TRL 595-how good is it?

In fairness Steve, I was the one who re-awoke the thread on 06/07 with a pointer to the recent TRL/APL shootout. See:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1108159717&openfrom&122&4#122
The thread had been dorment before that for about 1 month. On the other hand, the current exchange, if a little passionate, is quite informative.

Guidocorona, I looked inside the TRL 595, after receiving my APL 563A and it being better in every way than the TRL(I had a fight with Alex over this) I was getting caught up in the TRL hype myself, Alex told me I was crazy, I told him, as I always do, that I will put my money where my mouth is, and ordered the 563A mod to compare. Boy oh boy, was I surprised. Then I opened the TRL and was amazed by what I saw,it appeared TRL only replaced the EIC, disconected the power supply, added 2 cheap caps, and put epoxy on the circuit boards for rf/jitter gain. I could find no real upgrades. Especially compared to what Alex, or John Tucker, or Dan Wright, Ric Shultz, Underwood wally, and a host of other modders do. The other modders seem to really MOD a machine, not paste FAIRY dust on it.

Since I am NO expert I just sent it off to Alex to see if there are any other mods.

I really want to BELIEVE in TRL, But, In searching for all Pauls accolades, unfortunately I have only found info on these silly mods to these players. I was gonna spend over 12k WITH PAUL.

More will be revieled as I do some additional investigation. In the meantime, MHO is that the 563 is leaps and bounds better than the TRL's.

Best

Steve

Very interesting indeed 711. Burying part of the circuitry in epoxy has been used before, at least since the mid '80s. E.g. my Rowland 7M amps's trans-impedance modules are contained in solid blocks of epoxy. I thought that was done only to keep proprietary circuitry away from prying eyes. May there be some sonic benefit to the process?)
If the TRL 595 proved itself superior to other modded players I would likely suggest that "who cares about the color of the cat, provided it kills mice!"
But according at least to you and the admittedly unscientific analysis pointed out in my earlier link, the TRL 595 may be good for its price, while perhaps underperforming other similarly priced devices, such as the APL 563.
While it may be theoretically argued that yours is only a personal opinion, It is certainly a highly qualified one. Besides, isn't the entire business of the high end about opinions?
Keep us posted on your further findings. Thanks, Guido

711smilin,

I cannot proclaim to be an expert on the TRL Sony 595 because I do not own one. However, your claims that TRL uses fairy paste might be a bit exaggerated don't you think?
I had extensive conversations with Paul about the mods done to my Alesis ML9600. To the best of my knowledge clocking issues were resolved and as a result of the mod the component does not do a significant amount of error correction. While this has improved the Alesis, this also means it may have some problems reading scratched or old discs, although to date I have had no such issues. Doesn't sound like fairy paste to me.

I believe clocking improvement is a big part of what TRL does as part of any mod regardless of the unit. In my case they performed more work on the digital side than the analogue side due to the design of the unit. Hence it is best used as a transport, which is fine with me anyway. Granted I did not see any epoxy on my unit but there was chassis dampening done to it. I'm sure there were other things done that I couldn't tell, but I think some people have a problem with TRL due to the fact that they keep their mods proprietary (which I am told is the reason the epoxy is really there). Other modders list the services they provide and therefore people seem to be more comfortable with that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion as to which mod company is best for them. I chose to take the leap of faith with Paul and I don't regret it. At the same time I'm interested in what Alex is doing and look forward to hearing the results of his work.

Before I purchased the Alesis I looked seriously at the modded Jolida JD-100s. Underwood was one company I looked at. They have a stellar reputation for the Jolida mods, yet there is significant debate as to whether the mods are in the best interest of the original intent of the JD-100 design. Obviously Underwood lists their mods which include high quality capacitors, new clock, new power supply, and better wiring among others. There are a lot of pieces replaced and I can see the point of the anti-modders. In reality sometimes less is more.

There are obviously TRL fanatics out there and I can see why. Paul seems to know his business. He is involved in recording and engineering and even though he may not be in the spotlight, perhaps some people prefer it that way. To each their own. You are obviously a big fan of Alex's work and I don't hold that against you as you are someone with first hand experience with it. But in the end it's all opinion, nothing more nothing less. Each of us has one and we can use the information shared on this board and others to make our own decisions as to which products are best for us.

BTW - look for the 6moons review of the TRL modded Alesis.

"Since I am NO expert I just sent it off to Alex to see if there are any other mods"

Makes sense to me, Steve. If I didn't like my TRL 595, I'd send it off to their competitor, too, rather than just sell it. Do you realize just how unscrupulous this sounds? Have you sent your other modified players off to Alex too? Is this common practice for you and Alex, to view the competitors work, anaylize it and incorporate into yours? I'm trying to understand your motives ... it just doesn't make sense.

Next, you make derogatory statements about Lkdog, as if you are THE only person in the know. As Brian Walsh stated when you were inquiring about the TRL GT-200's, (Seen here[urlhttp://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1109612795&read&keyw&zztrl/url] "I would suggest bringing the rest of your system and room up toward that level before taking the plunge. Everything matters." Since he has been to your home and has heard your system with the Reimers, I'll take his word. And considering Brian's long term in the hobby and exposure to Hi-Fi and mid-fi, too :) ... I'm inclined to agree. This said, you should be the last man to cast the first stone. But, that isn't your way ... that isn't your mode of behavior. In my opinion, "There is NO WAY IN HELL your opinion on this means anything, uless you have listened for yourself, or been involved with TRL on MY level, not yours." How does that taste, Steve? I just questioned YOUR ability and YOUR system and YOUR room. In your words, "Have fun in your journey, cause I am having fun in mine". :)

To me, you are a man who has an axe to grind with TRL. You try to elude that it is because you were cheated on an amp, which couldn't be further from the TRUTH. I believe that it is for other gain, which is plain to see. Regarding the TRL GT-200's, sorry, Mike Joyce's hearing improved, which is great news because he is a professional in the music industry whose hearing is essential to his income. Paul did the right thing and honored Mike's deal, because (after all) Mike was the original purchaser of the amps and had already paid a substantial down payment.

Since I am well versed with TRL products, I have folks from all over the World that e-mail me and ask my opinion. This said, after I took possession of the SS amps, I could have managed selling them easily. And, (unlike yourself), I didn't have to sell my other gear to pay for the amps. I could have wired Paul's account that day, which is their standard practice. :)

About the reviews ... Did you happen to notice the GTRP-800 review at the TRL web site? I guess that one slid right past you ... It is authored in 1992 by Mr. Sugano, one of the most revered Japanese audio reviewers. There was another 2 reviews of the GTRP-800's in 1992, with front page photos in 2 issues of Audio Technique magazine, which many here are familiar with. There is a review of the GT-200's (which really should have been of interest to you) in 2000 by the Editor of The Inner Ear Report. Then, there was the 1992 front page article in the Wall Street Journal (perhaps you've heard of it?) where TRL is listed in the top 20 electronics exporters ($ wise) to the Orient. (BTW, you weren't even in the hobby then, were you?) There are others, Steve. You could try to contact Paul for the 6 or 7 others ... if he'd take your call. If I were him, I'd "Reserve the right to refuse service to anyone", but he's a better man than I.

Your agenda is well known, Steve. You are helping TRL more than you know ... :)

Good day!

Jack