Digital help please...

[trailer]

I was looking at this a while ago and had a scout around at a tube buffer.
I enquired in the Drawing Board but no one responded.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...STRK:MEWAX:VRI

Good idea or more Chinese tat?

[Stratmangler]

Can you defeat the upsampling business ?
It might be worth giving that a go if you can.

Chris

[Primalsea]

The filter thing does make sense to me. I find that out of band noise can have an effect on audible frequencies. From the info you gave it would seem that the sharper filters is cutting this out.

Buffers can be a great idea but only if the have a high input impedance and low output impedance across the whole audible band

[Haselsh1]

I notice it is 220VAC and so won't work in the UK. I had this issue with my Original CD player and had to have it modified to work on UK mains at a cost of around 68 quid. Other than that I have no idea what this thing would actually do.
(This is with reference to the tube buffer mentioned above)

[Haselsh1]

I need to give this sharper filter a decent airing and will have a really good session in the next week. I have no idea how I would change the upsampling as the only control I have is over the two selectable filters.

All I know is that in the past the upper mid and treble have been very coarse and grainy compared to my vinyl playback of the same album. I tried the sharper filter today and my immediate impression was one of clarity and a better, more finely etched sound.

If I find that this is all nonsense at least I have the option of buying a separate DAC for around 250 quid and using the Original as a transport. It uses a Philips VAM-12 and CD-7 servo system so is fairly good in that respect. It also has an optical and coax output.

[Haselsh1]

OK so I've just had a decent listen using Ozric Tentacles 'Become The Other' with it's solid pumping basslines and beautifully airy and atmospheric reverb. Using either the soft or sharp filter setting there is to me, no difference. The gorgeously airy and spacey reverb is powdery and coarse when compared to my vinyl replay which has such a beautiful sparkle.

It is looking as though this is a characteristic of the CD player after all and I guess this leaves me with no option other than getting a separate DAC. The cheap and cheerful Sony that I used as a stopgap a couple of days ago showed a much better treble and upper mid than the Chinese Original. The Sony though was only 120 quid and was very thick and congested in the low and mid.

Back to the drawing board...

[leo]

I am a hardcore vinyl fan but would love some help to get to understand more about CD. I have a Chinese Original 2008F HDCD player modified for UK mains which uses a PCM 1792 and PCM 1732. It also uses an OPA2604 and an OPA627. What does this all mean and how does this stack up against the competition...? Keep it simple please, I'm used to counterweights and tracking force...!

Naming a few parts which are used in the CDP doesn't tell you everything especially how good it performs, without seeing the unit close and either working the circuitry out or better still looking at a service manual containing the schematics your just guessing.

[Rowemeister]

The two opamps mentioned at the begining of the thread to me are not well matched at all. The OPA2604 is a very bright in your face sound that has OTT upper mids and harsh treble and the OPA627 majors on bass and upper smoothness. The 627 used to be the best opamp around a few years ago but for me it has been surpassed with much more linear and of course natural sounding opamps.

As a test I would fit some LM4562 (LME49720) for the OPA6204 (dual output opamps) and see what that does for the sound. Then you can try the single output versions to replace the OPA627 (LME49710). A cheap upgrade and it may set you off on the right path.

Some people find these opamps a little sterile but I have found they take a few weeks to burn in and are also affected by the capacitors decoupling them.

Brent

[Covenant]

Why not try the easy route? Order a Standac and try it with your Sony. Give it a couple of days and if there is not a big improvement musically send it back.
Lots of upgrades routes once you are basically happy.

[Haselsh1]

Why not try the easy route? Order a Standac and try it with your Sony. Give it a couple of days and if there is not a big improvement musically send it back.
Lots of upgrades routes once you are basically happy.

Covenant, by a Standac are you referring to a Beresford Caiman for example...? Unfortunately I have spent so long engrossed in vinyl replay I am so far out of touch with digital. I do know though that my now Croft pre/power is so transparent I cannot any longer stand the coarseness of the CD player. Although the player has excellent detail and power with a very gutsy presentation, the upper mid and treble is very coasre and grainy when the going gets rough and it just gets so confusing I'd be better off switching back to vinyl.