Marantz CD63 & CD67 mods list

mickie said:
I also changed the op-amps into OPA 2134 (i had them) - and the sound got worse (lifeless, grainy, harsh)!
I didn't expect that the 2134 are worse than the JRC...any of you had similar experiences?

I found it smoother than the original, but bland and lifeless as you say, and only slightly harsh. OPA2604 is extremely harsh, and it adds some sort of false excitement. I couldn't live with it. OPA627 x 2 is just nothing like the others in any way. Completely superior.


philpoole said:


Not when you used the old phonos years ago for something elsewhere and ended up using the 'remote control' phonos instead! D'oh!
Besides, I started using the new phonos when bypassing the HDAM. That way I could do a comparison. Now the HDAM is completely disconnected, and I am happier with the new connectors.

I think with this kind of project you do reach a point when its going to get progressively harder to work on the board. That's just the way it is.

Yeh, I agree, bound to happen! Good to plan the order of mods based on how much you mess up access to the pcb..


6h5c said:
I leave the rear panel on also, but I took off the hook-shaped thingies that lock into the side panels.
That way you can slide the PCB in quite easy.

Ray.

Ahh, so those little ears might be causing some trouble. I'll bend them away or something and try.


6h5c said:
The power supply is also an important factor.

Indeed, and with all of mine in sockets I had 33uF Panasonic FC caps at + and - voltages to ground. I think this is crucial. It also had a large impact just adding these same caps in my pre-amp (it had OPA2134, altho believe it or not I prefer LM6172 - never heard of that in a preamp before, but I trust my ears- it has PRAT, altho it's not 'perfect', a bit raw).
 
Re: Re: Analogue supply to the DAC

ash_dac said:

Could we not reclock the outputs ?


6h5c said:
...............Hmmm...reclocking...don't know if that will gain something....................


Hi.

The outputs - LO/LON, RO/RON - cannot be reclocked for the following reasons.

1. We are talking about Pulsewidth modulation. The pulse WIDTH varies!

2. The start/end of the pulse is not fixed - it is the centre.


3. Sampling the centre of the pulse would serve no purpose as it defines nothing!



The voltage at the outputs (LO/LON, RO/RON) of the DAC is irrelevant since the op amp sees both (common mode).

Andy
 
You should be careful around the digital chips though. Use a good electrolytic with an X7R ceramic or PPS (even better) in parallel, as close to the supply pins as possible.

Ok, what are "PPS"?

By the way: If opamps are broken/fried or inserted the wrong way - will i still have sound? When i first heard the 2134 this came to my mind, so i checked their position immediately...but indeed, maybe a 2604 would be better suited....i'm going to use BB627/AD8610 anyway soon...

Another issue that came up is the fact that the player has problems to read cd-r; i mean, discs are played and recognized well, but i can't choose the titles directly sometimes; it keeps kind of "screeching/whistling" and then stopping/turning off.
I cleaned the lense, but didn't change anything.
Burned-out laser maybe?

mickie
 
While we're on what systems we use, and I'm sorry I may have said before earlier (very long thread)...

cd63ki (audiocom dvc-1 clock+big psu, no hdam, twin opa627bp op-amps, no output caps or transistors, new sockets, matched resistors around opas, some bigger and/or better caps, shielded chips (all of them), some jumpered tracks (esp. gnd), bitumen, blue tack (transport + bar and lid and chassis), oak cone feet, some schottkys, mains choke and caps, off 500va iso. tx and fed with massive cat5 braided lead, psu resistors changed to inductors + beads, some other components near output [bypassed and] removed.

pre - Rod Elliot kit pre-amp, now using LM6172 x 2, powered thru iso tx and mains filter.

power - LM3886, completely dual mono, mdf chassis, p2p.

speakers - Seas H571 mid/basses in reflex MTM with noFerro 900 and nice x-over parts

sub - Tempest (15" long throw) in ported 260L box (good to 20hz at 110db or more) from 45hz.

wires - nice ones, not too much nasty teflon or silver plating (no offence Ray, maybe these things are ok with tubes).
 
mickie said:
................it keeps kind of "screeching/whistling" and then stopping/turning off. ...............



Hi.

This may sound silly..........

Place a 1 euro coin in the centre of the spinning clamp and see if the noise goes..........( I use a 10p coin)


There was a Marantz/Philips repair note circulated for early CDM12 mechs. along these lines. I think a plain steel disk was supplied. Later cdm's were different with a heavier centre.

Andy
 
SimontY said:
While we're on what systems we use, and I'm sorry I may have said before earlier (very long thread)...

cd63ki (audiocom dvc-1 clock+big psu, no hdam, twin opa627bp op-amps, no output caps or transistors, new sockets, matched resistors around opas, some bigger and/or better caps, shielded chips (all of them), some jumpered tracks (esp. gnd), bitumen, blue tack (transport + bar and lid and chassis), oak cone feet, some schottkys, mains choke and caps, off 500va iso. tx and fed with massive cat5 braided lead, psu resistors changed to inductors + beads, some other components near output [bypassed and] removed.

pre - Rod Elliot kit pre-amp, now using LM6172 x 2, powered thru iso tx and mains filter.

power - LM3886, completely dual mono, mdf chassis, p2p.

speakers - Seas H571 mid/basses in reflex MTM with noFerro 900 and nice x-over parts

sub - Tempest (15" long throw) in ported 260L box (good to 20hz at 110db or more) from 45hz.

wires - nice ones, not too much nasty teflon or silver plating (no offence Ray, maybe these things are ok with tubes).


What about the 200+ 7" speakers from Ebay
 
poynton said:




Hi.

This may sound silly..........

Place a 1 euro coin in the centre of the spinning clamp and see if the noise goes..........( I use a 10p coin)


There was a Marantz/Philips repair note circulated for early CDM12 mechs. along these lines. I think a plain steel disk was supplied. Later cdm's were different with a heavier centre.

Andy

Yes it was a mod. New clamps were suplied with a larger metal disc to stop the resonance.

If the disc in the clamp top it the size of a 5p coin its an old type,
newer ones were 10p size
 
Re: Re: Re: Analogue supply to the DAC

poynton said:
Hi.

The outputs - LO/LON, RO/RON - cannot be reclocked for the following reasons.

1. We are talking about Pulsewidth modulation. The pulse WIDTH varies!
2. The start/end of the pulse is not fixed - it is the centre.
3. Sampling the centre of the pulse would serve no purpose as it defines nothing!

Andy

Duh, I know that! Shame on me....
I'm too busy with my tubestage, didn't pay enough attention :smash:

Ray.
 
Place a 1 euro coin in the centre of the spinning clamp and see if the noise goes..........( I use a 10p coin)

Hi,
...yes i tried this before, no way to put euro-coins in, they don't fit exactly...disc-clamp keeps "egging" around even more; maybe other currencies are more suitable.
But i don't think its related to this cd-r thing, seems the laser can't focus the track-markers or something like that.

mickie
 
Re: Re: Re: Analogue supply to the DAC

poynton said:






Hi.

The outputs - LO/LON, RO/RON - cannot be reclocked for the following reasons.

1. We are talking about Pulsewidth modulation. The pulse WIDTH varies!

2. The start/end of the pulse is not fixed - it is the centre.


3. Sampling the centre of the pulse would serve no purpose as it defines nothing!



The voltage at the outputs (LO/LON, RO/RON) of the DAC is irrelevant since the op amp sees both (common mode).

Andy

Thanks you have made things clearer!:)

So therefore this design is quite jitter-resistant ?
 
Well this is just bloody great. I have just ordered a little PSU from andy to use for a new superclock 2, but have now bought the clock as well, rather than waiting until easter, Just great !!!!

Bye bye £118, and hello a much sweeter sounding CDP. God my darling grados are loving this, and they just keep sounding better and better, the more i get hooked on hi-fi, and modifications :xeye: :xeye: :xeye:

I think i may be coming back in the next week for some fitting advice. Am i right in saying that the + and - 12V audicom super-regs need to be placed close to the op-amps?
Also, where can i put the 5V super-reg for the best effect.

ta

Ad
 
I've just changed the njm2114d/4556ad op-amps with ad826an/njm2114d (just for headphone amp) in my cd67se. This was the only tweak and the sound is now more relaxed, smoother, more dynamic, with a huge soundstage. I'm very pleased by now. I don't like the Burr-Brown sound, so the new ad826 was soldered directly in the board, with no sockets. Good luck.
 
adfinni said:
Well this is just bloody great. I have just ordered a little PSU from andy to use for a new superclock 2, but have now bought the clock as well, rather than waiting until easter, Just great !!!!

Bye bye £118, and hello a much sweeter sounding CDP. God my darling grados are loving this, and they just keep sounding better and better, the more i get hooked on hi-fi, and modifications :xeye: :xeye: :xeye:

I think i may be coming back in the next week for some fitting advice. Am i right in saying that the + and - 12V audicom super-regs need to be placed close to the op-amps?
Also, where can i put the 5V super-reg for the best effect.

ta

Ad

adfinni

I placed the +/- 12V regs next to the op amps. Closer the better , less likely to pick up any noise and current drop would also be less (its only tiny but its there).

Also since doing this I downloaded the CD17 KI manual and they put the 2 12v regs right next to the HDAM and on the CD 6000 they are between Hdam and opamps.

So I must be doing something right :D

Regarding the 5V super reg.... buy another one for £16 off ebay and mount them on a custom pcb and use one for the digital 5v to the DAC and Decoder. Then use the otherone for the analogue 5v on the same ic's. Make sure you have some better than standard caps near the dac/decoder.

Also if you can run these two regs from a small custom TX it will be even better. If HDAM and muting is removed and you fit 12v regs next to opamps you can take the +20v from C803 for the 5v regs.

Also run the clock off a +12V super reg

All this will give you a very good improvement.

Hope I have not confused you

;)