Esoteric DV-50: Any cdp's Significantly better?

Pscialli

the musical fidelity should sound utterly neutral when set up correctly. It is heavily influenced by the tubes it uses. I do not get any darkness or rolling off of my sound. It is so utterly neutral that the original sound remains mostly intact but with added air, detail (lower noise floor)improved tonality (as warmth)and three dimentionality to the soundstage. I do not know about the latest version, but the original x10 going for $80 on e bay, had 9922 tubes if you substitute these for ECC85 you will get a much more neutral sound. Tube rolling is simple cheap and fun. I also think contrary to belief that the more expensive the unit the more effective the x10D (in modified form). If you want to take it one step further you can buy a high quality transformer to step down to the 12v ac input instead of the cheap one provided by mf. Again, cheap easy to do and fun as long as you have some knowledge in electronics as the mains voltages can be lethal.

Another simple tweak is to make your own power cord. Again quite remarkable changes are possible, for peanuts.If anyone is interested I can post this revelationary DIY cable, far superior to the TNT site ones. This will make a mockery of those multi thousand pound cables you can buy.

I feel these bits of advice are applicable on this site as we are talking about modding. These mods are really no different to the ones you are buying from the professionals, some as good as their modifications and some not quite as good. I am only trying to open your eyes to what is possible on your own with minimum effort. We all know the matrix movie the final part of the first episode when suddenly 'the one' was able to see clearly how the world was made up from its digital components. Well looking at the internals of a hifi unit can be just that, but infact all tyhosse resistors and capacitors form simmple functions and can with patience and education be unravelled. I have never had an electronic tuition, but I did study physics as a student. If you look at my other suggestions in the original post, you will see I have added more black art ideas, that do work, believe me they really do. i can afford the $5000, but it seems so much more fun to try and out do the professionals (if you can) with simple cheap tweaks which can before your very eyes finely tuune an already good system to an evcen better one.

doc(luke)

Guido,

thank you for your understanding reply.

I disagree entirely with your comment that hifi systems cannot change the timing and rhythmic flow of a piece of music. Let me be clear with you. Timing and rhythm is utilised by me with their most commonly envisaged meanings. I use them to describe the potential a listener will have to tap their feet to a tune. This is most likely to occur when there is cohesion and coherence between the musicians being displayed by the system.

Foir example the timing of the bass would be perceived as driving the tune along. In this way you get a clearer understanding of what the musicians were trying to achieve, and hence is nost likely to be very much more enjoyable to listen to.

Of course, in its entirety, the structure of each and every note played by each musicsian with reference to time would be the major factor, and this in itself is the summation of numerous other factors in sound reproduction.

We all know that you can slow the pace of music, in particular by making changes to your system which slow the base notes down (e.g by overextending the length of the note or prolonging its decay unnaturally. Just try adding a subwoofer out of sync with the rest of the system, yet receiving the same electrical messages as the rest of the system). Or by making your system so highly analytical e.g excessive use of silver cables, that the details seem to be resolved around each musician rather then encapturing all the performers together. This gives a segmented/disjointed feel to the piece. i.e unmusical. You find it difficult to understand the soul of the piece, and concentrate on the individuals instead of the group as a whole.

Just to complicate matters further, copper cables can add warmth to the tone of the music, provide a feeling of coherence in the overall picture between the musicians but at the same time can lead to a leaden quality to the tune. This again is non musical in my opinion. I am of course generalizing here but you get the idea.

In conclusion then, if you listen to a sony scd 1(unmodded),
you can enjoy the detail retrieval ambience etc, but are you truely feeling what the musicians have tried to achieve and parade to you,their musical genious if you will. You may delight in the detail, but what about the music. Indeed many may not even realize there was a purpose to the piece that should have made your feet tap. You then put the Marantz dv8400 in its place (unmodded). You play the same red book cd, and the piece this time seems to click togerther.The detail may not be as obvious, nor the individual instrumental ambience. But, you are no longer listen to the individual instrumentalists, but you see the piece as a whole. A whole which hangs together creating a flow and rhtyhm with purpose and emotion. Your heart is racing and the hair on the back of your neck raises and you are rocking in tune with the music. The notes produced by the musicians are timed start and stop in their release from your system in such a way that they are interacting with one another in the way they were meant to be as originally felt by the musicians. That is their TIMING and PACE are such that a RHYTHM develops.

doc luke

You are all missing the point. I will not conduct myself
on this forum like Alex and his followers. It is not
uncommon for modifiers to use paid shills to post glowing
reviews of products on these pages, a practice I have never
used and never will. I have talked to other modifiers who
have heard Alex's work and it is good, but no better then
any other modifiers work. To me you are all fools!
Alex is profiting for your sheepish stupidity.
As I said before, if Alex wants to promote his business
let him post ad's on Audiogon.

Doc Luke, I think you are saying that if a patient has a cold, he should self-medicate (DIY). But these fellows (myself included) have a much more serious condition -- audiophilia nervosa. Folks with this dis-ease, need to seek a specialist, since they certainly wouldn't want to handle a transplant themselves, nor would a GP be the right person. I'm sure we would all agree that there is a pychological component to this disorder, and that sometimes people who have had one transplant, want another one, even if it means replacing an organ that is functioning perfeclty well. Guilty as charged. But that doesn't mean the idea itself is flawed when the organ is not functioning as it should. To you I say, "Doctor heal thyself." To all the rest of us sickos, I say "Carpe Diem" and find the best mod that will cure you.

I thoroughly enjoy this thread and hope that you and Eldon will too.

Phil

Dear Richard, I defend your right to post to this or any other thread and enlighten us with your obvious knowledge, and experience in the matter at hand as soon as you have found in yourself the fortitude to participate in the spirit that his thread was started, and has largely graced us to this date.
As I respect your professionality and wisdom, I trust that the sudden burst 'ad hominem' was an isolated instance and will in no means become part of a trend.
On the other hand, if you understandingly still feel overly stressed and you suspect you may very well soon fall victim to another such urge to vent some frustration on what amounts to your marketplace, I will feel perfectly comfortable if you decided to avoid posting here for a brief spell of self examination and meditation on the subject of marketing communications and language modalities.

Only marginally amused, yours, Guido Dante Corona