Pro vs. Consumer Equipment

Albert I know you prefer analog. I also know your system is completley optimized to make your LP playback sound decent. I am not surprised that you would say this. I have owned some very fine digital gear and to my ears (and to my dismay) the DIO beat the snot of everything I ever put against it. I don't know if you guys had stock or moded units (if moded, who did it...etc). Stock units are I admit hard sounding, hence the mod process, change the opamp, remove the tube, and voltage quadruppler, remove the back board with the coupling caps. remove the Voltage regu, remove some of the electrolytic caps, replace the steel pins with copper posts...etc. The unit still sounds better stock than most things out there.
However, I must add we all like what we like.
Regards,
Don

Don I wish my experience had been as yours. You are correct that I am an analog guy, but I have owned and auditioned many of the most respected high end digital players.

The ART in my system had less resolution than the stock Sony 9000 ES. Unfortunately I cannot afford a Audio Aero, Audio Note or DCS, all of which I am sure are much better than my stock Sony.

My point is simply that the money I invested in the ART did not provide anything special. No doubt there are players it would beat, but not the commercially available gear that has been recently produced. At least not in my system.

Just for the record, my ART was purchased from Full Compass and had the following done as mods.

Install two IC sockets
Install LT1365Cn IC in U1 IC socket
Replaced nine rectifiers with 90 volt shottky's
Replaced 100 Ohm at digital with 75 Ohm Vishay
Bridged four electrolytic at analog in-out w / OFC wire
Replaced original phone jacks with Vampire OFC RCA
Replaced power jack with binding post to allow experimentation with outboard supplies.

I also purchased a regulated supply, a Atari (surplus) supply and the commonly suggested model from Radio Shack.

For digital link I experimented with Silver Sonic, Purist Audio, Trico, Belden and some that were brought over by visitors.

After all this work, one of the guys in my group that is all digital took the Di/O home for audition. He could not make up his mind between using the Di/O and listening to his Pioneer DVD player. I listened with him and agreed that neither way was the clear winner.

This friends system was Krell (Integrated), B&W Nautilus , Pioneer DVD and Audioquest cables. While not in the league with some of the better systems here at Audiogon, it is certainly quality enough to serve as a test bed for comparison. Further, it is a more likely combination of equipment to be used with an ART Di/O.

I had the modified DI/O, the first mod was done by the same gent that mod'ed Alberts. In all fairness, those mods really didn't make much of a difference. Mark's mods were elementary, like most of the mods that you read about on the various audiowebs. I'd sent my unit off to Kevin Morris (515) 288-8464, who redesigned the some of the circuits altogether. It has been too long since I'd had this done and can't elaborate on the entire series of mods done, (which is the only reason I included Kevin's phone number), but remember that one included adding a jack for an external clock. The sonic difference before and after Kevin's mods were dramatic, and sonically far superior to the unit you'd had, Albert. Syncing the external clock to both the transport and the DAC was a large sonic benefit, as you can imagine. The Kevin Morris modified unit is what Don had bought, so no clear comparison between yours and his could be determined. I know first hand, as I'd owned them both, (actually the same unit, but you understand).

I'm no longer using the DI/O, having moved onto another format. I'm one of the guys waiting for Ed Meitners DAC6, which should be delivered around 5 or 6 weeks from now. My brother Paul uses the eight channel Meitner DAC8 MK4, the latest pro version.

Kind regards,
Brian

Albert I believe you. Every mod is not equal. This sharing of the minds and experience is, however, what makes this hobby as fun as it is. It is also, unfortunately what has caused me to porbably spend close to a hundred grand in gear over the last 5 years :)

Best regards,

Don

The ART DIO had been hailed as a great low cost unit by people like Brian Chaney who designs the VMPS line of speakers I believe. Also of what I remember there have been Best SOund Awards given to him at CES I believe.This with using a Modded DIO in the line.

I bought one to better my aging DAC section of my Phillips CD-80. While I have no way of judging what it might surpass it seems to me that there must be unbias'd evals done with the unit that people have tried.

Shanling is one unit I hear alot about in which the Modded DIO surpasses for sonic playback.

I have not heard any negatives conserning Wayne of Bolder being mentioned in all this. Maybe he is using components that others are not.

I cannot use the ART Amp as it does not have enough power for my needs . I do think Dan could have gone alittle different way in promoting his mods of the unit. Maybe there is more here than anyone is seeing. I do not know.

I do know that in some instances that going the Modified route is a better value than getting stock equiptment.The value of the mods are in question though. In the case of taking a stock Pro amp and modding it with a 2.5X the value of the stock unit is questionable,but then again I would have to hear it also or see the results others have had.In my case I would not beable to use it given my choice of speakers.

Results remain to be seen,good luck!