Hi-Rez Highway: REVIEW: Reference Audio Mods Marantz 8260 SACD Player (Modded) by apostolicman

Model:	Marantz 8260
Category:	SACD Player (Modded)
Suggested Retail Price:	1000
Description:	SACD
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available

Review by apostolicman ( A ) on March 05, 2004 at 16:10:53
IP Address: 68.52.109.104

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for the Marantz 8260

Hello My name is Arthur Harris from Harris Audio
We are a new company specilizing in custom audio cables and some mods.

Well I've been knowing Kyle for over a year now, and have found him to be dead-on when it comes to knowing his stuff with regaurds to the equipment he mods. He has modded a Philips SACD 1000 for me at every level of modification level.First I had the level one mod done which included the Blackgate cap upgrade with the superclock and diode upgrade. The player really improved major over the stock unit. The background was darker resolution improved, and the pace and rhythum factor jumped to a whole nother level. I won't waist time describing the type of music that I listen to and poeticlly describe all the sonic differences I heard because we all listen to different kinds of music. Just let me say the soundstage,imaging, resolution, and every thing was much better than stock.
Then I sent the player back after 6 or 7 months and had him do the full blown mod including some mods he had not even went public with. I geuss you could say my player was the guinnie pig. This mod included a complete rebuild af the power supply,silver output transformers. M85 power supply replaced the stock torodial,Jensen caps, paper-n-oil caps,rca,c-37 treatment. Trust me, every thing that could be done was done to this player.
So how was it? You ask. Well it was the best digital play back I ever heard. In head to head test against the Sony 777 That was modded as well , the Philips bested it. It was truly a world class player in ever regaurd. In a word simply Stunning.
So by now your probably saying I thought this review was supposed to be about the Marantz 8260. Well it is .But I could not tell you about it without giving you my point of reference.
I had some problems with the philips.These problems are well documented on the web so I won't go into them here,but they were all repairable. So I sent the player in to kyle and instead of repairing the unit we discussed the differences between the Philips and the Marantz 8260. Neither of us at the time knew what was going to ultimately happen.
We decided to do the Marantz. We talked about the difference an all wood chassie would make.At that time he was working on an wood chassie for the SA1.
I decided I'd have a curly maple chassie made for the 8260 and ship it to kyle for the install . Some of the parts could even be swopt out of the Philips to the Marantz. This Player was taken as far as it could go,wood chassie.silverrock output transformers.Diodes,multple M85 transformers.transport mod,blackgate caps ,you name it ,and its been done.
O.K. How does it sound?

After returning from the C.E.S. show,and spending time with Kyle in the R.A.M. room and listening to what was represented as the best in the world. Including the vaulted Philips/mietner combo,Burmester, and generally players in the $4000 to $30,000 range.This Marantz 8260 fully hot rodded with the curly maple chassie absolutely hands down blew the door off every thing I've heard to date!!! Even the fully modded philips.The Philips would have no problem with just about anything out there in stock form. And at any price, in fact it gives the $15,000 mietner a run for its money,but the Marantz 8260 fully modded is in a totally different leage!! It even bettered the Coccabola SA-1 Kyle had at the show which at that time represented the best hands down!!
I understand now Kyle has taken the things he's learned from modding my 8260 and implemented it in the SA-1.
Whats better? Well first of all the Bass!!!!!! The bass is in a whole nother leage,and with better resolution in the bass.You will hear things in the bass tracks you never knew was there!
Second was the over all resolution and detail.Thiers just simply more musical information. The two M85 Transformers are stunning .There is one for the anolog stage and another for the digital stage. Awsome!! Everything sounds more real.Voices, Instruments take on a Three deminsional qaulity. The Soundstage is huge and very deep, imaging is supurb. If you are using a preamp Trust me, your choking the music.This player begs to go direct to your amp. Transparency is outstanding,dynamics are out of this world. Every thing sounds so much more natural and organic. Wood is definitely the way to go.
Thirdly, The CD playback is the best I've heard period!!!
You owe it to your self to try this mod.You won't be disappointed.

Associated Equipment:
Apogee Slant 8 speakers (upgraded crossovers)
Spectron Musician II
Fully Modded Marantz 8260
All Cables Are custom made Harris audio cables
(our cables have consistantly beat Harmonic tech and some of the so called best hands down)
Power conditioning: 5Kav signal transformer wired in balanced feeding the amp and a API PE-1 and API-116 which inturn feeds the Marantz 8260
All Powercords are custom made Harris Audio.
The Speakerwire is custom made remote sense cables for the Spectron Musician II

For more information about this mod or about our cables call Arthur Harris at 615-429-3712

Arthur Harris
Harris Audio

Product Weakness: None
Product Strengths: Everything

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Spectron Musician II
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	EVS Ultimate Attenuators
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Marantz 8260
Speakers:	Apogee Slant 8
Cables/Interconnects:	Harris Audio
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz
Room Size (LxWxH):	22' x 19' x 8'
Time Period/Length of Audition:	6 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Api/signal transformer
Type of Audition/Review:	Home Audition