 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
71.141.137.223
I got my SCD777_ES back from Warren Gregoire who just installed the terra firma lite upgrade. The player was already at Level 6. I had made an initial decision to forgo the upgrade because the player had been relegated to my second system and wasn’t getting much use. Serendipitously, the drawer stopped opening and needed a trip to Warren anyway, so why not, I rationalized, spring for the clock upgrade at the same time?
When I got it home I put the upgraded Sony in my main system to give it a proper audition. I was amazed at how much richer it sounded. I played the delightful Floratone CD first, and drum-thwacks where I used to notice just the sound of the skin now portrayed the resonance and hollowness of the drum. This disc has a lot of soundstage to it that the FTL took to a much higher level of depth, spaciousness, and solidity. Next was Brian Bromberg’s “Wood” CD where the harmonic richness of his bass was much more evident than before. Of course I had to try an SACD and I went for the play-weary ‘When I Look in your Eyes” by Diana Krall. To me, there was always a stridency to the mass violins that got under my skin (pun intended). The terra firma upgrade made the strings rich with beautiful resonance. I found myself laughing after every track at how amazingly good it sounded.
I mentioned bumping my reference CD-player to audition the upgrade. It’s a Spectral Audio SDR-4000 Pro, which I really like, as I should given its lofty price. I’m in no hurry to swap it back in. The musicality, harmonic texture, and naturalness of the Sony is so good, it leaves nothing to be desired. And the fact that it plays SACD’s is the icing on the cake.
You can see I’m pretty enthusiastic about the TFL upgrade. If anyone is on the fence about getting this upgrade, my advice is to get it. It was by far the most cost-effective upgrade I’ve done and worth every penny.
Follow Ups:
I recall when I posted my review of the VSE modified Sony SCD-XA5400ES that Allen took me to task on the expected pricing. I wrote then:
but according to the Positive Feedback review of the Uber Clock, the Terra Firma Lite is under $900
but I just checked the source and the quote should have been "Terra Firma Lite - significantly less than $900". I'm happy to hear that it is significantly less.
Thank you for your post.
Regards,
Geoff
I want to contact Warren, and have the TFL installed in my 5400. Would you say how much it cost? nt
For my SCD777-ES it was $649 + $63 tax. I assume it's the same price for the 5400, but I don't know for certain.
/
Many here would be interested if you could post a full scale review comparing it to your Spectral player.
I had a brief opportunity yesterday to a/b test my Spectral Audio 4000 Professional against my level-7 SCD-777ES. The Sony sounded richer and smoother. Vocals, for example, sounded deep and chesty where they sounded more like they were coming from the neck up on the Spectral. The Spectral was a tad drier but had more air and precision leading to a much more detailed soundstage. Notes floated in the air longer and you could really appreciate their decay.
I ended up leaving the Spectral in my main system because it is a lot more resolving and takes full advantage of the speed and detail of the Spectral. The Sony matches my second system well with its Harbeth 7’s that aren’t particularly sparkly on the top end. I don’t want to sound like I’m pooh-poohing the Sony. I’m flabbergasted at what the TFL upgrade did to it. The Spectral is a very good machine that costs four or five times more.
Allen would no doubt recommend adding an uber clock to the Spectral. If that added the same harmonic richness the TFL did to the Sony, I’d be in absolute hog heaven. I don’t think I will though, because I have 4 years of warranty left that drilling a hole in the chassis might somehow void.
I’m left wondering if a fully modded 5400 has some of the detail and air that the 777 is missing, making it the baby brother of what an uber clocked Spectral might be?
When I compared Allen's 777 with the Uber clock against a VSE modified 5400 with TFL, I observed an extra richness in the bass and better timing queus in that area (drumming fills etc) as the difference that really struck me. I preferred the 5400 here. I could not choose the top end of one over the other, although the 777 seemed slightly softer, but had a wider, more relaxed presentation.
My aim is probably a Uber clock with a balanced VSE output board in my 5400.
Regards,
Geoff
Mali,
That's a really good request and a good thing to do, but I’m not going to have the time to even start a serious comparison for at least 3 weeks. I just wanted to share my initial impressions because they were so unequivocally positive. I A/B’d the Sony and the Spectral prior to the TFL upgrade and the Spectral was the easy winner. Now I’m really not sure. It’s that good.
I recently had a SCD777ES upgraded to Level 7 with the Terra Firma Lite clock by Bill Thalmann at Music Technologies. I won't say what he charged me for the clock upgrade but it was less than what Dan H listed above. Sonically, it is close to analog. That is the best compliment I can give it.
Bill
...that fitting a new clock requires the player to be partially dismantled to gain internal access. If the player is already open for other Upgrading work, then fitting the clock will be a quicker, and hence less expensive job, than a clock fitting from scratch.
Regards, Allen (Vacuum State)
Post a Followup:
| FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
