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In Reply to: Marantz SA-11w/ Reference Audio Mods Modifications posted by nsxt28@yahoo.com on March 8, 2007 at 21:38:51:
The SA11-S1 is a pretty good RBCD player. Marantz has taken a great degrre of care into designing this player and produced a beautiful circuit layout.RAM on the other hand seems to ignore internal layout and decides to mount some of their parts on a piece of wood as weel as using glue to mount power supply. Look no further than the Esound CD-E5.
There are other ways to imporve your player without having to resort to an expensive upgrade. Try a good power cord or a better interconnects depending on your taste.
Good Luck!
Follow Ups:
I sold my Marantz SA-11S1 once I got the Zhaolu 2.0 DAC. It's even better with Oritek Discrete Output Stage Mod. I suggest you get a $170 Zhaolu D2.5A first, then decide whether to mod it as asking.http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2617602&postcount=8
Hi 11sasam,You should get the AD-1852 DA chip. It's a whole different thing. The Esound CD-E5's analog output stage has no opamp, so it should have less noise than the stock Zhaolu.
What I meant is that SA-11S1 sounds too "thin" which make music less musical, compared to the Zhaolu's and certainly the Esound's. You may overhaul the whole analog output stage of your Zhaolu (AD-1852) with the Oritek Discrete Output Stage. This will make the Zhaolu become a top-notch-player. I had mine done recently.
Oritek Modded Zhaolu's will simply make you "floored". It has been tested against $$$$ CD players like Accuphase, dCS, Esoteric, Revox, and Meitner. They are in the same league !!
The superb thing of these players is that the *noise* level is extremely low. You only need a good design (not $$$$), like class-A zero-feedback circuit, and quality components to achieve "no" noise in the signal path. The Oritek Discrete Output Stage can give you this ! Some people do Zapfilter mod on the Zhaolu for this purpose too.
I had critical listening on XR and SA/CD versions of some titles I have, e.g. Vienna, Carmen, etc. The XR version incredibly improves details of music in the original tapes, recorded 50-years ago. However, if you listen music for entertainment or relaxation, the CD version can convey this sense to you.
That's right, 11sasam. Get decent digital, interconnect cables and power cord for the modded Zhaolu before you make a conclusion about it. A low-cost dvd player can be used as a transport. Today OEM transports are good enough though.
I'm more than happy now. My search for the source is almost over.
FYI, I do have the Zhaolu D2.5 with CS4798 DAC and BB2604 ICs. The sound is edgy and glassy flat and forward lacking depth. It does improve over the stock AC with AudioQuest NRG2 cord. I will only mod a unit that is worththe money. Here is a link to Elysia's DIY Diary blog.http://www.hififever.com/forum/weblog_entry.php?e=198.
I own a Marantz SA8400 SACD and an Esound CD-E5 Signature CDP. The Marantz is very usical with a beautiful mid-range. The Esound has an accurate and engaging sound.
Thank you for your input.
I agree that Zhaolu in its stock form is below average, but it has potential. It's definitely not a "pile of junk"! (Peek inside...)
You will get a very decent sound (I'd rate it above average) with a simple documented mod which bypasses the coupling caps. It's a 10 minute job for the skilled person, one hour for a newbie.
I bet you'll have a whole different view of the sound of the Zhaolu after you listen to the modded version.
My feelings exactly, a piece of cheap junk.
I find it odd you knock on the appearance of RAM's mods (oak-mounted parts-oh the horror), but don't speak to the sound at all. I'm glad interconnects were succesful for helping your "dull" (your words) sounding E-sound player, but no interconnect is going to yield the performance gains the original poster listed.
No reason to make personal atacks. Everyone has an opition to make. I assume ou will spend mega dollars on RAM mods.
I am sorry that you felt personally attacked, but what exactly are you basing your comments about RAM on?
I thank you for your sentiment. I am in full agreement with those who moded their equipments as I had the chance to listen to their work. I feel RAM should pay attention to the appearance of their work as well. I had a look at an Esound internal work from RAM and although sound reproduction was super it was deplorale to see such poor workmanship. One other factor is high cost, but there is a price to pay for everything.Please undersa=tand that when I decide to buy a CDP, several factors must sutisfy my requirements such as aesthetics, internal layout, build quality and most importantly sound quality.
Thanks
l2sasm
Fair enough. To me, the sound easily outweighs the look of a mod. Please try to keep in mind that they are working with a predetermined layout and are trying to keep a purist approach with their execution. This may mean gluing a power supply resevoir cap and some output transformers down. BTW, there's a good reason why they use wood with their diode bridge and other small circuits.They are mad scientists after all (meant as compliment). Peace.
Here is a internal pic of the RAM Esound CD-E5 for information purposes.
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