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What Is The

I am in a situation right now that it is quite confusing and I think some of us have been there before. I currently own a Musical Fidelity Trivista SACD Player. Excellent Sounding Player and it has been my Reference Player for quite some time. Now I want to try a Different SACD Player and my choices are , Cary Audio 306,Esoteric X-03SE,SA-60 and a stock DV-50s and here is where my dilemma is. I am considering purchasing an Esoteric DV50S and have it Modified since many people have claimed that these modifed units are by far much better sounding than their 4 times more costly stock players.

Many Audiophiles claim that many "MODIFIED/UPGRADED" CD players sound much better than many $10+ stock units. I onced purchased a TRL Modifdied Marantz SA-14 VER2 and even though this unit sounded very good it was no competition to my Stock Musical Fidelity Trivista.

Now with so many Companies "Claiming" that their Modifications/Upgrades are the best! How is it possible for anyone to know which is the "BEST" or "RIGHT" Modification for your unit?

In one end you have a company charging you $600 for their "BEST" modification, another charging $1299 for their "Signature Modification," another one charging $2900 for their "Reference Modification" and so on. The question is: Does the most Expensive Modification makes the best Modification? Or can you get the same exact results from a $600 Modification compare to a $2900 mod?
Let's also remember that ---> THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME CLAIM, "OUR MODIFICATION WILL MAKE YOUR UNIT SOUND MUCH BETTER THAN THOSE COSTING 3 or 4 TIMES MORE"

Now I know that this is a Topic that will elaborate a lot of discussions since many Audiophiles have had their units modified or Upgraded by different companies but I will appreciate if anyone can share their experiences not just with me but with many other Audiogon members that may be in the same situation as I am right now. I know that your comments or opinions will be helpfull to all.

My Best Regards,

Carlos
nypr2003
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
If you are satisfied with the tri-vista then stick with it. IMO the players you are considering are not a step up and maybe a down grade. I would mod the the tri-vista if you are so inclined and resale isn't important to you. I have a RAM modded SCD-1 and it is far superior to the stock unit and IMO betters a couple of players north of 10k in direct comparison. If sonics are your ultimate goal then modding makes sense however if resale is important then be fore-warned as modded units do not retain their value. But if done right they do offer sonic bliss at least in my experience. Or as others have suggested find a used modded unit that interests you.

Chuck
nypr2003 OP
23 posts
 
Hi Chuck,
Thanks so much for the advice in Modifying the Trivista. I have thought of that in the past but my problem has been figuring out what or who does the best modification. Its a situation where one will have to listen to many different modified units to find out which one sounds the best to you.
That is why it is such a complicated desicion.

For instance, Chuck911 writes in his well detailed explanation of modifications that one of the many things that should be upgraded is the Superclock. Yet there is a well respected company that does modifications and they suggest that Installing a Superclock Is a bad idea because a Superclock "simply collects more RF (radio frequency) and EMI (electro magnetically induced) noise and distortion, making the sound "different" but never better. The additional circuitry and wiring with aftermarket "clocks" negatively affects both digital signal and power supply lines because the additional circuitry and wiring perform like receiving antenna's, as all wiring and circuits do, picking up both internally generated and airborne RF and EMI, injecting a lot more noise directly into the data stream and power supply, compounding problems and hurting performance.
Also this Company have "performed a high number of A-B comparisons with identical players installed with aftermarket clocks installed by us and by other firms. Unanimously the identical player with the aftermarket clock installed was clearly worse, no improvement in sound quality was discernable".

Now this is why it is so confusing when it comes to having something modified. One company says "Do this and the other one says "thats not a good idea" an then again I think it is up to US ( the listener) to decide what it will be the "Best" modification and I will guess that it will take a lot of auditioning many players to find out which one sounds the best!
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
Nypr2003

I can understand your confusion and the risk associated with deciding what to mod and what modder to choose. All I can say is choose a reputable modder such as RAM or Kern. You should be able to peruse this site for others. Music Technology (Bill Thalman of conrad johnson fame)comes to mind. I believe they do the VSE mods in North America and have an excellent reputation for doing good work and there mods I understand are excellent. Most of them have some information concerning their mods discussed on this site.

As far as the Superclock (SC4) goes it made a huge improvement to my player. It and the SC power supply were the first mods I had installed. The next step was the output transformers along with some power supply and audio board cap replacements. I also had the Op Amps upgraded as well. I am extremely satisfied with the performance especially when I take into account the money I have invested. I don't mind the fact that the resale value isn't there as I don't feel I have alot of money invested and the sonic performance is so outstanding. Good Luck

Chuck
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jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Carlos, yes it can be very confusing, and every company will claim their mods are the best, that's business.
That's why it's important that if you do buy modded, buy used modded. That way you won't take a huge financial hit to find out if the change in sonics sounds better or worse to you.

I've purchased three used players, all modified by different modifiers here on AudiogoN. I've kept the one that I liked best, and sold the other two at minimum losses, considering what I would have lost if I had the mods done. Did I find the best modder? No, only the best for me. That's why there are so many different flavors (modders), because all of our individual tastes vary. Unfortunately, no one can tell you which flavor (modder) you will like best. If it was that simple, all the other modders would be out of business.

John
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