[Sarchi]

I finally picked up my 5001 today....I'm listening now on my W1000's via the built in headphone amp. Sounds very good! Maybe a bit "digital" but it probably needs a few hours play time too. (I got it on the refurb deal for $229 at HiFiTrader.com, it appears to be basically brand new)

Never one to leave well enough alone, I imagine I'll be opening the hood later this evening and see what's inside. I'm guessing maybe BUF634's in the headphone amp? Are there any no-brainer mods that people do to this player?

I like it.

 

[Sarchi]

I did open her up last night, the headphone amp board looks pretty cool, I couldn't get a great close-up but here are three crappy pics anyway.

I found the big list of the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb mods to the CD-4000, and I think the headphone ones are probably applicable to the CD-5001 as well.
Quote:

[size=xx-small]1. Upgrade the pcboard by replacing 4560D JRC 0138J with Philips NE5532N. 2. [/size][size=xx-small](Re)place 470uF/25V Philips 136 series capacitors (2x) on point 2601 and 2602.[/size]

[size=medium] [size=x-small]link[/size]
[size=x-small]
I mean, that is REALLY old info., but it looks like Marantz is still using that same JRC chip in the current model CDP. Maybe I should leave it alone if it survived this long.[/size]

[size=x-small]
Comments?[/size]

[/size]

 

[HiWire]

Sweet, thanks for the pics. Enjoy the burn-in!

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

1. Upgrade the pcboard by replacing 4560D JRC 0138J with Philips NE5532N. 2. (Re)place 470uF/25V Philips 136 series capacitors (2x) on point 2601 and 2602.

NE5532 is an older style chip that has become a "jelly bean" (available for $0.80 each at Digi-Key). Many components come stock with the NE5532, and most people are replacing them with OPA2134, OPA2132, or OPA2604. Hard to say if it'll be an improvement or not.

diyAudio - NE5532 or OPA2134

 

[Sarchi]

Thanks for the comments. Contrary to my sig (and intent), I've been going CD-5001->Sophia->W1000 the last couple of days. This is so much more satisfying than the 5001's headphone amp, though I've still been burning it in and giving it a chance to acquit itself. The 5001's headphone amp is "decent" enough, in isolation. But in direct comparison with what HF'ers would consider "better amplification", it suffers. (except in the noise floor dept.)

With my hot-rodded tube amp in the middle, everything sounds more lively, more organic, more holographic. It's a small amp and lugging it between rooms from time to time isn't that big of an issue. I guess.

 

[Sarchi]

Another update, though I've still had the cdp less than a week.

About 50 hrs on it now. I've been running it day and night, hoping it will smooth out a little. Right now I find the player puts a slightly "mettalic" sound on the music, I can hear it especially on acoustic guitars and violins. There's plenty of resolution and overall a nice laid back sound, but it's not what I'd call 100% natural. In all honesty, I expected this player to blow away the PlayStation 1. It doesn't do that, for me. Not yet at least. If things don't change much I'll have to do some real A/B comparisons and then figure out my next move.

Other stuff.....

Build quality seems to be excellent. Seems rugged like it will last a long time. Operation is very quiet. Can't comment on the CD-Text feature, it hasn't kicked in with any of the CD's I've played so far. The manual is decent enough, though it's huge since it's in 4 languages. The remote control is nice but it's also way too big for my needs. Some useful features (like repeat) are only available on the remote. The drawer auto-closes after about 20 seconds, which is a small pain if you're still searching for the next CD you want to play. (I like to take my time handling CD's so as not to scratch or get fingerprints on them) Small quibbles, mainly.

 

[infinitesymphony]

The CD-5001 uses the same DAC found in the majority of middle-range Creative X-Fi sound cards (CS4392), so that may contribute to your impression of the SQ.

Most commercial releases don't incorporate CD-Text because it isn't part of the redbook standard, and it costs extra. Sony was the company who backed it in 1996 because they wanted money from licensing the technology--go figure--and they are pretty much the only company using it for their releases.

 

[Sarchi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif The CD-5001 uses the same DAC found in the majority of middle-range Creative X-Fi sound cards (CS4392), so that may contribute to your impression of the SQ.

I have no reason to doubt you, but if you're implying that Marantz is using a really low-grade DAC, I have to wonder why so many audiophiles are gaga over this player?

My impression, so far, is that the player has a brittle tone in the midrange, that renders strings too edgy and unnatural. And it doesn't restore missing detail in the bargain, either. This is compared to my old playstation 1 (c.'97), and my Pioneer PDR-509, c.2000-01. This is disappointing on both counts.

I am generally an analog guy, and my experiences with CDP's is limited. My guess is that the DAC is decent, but the oversampling circuitry might be the culprit here. But that is just a guess.

 

[soloz2]

the DAC chip in the x-fi and Marantz is also found in many other high budget units. The problem isn't the chip itself, because it's a good unit, but the problem with the x-fi is the crappy power and analog output stages the DAC is connected to. The Marantz is in an entirely different league from the x-fi in these regards.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarchi /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have no reason to doubt you, but if you're implying that Marantz is using a really low-grade DAC, I have to wonder why so many audiophiles are gaga over this player?

My mistake, most X-Fi cards use the CS4382, not the CS4392. There are a lot of typos about this on the internet. But, the specifications between those two DACs appear to be similar, and it seems that the '92 is the '82's incremental upgrade.

From a brief search, it appears that Marantz is the main user of the CS4392 DAC in CD players. Pioneer once incorporated this chip into their Elite DV-47A universal player and the sound was panned so badly that they switched back to the Burr-Brown PCM1738E for the incremental upgrade, the DV-47Ai. The little-brother model, the DV-45A (which came after the 47A), also has PCM1738E. This certainly qualifies as anecdotal evidence, but it may be that your problems lie with the DAC's sound signature.

I'm curious what your Pioneer PDR-509 uses in the DAC section. It's listed as a 20-bit DAC, and since it was made in late 1999, it may incorporate either the Burr-Brown PCM1702 or PCM1704. It's unlikely, but if it does, you're a lucky guy. You might consider opening it up and taking a look.

 

[Sarchi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by infinitesymphony /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm curious what your Pioneer PDR-509 uses in the DAC section. It's listed as a 20-bit DAC, and since it was made in late 1999, it may incorporate either the Burr-Brown PCM1702 or PCM1704. It's unlikely, but if it does, you're a lucky guy. You might consider opening it up and taking a look.

I sold it.

The PDR-609 used the PCM1716. I can't find info on the 509.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Ah, if the revision used the PCM1716, then the one in the PDR-509 probably was a similar mid-range chip (for the time).

 

[infinitesymphony]

Speaking of the CS4392, I now own a device with one.

A seller had an auction titled and described as a DV-47Ai, but when the player arrived this afternoon, it was the DV-47A. I plan to mail it back tomorrow for a refund.

Since I'll end up losing the cost of shipping, I figured I might as well audition the item. I plugged it into my normal setup in place of a DV-45A. The sound quality was... strange. Rolled-off at both extremes, not very resolving or detailed, something weird happening in the upper-mids ("veiled," maybe). It was a new listening perspective, and I guess that it could be described as smooth, but the recording (a project I engineered and know top-to-bottom) had a completely different emphasis. It didn't sound awful, but it was a step down both from the DV-45A and from the AKM AK4383 DACs in the receiver.

These comments may not necessarily apply to the CD-5001's sound quality with the CS4392 chip since the implementation is probably different, so YMMV.

 

[Big Tone]

Interesting comments about the CD-5001 here. I bought one last week and it burns my old Technics SL-PG390 but gets sorely beaten into the halfpenny place by the new Philips DVD player DVP5160 (DVP5140 in the US)!

That Marantz is midrangey slightly dull compared to the rich audio from the Philips. Both use 24 bit/192kHz DACs but the Philips wins! Gonna take back my Marantz...or should I give it a chance?

 

[infinitesymphony]

At least give it a chance... If it's beaten by a $40 DVD player, that's a bad sign.