[chesebert]

Didn't we all agree power is 50% of the sound

 

[tin ears]

Bump to the top for power supply isolation and double insulated class two questions.

How does this player achieve its double insulation class two UL safety rating with all that copper all over the place?

 

[markl]

Modified Marantz SA-7S1 is FINALLY back. First impression--

WOW. Suffice to say any of my little reservations I had about the stock player are completely demolished by the fully modifed player which has 0 hours of burn-in on it as of yet and will only continue to improve.


Can't post anymore here, will follow up on Positive Feedback. I will post links once it's up over there.

 

[vcoheda]

how much were the mods?

 

[markl]

vcoheda,
Because I was first, Richard Kern (audiomod.com) gave me these mods at cost. The thought is, he can't afford to buy every new stock player and then figure out how to upgrade them on your dime. If you are willing to be his guinea pig, you get them at cost. I don't know how much his mods will cost anyone else.

Richard is interesting in the world of mods. I actually had to twist his arm to get him to perform certain mods to my player. Yes, he felt these were worth-while upgrades, but given their price, maybe not great value. I can tell you, he will absolutely not suggest any mods to you that he doesn't feel are cost-effective.

The main "problem" with this player is that the clock operates at a unique frequency, which means there are currently no aftermarket clocks that can be used to replace it. I'm currently trying to get a custom clock made, but we'll see...

This left me with a lot of budget left over. So, I twisted Richard's arm and got him to install a top-of-the-line Furutech IEC receptacle along with the best NextGen RCA jacks currently available. I also have a handful of Hi-Fi Tuning Fuses ready to go to replace the 6 fuses in the stock player.

The "standard" mods he supplied were the Audio Consulting output transformers which replace the entire complex and resistor-filled "HDAM" analog output stage of the stock player. Richard also replaced all the stock power supply caps with Black Gates which will take a long time to burn in as Black Gates do.

You may recall the stock Marantz's output was 5 db lower than my modified Sony. The modified Marantz's output is 1 db louder than my Sony which means the mods increased the output by no less than 6db. This is all extra dynamic headroom which equals greater slam and heft that I felt was lacking in the stock player.

 

[Drag0n]

Actually, there is one other review, written for a Japanese magazine. Here is just one brief hilarious excerpt courtesy of Google’s translation software:

Quote: “With the table which it shakes off in former times LP under remaking if from under preparing it raised the table which it shakes off above the man with underdeveloped genital organ duck earth in the vibrating back…”

No, I didn’t make that up, and it goes on like that, useless...

Well, id say with that review from that japanese magazine, everyones going to jump on the bandwagon and get that player for sure!!! The japanese just have a way of getting to the heart of the matter.

 

[LowPhreak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...above the man with underdeveloped genital organ duck earth in the vibrating back…”

That's nuts! LOL!

 

[Audio-Omega]

Is it a new model from Marantz ? I have never seen that model in Australia. Does it come with a headphone jack ?

 

[Fafner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audio-Omega /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is it a new model from Marantz ? I have never seen that model in Australia. Does it come with a headphone jack ?

It has been around for some months now, but yes: it's quite new and it's Marantz's current flagship.
It doesn't come with an headphone jack...and amp here is not only suggested, but needed.

 

[Audio-Omega]

I'm sure it will last you a few years. I have had bad experiences with CD players, they didn't last long. May be I will get a SA15S1.

 

[Cecala]

The Teac VRDS transport is truly a work of art, truly fascinating on the matter of obsession some people have. I would be happy just to have one opened in a case so I could marvel at it all day. BTW I still find it surprising that the Marantz offered here still use those stupid cheap copper-like screws in the case. One would think that at this price point, stainless steel would be utilized.

 

[bordins]

Pricing is very subjective, isn't it ?

 

[wower]

I love the Teac NEO-VRDS drives. Continuing the discussion on transports I wanted to add, I did look around and the transport in the SA7 is only in that unit. The earlier post by someone pointing to a random thread on the internet is incorrect. I can imagine that the SA7 transport will trickle down or the transport in the lower units represent a scaled down version of the SA7 transport. But they are not the same. For your piece of mind.

Hope the mods were worth it and it will give you years of enjoyment.

I'm looking at getting my SA7001 modded by RAM in the future, that will bring up it's level quite a bit to reference quality (or so they claim), however, I still think your unit will have an edge. I can't believe you opted for new IED plugs. Too extreme!