Marantz CD 75 Mk11 - mods

[BDD]

Hi all, I’ll be getting an old CD75 Mk11 soon. This will be used in a second system, and I’ve heard that these respond well to modifications/upgraded caps etc. Does anyone have any recommendations for this sort of work? I’m based inScotland.


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[Kvaal]

If I were you I would leave it as it is. Very good player. Not much gain in modding this one. It is a mk II, and is upgraded from the mk I.

[BDD]

Good to know, thanks. Very happy to leave as is if there is nothing wrong with it. Will be using Linn Majik1 for amplification with a pair of Tukans.


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[Puffin]

If you looking to have some fun then modding old kit can be a distraction from everyday life. If you are hoping that mods will improve it's performance then that is a bit of a lottery. I modded a Marantz CD63 to KI Sig status following information on Diyaudio. The 63 cost me £20 from an audiojumble so if it all went tits up then I hadn't lost a lot. Having tinkered and upgraded and modded other stuff over the years I was optimistic.

It all went well and of course anticipation bias meant that it sounded fabulous The only real expence was a Trichord clock to replace the original oscillator bought on another forum for £40.

[BDD]

If you looking to have some fun then modding old kit can be a distraction from everyday life. If you are hoping that mods will improve it's performance then that is a bit of a lottery. I modded a Marantz CD63 to KI Sig status following information on Diyaudio. The 63 cost me £20 from an audiojumble so if it all went tits up then I hadn't lost a lot. Having tinkered and upgraded and modded other stuff over the years I was optimistic.

It all went well and of course anticipation bias meant that it sounded fabulous The only real expence was a Trichord clock to replace the original oscillator bought on another forum for £40.

Very good! I’ve got zero skills with electronics so any job would have been entrusted to someone who knows what they are doing. I’m persuaded to leave well alone! It’s still to arrive so looking forward to hearing how it sounds. I already use Meridian and Audiolab transports in my main system so will be good to compare


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[Lawrence001]

I had a 75 MkII DX which I think had some minor improvements in the digital domain. I wasn't that impressed compared to modern spinners. The 75 MkII SE would probably sound better as the upgrades were in the output section IIRC, the 65 Mk II SE was a multiple award winner in the late 80s. I think the only difference between the 65 and the 75 was a headphone amp or volume control or something like that.

I think upgrades would make it sound a bit better like the SE version, but I'm not sure if they would represent VFM if you're paying someone else to do them.

[sailor]

Your CD uses one of the best chips ever produced, the TDA1541-A and is still sought after and used in some very expensive units, for example the SW1X lll @ $5999 who claim the chip to be the most analogue R2R ever.

So mod away and enjoy a huge sonic return. I read and corresponded directly with Lukasz Fikus of Lampizator fame. About 15 years ago I modded my flimsy little Marantz CD40, they can be found unloved and unwanted on ebay for about 30 bucks and are great for mods because of the space inside. Not much there so accommodating a small transformer and a pair of valves is easy.

Basically you come straight off the DAC pins that are signal out and connect them to the grids of an ECC88 or similar. Lukasz' favourite appears to be the 6N6P. And by cutting 2 tracks of the PCB can be rendered NOS (recommended) By doing this you are eliminating lots of noisy circuitry and avoiding the common opamps used for this purpose.

If this all sounds a little daunting it's not and is why I mentioned the CD40. My suggestion is to find one of these cheaply to experiment with. Many players with the TDA chip can be used, like Philips players which can be found in the skip. Marantz/Philips use the same mother board on dozens of different models. Example the Marantz CD40 internals are exactly the same in the CD50 and CD60, just the exterior and chassis differ slightly withe the model 60 having a gold coloured face-plate.

The result of this mod will really delight you and provide you with the confidence to mod the CD75 which you can go all out on if you so choose. My CD40 had bitumen adhesive damping, new quality RCA connectors and solid core wiring. I was so impressed and actually giddy with joy that I built a new power supply for it using an EZ80 rectifier with choke input and Panasonic TSHA 105 degree caps in a separate enclosure connected by an umbilical. I threw out the old power cable, mounted a gland on the back for the new cable and soldered a better one in place. Stunning!

The links I provide take you to the Lampizator site which details with many photos how to go about it. Additional caps around the chip are added by simply soldering them across the underside of the PCB, easy peasy.

Even folks not interested in modding can find tons of useful info here.

http://lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/TDA1...r/TDA1541.html

http://lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/Lampizator.html (find hyperlink to: Lampizator DIY step by step for beginners)

His site needs patience but hang in there, it's worth it.

[BDD]

I had a 75 MkII DX which I think had some minor improvements in the digital domain. I wasn't that impressed compared to modern spinners. The 75 MkII SE would probably sound better as the upgrades were in the output section IIRC, the 65 Mk II SE was a multiple award winner in the late 80s. I think the only difference between the 65 and the 75 was a headphone amp or volume control or something like that.

I think upgrades would make it sound a bit better like the SE version, but I'm not sure if they would represent VFM if you're paying someone else to do them.

Thank you - this is all very helpful information.


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[brian2957]

I have the CD 67SE and it's an excellent CD player. I won't be doing any mods to it for fear of wasting the SQ. If I were you I would have a good listen and if you're happy with the SQ I would leave well alone

[Lawrence001]

If you do go for the NOS mod you should try it in an easily reversible way first before going the whole hog to make sure you like it. I've heard a few people say they regretted it and it's become a bit of a bandwagon. But it will be sellable with the mod if done well.