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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 OP
242 posts
 
Lkdog,

Thats great to hear. I was wondering if I really needed to consider making another change and frankly I wanted to settle with something good. And the TRL Marantz SA-14 is really good! The one thing Paul mentioned was that the Sony NS900 had even lower noise (less digital noise). So I worked on the Marantz and it has improved in this area.

ClioO9,

Lkdog says the Sony NS-900 is different than the Marantz TRL. Is this your opinion also?

Let me know how the X-2 works in your set up. I might make the same move to the X-2. There is something 'just right'. The ship has arrived response with the Oritek in the system is very satisfactory.
lkdog
417 posts
 
La45-

It is a bit hard to put my finger on the difference. Paul says the 900 measures out the most neutral of any unit they have modded. This can be a good thing, or not, depending upon your
perspective. The SA14 probably had a slight lower midbass and/or lower range bump that I really liked. Maybe it was just the interaction in my system. Since TRL modded my integrated amp also-it is very neutral also so I think I can discern source and cable nuances pretty well..
Both units are incredibly quiet, detailed, and void of glare.
Maybe I will try the Oriteks sometime. Many folks like them.
clio09
3,360 posts
 
La45 - I'll report on the Sony when I get it, hopefully this week. However, I have never heard the TRL Marantz so I can't make a direct comparison.

I actually spotted a pair of 1m Oritek X-1 ICs here today and bought them. I'll compare them to the X-2s and a few other cables I have lying around.
la45 OP
242 posts
 
Clio09-

You have X-2's? Thats great news. Very interested in your opinion now that you have the X-1s. And I appreciate if you would let us know your impression of the Sony TRL.

Lkdog-

Thanks for the response. Everything at this point is system dependent not to mention personal taste. I did not like the Sony's appearance compared to the Marantz.
clio09
3,360 posts
 
La45 - I've ordered the X-2 cables and they take a couple weeks to ship. The X-1 cables should be here soon and I'll be able to listen to them for a bit prior to swapping in the X-2s. Hopefully I'll have my Sony next week and can start the break in process.
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