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
La45-

Thanks for the suggestion on the SACD/CD break in.
On the previous TRL Sony 595 I just loaded up both types of discs in the changer.
SACD sounds quite wonderful so far on the couple I do have.

What kind of anti-static sheet do you mean? The kind that video cards or motherboards come wrapped in?
La45: Hey cousin, did you run a ground strap to the anti-static sheet, or just lay it on top without? I have a friend who "builds" computers that has boxes full of the sheets that you mention. Any specific size or material (color?) that I should ask for?

I'm really excited about this tweak, even though I can't imagine my bass being much more "solid".

Thanks,
Jack
Pick up a preowned Marantz SA-1 sacd/cd player and end your search. I own two Marantz SA-1's and ditched every dac/transport combo you can ever imagine. In excess of $50K combination units.
Hi Cuz,

I had a hunch that anti-static materials might have some affect. I used an antistatic enclosure from a chip.

The reason I mention it here is to report that I heard the sound change to a more solid character and wanted some of you to try it and report back here.

I want to add a larger anti-static sheet to cover the top of the transport area since the sheet I have is 8"x 5 3/4" small. Since this is all experimental I can't offer any guidance on size or offer any info on if there are different anti-static ratings. Anyone out there that knows about this aspect are welcome to comment.

I fully appreciate the note on the Marantz SA-1 player as a "search is over" final component. I have noticed that they are now appearing on the re-sale market for a good price. I just wish they were a little closer to my budget.

Lou
La45-
Will give the antistatic sheet a try tonight.
I build computers on the side for fun and have a lot of these sheets laying around in back.
I am always open to tweaks and enhancements that might add an element to the sound.
The best recent ones I have found are the RRL Shine Ola CD cleaner stuff, the QuickSilver Contact enhancer, and plumber's teflon tape wrapped on the tubes of my Hagerman Cornet phono stage.

My system sits on a DIY heavy MDF shelving racks that are mounted on threaded rods, and I am on a basement floor so I have some good things going as far as vibration. Static in the winter is terrible in my house though. Probably better now that we are entering the humid season in the Midwest.

Mfslgoldcd-

I am sure the SA-1 is a wonderful player similar in some ways to the Sony SCD-1 as far as venerable former flagship models. I see they are going for 3-4K$ at this point.

The TRL SA14 investment is quite a bit less, however, and I guess that makes it quite attractive since it also seems to be giving people a reference player level listening experience.
I am quite impressed with this unit as it breaks in now at about 260 hours.