Vintage CDP advice please

[julesd68]

My Consonance cdp still sounds great on the rare occasions I use it, but the transport has been failing for some time. It will generally always play a disc, but takes its time reading it and makes some spluttering, stop / start noises getting there! A bit like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang really ...

I'm not guaranteed to be able to get a new transport as apparently they used a few different variants, so whilst I work this one out, I'm also thinking about a replacement cdp.

I am rather drawn to something vintage, like one of the battle-ship Pioneer / Marantz's from late '80's and '90's. My question is whether these will still be serviceable if things go wrong?

[Kvaal]

Just came up from the basement, where my hifi-life is beeing lived. Just heard Mark Knopfler on my old, tweaked cdp. Nothing compares to it.

The cdp is made in Belgium and it is a Philips with the famous TDA 1541a dac. You find these machines branded as Marantz and Grundig as well. It is the same machines. I have tweaked it a bit, and it is necessary to do so, to get the best out of it. Remove the mute transistors, swap the op amps and the output condensers and you've got a hell of a machine.
Good op amps: JRC 5532, good condensers: polyester or polypropylene types about 3 uF.

I bought the cdp for approx 30 pounds.

At marantzphilips.nl you find a dac list. You can sort out the ones with the TDA 1541a. Look for the brands I mentioned above.

I took my player to a test in my friends house. He had a £500 cdp witch was upgraded with a active clock. He put it for sale later that evening. :lol:

[synsei]

My Consonance cdp still sounds great on the rare occasions I use it, but the transport has been failing for some time. It will generally always play a disc, but takes its time reading it and makes some spluttering, stop / start noises getting there! A bit like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang really ...

I'm not guaranteed to be able to get a new transport as apparently they used a few different variants, so whilst I work this one out, I'm also thinking about a replacement cdp.

I am rather drawn to something vintage, like one of the battle-ship Pioneer / Marantz's from late '80's and '90's. My question is whether these will still be serviceable if things go wrong?

Before you give up on the Consonance try this tip: Take it apart so you can get to the mech and carefully clean the chromed rails upon which the head runs with a lint free cloth or a cotton bud dabbed in a little Isopropyl Alcohol, then rub a pencil gently along the length of the rails. Graphite is an excellent lubricant. Very gently clean the laser lens with a little glass cleaner dabbed onto a cotton bud whilst you are at it. Often reading errors can be caused by the carriage sticking on gunk and dust that builds up on the rails over time.

[julesd68]

Many thanks for that Dave!

I will do as you say, but I must say I'm fighting the 'vintage' urge again ...

[Ali Tait]

Good advice from Dave IMHO. Sorted more than one player doing this.

[julesd68]

Hello chaps - have opened her up - found a bit of gunk at the end of the rail which I cleaned off and then cleaned the laser.

Did a test - the player is reading the disc fine and finding all the tracks. It will play the cd but is making the same noisy, chugging sound when playing the disc - can anyone suggest what this means and how to remedy?

[synsei]

It could be that a belt needs replacing Julian.

[lovejoy]

Don't give up hope on the Consonance. Perseverance usually pays off here.

A friend of mine has had his Naim CDi sat on a shelf gathering dust for ages as it would no longer read the TOC on any CD. I offered to have a go at fixing it after both Naim and his dealer refused to touch it as the transports were no longer available, but a couple of nights and a bit of forum and Ebay trawling later, I sourced a compatible replacement laser head and its now making very sweet music again. It's a rewarding experience.

The only problem is now I've heard it and compared it with my much newer Audiolab 8200CDQ and the Naim is so much more musically communicative that it really isn't funny. So I'm about to go down the retro CD player road myself.

[Tarzan]

Indeed do not give up Julian, that CD120 is supposed to be a hell of a player!

[julesd68]

Thanks chaps, yes it sounds like I need to put my hand in my pocket and take her in for a service ...

For the amount I listen to cd these days I can't justify a new player.

[Kember]

If DIY servicing fails to solve the problem, I have found Stephen Horowitz really good for sorting out classic CDP problems for me - he has saved an old Luxman and refurbished an Audio Research CD1 - both going strong. His rates are reasonable, too. He is based in North London.

Mike Solomons of London Sound put me on to him when he decided to stop servicing CDPs.

Please PM me if you need his co-ordinates.

[DSJR]

Many Jap lasers don't usually go down, but are compromised by clouding up of the lenses. Apparently some of the early Sony ones are in two layers, crunge getting in 'below' the lens as well.

Don't shoot me for posting this, but it's been said that good results can be achieved by a modern DAC fed with a Blu-ray player, although these same people are not into "musical communication" in the same way as "us."

That TDA1541 chip was a pita in many ways. It runs hot in some applications, needs loads of external circuitry around it to function correctly and the power supply has to be perfect and thus expensive. The correct use of the digital filter after conversion was also imperative for best sonic quality too. Modern DAC chips have most of it onboard and are far harder to get wrong, as so many small inexperienced manufacturers used to and the sensitivity to rf on both mains input and audio output is almost a thing of the past these days.

[Kember]

Many Jap lasers don't usually go down, but are compromised by clouding up of the lenses. Apparently some of the early Sony ones are in two layers, crunge getting in 'below' the lens as well.

Don't shoot me for posting this, but it's been said that good results can be achieved by a modern DAC fed with a Blu-ray player, although these same people are not into "musical communication" in the same way as "us."

That TDA1541 chip was a pita in many ways. It runs hot in some applications, needs loads of external circuitry around it to function correctly and the power supply has to be perfect and thus expensive. The correct use of the digital filter after conversion was also imperative for best sonic quality too. Modern DAC chips have most of it onboard and are far harder to get wrong, as so many small inexperienced manufacturers used to and the sensitivity to rf on both mains input and audio output is almost a thing of the past these days.

David (and All),

Owing to recent refurbishment/building dust, my good stuff was in storage as I could not risk anything valuable getting ruined. But I still wanted music.

I started off with a supermarket DVD/Blu ray player feeding an MF VDAC - perfectly acceptable but, as you suggest, not quite as musical as might be hoped for; and then I remembered I had an old Belgian made Philips CD320 which had been knocking around for years. Nothing special, I thought, TDA1543 and 4/19 mechanism. But TOC read ok, all functions, of which there were many - this harks back to the days when people transferred CDs to cassettes (I'll explain to the youngsters at the back later). No digital out so options limited.

I was pleasantly surprised. With decent interconnects, proper figure of eight cable, isoplat underneath, granite chopping board on top - it really did not sound bad, and indeed a lot better than many more modern units.

So much so that it made me think how much money I'd wasted on various "upgrades" in the past twenty-five years!

It worked fine for the fifteen months our refurb took, and then I ungallantly cast it aside and took up with my "good" kit.

Long story short, some lucky chap just scored this unit for £10.50 from me on eBay but I see there are several other elderly units up for sale.

I was wondering whether, with a bit of research and luck, members might find replacement/spare units for next to nothing and, if gently used, might be able to cannibalise parts for more illustrious units which share a provenance. This site shows the mech and the DAC for most players - http://vasiltech.nm.ru/CD-Player-DAC-Transport.htm.

For example, my old Luxman CDP has a Sony laser - and I have been looking for spares against the inevitable moment when it needs replacement.

More alarming is the fact that Audio Research no longer support the CD1 and they "did things" - nice things but things - to the Philips CDM12 laser unit mechanism, so I am storing parts in the hope that my helpful repairman can rebuild the mechanism when it goes on the fritz.

I'm not for a minute suggesting that all or any of these units are unrecognised Wadia killers but early Philips tend to be well/over engineered and, if they have been looked after, worth preserving.

And, while the other kit is off for repair, you might do well to listen to it. It might surprise you.

[julesd68]

If DIY servicing fails to solve the problem, I have found Stephen Horowitz really good for sorting out classic CDP problems for me - he has saved an old Luxman and refurbished an Audio Research CD1 - both going strong. His rates are reasonable, too. He is based in North London.


North London? Yes please ... PM on the way.

[Kember]

North London? Yes please ... PM on the way.

PM sent

[technobear]

For fanciers of decent vintage CD players, there's a nice one on that tent-shaped forum:

http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?87684-FS-Sony-CDP-333ESD

No interest yet as asking price is a bit 'hopeful'.

[RobHolt]

If you can find one on good condition the Meridian 16 bit multibit 206 is excellent.