I was a cable guy, but I'm not anymore, to each his own.
I must salute the editorial work and the passion here.
You've reached a point where you have a device that doesn't do everything well, but what it does puts a smile on your face, which is the case for many of us.
A quarter of a century ago now, I sold high-end and very high-end equipment in a chic neighborhood of a large European capital, I had access to all new and second-hand equipment and I had the means of my passion, so I used and abused it and like you, I ended up having cables almost as expensive as the system itself, then one day, on the occasion of a deal in a very small store which specialized in vintage tubes, I took a big slap in the face.
I came to pick up a pair of Jadis power amps at xxxxx € and I came across this guy who made amps on aluminum baking pans and from parts recovered here and there, and the guy said to me "do you want to listen to what you bought? and then I'll make you listen my puppies at 1/10th of the price" (on Altec theater voices all the same) and I left with my Jadis (to honor the deal, but also with a pair of her puppies who sang so much better to my ears.
I sold the Jadis, and since I was still too snobbish, I didn't manage to put his puppies in my living room and I ended up giving them to a friend at the time (when you're stupid, we're stupid), but that day, a seed was planted in my head and little by little I got rid of everything that was now useless to return to the essentials, music, and not the race armament and novelty and after a very long period of compulsive buying and a very large stock of accumulated devices, I started the purge to only keep the devices that make me smile, no matter how ugly they may be.
Regarding the cables, I only kept those that a friend made and now deceased (Litz 700 strands 30 microns per conductor, pulled straight, not twisted) and ordinary cables, of good quality with good connectors.
In short, thank you for this pleasant sharing of an episode of your life, it's always interesting in our world which has become superficial.
I must salute the editorial work and the passion here.
You've reached a point where you have a device that doesn't do everything well, but what it does puts a smile on your face, which is the case for many of us.
A quarter of a century ago now, I sold high-end and very high-end equipment in a chic neighborhood of a large European capital, I had access to all new and second-hand equipment and I had the means of my passion, so I used and abused it and like you, I ended up having cables almost as expensive as the system itself, then one day, on the occasion of a deal in a very small store which specialized in vintage tubes, I took a big slap in the face.
I came to pick up a pair of Jadis power amps at xxxxx € and I came across this guy who made amps on aluminum baking pans and from parts recovered here and there, and the guy said to me "do you want to listen to what you bought? and then I'll make you listen my puppies at 1/10th of the price" (on Altec theater voices all the same) and I left with my Jadis (to honor the deal, but also with a pair of her puppies who sang so much better to my ears.
I sold the Jadis, and since I was still too snobbish, I didn't manage to put his puppies in my living room and I ended up giving them to a friend at the time (when you're stupid, we're stupid), but that day, a seed was planted in my head and little by little I got rid of everything that was now useless to return to the essentials, music, and not the race armament and novelty and after a very long period of compulsive buying and a very large stock of accumulated devices, I started the purge to only keep the devices that make me smile, no matter how ugly they may be.
Regarding the cables, I only kept those that a friend made and now deceased (Litz 700 strands 30 microns per conductor, pulled straight, not twisted) and ordinary cables, of good quality with good connectors.
In short, thank you for this pleasant sharing of an episode of your life, it's always interesting in our world which has become superficial.
In fact, like any hobby, these stories are multifaceted.
Much depends on what you are listening to, whether you are ready to move on, or prefer to stop.
I do not like the tendency of modern devices or cables to sound bright and detailed without soul, as well as modern music, which does not have real instruments, so it is worth giving them their due. Its are worthy of each other.
For me, the best test is the sound of live instruments, such as a grand piano. In fact, it is the best instrument to test yourself. It sounds in a very wide range of frequencies, from low to high, and especially in the middle (where the ear hears best), it can sound precise and focused on individual key strokes, and it is full of overtones on passages, and it has air and reverberation. If a system can convey a natural piano in a way that you are ready to believe in it, then it is a good system.
Even if you don't like it, you'll notice that if you can set the system's sound (cables, decoupling, placement) to the piano, most other music will sound just as natural.
Regarding the resolution level of old and modern DACs (including high-res), not everything is so clear-cut.
I'm increasingly beginning to notice the limits of the my system's sound. Of course, everyone has limits when we say - enough.
If we compare old and new DACs, then in my opinion, new DACs tend to be overloaded with material.
This is when there is so much of it that you don't have time to follow the essence. There is an overlap of information. Conditional super-detail is layered, and you lose the black background (and naturalness). Your system and your ears are choking. The amount and dynamism of the material simply ceases to be adequately reproduced and perceived naturally.
And at this moment you understand that you made a mistake that needs to be corrected. And this choice is really difficult (because it is about money, time and real satisfaction).
I think many of you have listened to analog muddy and poorly informative systems, as well as bright, super-detailed and dry (both systems and individual components and cables). Everyone understands that the truth is in the middle, but not everyone knows how to achieve it (but suspect that for a lot of money).
I updated my connections to chord signature, and got a new round of pleasure, and became closer to what I want to hear. I was so carried away by the new project that I abandoned my PlayStation. And then I turned it on through the new cables. Well, what can I say. It's not that the difference is big. I didn't even understand what happened. It's still just in a different plane of perception. On the meridian, I continue to listen to the recording, natural, detailed, but a recording. On the PlayStation, it was as if I had been to a pub and listened to a jazz band at a table. That's the whole difference.
I noticed that I listen to the Meridian more in the background, not loudly, so as not to overload myself with unnecessary information, simply because you start to get tired of it. Even though the Meridian can hardly be called intrusive or caustic. At the same time, I can turn up the volume on the PlayStation. It conveys exactly what you want to hear. I'm waiting for my Electrocompaniet amp that on the way, and I hope my light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer.
So there is nothing more subjective than your ears and your musical tastes.
It's time to close this topic. The number of posts in it only proves that it's not about numbers, but about different tastes.
Much depends on what you are listening to, whether you are ready to move on, or prefer to stop.
I do not like the tendency of modern devices or cables to sound bright and detailed without soul, as well as modern music, which does not have real instruments, so it is worth giving them their due. Its are worthy of each other.
For me, the best test is the sound of live instruments, such as a grand piano. In fact, it is the best instrument to test yourself. It sounds in a very wide range of frequencies, from low to high, and especially in the middle (where the ear hears best), it can sound precise and focused on individual key strokes, and it is full of overtones on passages, and it has air and reverberation. If a system can convey a natural piano in a way that you are ready to believe in it, then it is a good system.
Even if you don't like it, you'll notice that if you can set the system's sound (cables, decoupling, placement) to the piano, most other music will sound just as natural.
Regarding the resolution level of old and modern DACs (including high-res), not everything is so clear-cut.
I'm increasingly beginning to notice the limits of the my system's sound. Of course, everyone has limits when we say - enough.
If we compare old and new DACs, then in my opinion, new DACs tend to be overloaded with material.
This is when there is so much of it that you don't have time to follow the essence. There is an overlap of information. Conditional super-detail is layered, and you lose the black background (and naturalness). Your system and your ears are choking. The amount and dynamism of the material simply ceases to be adequately reproduced and perceived naturally.
And at this moment you understand that you made a mistake that needs to be corrected. And this choice is really difficult (because it is about money, time and real satisfaction).
I think many of you have listened to analog muddy and poorly informative systems, as well as bright, super-detailed and dry (both systems and individual components and cables). Everyone understands that the truth is in the middle, but not everyone knows how to achieve it (but suspect that for a lot of money).
I updated my connections to chord signature, and got a new round of pleasure, and became closer to what I want to hear. I was so carried away by the new project that I abandoned my PlayStation. And then I turned it on through the new cables. Well, what can I say. It's not that the difference is big. I didn't even understand what happened. It's still just in a different plane of perception. On the meridian, I continue to listen to the recording, natural, detailed, but a recording. On the PlayStation, it was as if I had been to a pub and listened to a jazz band at a table. That's the whole difference.
I noticed that I listen to the Meridian more in the background, not loudly, so as not to overload myself with unnecessary information, simply because you start to get tired of it. Even though the Meridian can hardly be called intrusive or caustic. At the same time, I can turn up the volume on the PlayStation. It conveys exactly what you want to hear. I'm waiting for my Electrocompaniet amp that on the way, and I hope my light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer.
So there is nothing more subjective than your ears and your musical tastes.
It's time to close this topic. The number of posts in it only proves that it's not about numbers, but about different tastes.
Help wanted
I have a PS1 and that’s it. No cables, no controllers, nothing.
Is it possible to get it to play the CD through without having to source controllers?
I have a PS1 and that’s it. No cables, no controllers, nothing.
Is it possible to get it to play the CD through without having to source controllers?
I personally like it better unmodded. Straight out of the phono outputs, it has an engaging warm sound to my ears. I just remember the mods giving more hi-fi, less satisfying listening pleasure. Seemed to turn something unique into a distinctly average CD player, easily beaten by the readily available offerings.
Not worth bothering about these days imo. So many great DACs to chose from that are easier to use and pick up an old CD player as a transport.
Could you give an example of such a setup. The Cd-player would have to be modified then?
ok. All I'm saying is don't expect it to sound any different than anything else because of a handful of subjective opinions. By all means convert one it sounds fun. I'd probably do the same if I had the expertise.
I have two RCA 1002, but I am almost sure they have different DAC chips - one sounds better. I don't want to open both all the way up to find out, it's too risky I'll break a cable as these are so old.
Has there ever been a comparison between the AK4309VM and the AK4309AVM? Or has there ever been a way to find out from the console serial numbers which version you have?
Has there ever been a comparison between the AK4309VM and the AK4309AVM? Or has there ever been a way to find out from the console serial numbers which version you have?
I have a few. I can check but I don't think it will be 100% guarantee. Anyways a comparison between the two would be great but having the datasheet of the actual DAC would also be great. They probably forgot to make one because its nowhere to be found.
I think what's been general lost in the past few years of this PS1 story is that not all 100x RCA ps1s have the 4309 chip, in fact many will have the revised 4310 chip which the datasheets make clear is quite different output, and is CMOS not TTL like the 4309. So many people may have tried the 100x RCA ps1, not realising they were not listening to the right model. It is not easy to open up to find out, because even though the case comes off easy, the sound chip is under a plate that is itself under the laser. I have 2 100x ps1s, and one is clearly better sounding than the other. I haven't opened them up, but I'm sure this is why.
4309 to 4310 was quite a big revision of the chip I feel. It was a tech revision that changed output V and lowered power draw ( i think).
4309 to 4310 was quite a big revision of the chip I feel. It was a tech revision that changed output V and lowered power draw ( i think).
Bugger. Thanks for that information AJKO00. I took the lid off mine a few weeks back as a general inspection but might have to do it again properly and see which chip I have.