I hereby take back all the bad things I've said about PS1.....

[chesebert]

I am still impress with PS1...its not just good for what it is ....it's good. period..actually its damn good!

 

[jonnywolfet]

yes, yes it is. i find my PS1 at least on par with my lp12, in my system (and my speakers are a serious weak spot).

 

[GreatDane]

I recently sold my PS1...for what it was worth, $15 I think.

 

[Luminette]

I just walked over to my closet to check the ps1 I picked up at a garage sale for 7 bucks the other day.. and it's the spch-1001

score

Now I'm wondering about modding this.. personally, I lack the knowledge to perform these basic mods.. is there anyone offering this service? there's quite a list of options here on Mick Feuerbacher Audio Projects

^---Mick Feuerbaucher's page

Simultaneously, I'm a bit concerned by a previous comment in this thread from the OP, I think, about a reduction in soundstage and overall performance (save for resolution) with one of the mods.. i think the "Modification of the audio output stage" listed on Mick's site is the one he meant

I'd be fine with having these things done, assuming they're actually going to improve the sound quality, for the right price

7 dollars is a great start.

Plus, I love the idea of experiencing my old ps1 games in better sound quality as well! It's pretty irritating what kind of shabby audio quality is present on all portable and stationary console systems

 

[rainy]

I just got one today in mail, got it on ebay for about $25. I did not compare them directly yet, but after half a day of break in, it does seem to sound significantly better than my old $350 NAD 523. It sounds somehow softer and sweeter. I mostly listen with very cheap sony headhpones, though, I'm very excited to think how much better it will be when I pick up better headphones, when it breaks in for 6 days and when I try to do the simpler mod through A/V multi-out. I do get a bit of noise through standard audio RCAs.

 

[Budgie]

Really, this is the kind of stuff that makes this hobby fun, in my opinion.

Gave mine away a few years ago to a neighborhood kid. Bummer. Never tried it as a cd source. Time to look for another one.

 

[chesebert]

PS1 with full VD power one cable + VD RCA is one of the best CDP I have heard under $4000! (I have heard SACD players over $4000 but that's not fair comparison)

bass articulation, definition? check
bass depth and slam? check
bass integration and lack of any perceived FR bump? check
mid range detail and naturalness? check
mid range transparency? check
soundstage width? check
soundstage depth? check
instrument placement accuracy wrt to soundscape? check
holographic sound? check
HF extension? check
HF sweetness and lack of grain? check
sublime experience? check

I think that pretty much sums up my impression.

Uh..the total peripheral equipments that's serving the PS1 is probably around $1500 not including the dedicated AC circuit

YMMV.

 

[selfdivider]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luminette /img/forum/go_quote.gif Now I'm wondering about modding this.. personally, I lack the knowledge to perform these basic mods.. is there anyone offering this service? there's quite a list of options here on Mick Feuerbacher Audio Projects ^---Mick Feuerbaucher's page Simultaneously, I'm a bit concerned by a previous comment in this thread from the OP, I think, about a reduction in soundstage and overall performance (save for resolution) with one of the mods.. i think the "Modification of the audio output stage" listed on Mick's site is the one he meant I'd be fine with having these things done, assuming they're actually going to improve the sound quality, for the right price

Hi, Luminette. If I were you, I wouldn't mess w/ the PS1. I did extensive A-B-A-B between unmodded PS1 and the modded PS1 per dogbreath's instructions, but the unmodded PS1 sounded clearly better. As I said, perhaps the modded version resolves better, but at the cost of losing some of that golden sound & huge soundstage, which is not a worthwhile tradeoff IMO. More than anything, the music lost that awesome coherence & organic sense of structure with modded. It defeats the purpose of using PS1 as source, then. (I tested 2 different modded units, thinking that perhaps one of them was not properly modded... but the result was the same.) I think there's a tendency to assume that the modification will almost always result in improvement, but that's not the case w/ the PS1 in my experience.

Save yourself the time & trouble and just add quality interconnects and invest in a quality power cord. Chesebert here has the right idea. (BTW: I use Cardas Quadlink ICs, and they're fantastic w/ PS1.) The only mod that's worth considering is the laser tracking if yours skips at all. If you got a perfectly tracking PS1 (test this by playing a CDR; if it doesn't play, it's not tracking correctly) then you're all set at $7! You totally win, dude.

 

[White Mike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chesebert /img/forum/go_quote.gif PS1 with full VD power one cable + VD RCA is the best CDP I have heard under $4000! (I have heard SACD players over $4000 but that's not fair comparison)

$4000 now? Why not $4500... or eleventy bazillion? Also, what currency? You should post the days exchange rate when you make statements like that, wouldn't want to risk your credibility....

I better stop now, my 6moons garbage filter is at risk of burning out!

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by White Mike /img/forum/go_quote.gif $4000 now? Why not $4500... or eleventy bazillion? Also, what currency? You should post the days exchange rate when you make statements like that, wouldn't want to risk your credibility.... I better stop now, my 6moons garbage filter is at risk of burning out!

One of the best CDP I have heard is C7Xe and it's $3500 + tax + shipping. I don't just pull numbers out of my @$$, sir.

 

[selfdivider]

I love how White Mike comes into these threads and ADMITS he hasn't heard PS1, but condemns everyone who has actually heard it to make made valid assessments based on ACTUAL audition.

Everything he says is based on what he merely speculates based on his preconceptions and not actual facts, yet he believes these to be absolute truths. You know who were like that? Flat-earthers. Anti-evolutionists.

 

[GreatDane]

I've heard the PS1 and to me it was nothing special...which it isn't.

 

[selfdivider]

Well, at the very least I can respect your opinion because it's actually based on real experience, Great Dane, even if it differs from mine.

 

[tfarney]

I'll admit to not having heard the PS1, but here in my ignorance and inexperience, I suspect that most of what folks hear whenever they hear huge, eargasm-inspiring differences among modern CDPs, PS1 included, is the color of the output stage. In the case of the PS1, I suspect it is tweaked in favor of the lower mids and has a fairly loud output (gaming, dude) and that gives it a warm sound and a presence folks like.

But it seems fairly obvious that in a PS1 the difference isn't the DAC's great jitter reduction or upsampling, or audiophile-grade parts, or completely separate paths for digital and analog stages, or its sophisticated power supply, or super-accurate crystal clock or any of the other esoteric stuff that is suppose to make the difference in $3000+ CDPs or a $1,000+ DACs. So I'm going with tone. And if anything, the fact that the PS1 sounds so good to some people with high-end listening experience is support for that POV. Cool. What else matters, really? It either sounds good to you or not.

Tim

 

[White Mike]

Again you seem to have missed the gist of my statements lads.

I have no issue with you enjoying the sound of your PS1's, more power to you for being willing to throw so much extra money at a $30 gaming console to get so much out of it.

The issue I do have is when you endlessly attempt to quantify and validate your enjoyment of the PS1 sound with laundry lists of superlatives or price-equivalency ratings.

I just don't see the value in it. It certainly does nothing towards providing any actual, useful validation.