Re: Cdp refresh
Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2019 12:16 pm
Having sold the 206 when new, it depends on the batch it was made from as to how it sounds tonally. SSC for these ears is great and better fleshed out over the SC on its own - to me anyway. meridian tinkered with their models during production sadly and sometimes, the changes weren't subtle. Bob Stuart never seemed to quite know what to do with his designs and up to the 500 models, some were changed like the wind I remember.
The 1541 chip is a 'dirty' old thing in many players in my experience and it's actually the digital filter and analogue output stage afterwards that determined the 'sound.' The QED Digit 'bitstream' DAC was a squishy bloated fat sound until the analogue output chip was separated from the DAC chips, transforming it for the better and I still use mine with Positron and Caiman supplies. I can clearly hear into the music and the various productions in different tracks and albums and 'bitstream' designs always 'played tunes' well, so I'm happy in my workroom system...
The Sony CDP S1 from the Doc is amazing in many ways. Cheap output stage slagged off on the DIY forum because it goes in many cheaper Sony players, it still plays the music superbly and makes for a superb little transport as well when used from the optical output (I don't have a problem with TOSLINK these days).
I think most 'digital' these days is absolutely fine. If you can spare sixty quid, try one of the cheapo 'DAC-for-a-fiver' type plus Chinese linear supply set to 5V - lower output which will suit you based on your comments (no extra output buffer I think to take output up to 2V max) and the 'sound,' already quite pleasant with a wall-wart, takes on more stature I feel with the larger 30VA? supply. If you don't see it - in other words, not listening with your eyes - it sounds really good if not as 'expansive' as the very best stuff around, as it does the basics properly to me. Just think, thirty years ago you needed a hugely populated circuit board stuffed with components to get this sound... The 206 whle running still, should be a fine transport for it.
For a more objectively good little DAC, the eighty quid Topping D30 looks cool and is dinky, supply (almost) immune, has three inputs and measures well, as well as sounding quite decent I'm told (I haven't heard one and don't need to buy one now the QED is working again).
The 1541 chip is a 'dirty' old thing in many players in my experience and it's actually the digital filter and analogue output stage afterwards that determined the 'sound.' The QED Digit 'bitstream' DAC was a squishy bloated fat sound until the analogue output chip was separated from the DAC chips, transforming it for the better and I still use mine with Positron and Caiman supplies. I can clearly hear into the music and the various productions in different tracks and albums and 'bitstream' designs always 'played tunes' well, so I'm happy in my workroom system...
The Sony CDP S1 from the Doc is amazing in many ways. Cheap output stage slagged off on the DIY forum because it goes in many cheaper Sony players, it still plays the music superbly and makes for a superb little transport as well when used from the optical output (I don't have a problem with TOSLINK these days).
I think most 'digital' these days is absolutely fine. If you can spare sixty quid, try one of the cheapo 'DAC-for-a-fiver' type plus Chinese linear supply set to 5V - lower output which will suit you based on your comments (no extra output buffer I think to take output up to 2V max) and the 'sound,' already quite pleasant with a wall-wart, takes on more stature I feel with the larger 30VA? supply. If you don't see it - in other words, not listening with your eyes - it sounds really good if not as 'expansive' as the very best stuff around, as it does the basics properly to me. Just think, thirty years ago you needed a hugely populated circuit board stuffed with components to get this sound... The 206 whle running still, should be a fine transport for it.
For a more objectively good little DAC, the eighty quid Topping D30 looks cool and is dinky, supply (almost) immune, has three inputs and measures well, as well as sounding quite decent I'm told (I haven't heard one and don't need to buy one now the QED is working again).