Electrocompaniet EMC II CD Player

Tvad, I checked my EMC-1UP to see if the spindle allowed any play on my unit after installing the Spider and in my case it is solid as a rock.

The significant sonic improvements that I am experiencing and increase in emotional involvement are not at all small or hard to perceive. I don’t think you have to have an exceptional ear to appreciate the improvements and difference I heard after installing the Spider.

I can only guess that the play that your CD has around the spindle might possibly be preventing you from getting the benefits from the Spider.

I am interested in hearing from anyone who has done the Empirical Audio mod by Steve Nugent. It would be great to hear what benefits came out of the mod and in particular from someone that is running out of the RCA into a tubed pre-amp (I am currently going out of the RCA outs into RCA's inputs of a Supratek Cortese). Do you think it was worth the $ 1,400.00

Has anyone tried replacing the internal RCA connector with a better shielded silver wire, and if so what kind of results did you get ?

Tvad: I wanted to ask you about the Steve Nugent mods. Do they change the basic character of the EMC-1? One thing I really like about the EMC is that it is far less analytical sounding than many other players. I'd hate to end up with a player that leans towards a analytical, hyper detailed sound.

Hi guys. Milled steel? Oy. I expected a non-resonant cast anodized alloy "clamp". Now it sounds even cheaper to make! Maybe the steel's required to act as a "spring-clamp" around the periphery of the CD? Still willing to give EC plenty of faith-factor here, but I DO wish the spindle-mod wasn't required so that comparisons could be made without having to have two machines side by side. I'm sorry, but this is one I'd like to see single-blinded, as expectation bias rides at full gallop....
For those of you who do NOT have last year's "power supplies diodes (24) and caps (3)" mod, these are being successfully implemented by good techs around the country in about 2-3 hrs tops. Parts cost $20. The improvement IS REAL, providing a more dynamic, lively presentation with a more forward stage. Those owners for whom RT shipping to the East Coast is challenging can save a bundle of sweat, too. OTOH I've heard from others that one can now get the 128/24 AND PS mods done together negotiated down from $1800 to $1k, + shipping. (And no, it's not from ME!) At a G this is a great deal. The 24/192 DOES give you more THERE there, and the PS mods liven it all up nicely....
But the clamp? Hmmm....forged stainless spring-steel (like a great knife), or cheap stamped stuff (back to the $5 cost)? I know, Cello, it's about the motion, not the meat, but the mech engr in me hates to pay. It's bad enough when Subie charges $60 for a small pigtailed-magnet cam/crank or knock sensor that costs $5 to get out there....
Cello, replacing the cheap uninsulated short RCA out wires with shielded silver or silver/copper just makes sense, once you're in there. The original plain hook-up wires are just soldered on in space, so it's also an opportunity to crimp on as well as adding a drop of solder. I have some nice 16/4 shielded Ag/Cu wire if anyone wants a couple of jumpers for RCA use, but again, the consensus from ALL the dealers and users I'd heard from here, in the UK, France, and Scandinavia is that balanced operation is more than just a free +6 dB, so it's even harder to comment upon the effects of successive mods when single-ended op is required.
Damn...just heard a pipe burst in the basement! Gotta go....