Author Topic: CD player upgrades  (Read 20011 times)

Offline vitavoxdude

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CD player upgrades
« on: September 11, 2012, 12:25:40 PM »
 ;D ;D ;D Well I have been playing around with an old CD player of mine, one of many.  It has four TDA1541's for those who are in the know.  Having replaced 26 caps on the  main board with Silmic 2's a few Solens and Elna cerafines it made a nice difference, more musical with less smear, check out all those bypass caps (orange drops).  As Terry has gone into hiding and Mario sold MY ZEN CLOCK to someone else I have bought the Rubidium precision crystal to implement where the Zen clock should have been.  Just look at the difference in size of the original crystal and its replacement, certainly greater than 100 x the size don't you think!

The power supply needs to be able to deliver > 1.5amps at start up for its twin oven stabilistion so its included in the picture, a seperate sealed transformer feeds the regulator board.  To keep the crystal lead short I am mounting it to the base of the player so they will be less than 20mm away, in the original design they are around10mm from the chip.  I will also try battery powering it but it requires 15 to 18 volts which is doable with a 12 and 6 volt batteries or possobly a truck 24 volter and a power reg, hmmm, will have to play to see which works best.

The DAC stage is seperate in case you were trying to locate the 4 TDA's, they are on another board not included in the picture.  Has anyone else one of these fine old players from the eighties? 8)
V ;)
We all like different things so lets all agree to disagree and if any common ground is found then worship it.  Mine is the KD hence being present on this forum.

Offline ozcal

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2012, 01:07:59 PM »
EMMM , where are the pics Mr V?
Listening with my ears :)

Offline vitavoxdude

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2012, 01:11:52 PM »
Hi Mr. G ;D

Well currently flumoxed as to why they won't attach, image size is now <256K hmmmmmm, errrrrr, doh!
I have posted twice with image but its not coming up, grrrrr.
V
We all like different things so lets all agree to disagree and if any common ground is found then worship it.  Mine is the KD hence being present on this forum.

crazikid

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2012, 03:13:08 PM »
jesus christ,, now thats a clock. :P

not sure what happened to the zen clock.. :'(


Offline vitavoxdude

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #4 on: September 11, 2012, 04:08:10 PM »
Steve M has it.....................................doh!
We all like different things so lets all agree to disagree and if any common ground is found then worship it.  Mine is the KD hence being present on this forum.

crazikid

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #5 on: September 11, 2012, 04:39:57 PM »
he didnt keep it long, he;s selling it on SNA

Offline vitavoxdude

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #6 on: September 11, 2012, 06:53:22 PM »
 :-X Yeah, by the looks of things he has an AUDIO habit, here today - gone tomorrow.  At least he has good taste in kit so I almost forgive him....... and he is called Steve ?  :D
V (Steve B) ;)
We all like different things so lets all agree to disagree and if any common ground is found then worship it.  Mine is the KD hence being present on this forum.

Offline matt200sr

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #7 on: September 11, 2012, 07:05:43 PM »
hey guys

Steve M's DAC and CD50 has me a little interested... hopefully will get time to visit him for a listen over the weekend.

How do you think think this dac with usb converter and macbook via coaxial would stack up against my PDX (previously Rab's)

Very happy with the Naksa James thanks again.

crazikid

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #8 on: September 11, 2012, 07:56:27 PM »
hey guys

Steve M's DAC and CD50 has me a little interested... hopefully will get time to visit him for a listen over the weekend.

How do you think think this dac with usb converter and macbook via coaxial would stack up against my PDX (previously Rab's)

Very happy with the Naksa James thanks again.
your welcome! its a bloody good amp. hope you work out the hum situation.

Offline kajak12

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #9 on: September 11, 2012, 08:21:59 PM »
hey guys

Steve M's DAC and CD50 has me a little interested... hopefully will get time to visit him for a listen over the weekend.

How do you think think this dac with usb converter and macbook via coaxial would stack up against my PDX (previously Rab's)

Very happy with the Naksa James thanks again.
stevem has got a crap chip in his dac but you never know  dac needs work
still discovering the link between electronics and audio reproduction.so much to learn and so little time

Offline matt200sr

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #10 on: September 11, 2012, 09:41:53 PM »
It's the double crown Taiwan job isn't it.

I am still yet to lift the lid on the CD-94 Mario... It would be the Taiwan chip in there too wouldn't it?

Offline kajak12

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #11 on: September 11, 2012, 10:14:57 PM »
It's the double crown Taiwan job isn't it.

I am still yet to lift the lid on the CD-94 Mario... It would be the Taiwan chip in there too wouldn't it?
no taiwan chip in cd94  :D :D :D :D
still discovering the link between electronics and audio reproduction.so much to learn and so little time

Offline terry j

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #12 on: September 12, 2012, 04:08:04 PM »
Wow, this is another whole area for me, completely uncharted waters. Viewed from there this kind of stuff seems magical to me! I mean when you break it down into little black box components it seems reasonably understandable but geez....

Tell me, how did you guys get into this type of mods?? I guess it has some equivalences with what I do...on the speaker side...but whilst I think the speaker side is completely understandable and within my grasp, this by comparison looks like an arcane art I could never hope to get.

So is there (usually) an electronics background of sorts? Or is it the case that if you read enough of the appropriate forums you'd start to grasp it.

Equally, is there some sort of check along the way, I mean how do you confirm you have just improved that components contribution without any adverse side effects, do you use measurements as a check? If so, what type. Or is it just swap and plug and hope it has been researched by others before you.

Indeed, just occurred to me, do you decide on your own mods? or follow some formula from somewhere else.

In any case, you certainly have my respect 8)

Offline ozmillsy

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #13 on: September 12, 2012, 09:32:43 PM »
To someone so seasoned and experienced in the audio game, this maybe stating the obvious.

All you need is a pair of ears, and self belief in what you hear.
It's all about the music,, not the equipment.

Offline kajak12

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #14 on: September 12, 2012, 09:48:29 PM »
To someone so seasoned and experienced in the audio game, this maybe stating the obvious.

All you need is a pair of ears, and self belief in what you hear.
+1 use your ears musicians do
still discovering the link between electronics and audio reproduction.so much to learn and so little time

Offline stevenvalve

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #15 on: September 12, 2012, 11:00:57 PM »
Wow, this is another whole area for me, completely uncharted waters. Viewed from there this kind of stuff seems magical to me! I mean when you break it down into little black box components it seems reasonably understandable but geez....

Tell me, how did you guys get into this type of mods?? I guess it has some equivalences with what I do...on the speaker side...but whilst I think the speaker side is completely understandable and within my grasp, this by comparison looks like an arcane art I could never hope to get.

So is there (usually) an electronics background of sorts? Or is it the case that if you read enough of the appropriate forums you'd start to grasp it.

Equally, is there some sort of check along the way, I mean how do you confirm you have just improved that components contribution without any adverse side effects, do you use measurements as a check? If so, what type. Or is it just swap and plug and hope it has been researched by others before you.

Indeed, just occurred to me, do you decide on your own mods? or follow some formula from somewhere else.

In any case, you certainly have my respect 8)
Terry, If you do it long enough. you learn the sounds or colouration's of components (parts). listen to real unamplified music, then decide what you need in your system to approximate what you hear, buy it, then insert that part, be it interconnects capacitors resistors valves wire etc,  and with some luck its flavor with take your system closer to the truth (real).
« Last Edit: September 12, 2012, 11:42:25 PM by stevenvalve »

Offline stevenvalve

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #16 on: September 12, 2012, 11:38:47 PM »
The flavor in this modern audiophile world, pushed by the HIFI mags, manufactures, audio salesman etc, is pointing us to that analytical, heartless, flavourless, cardboard, plastic planet. That is the flavor the modern audiophile has come the accept. Some believe what they read.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2012, 11:43:44 PM by stevenvalve »

Offline terry j

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #17 on: September 13, 2012, 08:10:35 AM »
Hi oz, presume your post was referring to mine...well ok. I think by now you'd already know my thoughts on where the potential problems lie in your post.

In any case, I am more interested in how any of you got to be doing this. I mean you don't just wake up one day and think 'I know enough to pop this lid and start changing components', how did you start? How did you get the knowledge enough to even know it is possible that changes can be made if you follow me.

As I said, when you think about it it is reasonable that you should be able to do this stuff, it is not too far removed from the guy who changes carbs on the car, so logically this stuff should be doable. So did you grow up building cat's whiskers radios?? You are an electronics tech?

Is there anyone who does this and does NOT have that sort of background? If so, how did you start. Reading how to's on the net or forums??

And again, how do you know what to change. Is there a generic formula, I dunno, 'in most cases the clock is the block, so it usually makes sense to always change that' or is it more defined, 'this model has a good clock, so in this case we need to change this other component'.

As you can see, all of these questions come from a place of complete ignorance, and when we don't know how to do something the thing looks like magic!

Offline ozmillsy

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #18 on: September 13, 2012, 09:27:39 PM »
Again, feels like stating the obvious, but as with everything in life, we all build upon the knowledge that we learn from others. 

There's plenty i could learn from you, I have no doubt about that.
It's all about the music,, not the equipment.

Offline ozcal

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Re: CD player upgrades
« Reply #19 on: September 14, 2012, 05:58:47 PM »
Again, feels like stating the obvious, but as with everything in life, we all build upon the knowledge that we learn from others. 

There's plenty i could learn from you, I have no doubt about that.
Spot on Andrew , if we all stopped arguing we all might end up with better sounding systems.
Listening with my ears :)