to what I had done to my friend's 63SE.
At last I have completed the modding work for my friend's CD63SE. Ray's 2 fleas are now installed.
The SQ is really really exceptional and my friend cannot believe his ears that an old CDP can have such GOOD performances.
My next project will be to add a muting relay to my own CD63KI (modded) similar to what I had done to my friend's 63SE.
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Hi, I'm new on this forum. I am thinking of modding my old cd63 mkII signature player. I have already removed the muting transistors since they were starting to fail (crackle sound in left channel). Next I want to replace the weak RCA analogue socket. What do you guys recommend as replacement, Neutrik maybe? And what connection cable should I use from the socket to the PCB board?
Well, the 2 fleas are wonderful and they improved the SQ by a lot. Thank you Ray for producing the wonderful clocks. Yes, solder pads on the fleas to accommodate copper cover cans will save me from using double sided adhesive tapes. I believe these pads will also provide earthing connection as well.
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Me too 😛 The CD63SE that I have just completed the modding work used CMC RCAs 😉 They have locking nuts on the outside of the case which makes installation easier.
Muting Relay added to my CD63 MKII KI
I have just successfully installed a muting relay to my previously modded CD63 MK II KI and it works like a charm. You can see the relay at the left hand bottom corner of the picture. Now there is no more CRACKing noise when switching off the CDP 😀😛
I have just successfully installed a muting relay to my previously modded CD63 MK II KI and it works like a charm. You can see the relay at the left hand bottom corner of the picture. Now there is no more CRACKing noise when switching off the CDP 😀😛
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Hi Guys I have a Marantz CD63KI and i want to start to mod it but dont know where to start, there are so many mods on this page, could you please advise me as to the best things to do for the best gain. thanks Matt
How confident are you with a soldering iron and following schematics? What's your budget like, and how far are you looking to take it in the long run? In either case I'd probably suggest starting with some simple capacitor upgrades, e.g. A big cap before the 5v reg and on output smoothers (e.g. Mundorf AG 25v 22,000uF) some high quality power caps for op-amps, e.g. Rubycons. It's also becoming very popular to upgrade the power supply, particularly for the servo section.
Hi Ben I am very good with a soldering iron and can read a circuit diagram, I'm an ex TV & Video engineer. I have been looking at all the mods and just don’t know where to start!! I don’t really have a budget although my wife may have something to say about that lol!! I was thinking of putting in a low jitter clock first I have been looking at the Trichord Clock 4 or is there a better one? Or is there something else I should be doing before putting the clock in, all advise would be greatly appreciated.
Since you are good at soldering and can read circuit diagrams I suggest you go thro' the few pages in the following link and then you should have better idea as to what should be done to make your CD63 sing 😀. GOOD Luck.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/191412-marantz-cd63-basic-upgrade-overview-guide.html
My personal opinion/impression (based on the observations and writing of others as well as my own experience) is that the 63KI has a number of qualities and components in stock form that simultaneously act as 'veils' to the sound quality while covering deficiencies elsewhere, resulting in a very pleasant sound that is not as revealing as it could be. The jittery clock is one such veil, along with the HDAMs and back-to-back Silmics in the output path. The risk you run by removing these veils before addressing shortcomings elsewhere can be to make the player sound harsh. I personally couldn't stand my player with the clocks and output done but no upgraded servo supply. Others may disagree though - my tweeters on my B&Ws are very unforgiving of any harshness in the top end.
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It is strange to hear that your CD63 sounds harsh at the top ends after modding 😕
From my experience I have modded two CD63, one SE and one KI and I found the top ends are very smooth and will not cause fatigue even on very long time listening using either speakers or headphones. Do you thing your problem is in your amplifier or the speakers?
It sounds awesome now, but has sounded harsh on occasion in the past when trying certain things. It's not my amp or speakers' fault - they are just revealing of flaws upstream, particularly over-emphasis of high frequencies. My turntable always sounds tonally balanced, and I use that as a reference.
Haven't you always started by beefing up the PSU anyway? I thought that was your thing 😉
Anyway, if every mod you've tried has resulted in an improvement then I'm happy for you, but my journey has been a little bit more like Snakes and Ladders...
Anyway, if every mod you've tried has resulted in an improvement then I'm happy for you, but my journey has been a little bit more like Snakes and Ladders...
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What I did was to diable the headphone circuit and HDMA first and changed the opamps. After that I changed most of the caps, big and small. Then follow by voltage regulators and low jitter clocks. Changing the PSU was last in the queue. The modding work was completed by adding the muting relay. That was the sequence.
From my experence change the PSU has big improvement on the clarity and transparancy of music with better sound staging. It is worth to try.
From my experence change the PSU has big improvement on the clarity and transparancy of music with better sound staging. It is worth to try.
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higlander, after you disabled the HDAM and changed the op-amps, did you not find your player bass-light? You use Burson, right?
I found LM4562HA and no HDAM lacking in bass without a beefier PSU if I remember correctly. Another thing I tried that adversely affected the tonal balance was tagging small WIMA 100n caps across my Black Gates. I'm still on my first player though so perhaps I had a fault somewhere from time to time.
Anyway, everyone's tastes and systems are different I suppose. My point was I think order matters and it may get worse before it gets better. "It'll be alright in the end. If it isn't alright, it's not the end."
Lots of people must've started with a clock, so maybe that's OK.
I found LM4562HA and no HDAM lacking in bass without a beefier PSU if I remember correctly. Another thing I tried that adversely affected the tonal balance was tagging small WIMA 100n caps across my Black Gates. I'm still on my first player though so perhaps I had a fault somewhere from time to time.
Anyway, everyone's tastes and systems are different I suppose. My point was I think order matters and it may get worse before it gets better. "It'll be alright in the end. If it isn't alright, it's not the end."
Lots of people must've started with a clock, so maybe that's OK.