Cambridge Dacmagic with Heart/Marantz CD?

[phoenixpete]

I have just added a Dacmagic to my system, wired in via the Dig out on my CD player, I realise this now is bypassing the internal dac of the CD but can anyone tell me does this then bypass the complete output stage of the CD?

Reason I ask is my Heart/Marantz has a valve output stage running 2 x 6922 golden dragons, just wondered if this is now redundant or not?
If it is I may as well take the valves out.

Sorry if this is a numpty question.:doh:

Pete.

[Stratmangler]

What are the valves there for ?

[Stratmangler]

'Twas a numpty question.

[phoenixpete]

What are the valves there for ?

I don't really know :doh:

Heart is a Dutch company that modified lots of the Marantz CD players of the time, all I know is they replace the standard Marantz output stage with there own design valve output stage as an upgrade.
The Heart modified CD6000 was well reviewed when it came out and was highly regarded I think.
I am not really savvy with the internals of hi/fi equipment as you can probably tell:mental:

[Stratmangler]

I don't really know :doh:

Heart is a Dutch company that modified lots of the Marantz CD players of the time, all I know is they replace the standard Marantz output stage with there own design valve output stage as an upgrade.
The Heart modified CD6000 was well reviewed when it came out and was highly regarded I think.
I am not really savvy with the internals of hi/fi equipment as you can probably tell:mental:

A friend of mine has a Noe Tjoebe CDP. Same idea. Take the tubes out - you're just wasting elecktrickery with 'em in the CDP.
The S/PDIF doesn't go anywhere near the tubes.

[UV101]

what player is it?

The block diagram of a player should look something like this

Laser - HF - servo - decoder - filter - DAC - output stage (in this case valve)

when you use spdif

Laser - HF -Servo - decoder - SPDIF out (Player)
SPDIF in (DAC) - receiver - filter - DAC - Output stage

Model and mods dependant, i'd expect the marantz DAC & output to be better than the dacmagic! I'd suspect that if someone has gone to the trouble to redesign the output stage, there are possibly some other tweeks in there!!!

The cd6000 is very similar to a CD67 which is again similar to a 63 which when modded is an excellent player. Id stick my neck on the line and say i'd definately expect the dacmagic via spdif to be a downgrade on the original sound!

Do you have any pics? :cool:

[phoenixpete]

what player is it?

The block diagram of a player should look something like this

Laser - HF - servo - decoder - filter - DAC - output stage (in this case valve)

when you use spdif

Laser - HF -Servo - decoder - SPDIF out (Player)
SPDIF in (DAC) - receiver - filter - DAC - Output stage

Model and mods dependant, i'd expect the marantz DAC & output to be better than the dacmagic! I'd suspect that if someone has gone to the trouble to redesign the output stage, there are possibly some other tweeks in there!!!

The cd6000 is very similar to a CD67 which is again similar to a 63 which when modded is an excellent player. Id stick my neck on the line and say i'd definately expect the dacmagic via spdif to be a downgrade on the original sound!

Do you have any pics? :cool:

What player is it?
Heart/Marantz CD6000
I can take some pic's later if you want,inside and out?

Here is a link to the Heart website. (hope this is ok to link to)?
http://www.heartaudio.nl/heart/content/cd_tube_mods.html

[UV101]

What player is it?
Heart/Marantz CD6000
I can take some pic's later if you want,inside and out?

Here is a link to the Heart website. (hope this is ok to link to)?
http://www.heartaudio.nl/heart/content/cd_tube_mods.html

Hi Pete, I'd definately like a look inside! I normally host my pics for free on photobucket or similar and embed them into the thread using the tools. It means you can post larger pics. Just resize them 1st so they are not wider than the thread!!! I normally do mine about 900ish pixels wide ;)

Some Marantz model history for you

CD63 (awesome when modded) see HERE (http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/54009-marantz-cd63-cd67-mods-list.html)
CD67 same as 63 with combined Servo/Decoder and additional 5v regulation
CD6000 Same (different layout) as 67 with twin DAC (same actual DAC chipx2 preceeded by 7315 to split siganl to both dacs) opamp summing stage and better HDAM
CD6000OSE/KI better caps,torroid TX (KI), copper plated chassis(KI) and HDAM summing stage instead of opamps.

The CD63 is one of the most modded players I know of (2nd poss only to any of the many TDA1541 based players??) The info above shows the evolution so you can see where the 6000 came from. I don't know for sure but I would suggest that the valve buffer stage in the Heart mods would replace the final HDAM buffer stage in the player. The summing stage (required for twin dacs) will be opamp under the board for a std 6000 (I think?) or additional hdam modules on sub boards in the OSE and KI models.

Again, i'd be really suprised if the standard Dacmagic was better than the heart modded player.

Just my opinion of course!!!!:cool:

[Themis]

can anyone tell me does this then bypass the complete output stage of the CD?
Yes, it does.

As Ian says, you should make a side-by-side comparison (try to make the output levels identical before comparing) and see whether the DacMagic is better to your ears. ;)

[UV101]

Yes, it does.

As Ian says, you should make a side-by-side comparison (try to make the output levels identical before comparing) and see whether the DacMagic is better to your ears. ;)

Indeed!!! My opinion is indeed just that! With all things audio, only your own ears can make the call ;)

[Themis]

Like you, Ian, I doubt the guys at Heart Audio got into the trouble of a NOS tube modification for nothing, most probably the result is already superb.

[phoenixpete]

Took some pictures of the inside, don't really know too much about linking to photobucket but have done my best.
Hope you know what you are looking at :scratch:

[UV101]

Hi Pete!

Had a quick look! if you want to embed picture from photobucket just paste the code from the IMG Code box for each image into the post and it will do this!

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p294/phoenixpete_2006/P4160036.jpg

Looking at the picture, the differntial output from the dacs gets directed to the valve stage on the ribbon towards the middle/right of the main pcb. This is before it goes through the original opamp summing stage (which appears to have the opamps removed!) and final HDAM buffer. its not easy to see where the valve stage outputs back to the main pcb (the other ribbon appears to be psu for the valve stage).

Its possible that the whole original cd output stage is replaced by the valves or it could return to the main pcb under the board.

The final DC blocking caps are also removed from the main pcb so the dc blocking must be done on the valve stage.

All in all, it leasa me to suggest that the CD6000 with the mods will be extremely good on its own. Even if you don't understand the techy stuff, the prices should point you in the right direction. the cost of the cd6000 with heart mods is prob 3 times the cost of a dacmagic? Also, i'd be really tempted to try some different valves. I used golden dragon valves in my 1st quadII amps and later upgraded to something different (don't recal what they were!) and it transformed the sound.

Again let your ears decide but i'd expect the 6000 to sound very good!

[UV101]

added a few tags to the picture to assist with identification of the various areas!!!

http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr332/Trunky1812/cd6000heart.jpg

and I also found this review!

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/Magazine/equipment/0102/heartcd6000.htm

reading the review, the whole output stage is replaced with a transformer/valve combination.

:cool:

[Ali Tait]

Pete,have you tried both,and do you prefer the cd player with the Dacmagic? Like the others,I'd be surprised if the Dacmagic was better then the player on it's own.

[phoenixpete]

Only very recently got the dacmagic,looked at loads of others including the Caimain and some of the Chinese ones on ebay,As I didn't need a headphone amp or volume control and wasn't sure about the Chinese ones as some were upsampling and some non oversampling I chose the Cambridge as it has digital out so I can connect my CD recorder and also XLR connection to keep my DEQ in line, also I was told the Wolfson chips were very good.

When I listened to the system with the dacmagic connected the music just seemed to come alive with a lot more energy and presence than before and the bass was much tighter and more defined (seemed a bit like just one bass note before).
It has definately perked up the sound, is this something to do with the "upsampling" technology?

P.S.
UV101
Can you tell me what that is under your CD player in your avatar? the black and chrome Amp??
Looks gorgeous.

[UV101]

Hi Pete, Thats a little suprising!

Maybe there are no mods to the digital section on the 6000 then and I'd suspect that better old school valves would make a significant difference. I'd be itching to swap out some caps on the psu and better components in the signal path before that Heart output stage.

In the mode you are using the player, it will be identical to using a CD67 but without the CD text you get on the 6000!

I'm fairly certain it would massivley outperform the external DAC with a few more tweeks ;)

The amp in my avatar is my Restek Fantasy amp (modded of course!!!) It needed to be good because it replaced my bespoke chromed quadII's I built and then sold in a moment of madness!!!!

Robbed these from the net. There are a couple of versions about with varying amounts of chrome and black glass but this one is identical to mine

http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr332/Trunky1812/fantasyCustom.jpg
http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr332/Trunky1812/fantasy2Custom.jpg

Found some pics other pics HERE (http://www.audioplanet.biz/amplificacion-f1/restek-t3001.htm)

[phoenixpete]

Wow :eek:
That is a thing of beauty, looks just as fab on the inside.

Your chrome quad IIs look great too.

[UV101]

Wow :eek:
That is a thing of beauty, looks just as fab on the inside.

Your chrome quad IIs look great too.

Thank you :)

Was a real shame I let those quads go :steam: I posted it in the "confess all and clense your soul" thread too! was a really stupid thing to have done. Never mind, the Retek is awesome!!!!

Ian

[leo]

Hi Pete,

Interesting, if you prefer the DacMagic it maybe worth selling the Heart on , with what you make from the Heart you could buy a better transport, it seems a waste using this cdp with modded output stage used purely as a transport.

I've played around with a few CD63 and 6000 players and in all honesty they require a lot of work and expense to get them decent, just my opinion:)
Looking at the Heart the only advantages it has over the stock CD6000 is mainly the output section which you now won't be using

[phoenixpete]

Hi Pete,

Interesting, if you prefer the DacMagic it maybe worth selling the Heart on , with what you make from the Heart you could buy a better transport, it seems a waste using this cdp with modded output stage used purely as a transport.

I've played around with a few CD63 and 6000 players and in all honesty they require a lot of work and expense to get them decent, just my opinion:)
Looking at the Heart the only advantages it has over the stock CD6000 is mainly the output section which you now won't be using

Hi Leo.

I think you are right, what transport would you consider a good step up in performance over what I have now? Not really sure what the Heart is worth but putting it on ebay I guess will find out :)
Not sure how much money I will be able to spend but just some suggestions would be great.

Thanks

[smurfbrain]

Pete here is a link to one of them on ebay £350 from a dealer to give you an idea.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/heart-valve-tube-cd-player-tjoeb-marantz-6000-k_W0QQitemZ300404718421QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Audio TVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_CDPlayerSeparates?hash =item45f1843b55

[Ali Tait]

I think it's Dave Hewitt on here that uses a Samsung DVD player as transport? Virtually no jitter on the output apparently.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

i think its a blu-ray player ali

[Ali Tait]

Ah yes that was it.Makes a great transport by all accounts.Not too pricey either,plus you can watch blu-rays!

[dave2010]

I think it's Dave Hewitt on here that uses a Samsung DVD player as transport? Virtually no jitter on the output apparently.I understand some of the theory about jitter, but (a) is it possible to describe sound with jitter and (b) don't a lot of DACs sort the jitter out anyway?

I've read people round here discussing jitter, but how do they know that systems have it? If it's audible and recognisable, then that makes sense, but if it can only be measured, but has no recognisable and audible effects, then what's the point of worrying about it?

Maybe it's something you can train yourself up to detect. In the early days of MP3 I deliberately listened to some low quality compressed audio, and then gradually raised the levels. I can usually detect MP3 problems until the quality levels are quite high. Maybe it's the same with jitter, but I've not figured it out yet.

[UV101]

So far as physical transports go, i'm not aware of anything decent for 10+ years or so! (thats a bold statement!!!! :scratch:)

Even bolder would be to say that all modern transports are plstic linear shite!!!

top of the list would be anything with a vrds or cdm1 deck, most of which would only be for sale because they need some work~!

after that, would be anything with a CDM4 but would need modification.

Sony made some very good transports but I'm not farmiliar witht the models. Maybe someone else could comment.

Something like a modified Marantz Cd50 would make an excellent transport for very little money. I would certainly be better than the CD6000 and would cost about £50 for an SE model.

SO far as I am concerned, no one has made a decent CD transport for some years!

Put it this way, if you sold the 6000 for £300 and purchased a Marantz CD50SE for £50, you'd be upgrading the transport 10 fold and have £250 in our pocket (which I'd spend modifying the deck!!!!)

Again all IMHO!!!!!

BTW Leo, agree with you about the general 63,67,6000 mods thing. You can make these into giant killers but it will only go so far without considerable effort and use of very good upgrade components ;)

[Ali Tait]

I understand some of the theory about jitter, but (a) is it possible to describe sound with jitter and (b) don't a lot of DACs sort the jitter out anyway?

I've read people round here discussing jitter, but how do they know that systems have it? If it's audible and recognisable, then that makes sense, but if it can only be measured, but has no recognisable and audible effects, then what's the point of worrying about it?

Maybe it's something you can train yourself up to detect. In the early days of MP3 I deliberately listened to some low quality compressed audio, and then gradually raised the levels. I can usually detect MP3 problems until the quality levels are quite high. Maybe it's the same with jitter, but I've not figured it out yet.

No idea if it makes a diffference or not,just that Dave thinks its a pretty good transport for not a lot.I have a CD 94 but it skips.Very good when it was working,though I think the SB Touch I'm using now is even better.

[UV101]

No idea if it makes a diffference or not,just that Dave thinks its a pretty good transport for not a lot.I have a CD 94 but it skips. Most of the time this can be fixed with 5 replacement caps (33uF/16v philips jobbies replaced for OsCon) or a tweek to the spindle height. This is a CDM1 MKII. The 94 is basically the phillips CD960 that I use except the Marantz is better looking!!!! ;)

I'm fast becoming convinced that PC based transport can out perform even the best CD transports too! :-)

[Ali Tait]

It's a 94 MKII.Would that mod fix it too?

[Ali Tait]

It worked fine previously and only recently started skipping.It's had the dac section stripped out,so was just used as a transport into my AN dac.

[UV101]

It's a 94 MKII.Would that mod fix it too?
Now i'm dribbling!!!!

Thats 2x TDA1541A S1's off a CDM1 MKII transport!!!

If you reclock the whole player (not just the SS7220 on the board thats mounted vetical on the right side wall and give the same chip is own decent low noise reg ( not DIY!!!) like SPower, Teddy reg etc you will have a player that will eat any modern £4k player and spit it out!!! Seriously!!

Its really rare for a CDM1 laser to give up. Most likely the caps.

Take a look here, photo is from my player

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/153438-cdm1-mkii-2.html#post1962101

:cool:

[Ali Tait]

I bought it stripped out,so no '41's I'm afraid! Thanks for the info.

[dave2010]

No idea if it makes a diffference or not,just that Dave thinks its a pretty good transport for not a lot.I have a CD 94 but it skips.Very good when it was working,though I think the SB Touch I'm using now is even better.I suspected that my Toshiba EP30 HD DVD player was good for CDs, but I haven't really done an exhaustive survey. Some DVD players seem quite capable - but I'm not sure about bottom end models. It's possible that they will do a reasonable job at extracting the bits for a DAC. I'm surprised to find that our older Medion DVD player, bought for under £30, has an optical output. In its day we enjoyed it for watching movies.

[Ali Tait]

I think this SB Touch will beat some pricey transports though.

[UV101]

I suspected that my Toshiba EP30 HD DVD player was good for CDs, but I haven't really done an exhaustive survey. Some DVD players seem quite capable - but I'm not sure about bottom end models. It's possible that they will do a reasonable job at extracting the bits for a DAC. I'm surprised to find that our older Medion DVD player, bought for under £30, has an optical output. In its day we enjoyed it for watching movies.

All DVD players will have digital out for movie purposes (DD, DTS etc) which can be used for PCM audio too. With respect to a DVD player being a decent cd transport I'm not so sure even if it is HD. Back in the day of big heavy stable transports some of the laserdisk (big 12" cd type media) were considered good transports.

Interestingly, the Musical Fidelity A5.5 which is not that old and had an original price tag of about £2k uses the VAM1202 flimsy plastic deck the same as in the previously mentioned Marantz range.

If you want a decent mordern transport, you need the latest CDM pro and even that isn't as good as the older stuff!!!

[dave2010]

If you want a decent mordern transport, you need the latest CDM pro and even that isn't as good as the older stuff!!!
Re the HD DVD player, all I can say is that one day I was listening - I think through its own circuitry, and I actually thought it sounded good. It works fine with DACs too.

Is my CD67 Mk II SE old enough to have a decent transport? Before that I had a Philips but it started to play up so I passed it on.

[UV101]

Re the HD DVD player, all I can say is that one day I was listening - I think through its own circuitry, and I actually thought it sounded good. It works fine with DACs too.

Is my CD67 Mk II SE old enough to have a decent transport? Before that I had a Philips but it started to play up so I passed it on.

The 63/67 and 6000 all use the VAM1202 which is fine but no "high end" transport. The spares are still readily available and the fact that some manufacturers like MF still use it suggests its ok.

To get the cast swing arm transports like in the early CDM's you'll need to go to high end early model philips/Marantz. The CDM4 which was a plastic swing arm type would be my choice for a cheap but very good transport. Although the laser is no longer in production, you can pick up both Marantz and Philips with this type of mech for sub £50 meaning you could easily get a spare!!

CDM1
http://www.marantzphilips.nl/img/info/philips/philips-cdm1/groot/philips-cdm1-005.jpg
http://www.marantzphilips.nl/img/info/philips/philips-cdm1/groot/philips-cdm1-004.jpg

CDM4 (also available as a cast mech but more often plastic
http://www.ersatzteil.justone-schnepel.de/assets/images/CDM4.19_transport.jpg

VAM1202
http://www.fullelectronica.com.ar/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/vam1202.jpg

You can see the differences in the pics!!!

My preference is the early cast CDM's but they are tired now and will require some tinkering (loading belts and caps) to keep them alive. CDM4's are more expensive for the laser ass 2nd hand than buying something like a CD50 which has one in it already!!! The most common form of failure on a CDM4 deck is the loading gear. It was obsolete but you can get them from china now for about £20 delivered!

Going back to the Heart CDP, if you were able to sell for £3-400 and invest in something like a CD50SE for about £60 and spend another £150 on some TLC and a few upgrades, you'd have a transport that would outperform many modern "Hi-End" transports for sure. :cool:

[phoenixpete]

So far as physical transports go, i'm not aware of anything decent for 10+ years or so! (thats a bold statement!!!! :scratch:)

Even bolder would be to say that all modern transports are plstic linear shite!!!

top of the list would be anything with a vrds or cdm1 deck, most of which would only be for sale because they need some work~!

after that, would be anything with a CDM4 but would need modification.

Sony made some very good transports but I'm not farmiliar witht the models. Maybe someone else could comment.

Something like a modified Marantz Cd50 would make an excellent transport for very little money. I would certainly be better than the CD6000 and would cost about £50 for an SE model.

SO far as I am concerned, no one has made a decent CD transport for some years!

Put it this way, if you sold the 6000 for £300 and purchased a Marantz CD50SE for £50, you'd be upgrading the transport 10 fold and have £250 in our pocket (which I'd spend modifying the deck!!!!)

Again all IMHO!!!!!

BTW Leo, agree with you about the general 63,67,6000 mods thing. You can make these into giant killers but it will only go so far without considerable effort and use of very good upgrade components ;)

Hi Ian.

I didn't realise some of the earlier Marantz players had better draw mechanisms than some later one's!

I looked at the list of players on the Audio upgrades site which is very useful.
I have a Marantz CD52mkII se on a second system, a Mission PCM4000 and a Micromega Leader and also I don't know if it is any use as a good transport but I have a Pioneer DV717 that is built like a brick out house :)
Will any of these be a better transport than my Heart CD6000?

Thanks for your help.
P.S.
Do you do your upgrades for the general public?
What mods would be a good idea if only using as a transport on any of the above?

[UV101]

Hi Pete,

The CD52MKII is a CDM4/19 type identical to the resin/plastic CDM4 in the pictures I posted.

Its will be far better than the CD6000 transport for sure. Its almost identical to my philips CD850MKII. http://www.hifisounds.co.uk/CD%20Mods.htm

I'd personally use that as the better transport! The loading gear will eventually fail! It will strip teeth due to the fact that the "wrong" type of grease was used at manufacture and it will go brittle. As I said look up CDM4 on ebay and you will find a replacement for about £20! I did :-)

In my pics, you can see the additional weights and sound deadening I used. This is definately worth while. Also If I was using as a transport, I'd address the PSU to the deck itself and the servo/decoder area. Also a decent clock will help.

If you were to invest in those area's you have a very good tranport indeed! Even standard,of new transports, it will put all bar the latest CDM Pro to shame :-) (and whats more, it will read all media without issue)

[phoenixpete]

Thanks Ian:)
I paid £30 for the CD52 mkII se about a year ago:eyebrows:
Have now swapped out the Heart CD for the 52 and it all sounds great.
Another step up in performance I think.
Had a good look inside the 52 and all looks well, the gear that gives the trouble looks fine and doesn't appear to have any lubricant on it, but as you say I have seen new replacement cogs on ebay cheap enough should it go.

Not sure if I will sell the Heart or just put it in one of the other systems.
May think about mods to the 52 at a later date.

Have you any views on the Phillips/Daisy GF-8 CD module?
I see a company are selling a CD transport using this, called "Little Dot"
looks good but not sure if this is a quality product or not.
Hope it is ok to link to the ebay listing? ( mods,please delete if this is not kosher)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200459491606&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[tandyman]

keep those tubes in if you have any sacd disc as the dacmagic cant upscale these.there are benifits with cd though,depending on your system.

[UV101]

struggled to find any info on the transport used in the little dot and then found these! Looks neat but the flimsy plastic tray's not encouraging for a killer transport!


http://www.daisy-laser.com/images/products/Modules/cd/gf8/GF8Module04x500.jpg
http://www.daisy-laser.com/images/products/Modules/cd/gf8/GF8Module11x500.jpg

Although the player is really neat and would fit well from a looks point of view, its internal deck looks like its derrived from a laptop type cdrom! Not for me chef! The CDM4 will be much better. All of the decent transports have weight and stability for similar reasons to a turntable. Mod that CDM4!!! :-)

[dave2010]

I've been racking my brains to think what my old Philips CD player was - the one before I got the Marantz CD67. It was a front loader, but the reason I got rid of it was that it started to repeat and jump tracks. Maybe the guy I dumped it on (I mean generously sold it to for not a lot ....) has still got it, but it's probably not worth rescuing even if in theory it might have had a better transport than the Marantz when it was new.

Anyway, is there a great deal of point in worrying nowadays? Maybe!

I suppose having a decent transport saves time, but otherwise why not just use EAC with a computer drive, and put everything on hard disc. Then run the data off to memory and play from there - or some similar method - e.g via one of the Squeezeboxes - with or without an external DAC.

[UV101]

Now there is a whole new thing to think about! SB's are awesome when modded and PC soundcards the same!

The convenience thing coupled with something comparable to a very high end transport has swayed me (although I'll definately not be loosing the spinner!!!). FLAC is undoubtedly a the way forward!! even if I say Long live CD.

[Ali Tait]

Indeed.I've just got a Touch and was playing some 24/96 albume I downloaded from HDTracks.Gob-smackingly good.The superiority is very obvious through my statics.Way way better than standard cd,and in fact my first impression was how vinyl-like it sounded.The glare that is often there with red book cd's is totally absent.I won't be using cd's anymore! Only downside is the file size-about 1.4 Gb per album.

[Ali Tait]

Indeed.I've just got a Touch and was playing some 24/96 albume I downloaded from HDTracks.Gob-smackingly good.The superiority is very obvious through my statics.Way way better than standard cd,and in fact my first impression was how vinyl-like it sounded.The glare that is often there with red book cd's is totally absent.I won't be using cd's anymore! Only downside is the file size-about 1.4 Gb per album.

[Ali Tait]

Double post again!! When's the site migrating?

[UV101]

With disk now common at over 1Tb, thats not so much as issue as an expense!!!!!!

More disks required :lolsign:

[phoenixpete]

Had a look inside my Micromega Leader II which for years has seen very little use in a bedroom system and to my surprise it has the Phillips CDM4/19 transport in, so I have swapped out both Marantz players and this is now in my main system with the Dacmagic Azure. There is a lot more gubbins inside the Micromega compared with the Marantz CD52mkII :scratch:
Allways did like the sounds from the Micromega and it is still very nice indeed.
I put some sound deadening panels on the inside of the top casing while I was in there.

Pete.