TRL Marantz Sa-14

Thanks for the feedback. I was glad and relieved that after 24 hours the QuickSilver had settled down quite a bit. I've got an audiophile friend coming over for a listen at around the 68 hour mark. I've got the SA14 running 24 hrs/day, though the preamp and amp are on standby. I had treated all the inputs/outputs being used on my preamp, as well as the ICs that plug into them.

The treble is already reasonably refined and the bass is clearly more powerful (I also put QS on the preamp output that feeds my sub, as well as the IC that plugs into it). Overall sound may be a bit smoother though my focus is for the midrange to fill back out. I will take another listen tonight (~48 hour mark).

Howard, hope you are able to get another 9500 again. I thought my 9500 sounded ok but I decided to go for an SA14 since I have an audio-only system. If you're interested in a lightly used black 9500 from Hong Kong (region free, 220v) then let me know.

Hchi,

On my latest transaction from TRL I was suprised to find some extra goodies in the box. There were some music CDs from Paul's recording company and a bottle of Shine Ola, Brian's creation that is an excellent CD cleaner that leaves no residue. I had been using Audience's Auric Illuminator but not only is Shine Ola easier to use, it results in better sound IMO.

I can't wait to try RRL's vinyl deep wash and cleaner products as I now have my TT back and spinning vinyl again. Try Shine Ola, it is well worth the modest $25 fee.

To all TRL users with a vinyl setup, could you also share the impression about the sonic differences between your TRL and vinyl rigs? Thanks.

What differences? Seriously, I can barely tell these days without straining my ears, both with vinyl on my SOTA Nova (Kuzma Stogi, Benz M2) and my Revox B77 (reels). The digital still comes across with less ambience, but perhaps a tad more detail depending on the recording. However, the playing field has been significantly leveled. The digital has a more organic sound to it than I ever thought digital could achieve. I suspect though the results might depend on what TRL modded components you're comparing to the vinyl rig. Mine are:

TRL Alesis ML9600
Audio Mirror D1 DAC (soon to be TRL modded)

I'm past 60 hours (on the cdp only, not on the system overall) and the sound is still bright / midrange is thin.