Sony Playstation 1 for a CD player ???

The tracking and the transport in general seems to be a little on the cheap and flimsy side; it skips in a heartbeat. But mine is playing everything i throw at it (knock on wood).

I've got a backup ps1 just in case...

Is anyone using PS1 with a tube preamp? I have been using PS1 as a secondary CD player with McCormack solid state preamp for some times. I liked the smooth and natural analogue-like sound very much. Then I've recently replaced McCormack with a CJ tube preamp. While the sound from everything else improved, the sound quality from PS1 nose dived. It now sounds like a cheap $20 CD player, with limited freq extremes, dull, and just not as exciting as before. Talk about system synergy!

i have used a playstation 1 with tube amp and preamp. there was no problem. there was no attenuation in the treble.

it may be an impedance mismatch. i'm running it through a tubed pre, sounds great.

The output stage can be modified with a choice of caps and resistors that would work with whatever downstream equipment you have in the signal path. I have modded a few Playstations with different caps in the output signal path, and obtained different results. Using the widely acclaimed Black Gate N or Sanyo OS-CON SC electrolytic caps seems to match up very well with tube amps where top end roll off could be a problem. I recently sold a modded unit with the Elna Silmic II caps in the output stage, as the buyer's tastes fit very well with the smooth treble response of the Elna Silmic II caps. He's using that unit with an SET amp and he is quite satisfied with that. It just comes down to personal preferences.

Have you also tried changing interconnect cables? That can largely influence the sound quality as well.