muon* 3,011 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 Still, that Pioneer is well regarded Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 2 Author Share Posted January 2 Okay, so over sampling is trying to turn a regular cd from 16/44 into a hi rez format, is that right ? Link to post Share on other sites
muon* 3,011 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 30 minutes ago, Digital Man said: Okay, so over sampling is trying to turn a regular cd from 16/44 into a hi rez format, is that right ? No Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 2 Author Share Posted January 2 Okay, so what is the correct term for what I am describing ? Link to post Share on other sites
muon* 3,011 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Digital Man said: Okay, so what is the correct term for what I am describing ? Well i was not clear. over sampling is used to improve resolution and signal to noise performance. Earlier I gave the reason why they used it with the TDA1541, which is pretty much the same as they were using it to improve noise performance by shifting the high frequency noise to higher in the frequencies. I'm not sure what you were trying to describe, if it was players that state 'Up Sampling" then they might be players using higher resolution DAC chips. Having the ability to 'up sample' a signal 44,1 to a higher sample rate. I was taking it that you meant over sampling which was used with older DAC chips. Edited January 2 by muon* Link to post Share on other sites
rockeater 740 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 1 hour ago, muon* said: It's over sampling, not up sampling. There is both upsampling and oversampling Link to post Share on other sites
muon* 3,011 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 (edited) 3 minutes ago, rockeater said: There is both upsampling and oversampling Yes there is. Might be better to link Glen to explanations of each one. Here is one for oversampling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oversampling Up Sampling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upsampling Edited January 2 by muon* Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 2 Author Share Posted January 2 Okay, I am just trying to understand it all myself, so, are there, getting a bit off topic here, no matter, any cd players and/or amps that try to, ah, maybe this is the correct term, up convert ? a 16/44.1 to make it into a hi rez ( 16/44.1 into a 24/96 ) signal/sound ? Link to post Share on other sites
muon* 3,011 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 1 minute ago, Digital Man said: Okay, I am just trying to understand it all myself, so, are there, getting a bit off topic here, no matter, any cd players and/or amps that try to, ah, maybe this is the correct term, up convert ? a 16/44.1 to make it into a hi rez ( 16/44.1 into a 24/96 ) signal/sound ? 1 minute ago, muon* said: Yes there is. Might be better to link Glen to explanations of each one. Here is one for oversampling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oversampling Up Sampling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upsampling Yes, probably any modern one. I'm likely not one to ask as I kicked the up sampling habit a while ago Link to post Share on other sites
muon* 3,011 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 (edited) I used to have a Behringer SRC and i preferred the sound with it set to not up sample, but with Dithering engaged. Edit: i find up sampling to sound different, some like it and some like myself do not. For myself it smooths the sound but at the cost of a little bit of dynamics. Pick ya' poison. MattyW has a DAC that uses Philips first chips the 14bit/44.1kHz TDA1540D operating in non over sampling mode, so no over sampling and definitely no up sampling. I would put it up against any modern DAC or player where being feed red book is concerned. Edit: oops! I left out the 'k' Edited January 3 by muon* Link to post Share on other sites
rawl99 475 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 8 hours ago, muon* said: I used to have a Behringer SRC and i preferred the sound with it set to not up sample, but with Dithering engaged. Edit: i find up sampling to sound different, some like it and some like myself do not. For myself it smooths the sound but at the cost of a little bit of dynamics. Pick ya' poison. MattyW has a DAC that uses Philips first chips the 14bit/44.1Hz TDA1540D operating in non over sampling mode, so no over sampling and definitely no up sampling. I would put it up against any modern DAC or player where being feed red book is concerned. Morning Ian, ‘I will profess to being of the same school as you. I am not a fan of up-sampling and have listened to a lot of devices that allege to do it well. I consistently find a sense of ‘whiteness’ is added to the sound and the natural harmonic decay in notes is negatively impacted. I would describe the end result as ‘more detailed’ but in an artificial and un-natural way. (your description above is apt ) i have a Chord Hugo TT2 and the associated upsampler for it which I am babysitting for a friend and I personally find the upsampler to be terrible. Using straight Redbook as input and using the built-in output stage as the amplifier (approx 18W output) it doesn’t sound too bad. Add the upsampler to the combo and it sounds White, Bright, and artificial. I was staggered to hear the difference. Still prefer the sound of the KDAC with TDA1541. The transport I use runs in NOS mode. More natural and musically engaging but the Chord is very good when fed as an analog output into SE valve amp. Cheers Rawl ps We are going to catch up in the early months of this new year??... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
muon* 3,011 Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 @rawl99 what are you using as a transport, a modified Marantz 94? Link to post Share on other sites
ray4410 768 Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 (edited) just picked up this gorgeous little treasure,cd94,immaculate condition,works perfectly,complete with original remote,doesn't look like it has been used,transport screws,manual and original shipping carton,1 owner,just have to set it up now,both rca to amp and coax digital out to denafrips pontus,should be very interesting. Edited January 3 by ray4410 4 Link to post Share on other sites
rockeater 740 Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 1 hour ago, ray4410 said: just picked up this gorgeous little treasure,cd94,immaculate condition It does look like new. How much was it? 2 hours ago, muon* said: what are you using as a transport, a modified Marantz 94? This is what unmodified CD-94 MK2 SPDIF output looks like... Not ideal. All Marantz players appear to have such output Link to post Share on other sites
muon* 3,011 Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 9 minutes ago, rockeater said: This is what unmodified CD-94 MK2 SPDIF output looks like... Not ideal. All Marantz players appear to have such output If Rawl is using a 94 as transport it will be highly modified and will not have any compromises like that. In fact he is may be feeding the Killer via i2s. Link to post Share on other sites
rawl99 475 Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 5 hours ago, muon* said: If Rawl is using a 94 as transport it will be highly modified and will not have any compromises like that. In fact he is may be feeding the Killer via i2s. Hi Ian, You are pretty close. I have a 94 which has had extensive power supply mods,, complete clock replacement running I2S as you expected in NOS mode. On the other system I have a Wadia 3200 with full power supply mods, full clock replacement (using a car battery to power the clock) also running I2S. I also have a 94mkii , similar PS mods running a zenelectro Zen-clock which has oven controlled oscillator and full reclocking circuitry. Also running I2S but this one also outputs spdif if desired. Fun to change them around. They all have their own slightly different signatures. I am slowly getting off my butt to finish Axiom 80 system but this last year has been crazy busy for me. I so feel for folks in tourism and a lot of small businesses that have been crucified by the lock-downs and related measures. I have all the bits to build a Type 50 SE amp (or PX4) for the axiom 80s but not enough time or energy. I have a nice little 2a3 as a possible interim for said system It will have a KDAC plus one of the Marantz’s. Am also experimenting with USB To I2S input with full buffering/reclocking to be built into the KDAC (supporting up to 192 or possibly 384 in simultaneous mode) but nowhere near enough hours to finalise this yet. Too many projects, not enough life......... ‘’cheers bud Rawl 1 Link to post Share on other sites
muon* 3,011 Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 5 minutes ago, rawl99 said: Hi Ian, You are pretty close. I have a 94 which has had extensive power supply mods,, complete clock replacement running I2S as you expected in NOS mode. On the other system I have a Wadia 3200 with full power supply mods, full clock replacement (using a car battery to power the clock) also running I2S. I also have a 94mkii , similar PS mods running a zenelectro Zen-clock which has oven controlled oscillator and full reclocking circuitry. Also running I2S but this one also outputs spdif if desired. Fun to change them around. They all have their own slightly different signatures. I am slowly getting off my butt to finish Axiom 80 system but this last year has been crazy busy for me. I so feel for folks in tourism and a lot of small businesses that have been crucified by the lock-downs and related measures. I have all the bits to build a Type 50 SE amp (or PX4) for the axiom 80s but not enough time or energy. I have a nice little 2a3 as a possible interim for said system It will have a KDAC plus one of the Marantz’s. Am also experimenting with USB To I2S input with full buffering/reclocking to be built into the KDAC (supporting up to 192 or possibly 384 in simultaneous mode) but nowhere near enough hours to finalise this yet. Too many projects, not enough life......... ‘’cheers bud Rawl Lovely stuff, Rawl What's your opinion on the CD-85's, the OP in this thread is looking for something TDA1541 based and one option while not cheap is a recapped CD-85 with NOS mod I've read they are nearly as good as the 94, but you have heaps more knowledge on these players than I do. Link to post Share on other sites
Ian McP 5,561 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 huge list of DAC chips and transport mechanisms of CD players http://vasiltech.narod.ru/CD-Player-DAC-Transport.htm regards 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 Hi All, I am not singling out any Dac/chip in particular, I am after something that is quality, sound and build wise and the one’s that I have mentioned is what I could buy now, as they are available. Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 I have come across a Shanling CDT100A, $300, needs some work though. Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 Can anyone tell me about the Linn Mimik ? Link to post Share on other sites
koputai 810 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 (edited) 31 minutes ago, Digital Man said: Can anyone tell me about the Linn Mimik ? It sounds like the others. Sorry, couldn’t help myself. Cheers, Jason. Edited January 5 by koputai 3 Link to post Share on other sites
xlr8or 805 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 On 04/01/2021 at 12:15 PM, Ian McP said: huge list of DAC chips and transport mechanisms of CD players http://vasiltech.narod.ru/CD-Player-DAC-Transport.htm regards Yes and it's also updated regularly with new CD players of all price tags. 👍👍👍 Link to post Share on other sites
xlr8or 805 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 On 03/01/2021 at 11:42 PM, rawl99 said: I have all the bits to build a Type 50 SE amp (or PX4) for the axiom 80s but not enough time or energy. I have a nice little 2a3 as a possible interim for said system Off topic but I found a type 50 ST shape in my tube stash the other night and it looks so darn sexy. I mistakenly took it as a 2A3 foraging through all the ST shape bottles I had in this box. Re the 2A3, I have a Sun Audio SV-2A3 that sounds brilliant and is slowly pushing it's way ahead of my two 300B amps and 845 amp. 😁 Link to post Share on other sites
xlr8or 805 Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 @Digital Man would you consider this unit? https://m.ebay.com.au/itm/MARANTZ-CD-74-compact-disc-player-high-end-rare-vintage/124512888991 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 Maybe Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 Okay, I missed out on the Shanling, I have come across a Arcam Alpha 7 and a Yamaha CD X1, any good ? Link to post Share on other sites
al2813 17 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Hi, I had indeed a thread specifique to TDA1541 players but as this one is more generic, I am posting here instead. I was looking at modified TDA1541s, but at the moment there's nothing specific I am able to get fixed on, plus there's a risk with buying from the UK (due to Brexit there's a lot of confusion and people get charged extra taxes for buying in the UK despite the agreements made). Have decided for now to buy a non-modified player and star there. Yesterday I bumped into a Rotel RCD971 with the BB PCM63 DAC. According to accounts I read, this is also one of the legendary multibit DACs, and for 200 EUR this looks an interesting opportunity. Anyone had this player? Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 Welcome, I have read your thread, continue here, no, I have not heard the Rotel that you mentioned, maybe someone else can chime in !? Link to post Share on other sites
rockeater 740 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 1 hour ago, al2813 said: Yesterday I bumped into a Rotel RCD971 with the BB PCM63 DAC I had the more upmarket one, RD-991 with the same DACs but also PMD-100 HDCD chip, adjustable dither, full of Black Gates, Nichicon Fine Golds and Muse, WIMA, It looked like the best made CD player inside and I bought it because it was the cheapest balanced player available at the time. Sadly the performance was pretty average and at the time of sale I finally found that it was not balanced at all. The cold outputs were merely inverted by a set of op-amps. Inside looks great but pretty average. Link to post Share on other sites
7502dan 20 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Some lower models Wadia cd players used stable plater mechanism as well Link to post Share on other sites
Luc 10,266 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 I'd just up your budget a bit and grab a Rega Apollo and be done with it. Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 I have thought about the Rega cd player's, a lot of reliability issues, that I have read about though, doesn't happen to everyone, but it seems to occur more than not 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 11 Author Share Posted January 11 I have come across about 3 Sony ES cd player's, are the laser's still available for this series ? Link to post Share on other sites
muon* 3,011 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 3 minutes ago, Digital Man said: I have come across about 3 Sony ES cd player's, are the laser's still available for this series ? You'd need to look at what mechanisms they use, and then search from there. Link to post Share on other sites
Southerly 102 Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Somewhere in a friend's loft back in the UK I have a mint first generation Marantz 63 I see a recapped one going for £1999 😵. I bought s/hand in 92 a Marantz 63 KI used it for 26 years. So I like the Marantz sound. Are you set on buying a vintage CDP ? Here's my suggestion - the new Marantz CD6007 it's a blinder. Completely walks all over my old 63KI. What your buying is 3 pieces of gear in one box. It's a big piece of gear and it needs to be as it has 4 separate boards - PSU, analogue,digital and h/amp. The mech is absolutely silent in operation. Marantz describe the h/amp section as audiophile quality and I'd agree. Dead black background, a stunning sound stage, bass is multi layered and using Oppo PM 2 h/phones I have never experienced before the feeling that I'm not listening through h/phones and after listening for a few hours no ear ache. the Marantz and the Oppos make a perfect combo (for me). It didn't take many hours to convince me to sell my 2 heavily modded Dark Voice and Bada PH12. h/amps. Listening through my Heybrook Sextet Mk 1V speakers, CD has never sounded this good. The digital board will accept virtually all types of input. I hav'nt used it yet, waiting to buy a Puffin as part of digitising my LPs but I'll bet it's on a par with the h/amp. I get so hacked off when manufacturers use in your face LEDs, there is a tiny red LED over the on/off push button and when on, another tiny LED in the corner of the info screen. Find a Marantz dealer and take a listen, one of my best audio buys ever. I've read lots of opinions on new v old CDPs and I'd agree that a lot of the current CDPs are streets ahead of the old ones. I paid €415 for mine. Take a demo and come back with an opinion. Link to post Share on other sites
rockeater 740 Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 12 minutes ago, Southerly said: Somewhere in a friend's loft back in the UK I have a mint first generation Marantz 63 I see a recapped one going for £1999 😵. And foolish me sold 3 of them at around $800 mark with people that it was way too much to pay. 14 minutes ago, Southerly said: and I'd agree that a lot of the current CDPs are streets ahead of the old ones. I paid €415 for mine. I am yet to meet anyone who has any knowledge on the matter who would suggest that current players are better (let alone streets ahead) of the players from 80s and 90s. Look, this guy is trying to buy $2000 player for under $200 and you are suggesting that he buys a $399 one? Admittedly it has a competent AKM DAC chip, but it still is Sigma-Delta one coupled with $10 mechanism. Which works nice and quiet, because it is brand new. Wait a couple of years and it will be due for replacement. Link to post Share on other sites
Digital Man 86 Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 Thanks for the suggestion, I have decided to buy something like a Oppo or a Cambridge Audio all in box solution, then save a bit more for something really special as a stand alone CD player. Link to post Share on other sites
rockeater 740 Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 4 hours ago, Digital Man said: I have decided to buy something like a Oppo I happen to have Opp 83 and 93 available for sale. But not under $200 :-) Even Cambridge Audios that I had were more than that... Link to post Share on other sites
Southerly 102 Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 22 hours ago, rockeater said: And foolish me sold 3 of them at around $800 mark with people that it was way too much to pay. I am yet to meet anyone who has any knowledge on the matter who would suggest that current players are better (let alone streets ahead) of the players from 80s and 90s. Look, this guy is trying to buy $2000 player for under $200 and you are suggesting that he buys a $399 one? Admittedly it has a competent AKM DAC chip, but it still is Sigma-Delta one coupled with $10 mechanism. Which works nice and quiet, because it is brand new. Wait a couple of years and it will be due for replacement. You talk about knowledge, I'm talking about what I hear and not only with the 63KI but other 20 year old plus CDPs. I hear details and instrument separation that I have never heard before. The 63KI I bought was already 2 years old and the only part to fail was the on/off button. The CDP being touted is just that, the 6007 is 3 pieces of gear in one, I can vouch for 2 of these. Does the OP want to use high res download format, he can with the 6007 So, a CDP/h/amp and a digital player for just over €400, I all that good value with a great sound. Also there are 2 British makes being considered but as at least one poster has said be careful about quality control and longevity. Sadly quality control with many British products and not only in audio is a foreign concept that a lot of British companies havn't got a handle on yet after decades. There is another thread I have to get back to soon where I mention how atrocious some aspects of the construction are of my Heybrook Sextet speakers, a great design by Peter Comeau before he left Heybrook but where were the inspection points and of course final inspection. Hats off to Marantz they don't turn out badly made gear ever. The one negative with the 6007 is the top plate, it's very tinny, tried using a 20mm deep piece of polished slate and a piece of chipboard - the chipboard had the same damping effect which surprised me. The OP can as I've said can find a Marantz dealer and use his ears. It would be good if he did that and got back to the forum - theory from practice - nothing better. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
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