"Squeezebox Transporter Mods"

[Marco]

Hehe... I don't need a disc player, though, and I ain't that interested in movies.

Have you got yours connected up yet, ya dafteeeeee (six Es, 'cos you deserve it)

Marco.

[Audiocom AV]

Incidentally, you mentioned that you preferred the modded Transporter to the (truly awesome) Sony R1 transport, which is really what's piqued my interest in the former... So how would you define/sum-up the difference in their respective sonic characteristics and subsequent music presentation?

Marco.

Hello Marco

When I first started out with the stock Transporter there was a high novelty factor, the concept was interesting and sound was very good but not a match for the Sony CDP-R1. What I found was that the Transporter could still sound quite grainy, it had a digital edginess, slightly washed out sound and lacked solidity and focus.

To start with I addressed weaknesses in the digital power supplies & regulation. The Bybee on the AC input, Bybee of digital out removed a large amount of the graininess, edginess while opening the sound more, allowing you to hear more detail. The two main regulated supplies were replaced with Shunt regulators; this was another step forward in removing traces of digital edginess, improving clarity and separation. After a week of burning-in I felt that the Transporter was now getting very close to the CDP-R1, in fact depending on the music & recording both sources would be better suited to different recordings. Next the clock was replaced and a dedicated PSU added. The Transporter’s sound now had greater depth, solidity, improved sound-staging, tonally more natural sounding. Lastly the Bybee large purifiers were replaced with the new AC devices, these use technology taken from SE speaker Bullets. The improvements here were quite spectacular. What I heard is a sound that is more articulate, intelligible, believable. Instruments have a cleaner, crisper sound, and where there is a mix of instruments the individual sounds are more discernable.

Now after another week or so burning-in, I felt that the Transporter had overtaken the CDP-R1 is almost every area, particularly in terms of PrAT. Going back to the CDP-R1 after listening the Transporter, the R1 sounded ‘dulled’, slowed and lacking get up and go. Knowing the sound of the R1 so well, it could not dig as much out of the mix and glossed over certain aspects of the sound. The R1 was also modified, Bybee, Black Gate N/NX, so it had a head start. The gap between the modified Transporter and stock R1 would be greater again! All the listening to the Transporter was done wirelessly using a HP Laptop, WAV files of the same CD’s ripped with EAC.

Best Wishes
Mark

[Marco]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for that - sounds very intriguing!

I don't doubt your observations because I've heard similar things when comparing even the best transports/CDPs to a 'well-sorted' streaming device through a high quality DAC.

My own (highly capable) modified Sony X777ES, for example, playing CD in some ways couldn't compete with the 'naturalness' of the same music streamed in lossless FLAC format through Ian's Helios media player, using the same system, when connected to his modified DAS-R1.

Basically, IMO, what it comes down to is that CDPs/transports add an artifice to the sound due to the mechanical processes involved in their use (and all the associated circuitry) of the laser reading the information on the disc and the subsequent unavoidable varying degree of data error introduced when even the very best transport mechanisms are employed. Quite simply, the harder the error correction circuitry has to work, the more of an artifice is imposed on the sound, and thus in turn adversely affecting the player's presentation of music.

If one can remove all those mechanical interfaces which induce error and simplify the signal path, but ensure that the integrity of the signal remains intact and as unaffected as possible, thus supplying a 'super-clean' signal to the DAC, then this process is unquestionably better and should produce a more accurate transfer of the source music information. It is for those reasons that streaming through a high quality music server, and then processing the signal through a high quality DAC, is in my view undoubtedly the way to go.

Therefore, my plan is to retain the X777ES CDP/transport for disc spinning duties (it is after all a first-class device for that purpose) and stream music through one of your modded SD Transporters, and then into the modified DAS-R1. I'm confident that this will provide me with a top-notch digital front end which could seriously challenge my modified SL-1210 T/T, particularly as my DAS-R1 is by no means yet a 'finished article'

This will definitely be some fun and games for sometime next year, either before or after I embark on my SP10 T/T project (I'll need to decide), so I'll be in touch!

Marco.