Nigel
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Post by Nigel on May 12, 2017 20:58:31 GMT
Rhythmic, rich, vibrant. Any fans of this legendary DAC?
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on May 12, 2017 21:50:04 GMT
I miss Sandy K. He would have been along commenting how modern DAC's measure and sound much better by now.
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Chris53
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Post by Chris53 on May 13, 2017 11:22:05 GMT
Rhythmic, rich, vibrant. Any fans of this legendary DAC? I'm not familiar with this DAC, but from what I read it's highly thought of. I have a cheap and cheerful Musical Fidelity V90 DAC which improves the sound of my Marantz 6004 CD player by enough to make it worthwhile. However my Rega Apollo is more musical sounding - when it can be bothered to actually play the disc - it's horribly fussy and was since almost new in 2009, I really should send it to Rega for repair. But the sound is very nice.
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hifidez
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Post by hifidez on May 13, 2017 13:55:39 GMT
My first CD player was a Philips CD471 which was designed aorund the TDA1541. A beautiful looking machine. www.dutchaudioclassics.nl/Philips_CD471-TDA1541A-R1/I 'upgraded' because this Philips had no remote control function. Anyway, my memory says the Philips was very musical, deep and with pleasantly resonant bass IIRC, but a touch gritty at the top end. Common in those early days of CD? I upgraded to the Aiwa XC700 (http://www.hifi-review.com/140007-aiwa-xc-700.html) as it had the all-important remote but, most importantly, had rave reviews and was bitstream; flavour of the month. Hi-Fi News loved it, So did others. I merely tolerated it as it cost a lot and I couldn't afford to replace it; I had sold the Philips to a friend. I still have the Aiwa actually. Thin, hard, brittle, over-detailed. All the CD cliches come to mind. I must fire it up and see what it its analogue output is actually like through my Benchmark/Spendor set-up. You never know it may be OK within a good quality modern system. But suspect the analytical nature of my current system won't do the Aiwa any favours. The Musical Fidelity V-90 DAC? It uses Burr-Brown's 32-bit PCM1795 chip, and is a most excellent piece of kit; read the Stereophile review. Budget price but top end sound. I only stopped using mine because I renewed my whole system a while back and I fell in love with the Benchmark DAC2. Never have done a shootout between the DAC2 and the V-90. My V-90 is in a box under the bed. Maybe I'll have a play. BTW... anyone else heard the DAC2's class A headphone amp? 'Tis wonderful. p.s. I expect anything with the TDA chip would be beaten hands-down by the V-90. I know the TDA is loved, but the V-90 is nice... if you have one you won't gain anything significant by buying anything more expensive.
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Post by freddypipsqueek on May 13, 2017 14:45:00 GMT
Sorry but the TDA1541 is the best dac ever made - the new Burr Browns are nice but can't match its musicality. BB's are a little laid back - I would of said the oppersite of teh benchmark but I have not heard much of the latter. Having said this its all down to the power supply - good power supply usually means good DAC irrespective of the chip. The modern 'daddy' is the ESS 9018 etc but these are hard to impliment so sound crap without a costly implimentation. Pick up an Arcam black box or MF digilog (both TDA1541) and get it NOS modded and it will sound wonderful. I agree that it would be nice to hear from Alex.
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Chris53
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Post by Chris53 on May 13, 2017 19:21:59 GMT
My first CD player was a Philips CD471 which was designed aorund the TDA1541. A beautiful looking machine. www.dutchaudioclassics.nl/Philips_CD471-TDA1541A-R1/I 'upgraded' because this Philips had no remote control function. Anyway, my memory says the Philips was very musical, deep and with pleasantly resonant bass IIRC, but a touch gritty at the top end. Common in those early days of CD? I upgraded to the Aiwa XC700 (http://www.hifi-review.com/140007-aiwa-xc-700.html) as it had the all-important remote but, most importantly, had rave reviews and was bitstream; flavour of the month. Hi-Fi News loved it, So did others. I merely tolerated it as it cost a lot and I couldn't afford to replace it; I had sold the Philips to a friend. I still have the Aiwa actually. Thin, hard, brittle, over-detailed. All the CD cliches come to mind. I must fire it up and see what it its analogue output is actually like through my Benchmark/Spendor set-up. You never know it may be OK within a good quality modern system. But suspect the analytical nature of my current system won't do the Aiwa any favours. The Musical Fidelity V-90 DAC? It uses Burr-Brown's 32-bit PCM1795 chip, and is a most excellent piece of kit; read the Stereophile review. Budget price but top end sound. I only stopped using mine because I renewed my whole system a while back and I fell in love with the Benchmark DAC2. Never have done a shootout between the DAC2 and the V-90. My V-90 is in a box under the bed. Maybe I'll have a play. BTW... anyone else heard the DAC2's class A headphone amp? 'Tis wonderful. p.s. I expect anything with the TDA chip would be beaten hands-down by the V-90. I know the TDA is loved, but the V-90 is nice... if you have one you won't gain anything significant by buying anything more expensive. Wow I see that the DAC2 was selling for £1750, It ought to be good at that price. Out of my price range. I'd need to have worked for the Ordnance Survey with a massive pension like Geoff Wall to afford that
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Post by PinkFloyd on May 13, 2017 19:55:42 GMT
Jeez Derek, that was my first ever CD player too! I always thought it was extremely toppy / bright but my ears were a lot younger way back then I went from the CD471 to a Philips CD850 (which I loved) and then to a Rotel RCD965LE..... once I started making half decent money I became a Marantz man I was never keen on the British offerings (Rega, Arcam etc.) I liked the Philips stuff from the get go of CD but latterly preferred the Marantz arm of Philips (it was then known as the "audiophile" sister of Philips)..... Ken Ishiwata / copper / ELNA Silmic caps + good quality Philips made swinging arm lasers / DACS etc. The Philips CD-850 had the TDA1541 and I always remember the 850 with fond memories, absoulutely loved the sound quality IIRC the amp I was using with it was an Audiolab 8000A and Monitor Audio MA14 gold speakers, a realy nice combination / superb synergy and the dimmable blue lighting on the front panel and FTS (Favourite track selection) was super sexy back in the day! I've got four Marantz CD52MKll CD players out in the workshop and they are bloody good work horses.... the only thing I have had to replace on all four of them are the tray gears but you can pick them up for a couple of quid (along with replacement belt included) totally underrated CDP's and you can pick them up for buttons...... CDM14 mech IIRC / bullet proof. Anyhoo........ I don't want to go off topic rambling on about about other stuff. I have only experienced the TDA1541 in two CD players, the Philips CD471 and the Philips CD850. It's a LONG time ago but my memories of the Philips CD471 are "Glassy / shrill top end" I sold it on pretty fast. The Philips CD850, totally different kettle of fish (same DAC) I had some really awesome eargasms from that machine. So......... It's not a question of "are you a fan of the TDA1541" more a question of what CDP made the most of it. No doubt about it...... a superb DAC back in the day but a DAC is not the be all and end all to a CD player..... a good DAC in a poorly designed circuit will not turn a pig's ear into a silk purse. What CDP did you guys have that had the TDA1541 DAC fitted?
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Post by PinkFloyd on May 13, 2017 19:59:17 GMT
btw....... Yes, it would be great to hear from Alex but he seems to have gone totally off the radar, I hope he is in good health and the same goes for Chris the Spanish sausage vendor Both are welcome back at any time, there's not a day goes by where I think of Alex..... that unfortunate stand off between certain parties did nothing other than cause division and, sadly, Alex and Chris decided to disappear rather than try to reach a compromise. My hands were tied, both sides wouldn't back down / refused to shake hands / refused to try to reach common ground and I eventually got the blame for "not taking sides" and was under the threat of "he goes or I go". Not my argument and not my place to jump in like a boxing referee and declare a winner. It could have easily been sorted out but Alex essentially apportioned blame directly at me with an "either you ban him or I go" demand..... putting pressure on me. Nope, he chose to leave, that was his decision. As I say, he's welcome back but, from what I gathered, ONLY if a certain member (one he doesn't agree with) is banned. I'm not Adolph Hitler and am not going to ban / delete anybody on the strength that another member "doesn't like his opinions". Anyhoo........... back to the TDA1541 Philips DAC.
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hifidez
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Hello John Got a new mini?
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Post by hifidez on May 14, 2017 12:05:53 GMT
Sorry but the TDA1541 is the best dac ever made - the new Burr Browns are nice but can't match its musicality. BB's are a little laid back - I would of said the oppersite of teh benchmark but I have not heard much of the latter. Having said this its all down to the power supply - good power supply usually means good DAC irrespective of the chip. The modern 'daddy' is the ESS 9018 etc but these are hard to impliment so sound crap without a costly implimentation. Pick up an Arcam black box or MF digilog (both TDA1541) and get it NOS modded and it will sound wonderful. I agree that it would be nice to hear from Alex. Gosh, that puts me in my place doesn't it? I didn't argue that the TDA is NOT the best DAC ever made. I did say I have only heard it in the context of the CD471. Thought it was obvious my comments were not a rigorous analysis. p.s. I found Alex's zeal and dogmatism a little hard to enjoy.
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hifidez
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Post by hifidez on May 14, 2017 12:07:54 GMT
Interesting Mike that our memories of the sound of the CD471 differ so much. I'd love to find one in good nick and take a listen. Because of the good reputations of the player mech. and the TDA dac they're not that cheap on Ebay IIRC.
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hifidez
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Hello John Got a new mini?
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Post by hifidez on May 14, 2017 12:09:33 GMT
My first CD player was a Philips CD471 which was designed aorund the TDA1541. A beautiful looking machine. www.dutchaudioclassics.nl/Philips_CD471-TDA1541A-R1/I 'upgraded' because this Philips had no remote control function. Anyway, my memory says the Philips was very musical, deep and with pleasantly resonant bass IIRC, but a touch gritty at the top end. Common in those early days of CD? I upgraded to the Aiwa XC700 (http://www.hifi-review.com/140007-aiwa-xc-700.html) as it had the all-important remote but, most importantly, had rave reviews and was bitstream; flavour of the month. Hi-Fi News loved it, So did others. I merely tolerated it as it cost a lot and I couldn't afford to replace it; I had sold the Philips to a friend. I still have the Aiwa actually. Thin, hard, brittle, over-detailed. All the CD cliches come to mind. I must fire it up and see what it its analogue output is actually like through my Benchmark/Spendor set-up. You never know it may be OK within a good quality modern system. But suspect the analytical nature of my current system won't do the Aiwa any favours. The Musical Fidelity V-90 DAC? It uses Burr-Brown's 32-bit PCM1795 chip, and is a most excellent piece of kit; read the Stereophile review. Budget price but top end sound. I only stopped using mine because I renewed my whole system a while back and I fell in love with the Benchmark DAC2. Never have done a shootout between the DAC2 and the V-90. My V-90 is in a box under the bed. Maybe I'll have a play. BTW... anyone else heard the DAC2's class A headphone amp? 'Tis wonderful. p.s. I expect anything with the TDA chip would be beaten hands-down by the V-90. I know the TDA is loved, but the V-90 is nice... if you have one you won't gain anything significant by buying anything more expensive. Wow I see that the DAC2 was selling for £1750, It ought to be good at that price. Out of my price range. I'd need to have worked for the Ordnance Survey with a massive pension like Geoff Wall to afford that Cheeky monkey! I had inherited a small sum which made it possible to overhaul my system and, hopefully, future proof it as well as making its operation more logical for my other half. :-)
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Chris53
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Post by Chris53 on May 14, 2017 13:53:42 GMT
Wow I see that the DAC2 was selling for £1750, It ought to be good at that price. Out of my price range. I'd need to have worked for the Ordnance Survey with a massive pension like Geoff Wall to afford that Cheeky monkey! I had inherited a small sum which made it possible to overhaul my system and, hopefully, future proof it as well as making its operation more logical for my other half. :-)
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Nigel
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TDA1541
May 14, 2017 20:35:53 GMT
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Post by Nigel on May 14, 2017 20:35:53 GMT
I have an Arcam 5. It is better than my other CD player, a Rega Jupiter.
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Post by freddypipsqueek on May 14, 2017 22:45:34 GMT
Sorry - I sounded a bit opinionated there. I grew up on the TDA1541 so rate it beyond its station. No - hang on - its the best anyway. I think it's also valued highly because the bitstream stuff that came latter was so crap. Me - it was a CD75II (Marantz) and then the Black Box. I always look at TDA1541 DACs ons ebay however . . . .
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FritzS
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Post by FritzS on May 15, 2017 11:41:33 GMT
I own a Philip CD650 and modded them some time ago: Philips CD650 modsBut mostly I use my Marantz SA7007 KI (CD & SACD Player).
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bullpup
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Post by bullpup on May 15, 2017 15:41:07 GMT
I'm still using my Marantz CD85 which I am pretty sure uses a TDA1541. I keep thinking about changing it but never do. Oddly enough it was bought by accident: I was vacillating about buying a Marantz CD10 and the dealer said take this and don't come back for a fortnight - well I did, only to pay him!
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Post by PinkFloyd on May 15, 2017 19:40:27 GMT
I'm still using my Marantz CD85 which I am pretty sure uses a TDA1541. I keep thinking about changing it but never do. Oddly enough it was bought by accident: I was vacillating about buying a Marantz CD10 and the dealer said take this and don't come back for a fortnight - well I did, only to pay him! I was a damned IDIOT David.......... I bought a Marantz CD10 on ebay for £99 (yes.... £99!!!) from a Rastafarian who lived in Birmingham. He obviously didn't know what it was worth but was over the moon with the £99 plus a few rare dub CD's I sent him as a thank you. When it arrived, the first thing I did was pop the hood and I couldn't believe my eyes........ It had the Trichord mods! Sonically it absolutely trounced My Marantz CD17 KI SIG.... the sheer scale of depth, minutiae of detail, expansive mindblowing soundstage.... it was like nothing I had heard before (or since). I kept it for about a year and, STUPIDLY, put it back on ebay after I fitted a new CDM 12.4 to my Marantz CD17 KI SIG.... IIRC I got about £850 for the Trichord modded CD10 but man I wish I had kept that beauty it was built like a tank and sounded like heaven! Pics here: www.rock-grotto.co.uk/audiogeddon/Marantz%20CD-10%20Trichord%20mod/index.htmlJesus David (Bullpup), that was 10 years ago!! You were even the thread starter: rockgrotto.proboards.com/thread/1169/marantz-cd-playersCD10 with Trichord mods was the one CDP I wish I hadn't let go of, the £751 profit was nice but paper doesn't give you an eargasm..... I probably wasted that £751 paper on fags and booze so no gain and a hell of a lot lost. I wasn't actually expecting that much from the CD10..... IIRC I started the bid @ 99p and it just went insane £850. Just out of interest..... the CD10 was fitted with 2 x TDA1547 and a CDM-4/36 mech. www.dutchaudioclassics.nl/review/Marantz-CD10-CDplayer/
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Post by PinkFloyd on May 15, 2017 19:43:43 GMT
I inhereted a small sum recently too Derek............ 1+1=2 I'll get my hat
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bullpup
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Post by bullpup on May 16, 2017 13:16:58 GMT
Frightening how time flies! I am currently playing with a couple of cheap new dacs: a Fiio Taishan and a Maplin Dac mainly as a computer Audio upgrade . This thread is making me think that I should perhaps be looking for a TDA1541 dac instead.
As a bit of left field thinking, is it possible to reverse engineer a CD player into a dac especially when the transport element dies? Is it as simple as working backwards from the digital line out and making a few alternative connections?
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leo
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Post by leo on Sept 18, 2017 20:28:29 GMT
Ah the old TDA1541A, love these chips but with poor implementation they sound shite. With careful grounding layout, proper clean regulators for the three supplies and a good I/V section they sound great. You can try out zero oversampling too
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nando
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Post by nando on Sept 21, 2017 20:44:24 GMT
No experience with the tda1541. I have a Marantz cd-72mkII with a tda1547 and a MF x-ray (v1) with sony bits in it.
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bullpup
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Post by bullpup on Apr 8, 2019 21:41:13 GMT
I have just rediscovered this thread as I troll through the site looking for recommendations for a new CD player . Nothing seems to change does it . I am still kicking myself about missing a Marantz CD 94 and matching Dac!
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Post by freddypipsqueek on Apr 13, 2019 12:03:34 GMT
Just picked up a Benchmark DAC2 - "D" model. It is as good as my Black Box and a third of the size with a headphone amp. It is a little bridge so its off to ebay to look for an x-can to modify . . .
Plenty of old CD Players which will match or beat the modern ones - the Sony 227ESD I have beats a Roksan Candy - both with mods but again its the same TDA versus Burr Brown argument.
Much depends on what you need and money (of course) but a good DAC is now very tolerant of a cheapest transport.
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