xrayv8 cd player

[bizzie]

I am toying with buying one of these off ebay has anyone any experience of them and what power supply would i need could it be diy'ed.

cgi.ebay.co.uk/MUSICAL-FIDELITY-X-RAYv8-CD-PLAYER_W0QQitemZ260233743019QQihZ016QQcategoryZ3272QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Sol]

I trialling one this weekend togetehr with an X-DAC V8 ... from what i can see you need the powersupply in the X0-DAC V8 to drive the X-RAY V8.

You could power the X-RAY V8 with a DIY PSU ... but I'm not sure what the PSU needs to output.

[Sol]

BTW you can get the X-RAY V8 and the X-DAC V8 togetehr as a package for 800 quid right now.

[bizzie]

Thanks Sol I would be interested to hear what you think of it.

It appears that the cd can be used as a stand alone player without the dac as long as its powered by the xxx power supply or the xxx170 power supply so I was wondering if it could be pwered by the pinkie or something similar as the xxx power supply is £300 on its own

[Sol]

See my impressions in the other thread .... X-RAY is a fine source! I wa rather impressed.

[bizzie]

pleased to hear it Sol I've just bought the cd/dac combo off Lintone audio on ebay I should get it on wednesday

[Sol]

Apr 28, 2008 20:13:43 GMT bizzie said:

pleased to hear it Sol I've just bought the cd/dac combo off Lintone audio on ebay I should get it on wednesday

Good for you .. I'm sure you will be pleased. Expect it to sounda little ahrsh for the first two weeks (as my fatehr reports) .. and he is tapping his feet nightly declaring it musical and warm .. most unlike his (allegedly) warm Meridian 206 - he's hearing detail for the first time, and loving it - I supect he was confusing warm with rather fuzzy, and is only just realising it

[bizzie]

I'm replacing a Marantz 63mkII KI signature that decided to start jumping occasionally and now and again won't read the disc so it looks like the laser is on its way out, so I expect a leap in performance and perhaps it will be closer to my vinyl setup.

[insomniac]

Hi bizzie
That's a nice looking Player/Dac combo...look forward to hearing your impressions. Would you be interested in selling your faulty Marantz 63mkII KI? I'm looking one for parts.

Please PM me with price if interested

Thanks

[bizzie]

Apr 30, 2008 0:14:48 GMT insomniac said:

Hi bizzie
That's a nice looking Player/Dac combo...look forward to hearing your impressions. Would you be interested in selling your faulty Marantz 63mkII KI? I'm looking one for parts.

Please PM me with price if interested

Thanks

I haven't decided what to do with the marantz yet I may just keep it as a spare seems as though it hasen't packed up all together yet and i might look at getting a new laser for it if it isn't too expensive, it has been a good player as I've had it from new and it's 8 or 9 years old now.

I will of course try to give a revue of the CD/Dac combe but I find it difficult putting into words what I'm hearing.

[XTRProf]

Apr 30, 2008 7:36:46 GMT bizzie said:

Apr 30, 2008 0:14:48 GMT insomniac said:

Hi bizzie
That's a nice looking Player/Dac combo...look forward to hearing your impressions. Would you be interested in selling your faulty Marantz 63mkII KI? I'm looking one for parts.

Please PM me with price if interested

Thanks

I haven't decided what to do with the marantz yet I may just keep it as a spare seems as though it hasen't packed up all together yet and i might look at getting a new laser for it if it isn't too expensive, it has been a good player as I've had it from new and it's 8 or 9 years old now.

I will of course try to give a revue of the CD/Dac combe but I find it difficult putting into words what I'm hearing.

Oh, the 63 KI version is already with many good parts in it when compared with the std version. If that version is fully moded, it will be a very very good CDP. I wouldn't put it as in the same league as the highend ones but rather close. The problem with the 63 has always been with the laser head. It just wouldn't last as long as the Pioneer. A person I know had his lens replaced about 2 to 3 years ago and again now having skipping problem. Btw, I'm not sure whether now the Philips transport is giving way or not.

Ya, please do share your impressions on the X-Ray and X-Dac V8. Any words that we can understand will do. Don't need to be like an audio reviewer dictionary.

[insomniac]

Apr 30, 2008 7:36:46 GMT bizzie said:

Apr 30, 2008 0:14:48 GMT insomniac said:

Hi bizzie
That's a nice looking Player/Dac combo...look forward to hearing your impressions. Would you be interested in selling your faulty Marantz 63mkII KI? I'm looking one for parts.

Please PM me with price if interested

Thanks

I haven't decided what to do with the marantz yet I may just keep it as a spare seems as though it hasen't packed up all together yet and i might look at getting a new laser for it if it isn't too expensive, it has been a good player as I've had it from new and it's 8 or 9 years old now.

I will of course try to give a revue of the CD/Dac combe but I find it difficult putting into words what I'm hearing.

No problem bizzie...keep me in mind if you do decide to sell though.
Don't worry too much about a review as such on the X-Ray and X-Dac, as XTRProf says a few words on your opinion is fine and helpful for any others thinking about buying one.

[bizzie]

Well the CD and Dac have arrived today thats great service by Lintone audio can't fault them for speed of delivery and well packed too seemed friendly when I spoke to them to pay for it.

I am in the middle of decorating the kitchen at the moment so I took time out to unpack them and set them up, bummer I haven't got a spare digital coax cable so i had to borrow the one from my av system. After setting it up I left it playing a Prodigy cd that the Marantz coudn't read at all and carried on with the decorating leaving it on repeat for a couple of hours with my pre and power amps off.

I had a listen while the paint was drying (well thats my excuse) and was greeted with bass a lot deeper and tighter than I'm used to and faster too, the soundstage seems to wrap right around me its so deep and wide at least with the Prodigy album ther is loads of detail with noises I've only heard when playing vinyl.

Next up was Radiohead OK computer now this was a shock I can now hear things through the speakers that I've only ever heard while using head phones and it sound so good that I realised that I had the volume a lot higher than I would have before without stressing my ears (I must apologise to my nieghbour)
There is still some burning in to do yet as its only had a few hours and it does sound a little bit ssssibilant so hopefully it will get even better.

I think CD is gonner get some hammer for the next few weeks as I go though my collection.

This is definately a recomended setup and I can't wait until its fully burnt in.

The rest of the set up used is a World Audio Designs PreII and a pair of Beam Echo mono block clones.

[Sol]

There is still some burning in to do yet as its only had a few hours and it does sound a little bit ssssibilant so hopefully it will get even better.I think CD is gonner get some hammer for the next few weeks as I go though my collection.This is definately a recomended setup and I can't wait until its fully burnt in.

The sibilance will ease with burn in ... don't forget the valve buffer circuit in your burn in.

If you want to satusfy yourself tha tthe DAC is making a difference, try the X-RAY Analogue out, and the switch back to the DAC Analogue out - you can definately note the add resolution, wider stage, and extension.

Glad you like it. Now .. when that warranty runs out in 1 year, you'll have the option of some ideas that are likley to form on mods by then.

[bizzie]

I'm listening through phones at the moment and an Aikido based headphone amp and this thing is really singing, I will try the analogue out on the CD and have been using the tube buffer on and off.

I was wondering if the tube buffer is on all the time and just switched out of circuit when not in use or is switched on when the the switch is pressed as it will take a fair while to warm up i would think being tubes.

[insomniac]

Glad to hear your enjoying the new arrival

Time now to unleash the CD collection and feed them to the mighty X-RAY

[bizzie]

I have bought a new digital cable off ebay which looked quite good for the money cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170005831843&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=007 and after using it for at least an hour I suddenly started to get a strange noise from one of the woofers which sounded a bit like an amp clipping and the woofer was pumping wildy. I switched everything off and went back to my old cable and all seemed OK so I thought that the cable was either faulty or didn't suit my system.

Later while trying to work out what was happening I tried the cable again and after a while got the same effect but after switching the DAC/CD off when I removed the cable I'm thought I saw a tiny spark when I unplugged the cable, my first thought was that the cable must be high capacitance and built up a charge so left it out my system.

Later while playing the Chilli Peppers I got the same noise with a Profigold cable attached so it wasn't the cable after all.

To prove whether or not it was the dac I plugged the CD in to my pre-amp via it own analogue outputs and as I suspected it played perfectly if not as good sounding.

At this point I decided to read the manual which is very basic but it does say that the DAC doesn't like to drive long cables via the Tube buffer so I switched it off and played the offending track again success it now plays perfect with no strange noises.

I have to have my CD at one side of the room and pre-amp at the other due to space constraints so have home made interconnects about 20ft long.

It could mean of course that there is something wrong with the tube buffer so I will have to try my CD/DAC closer to the pre-amp temporarily to make sure, shame though I did prefer the sound with the buffer on.

[Deleted]

when I removed the cable I'm thought I saw a tiny spark when I unplugged the cable

Bizzie
That sounds more like you have a CD/DVD player, or some other connected item that uses a SMPS . (Switch Mode Power Supply)
BTW, most CD players and tube buffers can not properly drive long cables without quite noticeable loss of treble. It takes a good low impedance output buffer,or better than average preamplifier to properly drive 20 feet of cable .
SandyK

[bizzie]

I know its not Ideal using cables that long but I just don't have the space near my pre-amp but the sound does seem quite good as long as I don't use the buffer.

I don't think the CD/DAC uses a switched mode power supply, if it has its built inside the DAC and I don't want invalidate the warrantee by opening it up to find out.

[Deleted]

Bizzie
If you have a Digital meter, you can find out by checking for AC between the earth side of the unit's RCA jacks (with unit OFF and no leads plugged in, and the metalwork of a power amplifier etc. that uses a 3 pin mains plug. This reading can be as high as 100V AC with a 240V mains supply.
SandyK

[bizzie]

May 8, 2008 21:14:11 GMT @sandyk said:

Bizzie
If you have a Digital meter, you can find out by checking for AC between the earth side of the unit's RCA jacks (with unit OFF and no leads plugged in, and the metalwork of a power amplifier etc. that uses a 3 pin mains plug. This reading can be as high as 100V AC with a 240V mains supply.
SandyK

Thanks for that i will give it a go just so I know but I have had a bit of a swap round and took my headphone amp out to get the cd close to my pre-amp and there is no problem now so it looks like it didn't like driving the long interconnects while using the tube buffer as it says in the manual ;D

I will have to be content with my xcans v2 which as good as it is just can't compete with the aikido based head amp

[PinkFloyd]

May 9, 2008 20:31:14 GMT bizzie said:

I will have to be content with my xcans v2 which as good as it is just can't compete with the aikido based head amp

Have you modded your v2? If not you should give it a go...... it'll definitely breathe new life back into the old girl

[bizzie]

Yes I have done all the mods suggested on this site incuding a better power supply its just that the Akido based headphone amp is so good I havent heard anything else that can touch it yet.