TRL Marantz Sa-14



After speaking to Paul at TRL I am very curious to hear from those who own this unit what improvements do you hear with the player before and after the mod.

The SA-14 sounds weak in the bass and has no dynamics in comparison to some players like the Sony Scd-1 in stock form. Has anyone compared the TRL Sa-14 to the Sony Scd-1?
la45
My TRL SA-14 was shipped to me last week so I should get it this week. I also got a CRL Silver series power cord on Paul's recommendation.

Paul/Oldpet, does your RAM-modded Toshiba have the Superclock? Glad to hear that the TRL is doing so well in your system, particularly vs the McCormack.

Lkdog, great news re your modded A300. Down the road I may want to simplify my system and go for an integrated so I'll keep a look out for reviews on TRL modded amps.
The fee is the standard $550 they charge on all mods for digital units/DACS/transports/ etc.

Brian feels that the MF A300 changes were very nice.
Not in the class of their new solid state 225 watt a side ST-225 integrated amp, but he was surprised how far they were able to take the MF.
The ST 255 is $5500 so that would be expected. I think the MF A300 was around $1700 new.

The mod was definitely worth it IMHO. It has a very different character now. Until you hear your unit with the noise and glare removed, you are not aware how much was in the way and what you were missing.

I have a friend who is going to demo the ST 225 in a couple weeks with his Soundlabs, so will get to here their new product soon in his very high end system.
Maybe he will arrange a visit for the ST 225 at my house :)

I thought I heard you have listened to the ST 225?
How was it in your opinion?
Jsala-

MAybe the ST 225 is something to consider down the road. Paul and Brian are quite excited about the product. For TRL with their worldclass SOTA tube preamp and amp experience to get excited about a SS integrated is something of note.

If I can get my buddy to bring it over here for a couple days, I will let you know what it sounds like to my ears.

Brian told me something about being able to easily tell when Branford Marsalis was swaying his head during a solo!!
It is probably a little out of my price range right now, but it doesn't hurt to look :)
(At least that is what I tell my wife).
Jsala
Yes, my RAM modded Toshiba has the full mod which DOES include the Super Clock 3. I prefer the McCormack to it though - The UDP1 just appeals to me more. A bit warmer sounding than the Toshiba, I would say. The UDP is a fantastic sounding "universal" player. The TRL is the way to go, as far as pure redbook and SACD are concerned.

Looking forward to hearing everyone elses impressions of their TRL machines.