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pangea
03-06-2005, 01:04 PM
Now I'm going to tell you something that you probably won't beleive in a million years.

I'll give you a tip, on hw to get your hands on what is probably one of the best CD-player ever made and the best part is, it won't cost you more than 30 US$ or so.

What you're saying... No I'm not kidding, I'm deadly serious!!!

So what's the big secret? OK, OK, hold your horses, I'll tell you.

Perhaps you've already got one, without even knowing about it.. OK, OK,

I'll tell you right away, but you've got to agree, the suspence is killing you, am I right or am I right...:D

Playstation PS1, is what you need, nothing more and nothing less.
The older the model, the better it is suited.

Right out of the box, it will be a real :jawdrop: , which probably will outperform anything you may have got, below the 5000 US$ range and with only some minor shielding of the power supply and some better cables/connectors, it'll most likely blow away anything up to the 10k mark. :D :D

So, what's the big secret here?

First of all, it was designed to be sold in millions, so there were hardly any limits/restrictions quality wise, on the parts that were used.

It uses a 32 bit DSP, because it has to be able to handle graphics as well and when it's used only for audio, there's plenty of muscles left.

There's a German company modifying the US model (PSone) and then they're charging the customers 2500€ for the thing.

The best part is, you most likely wont hear any difference between the 2500€ player and the more modestly modified one.

And most importantly, how does it sound?

VERY open, airy, detailed and powerful, and a lot of other things, but I'll stop there...

Go for it, be bold, make the 30 US$ investment and try it out for your self.:applaud:

Then tell me what you think.

BR
Roland

invstbiker
03-06-2005, 06:28 PM
Glad I saw your post, 'caus I was ready to spend big$$ for a Granite Audio CD player. Question...How 'bout PLAYSTATION 2. Same as 1 or no? THX:bouncy:

pangea
03-06-2005, 10:16 PM
Glad I saw your post, 'caus I was ready to spend big$$ for a Granite Audio CD player. Question...How 'bout PLAYSTATION 2. Same as 1 or no? THX:bouncy:

NO, the PS2 doesn't have the qualites of the PS1, audiowise.

Look for the SCPH1002, 5002, 5502 and perhaps even the 7002/7502.
Some say the PSone and the SCPH102 are OK, others say they are not, I don't know, since Ihave not heard those, so you should trust your own ears.
As I said, a german company does sell the modified PSone for 2500€.

Not much to loose, is there! :D

BR
Roland

yggdrasil
03-07-2005, 02:27 AM
I was going to dispose of a SCPH1002 that the kids don't use any more, but now.... Will have to try this.


Thanks Roland

pangea
03-07-2005, 08:51 AM
I was going to dispose of a SCPH1002 that the kids don't use any more, but now.... Will have to try this.


Thanks Roland

Pheew!...Salvaged just in time then, for a better afterlife.:applaud:

BR
Roland

EDIT:
If and when you're going to improve on the supply shielding, be careful the shield doesn't come in contact with the fuse-holder!!!!!

I've already killed one motherboard that way.:o:

dancing-dave
03-07-2005, 09:02 AM
What about for playing? I mean when you set this up; how do you control the tracking? Mus you have a TV set up to it?

pangea
03-07-2005, 09:31 AM
What about for playing? I mean when you set this up; how do you control the tracking? Mus you have a TV set up to it?

I was just coming to that.:D

A small mini TV would be very cool and to control the whole thing, you can buy any remote control intended for the PS2, it'll works just fine on the PS1!!!:applaud:

BR
Roland


One other thingt! If anyone wants want to replace the RCA jacks on the motherboard, you must know exactly how and where to connect them on the motherboard. Otherwise I suggest you keep the originals. If you've got the RCA's on a cable I'd suggest you keep the original cable, but cut the audio cables to the correct length and replace the jacks with some better ones.

Mr. Widget
03-07-2005, 02:49 PM
Do they have a digital out, or are you using the internal D to A?

Widget

pangea
03-07-2005, 03:05 PM
Do they have a digital out, or are you using the internal D to A?

Widget

No they don't, but the internal D/A converters are, as I understand it, some of the best there is:
The oldest models are using the highly regarded AK4309AVM converter (Delta Sigma converter), newer models, the equally renowned AK4310VM, both from Ashai Kasei.

BR
Roland<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

djrobertc
03-07-2005, 03:10 PM
First of all, it was designed to be sold in millions, so there were hardly any limits/restrictions quality wise, on the parts that were used.

It uses a 32 bit DSP, because it has to be able to handle graphics as well and when it's used only for audio, there's plenty of muscles left.

There's a German company modifying the US model (PSone) and then they're charging the customers 2500€ for the thing.


uh... im pretty sure the PSOne doesnt upsample the CD from 16 to 32... the CPU is 32 but it runs 16.

Specs (http://www.us.playstation.com/consoles.aspx?id=1/info/415007665.html)

In fact, according to these specs the max resolution for sound processing is at 16/44.1

The PSOne does not have digital out :( The PS2 has a digital optical out tho and reads DVDs (dont remember SACDs or other formats)

Alex Lancaster
03-07-2005, 03:14 PM
:applaud: Pangea:


How do You shield the power supply?

Thanks, Alex.

pangea
03-07-2005, 03:26 PM
uh... im pretty sure the PSOne doesnt upsample the CD from 16 to 32... the CPU is 32 but it runs 16.

Specs (http://www.us.playstation.com/consoles.aspx?id=1/info/415007665.html)

In fact, according to these specs the max resolution for sound processing is at 16/44.1

The PSOne does not have digital out :( The PS2 has a digital optical out tho and reads DVDs (dont remember SACDs or other formats)

Sorry!
I can't get in to an argument with you there.
I'm only referring the little I know, from a few German sites.

For those reading German I can only give you the adresses:
http://www.audio-tuning-tools.de/playstation%20open%20buffel%20%20expo%20horn.htm
http://www.playfidelity.com/
http://www.musicconnection.de/
http://www.methe-family.de/cd.htm
http://www.chiptech.de/

BR
Roland

pangea
03-07-2005, 03:42 PM
:applaud: Pangea:


How do You shield the power supply?

Thanks, Alex.

I've used a thin copper sheet, which I've cut up.
One of the pieces I've placed underneath, with a wire soldered to it and connected it to the rest of the other shielding. It's also important to cut off any long residual legs sticking out under the board and just to be safe, I've also put some extra insulation between the copper and the board. Then the more difficult piece to cut, is the one that goes between the power supply and the main-board. I've used one of the screws to fasten it, but be VERY careful so that the copper doesn't come in contact with any live parts like the fuse-holder!!!
I've killed one motherboard that way! :o:

Although the best thing to do, would probably be, to put everything in a new (MDF) box.

BR
Roland

louped garouv
03-08-2005, 02:01 PM
I think I will.....

got a early PS-1 for $10.....

pangea
03-09-2005, 02:42 AM
So, what do you all think, are you satisfied with the sound?

C'mon tell me I'm curious...http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/bouncy.gif <O:p</O:p

Is the PS1 going to replace your “old” gear?<O:p</O:p

BTW, I heard the other day, or if I read it somewhere I'm not sure right now, but nonetheless the message was, that some “Hi-End” audio companies (secretly) only use PS1-based CD-drives at demo-sessions, as well as all of their show trade activities!!!!!<O:p</O:p

What does that tell you?http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

BR
Roland<O:p</O:p

Steve Gonzales
03-09-2005, 08:33 AM
Thank you Roland,

I will try this! At that price, what could it hurt? Thankfully, there are probably enough to go around. Nothing like the possibility of a less than $50 UPGRADE!

gene6
03-09-2005, 05:44 PM
what about scph 7501.5001 .9001 5501

pangea
03-10-2005, 12:31 AM
what about scph 7501.5001 .9001 5501

If you read the previous posts, (they're not too many) you will find just that info.

I wrote earlier:

Look for the SCPH1002, 5002, 5502 and perhaps even the 7002/7502.
Some say the PSone and the SCPH102 are OK, others say they are not, I don't know, since Ihave not heard those, so you should trust your own ears.
As I said, a german company does sell the modified PSone for 2500€.

The 9002 is out, according to all sources, but dont ask me why.

BR
Roland

invstbiker
03-11-2005, 11:30 AM
Well, I took your advice, bought a PS1 on Ebay for $11.00The shipping and handling were $14:biting: Plugged the whole thing in and whallah, instant music and sounds great. My model after looking is the SCPH-1001. So I saved hugh $$$ and serves the purpose. It take a minute to learn which buttons control track changes, stop, go etc. But now I've got it. EASY :applaud:

THX
[email protected]

louped garouv
03-11-2005, 05:02 PM
just curious...

also did you A/B it against your other CD players....


I also have a PS one on the way via Ebay........
If this is really the deal, might just have to incorporate............ :D

invstbiker
03-11-2005, 06:08 PM
Did not shield the power supplyAND have no other CD player to compare it to:D

[email protected]

pangea
03-13-2005, 01:38 AM
Hmmmm, ... I wonder... Quite a few have said they're going to try it out, but only one has spoken his mind, hmmm, ... so I wonder. ... What is it you're waiting for and/or What is it, you're afraid of?:hmm: ;)

Why don't you just trust your own ears and write what you think?

Is it perhaps, you're thinking, I should have heard about this a long time ago if it's any good at all, so therefore it can't possibly be that good, although I can't find anything wrong with it.
So I'm playing it safe, I'm waiting for some "Gurus" to have their say first, before I write my own review!?
:wasnt-me:

Sorry, I'm perhaps a bit "mean" right now, but I couldn't resist it.:D
Love you all any way!!!!:D :cheers: :beach:

BR
Roland

louped garouv
03-13-2005, 06:47 AM
Hmmmm, ... I wonder... Quite a few have said they're going to try it out, but only one has spoken his mind, hmmm, ... so I wonder. ... What is it you're waiting for and/or What is it, you're afraid of?:hmm: ;)

BR
Roland

waiting to receive the package via US postal......

pangea
03-13-2005, 12:54 PM
waiting to receive the package via US postal......

OK, ... That's an excuse, as good as any!:D

BR
Roland

Zilch
03-13-2005, 01:43 PM
[Pangea painted his room Bo Blue to match his speakers?]

pangea
03-13-2005, 02:00 PM
[Pangea painted his room Bo Blue to match his speakers?]

I wish it were so, but no, that's strictly coincidental.

This was previously my daughters room and this was the wallpaper she chose!!!
:applaud:

BR
Roland

dblaxter
03-13-2005, 02:27 PM
recently i have been purchasing technics slp1200 cd players ,they sound great considering there age ,and better then any i have owned ,now i do have a ps ,scph 1001 is this model ok ,i have only seen one post that it is mentioned in , i have played cd s threw my tv years ago but never threw my stereo , so please tell me weather this model is up to par with others that are mentioned, thanks, that is why this site is so great .
michael

dblaxter
03-13-2005, 02:51 PM
would anyone be willing to post what buttons work to play tracks, operate, etc. thanks

pangea
03-13-2005, 02:57 PM
recently i have been purchasing technics slp1200 cd players ,they sound great considering there age ,and better then any i have owned ,now i do have a ps ,scph 1001 is this model ok ,i have only seen one post that it is mentioned in , i have played cd s threw my tv years ago but never threw my stereo , so please tell me weather this model is up to par with others that are mentioned, thanks, that is why this site is so great .
michael

Congrats, the SCPH1001/1002 is the best model of them all and even as is, it's one of the best CD-players you could buy and with a few quite simple modifications, it will outperform almost anything out there!!!!:applaud:

If you're going to modify it, you should read the entire thread thoroughly.

BR
Roland

pangea
03-20-2005, 10:31 AM
Anybody ready yet, to write something on the sonic merrits of the PS1?:D

BR
Roland

louped garouv
03-21-2005, 09:20 AM
I bought a .9001 :banghead:

need to find .1001

gerard
03-25-2005, 07:12 AM
Hello May be someone would like to use this thread :

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread/t-31123.html

I am going to search a scph 1002 this week end !

regards

gerard

pangea
03-25-2005, 02:14 PM
Hello May be someone would like to use this thread :

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread/t-31123.html

I am going to search a scph 1002 this week end !

regards

gerard

Thank you for the link Gerard!

It seems like they are about to find out just about the same thing, as in the other threads/sites I've read on the subject.

Conclusion: Go for the oldest models!:applaud:

BR
Roland

dblaxter
03-25-2005, 08:31 PM
hi pangea,
i was one of the lucky ones to have the 1001 that has been sitting unused now for 2 years or so ,i hooked it up played a little and figured it out ,my opinion is ,ITS GREAT !!!!!! sounds better than the slp1200 (technics)pro version or any other i have had ,i did no mods as of yet but i will thats for sure ,i have the shielding plate i removed from a JBL dvd600 just so it has a little jbl parts in it :applaud: so i must say thank you so much for telling us about this great item , so i will give it the old double , triple , quadruple thumbs up ,because i did not have to pay a dime ,i had the better model ,and when i did buy it originally it was purchased from a pawn shop (40.00) and used it for at least three years or more and i never would have used it again if it were not for this info .

thank you once again pangea my best regards michael

Bill H.
03-25-2005, 08:34 PM
What is the model no. SCPH-101 Mono? etc.

pangea
03-25-2005, 10:14 PM
hi pangea,
i was one of the lucky ones to have the 1001 that has been sitting unused now for 2 years or so ,i hooked it up played a little and figured it out ,my opinion is ,ITS GREAT !!!!!! sounds better than the slp1200 (technics)pro version or any other i have had ,i did no mods as of yet but i will thats for sure ,i have the shielding plate i removed from a JBL dvd600 just so it has a little jbl parts in it :applaud: so i must say thank you so much for telling us about this great item , so i will give it the old double , triple , quadruple thumbs up ,because i did not have to pay a dime ,i had the better model ,and when i did buy it originally it was purchased from a pawn shop (40.00) and used it for at least three years or more and i never would have used it again if it were not for this info .

thank you once again pangea my best regards michael

Hi dblaxter!
You're very welcome. The pleasure is all mine!
I'm only so glad I could be of any help!
Usually I'm on the receiving end, info wise, so I'm only pleased, whenever I can give something back to all of you great guys on this great forum.

BTW, it's a bit like cheating, putting JBL parts inside the PS1. I think it's unfair that you should have that advantage, over the rest of us. ;) :D

BR
Roland

pangea
03-26-2005, 02:52 AM
What is the model no. SCPH-101 Mono? etc.

Hi Bill H.!

The SCPH-101 is the newest model of these PS1's, but you dont want to use it as a CD-drive, since it is very different inside.
Everyone that has tested it and compared it to the oldest models (1001, 5001 and 5501), say it sounds "awful" in comparison.<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_47921", true); </SCRIPT>

BR
Roland

Bill H.
03-26-2005, 08:35 AM
Thanks PANGEA, Guess I will give it back to the little kid I took it from last night.

rek50
03-28-2005, 08:12 AM
:applaud: I'm waiting for a SCPH 1001 to arrive. It it supposed to come with the hand held controllers, memory card, all the OEM wires, and NO instruction manual. I've never had a PS1, so I'm lost as to how to use it for a CD player. Please give me a blow by blow tutorial on connections and such, so I may be able to play a CD. PS1 for DUMMIES is what I need. :blink:

gerard
03-28-2005, 08:52 AM
hello again rek50


connect the ps1 to the Tv you will find everything , it will show you it is an audio disc ( ps : If it does not work try to start with 45° angle the ps1 , i knwo most of 1002 get a .

Normally you can start directly or type on "X" depends of the Ps1.
Gerard .

gerard
03-28-2005, 01:09 PM
hello

I got a 1002 this week end with rca integrated ( may be the lens is not 1002 original ... ) but the motherboard is.

fisrt I test a 9002; not bad but no detail when big band plays s or many instruments !!

test a 1002 againt my cd/dvd player pionneer dv 565 .

1002 got more bass , little less treble , voice a little ahead but very good and warm .

I should say at first testing this cd is like testing phono cartridge , my pionner is nice , soft , aerial , the 1002 more bass , a little bit harder than the pionner .

So , thank you I got a second nice cd player .

Ps : I install remote control from ps2 works nice ; do not remember in case there is a chip on the ps1 to read copied games to remove it ( some cd may not work ; also even if the ps1 only read games at 45 ° , it will read audio in the right position ; that's what i learn this week end .

gerard

Ken Pachkowsky
03-28-2005, 08:28 PM
Just picked up a 1001 for 12.00 on Ebay. Is there an english version on paper, of the mods that should be done to turn this into a first class cd player?

Will get back to you with my impressions.

Ken

boputnam
03-28-2005, 09:06 PM
Specs (http://www.us.playstation.com/consoles.aspx?id=1/info/415007665.html)

In fact, according to these specs the max resolution for sound processing is at 16/44.1 Thanks.

Merrily blissful with the Sony CDP-D12... :applaud:

boputnam
03-28-2005, 09:14 PM
Just picked up a 1001 for 12.00 on Ebay... :bash: Dood!!

Ken Pachkowsky
03-28-2005, 09:18 PM
:bash: Dood!!

God, that feels good Bo!

Lemme have my fun with that soldering station. It keeps me outa the bars and off the streets.

:blink:

pangea
03-29-2005, 12:56 AM
Just picked up a 1001 for 12.00 on Ebay. Is there an english version on paper, of the mods that should be done to turn this into a first class cd player?

Will get back to you with my impressions.

Ken

From #13:

I've used a thin copper sheet, which I've cut up.
One of the pieces I've placed underneath, with a wire soldered to it and connected it to the rest of the other shielding. It's also important to cut off any long residual legs sticking out under the board and just to be safe, I've also put some extra insulation between the copper and the board. Then the more difficult piece to cut, is the one that goes between the power supply and the main-board. I've used one of the screws to fasten it, but be VERY careful so that the copper doesn't come in contact with any live parts like the fuse-holder!!!
I've killed one motherboard that way! http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/redface.gif

Although the best thing to do, would probably be, to put everything in a new (MDF) box.

BR
Roland

EDIT:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread/t-31123.html
http://www.musicconnection.de/pdf/dynastation_GB.pdf
http://www.playfidelity.com/
http://www.methe-family.de/cd.htm (German)
http://www.musicconnection.de/ (German)
http://www.audio-tuning-tools.de/playstation%20open%20buffel%20%20expo%20horn.htm (German)
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

rek50
04-03-2005, 08:06 AM
I tried out my SCPH 1001 last night. :applaud: It does sound GOOD. Thanks to all for the tips and direction to try these units out. I gave $37.00 for mine (Ebay). They must be catching on as a CDP, or maybe the fact that mine came with all the wires, 3 controllers (one is the type that shakes in the buttons), and 20 or so, games. Thanks again!!!

trueview
04-09-2005, 11:52 PM
I went ahead and secured my scph-1001 via ebay...$14:)
check out this auction description...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=62054&item=8182866040&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

better get yours before it's too late:banghead:

pangea
04-10-2005, 12:08 AM
OK, perhaps I should ask the guy for a comission or something?

BR
Roland

Mr. Widget
04-10-2005, 12:08 AM
"It uses a 32 bit DSP, because it has to be able to handle graphics as well and when it's used only for audio, there's plenty of muscles left.

And most importantly, how does it sound?

VERY open, airy, detailed and powerful, and a lot of other things, but I'll stop there..."



Well... I am pretty skeptical. Isn't the audio portion still only running 16 bit? There would be no reason that a gaming device would upsample the audio.

I am curious... has anyone actually compared one to a Wadia CD player or a dcs Elgar upsampled player, or are we hearing, "It's great! It's way better than my $150 Sony."

Widget

rek50
04-10-2005, 07:47 AM
Mr. Widget, one of the CDPs I have is a high buck Denon (I ain't putting down the price, my wife might walk behind me). The first disc I tried on the PS1 (SCPH1001) was Carly Simon's You're so Vain. Gasp, did you here that, for the first time ever, I heard her softly say "Son of a gun" at the very beginning of the song. I've never noticed/heard that with the Denon. The PS1 sounds like it's "Tube filtered", to me. It sounds closer to a "LP" sound. I tried out "Comfortably Numb", again WOW, listen to all the range. Hey for less than a tank of gas, give it a spin. You can always play "Tomb Raider" if it doesn't fit the bill...

johnaec
04-10-2005, 07:25 PM
A friend just gave me an SCPH101 - I take it this is newer and less than optimal? I guess I can at least plug it in and see how it sounds...for free, what can I say...

John

andywin
04-10-2005, 11:15 PM
"It uses a 32 bit DSP, because it has to be able to handle graphics as well and when it's used only for audio, there's plenty of muscles left.

And most importantly, how does it sound?

VERY open, airy, detailed and powerful, and a lot of other things, but I'll stop there..."



Well... I am pretty skeptical. Isn't the audio portion still only running 16 bit? There would be no reason that a gaming device would upsample the audio.

I am curious... has anyone actually compared one to a Wadia CD player or a dcs Elgar upsampled player, or are we hearing, "It's great! It's way better than my $150 Sony."

Widget


Not long ago I had a home audition of a Shanling CD player. The dealer also had with him an Esoteric P0/DCS Elgar/DCS Delius combo for comparison. (he had just collected it after being on loan for demo). My reference is my EMT 930st & TSDsfl vinyl setup. The Shanling was not even close but the Esoteric/DCS gear was pretty amazing but way out of my price league.
Having now tried a PS1 I can only say it had the same impact as the Hi End gear. The detail is superb and the width and breadth of soundstage is better than the Esoteric/DCS. Its not a direct AB comparison but I can only say thet I am more than pleased with the PS1 and it only cost pennies in comparison to the other stuff.(does'nt look as good though)
One little nitpicking correction.....The DCS Elgar is a DAC, its the Delius that upsamples

Mr. Widget
04-11-2005, 08:46 PM
Well... any more comments? I am certainly intrigued. I suppose I could get one of the ugly gray plastic players and give it a shot... I'd love to hear more from those that are enjoying their PS1s first.

Widget

Ken Pachkowsky
04-11-2005, 09:14 PM
Well... any more comments? I am certainly intrigued. I suppose I could get one of the ugly gray plastic players and give it a shot... I'd love to hear more from those that are enjoying their PS1s first.

Widget

As you know, I just got a 1001 off Ebay but did not get a chance to play with it before I left. Be carefull announcing your interest, others may pass judgement.:bouncy:

Ken

Ian Mackenzie
04-11-2005, 09:28 PM
Best way is to try it and judge your own ears.

Oddly, A few years ago chip processors were expensive parts, but not now and in an item like this where mass marketing is priced to sell on mass.

If it were re marketed and re packaged on the UK Hifi market it might sell for $1000 who knows??.

Ian

pangea
04-12-2005, 12:54 AM
"It uses a 32 bit DSP, because it has to be able to handle graphics as well and when it's used only for audio, there's plenty of muscles left.

And most importantly, how does it sound?

VERY open, airy, detailed and powerful, and a lot of other things, but I'll stop there..."



Well... I am pretty skeptical. Isn't the audio portion still only running 16 bit? There would be no reason that a gaming device would upsample the audio.

I am curious... has anyone actually compared one to a Wadia CD player or a dcs Elgar upsampled player, or are we hearing, "It's great! It's way better than my $150 Sony."

Widget


Hi widget!

I'm truly sorry I can't explain exactly why it sounds that good, but since the sounding differences are that big, between older and newer models, which as far as I know have the same DSP, it might be that the main reasons will be found in what actually does differ and that the early designs were so much more developed and thought through and that the combination of a number of changes/cost savings, resulted in a kind of lucky shot in the early models, which then were lost somehow.

I only know now, what "Jitter" sounds like, since it's gone now, after having put my Sony SACD in to early retirement. :)

Why don't you just get one and try it for your self, unless you don't trust me and those who say it's great. ;)
It's not that big of an investment and it doesn't happen that often that the saying "Not much to loose but everything to win", applies that well, I would say.

BR
Roland

pangea
04-12-2005, 01:04 AM
Best way is to try it and judge your own ears.

Oddly, A few years ago chip processors were expensive parts, but not now and in an item like this where mass marketing is priced to sell on mass.

If it were re marketed and re packaged on the UK Hifi market it might sell for $1000 who knows??.

Ian

Knowing Sony and other large companies, it wouldn't surprise me a bit, if it would resurface as a CD-player costing even $2000 or more. :biting:

/Roland

Mr. Widget
04-12-2005, 10:03 AM
Andywin is saying all the right things, but I am still skeptical. Of course as you have pointed out, it is a very inexpensive experiment so I guess I'll have to get one and find out for myself. When I do I'll post my impressions... of course! It's not like I have been known to be quiet about much.:applaud:

Widget

pangea
04-12-2005, 12:36 PM
Andywin is saying all the right things, but I am still skeptical. Of course as you have pointed out, it is a very inexpensive experiment so I guess I'll have to get one and find out for myself. When I do I'll post my impressions... of course! It's not like I have been known to be quiet about much.:applaud:

Widget

I'll be waiting for your report, only, make sure you get one of the oldest models.

BR
Roland

Mr. Widget
04-12-2005, 12:42 PM
I am currently seeking the 1001 models.

Widget

dblaxter
04-19-2005, 05:37 PM
hi all,

i have the PS1 ,the 1001 ,also had a jbl dvd600 that was broken ,i used the copper shielding from that unit to shield the power unit in the PS1 more then enough material to encase the power unit top ,bottom and sides , well its all complete and being used , i have a technics slp1200 to do a a/b compare, and i must say it sounds every bit as good ,and better at some points so if you are looking for a cd unit for a cheap to free price ,there you have it ,as far as a compare to your normal cd players there is none ,the converted PS1 is the way to go, so thank you to all who contributed to this thread ,and if you have not purschased your new ps1 cd player ,what are you waiting for :D :applaud: :D its just about free for a super unit

Mr. Widget
04-21-2005, 11:22 PM
...will be getting a SCPH1001 this weekend. With luck I'll have time to give it a whirl next week and get back here with my impressions.

Widget

gary
04-22-2005, 08:07 AM
I just found an scph1001 that came with original box and instructions. I was surprised to see directions for using it as a cd player. However, since this was 1995, it only shows hook up to the tv or vcr. Home theater was in its infancy. I guess nobody at sony ran it through an amp with good speakers. Also the instructions show how to operate the cd via the game controller w/o a tv monitor. would have provided a copy, but my scanner is on the fritz. probably can download it from sony. gary.

pangea
05-02-2005, 10:36 AM
...will be getting a SCPH1001 this weekend. With luck I'll have time to give it a whirl next week and get back here with my impressions.

Widget

Hi Mr. Widget!

Have you had a chance to listen to the PS1 yet?

I'm anxiously awaiting your response. :D

/Roland

Mr. Widget
05-02-2005, 11:09 AM
You know, I picked one up a week ago but haven't yet plugged it in... been too busy. I'll certainly post my impressions once I've had a chance to listen.

Widget

Dave G
05-02-2005, 12:35 PM
I picked one up today for £4.

I hope this idea doesn't leak if the player is a good one. Certainly good enough for workshop I'm sure.

ernestsk
05-11-2005, 01:12 PM
Being an audiophile illiterate, I have a question. I have a PS1 model spch1001. I like the sound and I may get more for my other systems. Why do you recommend shielding the power supply? Also, since I wouldn't know how to, how
could I get someone to do it without it costing an arm & leg?

Ernest

pangea
05-11-2005, 01:39 PM
Being an audiophile illiterate, I have a question. I have a PS1 model spch1001. I like the sound and I may get more for my other systems. Why do you recommend shielding the power supply? Also, since I wouldn't know how to, how
could I get someone to do it without it costing an arm & leg?

Ernest

Hi Ernest!

Very welcome to the forum! Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. This is absolutely the best forum on the entire Internet, IMO and even more so, if you're smitten by the Lansing stuff!:applaud:

There is always the possibility that the tweaking makes it easier for you to believe how good they really are. That said, I'm not so sure you could hear the difference in a blind test, so perhaps you should just hook it up and play your favorite music as is. :D

BR
Roland

ernestsk
05-11-2005, 01:59 PM
Hi Roland,

Thanks for the reply. That's what I wanted to hear. Nothing for me to do.:applaud:
I plan on AB test in the near future. Right now I think am hearing more details than I've heard before. Works for me, especially the price.:bouncy:

Ernest

Dave G
05-11-2005, 02:44 PM
It sounds very good!

Not being a fan of the silver disc that it is not a absolute answer. In fact I own very few CD's of quality productions. I can say that it sounds better than a Pioneer CDJ 500 player which is a verry average sound machine. Need to put it against some £1000 models, further impressions to follow.

Dave

pangea
05-11-2005, 11:03 PM
It sounds very good!

Not being a fan of the silver disc that it is not a absolute answer. In fact I own very few CD's of quality productions. I can say that it sounds better than a Pioneer CDJ 500 player which is a verry average sound machine. Need to put it against some £1000 models, further impressions to follow.

Dave

Hi Dave!

I'm sure the PS1 will stand it's ground against very expensive CD players as well.

Last weekend I went to a gathering held by a Swedish forum where I'm a member as well, and brought my PS1 along for a comparison against a Audionet VIP, which is considered to be fairly competitive.
Needless to say, the PS1 wasn't the looser.:D

Many others have also come to the same conclusion, whatever they have compared it to, so it's quite fair to say IMHO, that the PS1 digs deeper, has absolutely no jitter, is more detailed and provides a more calm soundstage, even when compared to mega $$$ players. :applaud:

BR
Roland

Dave G
05-12-2005, 02:30 PM
Hello Roland

I will be adding shielding once I find some suitable material. Its another job on the list.

Dave

Figge
05-15-2005, 08:13 AM
now this is the kind of thread that makes us audiofreaks suspisious...i didnt believe a word of this, but i knew i had a old ps1 lying in the basement,(turns out it was a SPCH-1002) and thought heck i just gotta try this out! so i did and now i can only confirm pangea´s story. ps1 is the best sounding cd-player ive heard, i still have some trouble accepting this fact. how a ugly old toy can make those 4430:s sing. simply amazing!

JuniorJBL
05-15-2005, 08:51 AM
:applaud: It has been a not-so-well documented fact that many people use sony Transports because they tend to be very good.
I also heard that if you go thru a inexpensive sony and tighten up all inside you will hear a BIG differance.
Sounds good to me!

Hofmannhp
05-15-2005, 09:03 AM
Hi Figge,

long time no contact...:)

few minutes ago I ebayed a PS1 (Originaly packed) for 5,06 €.
Will also try Pangeas worldclass recommendation. I Think of balanced outputs....on XLRs.
Thanks also Roland for this nice thread.

HP

Steve K
05-15-2005, 09:15 AM
Hi. Just secured a SCPH-1000 (first Japanese market model, picture attached) in a web auction in Japan. Paid US$ 28 plus shipping.
Roland, I couldn't find any -1002, 5502, or any of the other model numbers you've listed. I suppose they are US market designations. Anyway, according to the picture the seller posted, this one was manufactured in '95, so I'm assuming the innards are the same as what you've described in this thread. In any case, I am truly anxious to give it a try as as soon as I receive the player, probably in the next couple of days. Until then I have my fingers crossed.

Steve K

Figge
05-15-2005, 09:26 AM
Hi Hp!

been offline for a while. but here i am:)

about the xlr´s: i suppose its no problem to modify a little and get balanced outputs. BTW im still rocking ur old TAE86! truly a fine preamp!

to steve: the unit in ur pic looks identical to my 1002. i also have a 7002 but it has no rca:s so i assume yours is the same as 1001/2 or even older!

i also have a xbox wich soon will be evaluated.

this is just too cool for school!

gerard
05-15-2005, 10:03 AM
ok

I have to come back on my first impression .

In the beginning I felt the Ps1 was better on Brass etc...

Now after a long listening and upgarding my 43xx with new caps , I must admist my 200.00 $ cd /dvd/sacd pionner is not so bad and even better on some cd ....

Does someones has Bob dylan John wesley harding ?

ps1 : No real bass , voice is metallic etc ...
pioneer : real bass ( in fact there is a little too much bass also in the vinyl itself ( columbia us pressing ) voice is ok .

For now ; Ps1 sounds ok with brass instrument ; listening for long time pioneer is less tiring ....

May be my ear does not work as good as some of you .....

I will continue to compare ....
.

Gerard

pangea
05-15-2005, 01:20 PM
now this is the kind of thread that makes us audiofreaks suspisious...i didnt believe a word of this, but i knew i had a old ps1 lying in the basement,(turns out it was a SPCH-1002) and thought heck i just gotta try this out! so i did and now i can only confirm pangea´s story. ps1 is the best sounding cd-player ive heard, i still have some trouble accepting this fact. how a ugly old toy can make those 4430:s sing. simply amazing!

Hi Figge!

Over the years I've learned to say what I mean and mean what I say!:)

But you couldn't possibly know that, since we don't know each other, although we live in the same country.

I also told you right from the start, that you wouldn't believe a word of what I was saying. ;)

I'm just glad you decided to give it a try anyhow. :D

BR
Roland

pangea
05-15-2005, 01:24 PM
:applaud: It has been a not-so-well documented fact that many people use sony Transports because they tend to be very good.
I also heard that if you go thru a inexpensive sony and tighten up all inside you will hear a BIG differance.
Sounds good to me!

Although this toy, doesn't have much in common with other Sony CD-drives, from what I understand.

BR
Roland

pangea
05-15-2005, 01:26 PM
Hi Figge,

long time no contact...:)

few minutes ago I ebayed a PS1 (Originaly packed) for 5,06 €.
Will also try Pangeas worldclass recommendation. I Think of balanced outputs....on XLRs.
Thanks also Roland for this nice thread.

HP

You're very welcome, Im only happy to be able to give something back to others.

BR
Roland

pangea
05-15-2005, 01:33 PM
Hi. Just secured a SCPH-1000 (first Japanese market model, picture attached) in a web auction in Japan. Paid US$ 28 plus shipping.
Roland, I couldn't find any -1002, 5502, or any of the other model numbers you've listed. I suppose they are US market designations. Anyway, according to the picture the seller posted, this one was manufactured in '95, so I'm assuming the innards are the same as what you've described in this thread. In any case, I am truly anxious to give it a try as as soon as I receive the player, probably in the next couple of days. Until then I have my fingers crossed.

Steve K

Congratulations, I would say you picked the winning lottery ticket!!!
Try also to buy a spare laser/engine kit for about $ 70, just in case it ever needs a new laser transport, wich in the earlier models were made of plastics, and later it was made of aluminum, which is more durable.

BR
Roland

pangea
05-15-2005, 01:43 PM
Hi Hp!

been offline for a while. but here i am:)

about the xlr´s: i suppose its no problem to modify a little and get balanced outputs. BTW im still rocking ur old TAE86! truly a fine preamp!

to steve: the unit in ur pic looks identical to my 1002. i also have a 7002 but it has no rca:s so i assume yours is the same as 1001/2 or even older!

i also have a xbox wich soon will be evaluated.

this is just too cool for school!

Your assumptions are correct, but forget about the X-box, it's no good.

Before mounting xlr's I would simply try it as is.
I have killed one 1002 motherboard this way, no need for you to do the same, unless you're an expert and know exactly what you're doing.
Also be careful the cupper shielding around the main board, doesn't come in contact with the fuse-holder!!!! Guess what happens if it does. Ask me I know. :o:

I would think you won't be disappointet with the original conections either.

BR
Roland

pangea
05-15-2005, 01:52 PM
ok

I have to come back on my first impression .

In the beginning I felt the Ps1 was better on Brass etc...

Now after a long listening and upgarding my 43xx with new caps , I must admist my 200.00 $ cd /dvd/sacd pionner is not so bad and even better on some cd ....

Does someones has Bob dylan John wesley harding ?

ps1 : No real bass , voice is metallic etc ...
pioneer : real bass ( in fact there is a little too much bass also in the vinyl itself ( columbia us pressing ) voice is ok .

For now ; Ps1 sounds ok with brass instrument ; listening for long time pioneer is less tiring ....

May be my ear does not work as good as some of you .....

I will continue to compare ....
.

Gerard

I'm somewhat surpriced and puzzled over your impression, since my own and many others, have found that the much deeper bass, is what is standing out the most in comparison with other players and also the total absence of digital jitter should guarantee a presentation, which is anything but metallic.

The comparisons I've made, are simply pointing in the opposite direction from yours, but then again we all have a different perception, as well as different preferences and that's OK.

BR
Roland

trueview
05-15-2005, 02:08 PM
I like my ps1 enough that I secured a second via ebay and await its arrival:)

btw...both units are scph-1001 models...
been unable to locate the 1002 or 1000...but believe they are very similar.

pangea
05-15-2005, 03:25 PM
I like my ps1 enough that I secured a second via ebay and await its arrival:)

btw...both units are scph-1001 models...
been unable to locate the 1002 or 1000...but believe they are very similar.

the difference between 1001 and 1002 is between US and European models (110V vs. 230V).

The 1000 I think is the Japaneese model, but I'm not sure about that one.

BR
Roland

rek50
05-15-2005, 05:19 PM
I like my PS1 enough that I secured a second AND a third ! I tried it first in the living room, some time ago. I liked it. Thursday, I tried it out in our sunroom. I was shocked. The sunroom being glass (ceiling, front wall, two end walls) and timber. The rear wall and floor are ceramic tile. I've tried three different sets of speakers, FIVE different receivers, speaker placement all over the map, different port tuning, even new speaker wires and interconnects, to try to get a decent sound that wasn't raspy, boomy, tinney. :banghead: It was the CDP, I had been using all along. I had thought, well all this glass and tile, what can I expect. And, it's NOT vinyl. It seemed as though the sunroom was doomed to be a poor listening experience. PS1 to the rescue. Thanks again for the tip!:applaud:

Figge
05-15-2005, 05:56 PM
Hi Figge!

Over the years I've learned to say what I mean and mean what I say!:)

But you couldn't possibly know that, since we don't know each other, although we live in the same country.

I also told you right from the start, that you wouldn't believe a word of what I was saying. ;)

I'm just glad you decided to give it a try anyhow. :D

BR
Roland

Tjena Roland! :wave:

nånstans trodde jag nog lite på din grej, annars hadde jag inte grävt fram dessa gammla apparater. för nån månad sen så tänkte jag skicka dom på tippen. nu kommer jag nog försöka hitta fler! hur kom du på denna idé? skit ballt!

*just talking about this and that*

Mr. Widget
05-15-2005, 09:02 PM
I have finally given the Sony PS-1, Model SCHP-1001 an audition.

I auditioned it on my non JBL system as it is currently the only system up and running. The system is comprised of a pair of Monitor Audio mini-monitor two-ways, bi-amped with a vintage John Curl designed Symmetry ACS-1 crossover to Scan Speak 6 1/2" mid bass helper woofers, and a Velodyne sub. The preamp is a PS Audio 4.6. The amps are a Hafler P3000 for the mini monitors and an AB for the helper woofers. The interconnects were gold plated cheapos.

I compared the PS-1 (no mods) with a ~$500 Sony ES model CD changer. I have two better players downstairs, but opted for this comparison as it was the simplest to implement.

I did all comparisons in an A/B scenario with identical CDs in each player. Matching levels was a little tricky as the PS-1 has significantly lower output. I auditioned both in a blind fashion (quasi double blind as my assistant, my wife, had no idea why I had asked her to switch back and forth between the two sources.) After I auditioned them I performed the switching duties for my wife and we both had virtually identical responses.

Our impressions.

The sound stage was slightly wider for the PS-1 and the sound was slightly mellower (possibly smoother). The Sony ES changer had slightly more detail.

I can't say that either player was distinctly superior... they were slightly different as stated above. The PS-1 is a bargain at $15, though less convenient to use than a dedicated player.

If anyone would like to buy this player for $15, send me a PM.

Widget

pangea
05-16-2005, 12:11 AM
I have finally given the Sony PS-1, Model SCHP-1001 an audition.

I auditioned it on my non JBL system as it is currently the only system up and running. The system is comprised of a pair of Monitor Audio mini-monitor two-ways, bi-amped with a vintage John Curl designed Symmetry ACS-1 crossover to Scan Speak 6 1/2" mid bass helper woofers, and a Velodyne sub. The preamp is a PS Audio 4.6. The amps are a Hafler P3000 for the mini monitors and an AB for the helper woofers. The interconnects were gold plated cheapos.

I compared the PS-1 (no mods) with a ~$500 Sony ES model CD changer. I have two better players downstairs, but opted for this comparison as it was the simplest to implement.

I did all comparisons in an A/B scenario with identical CDs in each player. Matching levels was a little tricky as the PS-1 has significantly lower output. I auditioned both in a blind fashion (quasi double blind as my assistant, my wife, had no idea why I had asked her to switch back and forth between the two sources.) After I auditioned them I performed the switching duties for my wife and we both had virtually identical responses.

Our impressions.

The sound stage was slightly wider for the PS-1 and the sound was slightly mellower (possibly smoother). The Sony ES changer had slightly more detail.

I can't say that either player was distinctly superior... they were slightly different as stated above. The PS-1 is a bargain at $15, though less convenient to use than a dedicated player.

If anyone would like to buy this player for $15, send me a PM.

Widget


Hi Widget!

I'm very surprised over your findings, but cannot comment on them since I have no knowledge of the gear you have used.

If you are serious about selling the PS1, I would be very interested in buying it, if only to let it go a run against my own and see if there is a difference between them and possibly determine if there is something is wrong with it.

BR
Roland

Mr. Widget
05-16-2005, 12:27 AM
Sounds cool... I'll give it to you if you pay the shipping. It will be interesting to see if you find a difference between this player and yours.

After I did my audition I went back over the entire thread. It seems that my findings are pretty much in line with others who have posted comments. Sure there are those comments like "It is the best..." but those that did direct comparisons and posted their findings did seem to pretty much say similar things to my post. I found this interesting since I had either completely forgotten them or never read them in the first place. I think it is a nice sounding CD player that has a mellow tonal quality and does present a good sound stage. In my system, not the end all of all High End systems, but not a slouch either and certainly more revealing than many, I didn't find audio nirvana... just a good solid player with a funky look and awkward interface.

Widget

pangea
05-16-2005, 12:49 AM
Sounds cool... I'll give it to you if you pay the shipping. It will be interesting to see if you find a difference between this player and yours.

After I did my audition I went back over the entire thread. It seems that my findings are pretty much in line with others who have posted comments. Sure there are those comments like "It is the best..." but those that did direct comparisons and posted their findings did seem to pretty much say similar things to my post. I found this interesting since I had either completely forgotten them or never read them in the first place. I think it is a nice sounding CD player that has a mellow tonal quality and does present a good sound stage. In my system, not the end all of all High End systems, but not a slouch either and certainly more revealing than many, I didn't find audio nirvana... just a good solid player with a funky look and awkward interface.

Widget

Cool, great, thanks!!! :applaud:

BR
Roland

Figge
05-16-2005, 04:18 AM
Sounds cool... I'll give it to you if you pay the shipping. It will be interesting to see if you find a difference between this player and yours.

After I did my audition I went back over the entire thread. It seems that my findings are pretty much in line with others who have posted comments. Sure there are those comments like "It is the best..." but those that did direct comparisons and posted their findings did seem to pretty much say similar things to my post. I found this interesting since I had either completely forgotten them or never read them in the first place. I think it is a nice sounding CD player that has a mellow tonal quality and does present a good sound stage. In my system, not the end all of all High End systems, but not a slouch either and certainly more revealing than many, I didn't find audio nirvana... just a good solid player with a funky look and awkward interface.

Widget


i see ur point. i said "the best cd ive heard" becouse it infact is true. now im not specially impressed by any digital source, therefore ive never been intressted in cd-players. (a cd is a cd) pretty much. therefore ive never bothered with mega buck machines. ive had a lot of diffrent "pretty good", "not so good" and "crap" players over the years, but last 1,5 years ive stuck to a denon dual dj cd, wich too my ears were superior to the rest. now to the point: ps1 was better in every way, exept its interface, not directly userfriendly as cdp, its a hassle to operate without tv (my stereo dont have a tv) so i will continue using my denon, but will definatley buy ps1:s if i come across them. to further test the idéa and try some modifications, it´ll be fun. and i can allways bust up my buddies in a round of tekken.

the idéa shure is cool, and i would like to now how roland knew about it.

JuniorJBL
05-16-2005, 07:21 AM
Widget
Have you tried it aginst the Adcom at all yet?
I would really like to know what you think about yours vs others.
I did have a sony 777 at one time and did not find much difference between the two.:bouncy:

I do however wonder about the PS1:hmm:

Mr. Widget
05-16-2005, 10:18 AM
Have you tried it aginst the Adcom at all yet?

No, I didn't and due to PITA factors I won't. Since I wasn't blown away by it in this comparison, I don't see the point.


I did have a sony 777 at one time and did not find much difference between the two.

The Sony 777 is fairly highly regarded in the audio press. Are you suggesting that the Adcom was just as amazing or that the Sony 777 was equally competent as the Adcom?

I have used several mid-fi and mid-fi plus players in my system, at $1200 retail I am calling the Adcom a mid-fi plus, and really haven't been blown away by any of them. With all of them and including the PS-1, there are subtle differences, but only subtle ones. The best player I have is a Sony 9000ES. It is a DVD/SACD/CD player, stereo only and is incrementally better than the others... but just. It is extremely heavy, has features like turning off the video circuitry and display to reduce the possibility of digital noise, (I think it is marketing hype... but the player was their flagship DVD/SACD player for about a month before they came out with multi-channel players.)

I have not had the pleasure to audition a $5K+ player at home and therefore have no idea what a difference they might make, but I have had one digital eye opener. When using the Sony 9000ES player as a transport and feeding the digital signal into my DEQX and using the DEQX as an upsampling DAC... there is a significant improvement in the soundstage. It makes red book CDs sound almost as good as a good SACD or vinyl. It also seems to make the highs just slightly more delicate, not brighter or duller but cleaner sounding.

Widget

JuniorJBL
05-16-2005, 10:58 AM
The Sony 777 is fairly highly regarded in the audio press. Are you suggesting that the Adcom was just as amazing or that the Sony 777 was equally competent as the Adcom?

Widget

No! I had the 777 as a demo and the sacd portion did not work.
I should say that I was comparing in price vs performance. I paid $500.00 new from a local dealer for my adcom. At the time of the demo the 777 was no longer availible. Yes it did sound better but my system was not at the level that it is now.
I did pass up a chance to buy the SACD-1 for $1500.00 new!:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

I will regret that for awhile.:blink:

Steve K
05-17-2005, 02:28 AM
I got the SCPH-1000 (Japanese market model) today and did a quick A/B comparison test against my current main CD player, an Arcam FMJ-CD23. I used the Tape input for the PlayStation 1 (PS1), using Philips interconnect RCA cables that came with a LHH-700 which I no longer have (sigh).

First off the volume gain of the PS is just slightly lower than that of my Arcam. I suppose this depends on what CDP you're comparing against, so I don't think there's an issue there. Actually, I started doing the comparison with Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" CD of which I just happened to have two copies. In that test the PS had a significantly lower gain level. To be sure, I switched the CDs around, and the opposite resulted. I found out that one of the copies, which had the higher level, was a Rudy Van Gelder edition, which was a newly re-mastered issue. So, I played other CDs and had to shuffle back and forth physically (can't win them all, huh?).

I played Grant Green's "I Want To Hold Your Hand", the Doobie's "Long Train Running" (my JBL sound standard), and a female jazz singer with a guitar only accompaniment doing her version of "I Wish You Love".

The Arcam's a good player, very musical with a slight warmth in tonality, and all in all, offers a well balanced output. I forgot to mention that the Arcam's connected with Kimber's PBJ interconnects, which I think makes it more neutral sounding.

The PS1. Well, I am suprised, and in a pleasant way. The overall tone I felt is a little brighter than the Arcam's, and that's with the Philips interconnects, which I think is on the warmer side. I thought it gave slightly more detail to the mid-to-highs. The bass is tight and well defined. And it's quiet, too. In "I Wish You Love", I could hear the vocalist humming away from the microphone during the guitar solo part, which I don't remember hearing before. How can I put it - a more 'studio' atmosphere? In short, I think it's very good.

Having said that, I'm still sticking to the Arcam as my main player, the greatest reason being it's got a way better user-interface than the PS1! And its sound is not crummy either. The PS1, I'll keep it as a second player for the time being, and maybe tinker with it, giving it better shielding, etc, as Roland suggests. But then again, I am truly impressed. I only wish that its controls were more friendly, and the build more sturdy (like it would be nice if it was made of precision machined metal!) If Sony only knew what treasure they had and acted on it, their audio business might just be competing healthily with the Denons and Marantz's today in mid-fi, where the market is, instead of coming up with $10,000+ products.

Well, that's it, folks. Thanks for reading this far.:bouncy:

Finally, thank you, Roland, for the great tip! You couldn't get a much better CD player for what I paid!:applaud:

Alex Lancaster
05-17-2005, 07:18 AM
:) Steve: Is Your PS1 a 100V unit?, if so You should be using a step down trans or auto transformer.

Steve K
05-17-2005, 08:32 AM
:) Steve: Is Your PS1 a 100V unit?, if so You should be using a step down trans or auto transformer.

I live in Tokyo, Japan, where the voltage is 100V (50Hz). Thanks for your concern though.:)

pangea
05-17-2005, 11:28 AM
I got the SCPH-1000 (Japanese market model) today and did a quick A/B comparison test against my current main CD player, an Arcam FMJ-CD23. I used the Tape input for the PlayStation 1 (PS1), using Philips interconnect RCA cables that came with a LHH-700 which I no longer have (sigh).

First off the volume gain of the PS is just slightly lower than that of my Arcam. I suppose this depends on what CDP you're comparing against, so I don't think there's an issue there. Actually, I started doing the comparison with Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" CD of which I just happened to have two copies. In that test the PS had a significantly lower gain level. To be sure, I switched the CDs around, and the opposite resulted. I found out that one of the copies, which had the higher level, was a Rudy Van Gelder edition, which was a newly re-mastered issue. So, I played other CDs and had to shuffle back and forth physically (can't win them all, huh?).

I played Grant Green's "I Want To Hold Your Hand", the Doobie's "Long Train Running" (my JBL sound standard), and a female jazz singer with a guitar only accompaniment doing her version of "I Wish You Love".

The Arcam's a good player, very musical with a slight warmth in tonality, and all in all, offers a well balanced output. I forgot to mention that the Arcam's connected with Kimber's PBJ interconnects, which I think makes it more neutral sounding.

The PS1. Well, I am suprised, and in a pleasant way. The overall tone I felt is a little brighter than the Arcam's, and that's with the Philips interconnects, which I think is on the warmer side. I thought it gave slightly more detail to the mid-to-highs. The bass is tight and well defined. And it's quiet, too. In "I Wish You Love", I could hear the vocalist humming away from the microphone during the guitar solo part, which I don't remember hearing before. How can I put it - a more 'studio' atmosphere? In short, I think it's very good.

Having said that, I'm still sticking to the Arcam as my main player, the greatest reason being it's got a way better user-interface than the PS1! And its sound is not crummy either. The PS1, I'll keep it as a second player for the time being, and maybe tinker with it, giving it better shielding, etc, as Roland suggests. But then again, I am truly impressed. I only wish that its controls were more friendly, and the build more sturdy (like it would be nice if it was made of precision machined metal!) If Sony only knew what treasure they had and acted on it, their audio business might just be competing healthily with the Denons and Marantz's today in mid-fi, where the market is, instead of coming up with $10,000+ products.

Well, that's it, folks. Thanks for reading this far.:bouncy:

Finally, thank you, Roland, for the great tip! You couldn't get a much better CD player for what I paid!:applaud:

Hi Steve!

My pleasure entirely!!!:)

About the low gain, it's a known issue, it only has 1,5V out, instead of normally 2,0V.
The logical remedy would be to hang on a tube-stage, or simply turn up the volume slightly. ;)
http://www.playfidelity.com/Seiten/Playstation/SCPH-1002/Page.html

About the interface, you can buy the PS2 remote-control, it fits and works well on the PS1 (except the one made by Saitec) and for display I'm using a small 5" LCD TV-screen, it gives me the control I need. :D

Finally I also have to say something about the sound. For the first time ever, I know now how jitter sounds, since there is absolutely non to hear on the PS1, but on most other CD-players! :applaud:

BR
Roland

Mr. Widget
05-17-2005, 01:23 PM
For the first time ever, I know now how jitter sounds, since there is absolutely non to hear on the PS1, but on most other CD-players!

A very provocative statement... I didn't hear an AMAZING difference between the PS-1 and the reasonably average player I compared it to. Please try to use words to explain the difference you do hear.

BTW: I need to get that player boxed and then I'll get back to you with the shipping details... sorry for the delay.

Widget

pangea
05-17-2005, 03:09 PM
A very provocative statement... I didn't hear an AMAZING difference between the PS-1 and the reasonably average player I compared it to. Please try to use words to explain the difference you do hear.

BTW: I need to get that player boxed and then I'll get back to you with the shipping details... sorry for the delay.

Widget

OK, I'll try to describe my impressions the best I can, it's not that easy though, in a foreign language.

Over the years I've listened to quite a few CD-players, where most of them would be what you call mid-fi stuff. I have however on a few occasions listened to real Hi-End CD-players and also a extremly modified CD-player, done by a true HiFi guru. All of these CD-players, despite having presented the music very well although in different ways, they all left a sort of sonic imprint in my brain, so I thought, this is how the digital format sounds and haven't thought much else about it and whenever I listened to my vinyl's, they came across as a bit dampened or constricted in the highs and I got used to it.

Now as I listened to the PS1 for the first time, the first thing I noticed, as the grin on my face grew wider, I thought it sounded like analog but without any constrictions and without the crackle and pops usually associated with vinyl's.
My second thought was, now I know what jitter is and not until having listened to digital music without the jitter, made me realize that it had been so present and intertwined with CD's all this time, that I didn't know what it was, until it was gone.

But then again, I'm not excluding the possibility, or even the likelihood that there are plenty of CD-players out there, that also do not have any jitter, it's probably just that I have managed to miss them, or haven't been able to afford any of them.

Take your time, no need to hurry with the shipping, I should finish my MTM hybrids first anyway. :D

BR
Roland

gerard
05-18-2005, 03:21 AM
I would like to make a comment and may be someone can help me ? .

When I first compare the ps1 ( 1002 ) to my dvd563 Pionner , the ps1 gave more bass and also a better sound on the low medium area ; only the uhf was less present .

Then I change the caps on my 43xx crossover clone ( 2x56uf for the bass ) Solen caps again electrolyte 30 years old caps !.

The sound was much better and tight on the low medium , the bass was also firmer ; the bass speaker le15a on my left side which I though needed recone now sound perfect !!!! .

Then I compare again the ps1 and the pionner and i DO NOT SEE any difference on the bass only the voice or trumplet are more ahead and metallic ; for trumpet it is ok even better sometimes but tot the voice .

I do not understand why I do not see the bass difference between the 2 palyer since I change those caps .

Gerard

pangea
05-18-2005, 03:48 AM
I would like to make a comment and may be someone can help me ? .

When I first compare the ps1 ( 1002 ) to my dvd563 Pionner , the ps1 gave more bass and also a better sound on the low medium area ; only the uhf was less present .

Then I change the caps on my 43xx crossover clone ( 2x56uf for the bass ) Solen caps again electrolyte 30 years old caps !.

The sound was much better and tight on the low medium , the bass was also firmer ; the bass speaker le15a on my left side which I though needed recone now sound perfect !!!! .

Then I compare again the ps1 and the pionner and i DO NOT SEE any difference on the bass only the voice or trumplet are more ahead and metallic ; for trumpet it is ok even better sometimes but tot the voice .

I do not understand why I do not see the bass difference between the 2 palyer since I change those caps .

Gerard

I think it could be logical the difference are smaller now after the change of caps.

Deeper and tighter bass, I think, is what everyone has experienced.

You say the uhf became less present with the PS1. Could it be that the amount of presence is still the same and that you perhaps did mistake the jitter for more presence? Also, could it be that the voices now are more calm and settled and without the jitter, that it makes you feel there is something missing and the missing part, being the jitter?

If you're listening to vinyl's, do you also think there is less presence on those records?

Just wondering and trying to imagine if I could have drawn the same conclusions.

BR
Roland

gerard
05-18-2005, 04:20 AM
Pangea


i would say for now , vinyl looks more like my Pioneer !!!

gerard

Stonehenge Man
05-23-2005, 05:41 PM
My last 5 CDPs cost 5 dollars or less and all of them except ONE were Sonys. The fourth was a Magnavox and plastic cased as part of a system but I enjoy it's DAC also.

pangea
06-16-2005, 10:22 AM
A very provocative statement... I didn't hear an AMAZING difference between the PS-1 and the reasonably average player I compared it to. Please try to use words to explain the difference you do hear.

BTW: I need to get that player boxed and then I'll get back to you with the shipping details... sorry for the delay.

Widget

Hi Widget!

Many thanks, the parcel has arrived and it's alive! :)
Are you sure you won't give me an account number where I can transfer the money?
If there is anything I can do to help you in any other way, please let me know.

Anyway, I had to replace the power supply and while doing so, I put in some of the shielding at the same time.
I think that this is necessary on the SCPH1001/2, since the laser unit is situated so close to the supply.
On later models the supply is a bit further away because of this.
As I hooked it up and put in the first CD, my first impression was that the 1001 is capable of digging even deeper in to the lows, compared to the 5502 I'm currently using.
Then I also noticed that some of my CD-R's didn't sound as good as previously on my 5502.
Why that is, I don't know yet, It could be that the one you sent me, doesn't like the CD-R's, like my old player, OR it could be that the 1001 is more sensitive/revealing than my own 5502.

The next thing I noticed, was that your PS1 isn't capable of playing most of the CD-R's, without frequent dropouts, some shorter, some longer.

Therefore I think it would be interesting to know if perhaps the 1001 you sent me, has been played a lot, thus causing the laser/transport, to "drop the ball" now and then, or if it has been in storage for a long time and perhaps it will take a while before things will loosen up again.
I can already sense that the dropouts are becoming somewhat shorter with every CD played.

But if they don't go away entirely, then I will try to replace the laser as well and at the same time complete the shielding.

Other than that I think the sound is comparable, between the two units.

It may well be true, that the PS1 doesn't have that last ounce of detail, as some of those esoteric players costing above the 10k$ mark, but then again, I would never be able to afford one of those anyway, so I'm quite happy with the performance this toy is capable of and I still think that with this player, I'm as close to the CD-nirvana, as I'll ever be and thanks a million once again! :applaud: :bouncy:

Is this forum great or what!!! :applaud: :bouncy:

BR
Roland :cheers:

Alex Lancaster
06-16-2005, 03:17 PM
:) Pangea: My son gave an SCPH-101, is this usable?, I´ll try it Sunday.

Thanks.

rek50
06-16-2005, 03:47 PM
Is this forum great or what!!! http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/applaud.gif http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/bouncy.gif Yes it is! Roland, I have four SCPH 1001 units. One of them wouldn't recognise a "Packed", as in loaded with songs, CD. I noticed the laser didn't seem to "Kiss" the spindle as close as the others. After I removed a bit of "Flash" on the end of the plunger/switch, it's nice and friendly with the spindle and recognises the packed CD. Three of the units sound very similar. The fourth sounds brighter, less mid/bass for some reason. I A/B'd them and even my wife could tell. I'll try the shielding task on one of them just for fun. It is fun to me.

pangea
06-17-2005, 06:38 AM
:) Pangea: My son gave an SCPH-101, is this usable?, I´ll try it Sunday.

Thanks.

Hi Alex!

I have no first hand experience on the 101, but from what I have read there are those who say it's no good and will dismiss it, but on the other hand, there are those who use the 101 as base for some serious tweaking and modification.

If you go back in the thread I think you will find some of those links, although some of the links ar in German.

Best thing would be to simply try it out and see if there is anything you could improve.

If you need some help with the German, I'd be glad to help.

BR
Roland

pangea
06-17-2005, 06:49 AM
Is this forum great or what!!! http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/applaud.gif http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/bouncy.gif Yes it is! Roland, I have four SCPH 1001 units. One of them wouldn't recognise a "Packed", as in loaded with songs, CD. I noticed the laser didn't seem to "Kiss" the spindle as close as the others. . Three of the units sound very similar. The fourth sounds brighter, less mid/bass for some reason. I A/B'd them and even my wife could tell. I'll try the shielding task on one of them just for fun. It is fun to me.

Could you please explain what you mean by:
"After I removed a bit of "Flash" on the end of the plunger/switch, it's nice and friendly with the spindle and recognises the packed CD".

Did you also have some intermittent "drop-outs"?
The shielding is necessary on the 1001. But be very careful, you dont short the fuseholder, as I did. :o:

Perhaps the fourth one is busted? I managed to blow one up, after having tried to improve the signal and connectors out.
After that, I experienced the same thing, no bass and no low mid's.

BR
Roland

rek50
06-17-2005, 07:45 AM
"Flash"-slang term for a "Bleed through", through the parting line of a mold. There was some excess plastic on the end of the plunger activated switch, which can be seen if you slide the laser unit up from the mounting pegs (unplug first), and turn it over. I've never had any "Drop Outs" on any of them. I'd check for a loose connection. I have bass/mids on the one, but it sounds different than the other three. RichsPSXParts.com has new laser lens unit for cheap.

rek50
06-17-2005, 08:01 AM
More "Drop Out" thoughts: Maybe the "Lid Closed" sensor/switch is bad/dirty. How about a capacitor on the power supply board being less than good? Dirty RCA jacks? Dirty laser lens? Scratched CD? Broken or bad spindle hub- Wobbly disk spin? :blah: :blah: :blah:

pangea
07-26-2005, 12:14 AM
More "Drop Out" thoughts: Maybe the "Lid Closed" sensor/switch is bad/dirty. How about a capacitor on the power supply board being less than good? Dirty RCA jacks? Dirty laser lens? Scratched CD? Broken or bad spindle hub- Wobbly disk spin? :blah: :blah: :blah:

Finally, I've given it up. I think I have tried everything now, except replacing the power supply (haven't got another one), but haven't found a setting for the bias/gain, where it will play all the CD's without any drop outs or behaving otherwise strangely.

So, now I'm back with the SCPH 5502 with the automatic bias/gain adjustment.
Now at least everything works again, even though I think the 1001 was able to dig a little bit deeper in to the low's, but other than that I'm not sure if I would be able to tell them apart in a blind test.

BR
Roland

Box
07-26-2005, 03:21 PM
First i saw of this thread. :blah:
I guess it was around '98 that my sony 5 cd player had problems with the drawer. People were coming over and i didnt have time to fool with it. A friend suggested i use my old PS1 as a CD player just to get by. He had never hooked it up to a stereo, just to his TV for his kids to play games and listen to their CD's. It has RCA jacks doesnt it? he says. Just try it.
I didnt like the idea. It probably sounds like a cheap piece of plastic dog poop. I even wondered about the possibility of it being so cheap that it might damage my amp or speakers or something. I was thoroughly surprised. It does have a clean, clear and full sound to it. I think it was missing a little something somewhere, but it was a great solution for that night. I did become concerned at one point in the evening though as the PS1 became so hot i thought it might damage the CD's from the heat. So, i put a ziplocked bag of ice on it. :D
Any ideas on a better cooling method for extended playing in case i should have to do this again?

andywin
07-31-2005, 12:20 AM
Then I also noticed that some of my CD-R's didn't sound as good as previously on my 5502.
Why that is, I don't know yet, It could be that the one you sent me, doesn't like the CD-R's, like my old player, OR it could be that the 1001 is more sensitive/revealing than my own 5502.

The next thing I noticed, was that your PS1 isn't capable of playing most of the CD-R's, without frequent dropouts, some shorter, some longer.



Spoke to a Techno nerd about this problem. He reckons that it's all down to the fact that the PS1 was built to the "White book standard (CD-ROM) whereas audio CD players are built to the "Red book" standard.

Where an audio CD player can fill a segment of missing data, it would'nt be such a good idea to do the same with data. Imagine the PC second guessing missing data on a spreadsheet stored on CD.

The nerds suggested the PS1 may be more akin to some early CD players which were prone to skipping and dropout.

Does anyone have any data on the dacs and oversampling rates etc. for toe 1000 series and what improvements the 5000 series offered.

pangea
07-31-2005, 04:40 AM
Spoke to a Techno nerd about this problem. He reckons that it's all down to the fact that the PS1 was built to the "White book standard (CD-ROM) whereas audio CD players are built to the "Red book" standard.

Where an audio CD player can fill a segment of missing data, it would'nt be such a good idea to do the same with data. Imagine the PC second guessing missing data on a spreadsheet stored on CD.

The nerds suggested the PS1 may be more akin to some early CD players which were prone to skipping and dropout.

Does anyone have any data on the dacs and oversampling rates etc. for toe 1000 series and what improvements the 5000 series offered.

I don't know what goes where and why in a PS1, but it feels like, if it's true what he said, then that problem would have to be present on all, or most of the early 1001/2 players, wouldn't it not?
But as far as I know this problem only occurs on some of them and only on a few even.

So, what els could be factored in?

Anyway, I,m back to my previous SCPH5502 which works beautifully. :D

BR
Roland

andywin
08-01-2005, 11:27 AM
I don't know what goes where and why in a PS1, but it feels like, if it's true what he said, then that problem would have to be present on all, or most of the early 1001/2 players, wouldn't it not?
But as far as I know this problem only occurs on some of them and only on a few even.

So, what els could be factored in?

Anyway, I,m back to my previous SCPH5502 which works beautifully. :D

BR
Roland

I have a 1002 that will play new CD's without problem but drops out when playing some older discs that have those pinprick holes in them. Try holding a few over a light source to see what I mean. It also struggles with most CDR's. It does sound good when given a good quality recent disc though.
Virtually evryone I know who has tried PS1's has encountered this problem with the 1002.
Like you I prefer the reliability of the 5502 and it's my 1st choice.

440hz
09-13-2005, 11:11 PM
I have been reading this thread with interest and managed to get hold of 2 old playstations, a 7502 and a 5502. The 7502 sounds fantastic, I don't have expensive players to compare it to, but I love what I am hearing and it has a sound more like vinyl which I prefer.

Like a lot of people have said detail is fantastic, imaging is great, etc etc. I think I actually prefer the sound of the 5502 but have not a/b these playstations yet. The 5502 tends to drop out a lot though, I think the CD is a bit wobbly and it is much noisier than the 7502 when it spins up. I might try swapping the transport unit over in these two as they have identical connections to PSU and the main board.

Thanks Roland for posting this info. I am going to put one into a heavy case I have and provide buttons on the front for Play, stop, next and previous track. I am trying to get hold of a 1002 model for this purpose because I want the RCA sockets that are already connected. I found a pawn broker close by today that told me he only buys the earliest models like the 1002 for the controllers and accessories and trashes the console because people dont want them! He even looked in his junk pile out the back to see if he still had some. He said he would hang on to them for me in future.

Does anyone know of any other links to people moding these units or how they are using them? I have only found references on here and a few comments on a couple other boards. I wonder how many people are a bit reluctant to share what they thought about the sound?

pangea
09-14-2005, 12:18 AM
I would do what you're about to do and see if the 5502 becomes more stable as well as more quiet after the swap.

But don't throw the replaced transport unit away, because you might want to keep it for spare parts.

I my self gave up on the 1001, Mr. Widget was kind enough to send me, since I wasn't able to adjust the "Gain" and "Bias", to get rid of the annoying dropouts.
The 5502 sounds just as good and works more than well enough for me anyway and does all the adjustments automatically.

I think there is a bit of psychology working here, why some people seem reluctant to praise the PS1. A "simple" piece of kids toy, just cannot be as good as a mega buck piece of, heavy duty, high end, audiophile grade CD player.
Also, if I spend a lot of money on a CD player, I sure would like to be able to impress all my friends and I sure would want it to be better than a ten year old toy costing less than $20, don't you think?....

BR
Roland

440hz
09-14-2005, 03:55 PM
I swapped the transport in the 5502 for the one in the 7502, took about 2 minutes, it just dropped staight in. They have a slightly different layout on the main board so I had use the 5502 wiring loom with the 7502 transport or it wouldn't reach the socket on the pcb, but they unplug no problem.

The 5502 works fine now, and I also discovered the problem with its original transport. It was simply the plastic clamp that holds the CD in place, it had cracked probably from kids pulling out CDs carelessly, I ran it in the other machine with the lid off and I could see it slipping,. By this I mean the CD would slow and sometimes stop for a moment while the spindle spun inside the CD hole, it kept loosing its grip on the CD. Explains why it was so noisy too :).

I am going to get a playstation 2 DVD remote as it seems they work with the playstation 1. just plug the reciever into the controller port and you have remote CD functions like play, stop, skip etc. I pulled apart a hand controller and was going to wire up play, stop and skip buttons to the case I am putting it in, but I might just go remote only, single button on the front of the case for power on and a nice LED smack in the middle, minimalist hardcore CD player ;)


The case I have weighs about 5kg now that I have gutted it, full size CD player with 3mm steel base and machined heavy black anodised aluminim top and sides which bolts to the steel subchassis. Picked it up from a parts pile at a pawn broker for $5 as a non working player, laser module was dead. I will replace the front panel and have to cut a hole in the top, its about 4mm thick aluminium, then we'll see who has the megabuck gear :p just kidding.

I am going to tryout a 1002 before I make any final desicions on which to finally stick with, I even like the sound of the 7502, it does slightly different to the 5502, maybe a bit more dynamic, maybe thats not a good thing though, more testing needed. I have A/B the 5502 and 7502 and the 5502 with a couple of deomestic CD players a budget technics and sony and the playstation gets the thumbs up both from myself and my gf who thinks everything sounds the same but still seems to pick the PS in these blind tests.

I would really like to see the results from other comparisons, I don't know if the PS can hold its own against the really high end stuff or not, but it is better than any player I own or want to pay for right now, so I am happy to experiment with it and enjoy the sound I am getting.

thanks again for pointing it out.

Alan Fletcher
09-14-2005, 06:30 PM
Too bad I didn't see this thread a while ago... Had a PS1 and chucked it. I set up a small system for my girlfriend and she used it for games, I used it to play CDRs since her crappy DVD player doesn't play CDRs. One day it fell off a shelf and smacked the floor pretty hard. She was almost to the point of tears so I took it home and tore into it-- turned out one of the gears inside the drive mech was cracked in half and the motor spindle was bent. It sat around for a few months until cleanup time and then it went to the breakers.

It would have been good for parts. When I would listen to it, I was never impressed-- it was just a CD player neither bad nor good, one with ridiculously complicated controls and video display requirement.

-A

440hz
09-15-2005, 12:39 AM
Hey Alan it is a pity you chucked it, as for the sound I really think some models definately sound better than others, After a lot of listening I prefer the 5502 over the 7205, I still haven't tried the 1002. A lot of people have said the 9002 etc sound bad. Not surprising they sound different either, they have different components and layout inside (anyone have schematics for them?). Some people really like the sound they produce, some think they sound as good as an average player. I haven't heard too many negative comments about the sound, personally I like the sound, but that wont stop me from trying other things out, If there is one thing I know its that I am never completely satisfied with ANY part of my system.

As for controls I have tried using a PS2 DVD remote control and it works great. Just plug the little square reciever module into the control port and the remote gives you play, pause, stop, next track forward and rev, and fast forward and reverse functions. I have heard you can use a learning remote with these too, so you can reduce the remote collection that will soon consume itself due to its ever increasing mass ;)

The 5502 I am using is destined for the full sized CD player case I have, I was going to try a 1002 first but I can swap it over later if I decide.

Theres plenty of room in the case for a valve output stage too, so that will be on the list, and remote control as well of course, will post pics when I'm done if anyone is interested.

pangea
09-15-2005, 03:00 AM
Of course I want pictures!!!:bouncy:

About the remote, don't buy the "Saitek" remote, cos it won't fit unless removing a lot of plastic from the PS1 cover and after I did just that, it still didn't work. :(

BR
Roland

440hz
09-15-2005, 04:53 AM
About the remote, don't buy the "Saitek" remote, cos it won't fit unless removing a lot of plastic from the PS1 cover and after I did just that, it still didn't work.

that sucks. I just bought a PS2 one because thats what they had at the pawnbroker I tried. Don't give up completely yet though, try one of those learning all in one remotes if you have one. Not all of the DVD function buttons on the PS2 control work either. I cant use the the usual play, stop buttons etc. that are present on the PS2 remote, I can only use the controller buttons that are replicated on the remote control at the bottom.

I have started work on mine, will post pics on a web page and let you know.

panos29
09-15-2005, 09:25 AM
Just found this interesting thread! I got to say I am now using the 1002 for more than a year, my previous player was a stable plater pioneer707 and my all time favourite sony 50es( built like a tank). My opinion is that the 1002 joke is by far the best player I ever tried in my system in the sence it really makes music sound so effortless and so life like i wouldnt dare to think it could, something like after a long CD audition you put on your turntable and everything is so smooth and relaxed. Compared to the 50es is alot better in all respects except maybe a bit less analytical, compared to the pioneer there is no comparinson in any respect. I really cannot explain or reason why this happens but I take it as it is. I am in the proccess of designing a normal power supply to take the place of the pwm supply of the original and also build a dedicated aluminum box for this. My rest system is a DIY 6sn7 pre a la plack velvet, a push pull 6B4G amp at about 15W designed by me and a pair of Tannoy monitor 15" dual concentrics into a horn loaded cabinet designed by me. I really canot explain :banghead:how this nice "joke" makes good music, maybe its because synergy with the rest of my system.

pangea
09-15-2005, 10:20 AM
that sucks. I just bought a PS2 one because thats what they had at the pawnbroker I tried. Don't give up completely yet though, try one of those learning all in one remotes if you have one. Not all of the DVD function buttons on the PS2 control work either. I cant use the the usual play, stop buttons etc. that are present on the PS2 remote, I can only use the controller buttons that are replicated on the remote control at the bottom.

I have started work on mine, will post pics on a web page and let you know.

I took the remote back to the shop, but haven't yet come around to buy the original remote from Sony, but it'll be soon.

I'll be waiting for the pics.

BR
Roland

pangea
09-15-2005, 10:33 AM
Just found this interesting thread! I got to say I am now using the 1002 for more than a year, my previous player was a stable plater pioneer707 and my all time favourite sony 50es( built like a tank). My opinion is that the 1002 joke is by far the best player I ever tried in my system in the sence it really makes music sound so effortless and so life like i wouldnt dare to think it could, something like after a long CD audition you put on your turntable and everything is so smooth and relaxed. Compared to the 50es is alot better in all respects except maybe a bit less analytical, compared to the pioneer there is no comparinson in any respect. I really cannot explain or reason why this happens but I take it as it is. I am in the proccess of designing a normal power supply to take the place of the pwm supply of the original and also build a dedicated aluminum box for this. My rest system is a DIY 6sn7 pre a la plack velvet, a push pull 6B4G amp at about 15W designed by me and a pair of Tannoy monitor 15" dual concentrics into a horn loaded cabinet designed by me. I really canot explain :banghead:how this nice "joke" makes good music, maybe its because synergy with the rest of my system.

It certainly is no joke IMO!!!

I always get the same feeling as you, it sounds like vinyl, but without the cracks and pops. Only clean and effortless presentation of the music and that's also good enough for me.:D

It's always the weakest link that determines the sound quality and I would say, you need to buy some really expensive stuff before the PS1 becomes that weak point.

BR
Roland

rek50
09-15-2005, 04:15 PM
"but haven't yet come around to buy the original remote from Sony, but it'll be soon." Hey, what's this? Soon after I read about the Sony remote, I grabbed a new one off eBay for cheap. Treat yourself and get one already!! It is nice to sit back and select with the push of a button. I'm still running mine BONE STOCK. When I show off my "New High Dollar" CD player, I keep a cover on it. Then I pull the cover off, and watch the jaws drop. "A lowly, old PS1, GASP, I payed XXXX for mine......" Sooner or later I'll try shielding the power supply, and maybe even adding a blue LED. But I will put it into a "Humble" looking box. :D

440hz
09-15-2005, 05:59 PM
I have to agree with the comparison to vinyl sound with the playstation. I clean my records as much as I like but cannot completely get rid of the occasional click and bit of noise you hear in silent passages. Of course I want to improve my set up and maybe that will help. But the PS1 does have a vinyl like sound to my ears.

As far as the PS1 being a 'toy'. Well yeah but a very sophisticated toy, as is high end hi-fi gear. have a look inside, it wasn't designed and built in the factory where they make 'happy meal' novelty toys. :blink:

pangea
09-16-2005, 02:18 AM
-rek50

I know, it won't be long now before I have one.

Nice party trick!:applaud:

Recently I had a few of my colleagues over for a few brewsky and I can assure you they all dropped their jaws after I fired up the speakers. They were all VERY impressed with the sound coming from my, mostly DIY gear. There were my hybrid MTM speakers with the surplus JBL drivers, a few DIY Hypex class D amps, a couple of big vintage Yamaha studio amps, two Behringer Ultradrive and one Ultracurve, one vintage Audionics of Oregon BT-2 preamp and of course the PS1.

They simply couldn't believe that the PS1 could be that good and when I told them that some of my JBL drivers are more than 30 years old even, I could see that they almost didn't believe me.

BR
Roland

pangea
09-16-2005, 02:30 AM
-440Hz

I agree completely!

When designing the first PS1, the engineers were told to do what ever it takes and use what ever they wanted, to get to the top of the "hill"!

At first they made some technical improvements on the 5002 and 5502, but then they began cutting corners with each new model and sure enough they had managed to destroy the concept on the later models.
BR
Roland

cruisaire
09-19-2005, 07:23 AM
Did the 7001 "make the cut"? Mine sounds great, but I haven't been able to check it against an earlier model yet.

pangea
09-19-2005, 08:06 AM
Did the 7001 "make the cut"? Mine sounds great, but I haven't been able to check it against an earlier model yet.

Hi cruisaire!

First of all, very welcome to this great forum! I hope you will like it as much as I do.

Well then, I'm sure the 7001 will hold it's ground against many other good CD-players, but the difference between the 7001 and the earlier models, is significant, so if you can find one, I suggest you grab it as fast as you can, because if you like the 7001, you will absolutely love a 5001 or 5501.
Although the 1001 sounds even better, it has a few things that makes it less than ideal. One being drop outs which can be difficult to adjust manually.

BR
Roland

andywin
09-19-2005, 02:32 PM
Although the 1001 sounds even better, it has a few things that makes it less than ideal. One being drop outs which can be difficult to adjust manually.

BR
Roland

This link gives tips on bias adjustment for the 1000 series

http://members.fortunecity.com/phreeak69/files/psxfix.htm

rek50
09-19-2005, 03:14 PM
Nice link andywin! I have 1001's and can use the info. I stumbled on something today that maybe others know already, or may not. I have the Sony PS2 remote plugged in and working my PS1. I've been doing some crossover work and have a couple of "Test" songs/tracks, that I play, to "Ear-Test" the mods. Usually I would press Start, then R1, to advance to my "Test" track. Today, I inserted the disk, closed the lid, and pressed R1 (FIRST) to the desired track, then pressed Start. WoW man, it started where I wanted, on the selected track instead of the beginning. It was new to me:D ..............

cruisaire
09-21-2005, 07:41 AM
Thanks for the welcome! I'll check back once I locate an older model as suggested.

SSExpo
09-22-2005, 12:23 PM
Where would you look for the model #? SCPH1001/1002?

Thanks

Alex Lancaster
09-22-2005, 12:42 PM
:) Will an SCPH-101 work well?

pangea
09-22-2005, 01:11 PM
Where would you look for the model #? SCPH1001/1002?

Thanks

Second hand shops, auctions and private ads.

BR
Roland

pangea
09-22-2005, 01:21 PM
:) Will an SCPH-101 work well?

From what I've learned, the 101, is said to be a big no no, by many. Although I've read somewhere that one or two companies in the US is using the 101 as base for some serious tweaking and modification and is then sold for a hefty price. Mind you I have not heard one of those, so I really can't have an oppinion on that.

If you can find one of the older ones as well, I think many of us would appreciate if you could compare them and let us know what you think.

BR
Roland

440hz
09-22-2005, 10:19 PM
SSexpo, It sounds like you mean where is the model number located on the machine? Answer is on the bottom.

I just saw a 1002 in a pawnbroker with controller and leads, they wanted $38AUS for it and I passed it up, that how cheap I can be :P

pangea
09-23-2005, 02:54 AM
SSexpo, It sounds like you mean where is the model number located on the machine? Answer is on the bottom.

I just saw a 1002 in a pawnbroker with controller and leads, they wanted $38AUS for it and I passed it up, that how cheap I can be :P

I'm not sure how much $38 AUS is exactly, but I don't think I would like to pay more than 20€ either, for one in good condition.

BR
Roland

Mr. Widget
09-23-2005, 11:54 AM
When I searched for one it didn't take long to find a local one on eBay for $15. They are practically giving them away on eBay.


Widget

cruisaire
09-26-2005, 04:42 AM
Ditto on that auction site, the 5501 I just won there was 13 + shipping with a 60-day guarantee. Don't know how useful that guarantee will be given that these haven't been made for awhile and finding a replacement would be an adventure:D , but it is nice to know the seller is open to working with a buyer. While headed to the Post Office to send payment, found a 7501 at the thrifty:applaud: , near perfect cosmetic and fully functional for 7.50. I'm checking it out at work using a tubed Magnavox power amp, Foreplay II preamp, and Ohm Walsh speaks now. Nice sound overall, coworker says it's a little shy on the highs to him.

Jakeisuseless
09-27-2005, 09:00 PM
I don't know about the PSone... but my PS2 running optical into my amp sounds fantastic.

Though, the unltimate CD player to me will always be... the turntable. Compact enough right?

pangea
09-28-2005, 01:30 AM
Ditto on that auction site, the 5501 I just won there was 13 + shipping with a 60-day guarantee. Don't know how useful that guarantee will be given that these haven't been made for awhile and finding a replacement would be an adventure:D , but it is nice to know the seller is open to working with a buyer. While headed to the Post Office to send payment, found a 7501 at the thrifty:applaud: , near perfect cosmetic and fully functional for 7.50. I'm checking it out at work using a tubed Magnavox power amp, Foreplay II preamp, and Ohm Walsh speaks now. Nice sound overall, coworker says it's a little shy on the highs to him.

Could it be your coworker just didn't hear any jitter and sharp ssss's?

Congrats on the 7501 BTW, I'd keep it anyway, if nothing else, for spare parts.

BR
Roland

pangea
09-28-2005, 01:41 AM
I don't know about the PSone... but my PS2 running optical into my amp sounds fantastic.

Though, the unltimate CD player to me will always be... the turntable. Compact enough right?

I have never heard a PS2 being used as a CD-player, but from what I've read, the early PS1 models are much better and before all, much more vinyl like in their presentation, due to their lack of jitter.

So, if you dig vinyl sound, I think you should try to get an early PS1 for comparison at least and also be amazed.

BR
Roland

cruisaire
09-28-2005, 10:06 AM
Perhaps I don't have sufficiently trained ears yet:blink:, I can't hear jitter or sharp ssssss's. Who knows? Since the preamp will take 3 sources simultaneously, I'll soon be able to do a A/B/C comparison of three units (5501, 7001, 7501) at the same time using three copies of the same songs.

pangea
09-28-2005, 10:34 AM
Perhaps I don't sufficiently trained ears yet:blink: , I can't hear jitter or sharp ssssss's. Who knows? SInce the preamp will take 3 sources simultaneously, I'll soon be able to do a A/B/C comparison of three units at the same time using three copies of the same songs.

Listen to Diana Krall's voice, she's got a sharp S, which usually reveals a cheap CD-player right away.

The thing about jitter, is that you most likely won't hear it until it's gone, a bit like the fan in a big office building, that you won't notice until it's turned off.

If you have a certain high class record, on both CD and vinyl, you first play a song on the CD-player and then switch over to play the same song on vinyl.
Then you'll know what jitter is.

BR
Roland

cruisaire
09-28-2005, 10:41 AM
Cool! I'll check into it further.

Jakeisuseless
09-28-2005, 02:12 PM
I have never heard a PS2 being used as a CD-player, but from what I've read, the early PS1 models are much better and before all, much more vinyl like in their presentation, due to their lack of jitter.

So, if you dig vinyl sound, I think you should try to get an early PS1 for comparison at least and also be amazed.

BR
Roland

Well, I suppose $15 or so would be worth it. I'll get back to you.

I really like my PS2 as a CD player. I hate the interface, using a TV and all. The sound though, beats the hell out of my fathers Sony 101 disk changer that he let me borrow for a while.

Fishstink
10-13-2005, 11:52 PM
I was skeptical until I found a 10001 and tried it. My friend and I were bowled over by the sonics. The difference is very noticeable. Have not done any mods like, shielding the power supply because I can't understand how this sound could be improved. What would shielding the power supply do to improve the sound? Please describe, thank you.

pangea
10-14-2005, 03:07 AM
I was skeptical until I found a 10001 and tried it. My friend and I were bowled over by the sonics. The difference is very noticeable. Have not done any mods like, shielding the power supply because I can't understand how this sound could be improved. What would shielding the power supply do to improve the sound? Please describe, thank you.

Hi and very welcome to this great forum.

Part of the answer you want, can be found earlier in the thread.
I'm also not so sure the difference is that obvious, however the laser unit on the 1001 is located very near the power supply, which might cause some heat problems, as well as create some additional hum and noise, which the shielding will help to reduce.

One thing is for sure tho, it won't make it worse.

A word of caution also. Make sure any shielding doesn't come i contact with the fuse holder!!!

BR
Roland

iamjack
10-23-2005, 12:43 AM
Just thought I'd post to people who are hesitant about the interface, Kmart currently has the LCD screen for the original PS1 on clearance for about 13 dollars; so I'd imagine that other retailers are clearing out their products at a similar price point. I imagine that ebay even has something comperable pricewise.

pangea
10-23-2005, 06:51 AM
Just thought I'd post to people who are hesitant about the interface, Kmart currently has the LCD screen for the original PS1 on clearance for about 13 dollars; so I'd imagine that other retailers are clearing out their products at a similar price point. I imagine that ebay even has something comperable pricewise.

Hi iamjack!

Very welcome to the forum and many thanks for the info, which I'm sure our US members will appreciate.
It's like you said, a few have been hesitant about the interface, but don't need to be any longer. :applaud:

Hope you'll find the other sections of this forum interesting as well.

BR
Roland

440hz
11-06-2005, 07:22 PM
The screen would be nice to build into another box. If you have read all of this thread you would know I have tried a few of the PS1 models.

My favourite was the 1002 because it had RCA sockets and I loved the sound. Of course dropouts were common as it seems they often are on this model. I was going to try and fix this but it had abnother problem which was sometimes it wouldn't play a CD unless you turned it on and let it start up with the lid open, then there was a disc my girfriend wanted to play and it refused to play it at all. So my gf stopped using my rig and went back to the dreaded computer.

I hooked up an old CD player without remote so she could use my main rig and then went and bought a second hand Pioneer DV-355 DVD player, it sounds quite good 192kHz/24-bit audio D/A converte, and has remote control and all that plus it can play the dreaded mp3s that my GF has so many of, at least she uses my good set up again.

So I was reading the new posts to this thread and thought I should put the PS1 5502 back into commission just for my own use and leave the Pioneer hooked up for my gf. I can say without doubt the PS1 is much better, has a wider bandwidth sound, low jitter, extreme detail but so smooth. I love the playstation as a player. I use a PS2 remote control with it and I don't care if it doesn't have a visual for the track number time remain etc. I have the CD cover for the song list, just like vinyl ;)

If you haven't tried a PS1 yet, and you don't own a high end CDP, you owe it to yourself to try one. My advice now would be go for a 5002/5502, the 1002 is great but you may be put off by dropouts, I certainly got sick of that. Some people of course may not like the PS1 sound, but I prefer the vinyl sound to CD so that could be why I find the sound so pleasing. I have found most of the cheaper (sub $500) CDPs I have listened to all sounding much the same, the PS1 is the only player that has sounded significantly different to me.

Fishstink
11-14-2005, 09:48 PM
I'm getting drop outs on my 1001. Mostly this occurs on cd-r's which I burn myself. Once in awhile it will happen on commercial cd's. Is there a way to prevent this from happening? Do drop outs happen on the 5501? I love the sound of the 1001 but the drop outs are annoying. Any advice will be appreciated, thanks.......

pangea
11-15-2005, 12:36 AM
I'm getting drop outs on my 1001. Mostly this occurs on cd-r's which I burn myself. Once in awhile it will happen on commercial cd's. Is there a way to prevent this from happening? Do drop outs happen on the 5501? I love the sound of the 1001 but the drop outs are annoying. Any advice will be appreciated, thanks.......

Sometimes it can be fixed by adjusting the Bias & Gain, which is previously discussed in this thread.

If you're a techie you could do it your self, if not, take it to Sony or another Playstation repair shop and they'll adjust it for a few bucks.

BR
Roland

Nightbrace
11-18-2005, 05:04 PM
Roland, are you crazy?? A Playstation cannot possibly sound good. By specs alone the Dreamcast I have should be much better, mine even has a shielded power supply from the factory. And I think it sounds terrible.

Could it be that what you are hearing is not a better sound, but a more ANALOG-like sound. More subdued and subtle?

I have a Diana Krall CD, what are you talking about?? A high S?? Whats that?? Never heard of that note, is it above a G?? On which Song??

Am I confusing jitter with the Wow and Flutter specs?? If so, most are below the measureable limit. And if you are referring to the "hiss" that occurs in the D/A conversion stage, this will occur at 22.05 KHz, above the human hearing cabability.

The fact of the matter is that after reading this entire thread, and dotting the i's and crossing thr t's is that the the PS1 is softer and will make poor material sound decent, and great material sound softer, or in laymens terms, even out the playing field.

The fact that the PS1 is softer in volume should tell you right then and there that is not better, as it needs more amplification to produce the same Db levels, again, similiar to analog.

The only way you are going to convince me, is if you send me a player with any upgrades you want to do it to, for me to compare to my NAD reference player. I have listened to hundreds of CD players, and will do an honest-to-goodness, A/B double blind test with the same reference equipment and material at the same Db level. I will listen to my 10 reference CD's completely through and give you an honest evaluation as I have done for every player that I have heard.

If the PS1 meets my evalution criteria, I will gladly buy it from you for the cost of shipping, the cost of the PS1., and the cost of the mods plus the cost of your labor. If it is truly as good as you say it would be a bargain for me.

If you were in my shoes you would be skeptical too. I will post my results here for all to see, I say what do you got to lose, except the cost to ship it here?

morbo!
11-19-2005, 03:27 AM
does roland sell these?
i thought he said go out and buy a 30$ playstation!

i had the original one here in aus and ran a party from it when i lived on the edge a large lake at a place called mallabulla (more of a cove)
and used my shed as an over sized box for the backward faceing dali`s you could hear the reflection from the other side of the lake if you walked away from the main sound stage
so any volume diffrence is gonna be neglible

p.s the original had a demo disk with mad shapes and faces that floated to the music what an awsome party that was!!

pangea
11-19-2005, 04:43 AM
Roland, are you crazy?? A Playstation cannot possibly sound good. By specs alone the Dreamcast I have should be much better, mine even has a shielded power supply from the factory. And I think it sounds terrible.

Could it be that what you are hearing is not a better sound, but a more ANALOG-like sound. More subdued and subtle?

I have a Diana Krall CD, what are you talking about?? A high S?? Whats that?? Never heard of that note, is it above a G?? On which Song??

Am I confusing jitter with the Wow and Flutter specs?? If so, most are below the measureable limit. And if you are referring to the "hiss" that occurs in the D/A conversion stage, this will occur at 22.05 KHz, above the human hearing cabability.

The fact of the matter is that after reading this entire thread, and dotting the i's and crossing thr t's is that the the PS1 is softer and will make poor material sound decent, and great material sound softer, or in laymens terms, even out the playing field.

The fact that the PS1 is softer in volume should tell you right then and there that is not better, as it needs more amplification to produce the same Db levels, again, similiar to analog.

The only way you are going to convince me, is if you send me a player with any upgrades you want to do it to, for me to compare to my NAD reference player. I have listened to hundreds of CD players, and will do an honest-to-goodness, A/B double blind test with the same reference equipment and material at the same Db level. I will listen to my 10 reference CD's completely through and give you an honest evaluation as I have done for every player that I have heard.

If the PS1 meets my evalution criteria, I will gladly buy it from you for the cost of shipping, the cost of the PS1., and the cost of the mods plus the cost of your labor. If it is truly as good as you say it would be a bargain for me.

If you were in my shoes you would be skeptical too. I will post my results here for all to see, I say what do you got to lose, except the cost to ship it here?

I don't think I have ever said anything about a "high S", but sharp S's in her voice.

No, jitter has nothing to do with wow and flutter, if you have read the thread as you say, you would have read the post where jitter is compared to the sensation in a office building, when the ventilation is turned off, you don't hear it, until it is gone.

I must say your "dotting" efforts have lead you to the wrong conclusions IMHO.

Do you really think I'm not aware of the difference in gain (dB)?

The thing is you would have to find your own PS1, because you wouldn't be able to use European models. You see we have AC 230V/50Hz here.

But I somehow doubt you will and why should you.
They cannot possibly be any good, as you said, so why bother. ;)

BR
Roland

Nightbrace
11-19-2005, 04:43 PM
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Playstation-1-Game-CD-3-Controllers-Cables_W0QQitemZ8233793359QQcategoryZ62054QQssPage NameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

how well will this unit work??? I agree, it is worth a shot, and my sister has tons of playstation games, can I burn them and play them on this system??

Its my JOB to be sceptical. I will be sure to do an honest to-goodness review of this player in its original form at the same Db levels.

Nightbrace
11-19-2005, 04:50 PM
Will doing an A/B with these players reveal which player has the Jitter??

Which Diana Krall song has the sharp S?? I am still not understanding you.

And is there a way to use a wireless remote with the PS?

pangea
11-20-2005, 01:59 AM
Will doing an A/B with these players reveal which player has the Jitter??

Which Diana Krall song has the sharp S?? I am still not understanding you.

And is there a way to use a wireless remote with the PS?

If it's one of the good models and if the laser isn't worn out, it will be very good.

I think the best thing to do, is to first A/B both CD-players against the same music on vinyl and then against each other.

I think it's commonly known that Diana has a very special voice, which can be very demanding on the CD-player, where the S's easily get very sharp and sometimes disturbingly so if the CD-player isn't up to it. Therefore many audiophiles use any of her records to demo CD-players.
So, there isn't any particular song, or any particular record with this phenomenon.

And most likely you won't discover this, until you don't here the jitter any more.

BR
Roland

Nightbrace
11-22-2005, 03:06 PM
IS the SCPH-1001 as good as any unit, and how iwll i know if there is anything wrong with it?

pangea
11-22-2005, 03:18 PM
IS the SCPH-1001 as good as any unit, and how iwll i know if there is anything wrong with it?

Well the 1001 is the best sounding of them all so congrats on your find, what you most likely will encounter if something is wrong, would be some drop-outs and if that occurs you will immediately know for sure.

If that happens it's probably because the bias/gain needs to be adjusted, the the laser rails are worn out, or the laser is dirty/worn out, but all this, is already described extensively earlier in this thread.

BR
Roland

Nightbrace
11-22-2005, 03:51 PM
Sounds great, I can't wait, I will be sure to give a very comprehensive review once I get it, paid,$10 for it, with another $6.80 for shiping, and it comes with a game, and 3 controllers :). And I found out I can burn games and play them perfectly on this unit.

I kinda skipped over Playstation and got a Dreamcast and never really got "into" the Playstation craze.,

I am optimistic after reading this thread and especially since I got the BEST player for audio. I got my NAD virtually by chance as well, saying "what the hell", its worth a shot, I was een MORE skeptical then! I had never even considered a NAD player until then.

The guy I bought it from had nearly $50,000 worth of audio equipment and he had staed that he had upgraded to a SCD-1 Sony player and did not need the NAD anymore. The ad in the paper read, NAD 5060 6-disk player, great sound, $100, I offered him $80, he took it.

I just recently had to open it up to replace the bulbs for the display. And to my surprise, the enitre player has Sony op-amps, caps, everthing really. I couldn't believe my eyes, I just thought I found a fluke player made by NAD that slipped through the cracks. I called him up after I found this out and It turns out that the first player he had gotten was broken and he stripped the player for parts as Sony replaced it with a new one. He used many of the "stolen" parts from the Sony to mod the NAD.

I have heard Mark Levinson separates in my own home and heard little noticable difference between them and my NAD, WHAT A FIND!!

Rolf
11-23-2005, 04:07 AM
I have heard Mark Levinson separates in my own home and heard little noticable difference between them and my NAD, WHAT A FIND!!

Well, ML is not heaven....at least not for me.http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/wink.gif

Rolf

Nightbrace
12-01-2005, 10:16 PM
Ok, I got the Playstation, should I use the cables that came with the unit, or my own cables?

pangea
12-02-2005, 12:34 AM
Ok, I got the Playstation, should I use the cables that came with the unit, or my own cables?

The best ones of course!!!

rek50
12-02-2005, 06:57 AM
AND, A clean laser lens, rails on which the laser travels, as well as cleaning up the RCA input jacks is a must. FWIW, I unplug mine between uses. Even though you may have the unit turned off, there is some electrical activity going on inside, as in a slight transformer buzz and some heat.

Nightbrace
12-02-2005, 04:31 PM
Okay, I finally got the chance to do a proper comparison between the Playstation and my NAD 5060. First off, I was rather impressed, but the claims you are making must be with the modded players that have the power supply shielded. If shielding gets rid of the audible distortions during silence it would be a much better player, as this can become bothersome on very quiet passages.

As reqested by Pangea, I used the Diana Krall CD, All For You, to compare in addition to my normal comparison tracks. There are nearly 50 tracks I use, so I would rather not distill the entire list here. If you want to know what they are, please PM me.

My equipment consists of a Sony GX10ES receiver, and for this comparison I used hi quality Memorex interconnects and 16 guage lamp cord for speaker wire. The speakers I used to compare are JBL Decade L36's.
The CD player used to compare is a NAD 5060 as previously stated.

The first thing I noticed right off the bat is the considerable difference in voluume between the two players. It was difficult to do exacting A/B comparisons because of this. But using the Sony as a preamp, I tried comparing the two with my Pioneer SX-737. After matching the volumes to within .5 Db, as close as I could do with the equipment I have, I proceeded. At an average of 92 Db with my first track off the Stereophile test CD I noticed immediately the noise I previously mentioned on the Playstation during silence in the music, it is rather bothersome. The Playstation lacks the depth of soundstage when compared to the NAD. What you describe as open and airy, I describe as thin and lazy. It also lacks the detail and warmth produced by the NAD. I did not notice the Jitter suddenly disappearing, nor do I understand the sharp S you are talking about and why they only sound good on the Playstation, can you enlighten me? When playing pop tracks with lots of bass, and poorer tracks, the Playstation makes these tracks sound more musical, almost as if some sort of a reverb is added. In contrast when playing poor tracks the NAD reveals more of a difference, while the Playstation tends to smooth out the inadequacies of the poor tracks. This is most evident when playing country tracks/ I was however rather impressed that something this inexpensive could sound nearly as good as the player I have. Most players I try are just downright awful. For $10, its worth a shot, but I believe one can spend $200 and easily eclipse this unit. Players like the Marantz CC4000OSE, 63SE, 67SE, early Sony ES players, NAD, and Rotel can all be had for around $200 and will be much better than the Playststion. With some modifications any players can be made great, but as is in stock form, the Playstation is not quite up to this level.

Pangea, when you make the claim, that no player under $5,000 sounds better, you are opening yourself up to some major criticism. It was worth a try, but thats all, its nothing special, but is much better than anything one can buy at Best Buy or Circuit City/ I would urge anyone looking the cheapest route to a decent player to try a Playstation, otherwise save up $200 and get something better, but then again thats $190 more than I spent for the Playstation and the difference can only be heard with great speakers.

pangea
12-03-2005, 12:53 AM
You are of course allowed to have your opinion and think of the PS1 in which way you want, but I'd say you don't perhaps have an ideal testing environment at hand, i.e. lamp cords etc. and perhaps there is something wrong with your PS1, I don't know.

And of course you may criticize me if you want, for sticking out my neck here.
If you don't like the PS1, don't use it, I'm sure you'll be able to get your $10 back. I know that there are many out there who just loves them, as do I and I wouldn't dream of replacing it again with my old heavy duty Sony SACD player.

However I know for a fact that there are companies making a living from modifying these units and selling them for about 2000€, not that much modified mind you.

So, what I'm saying is, if you don't like the PS1, fine, don't use it, go for the NAD.

BR
Roland

Mr. Widget
12-03-2005, 12:15 PM
However I know for a fact that there are companies making a living from modifying these units and selling them for about 2000€, not that much modified mind you.That is probably not a very good argument... have you seen the stupid stuff they sell audiophiles for hundreds and even thousands of dollars?

Roland, I agree with you that the PS1 is one hell of a bargain. I personally would rather have a dedicated player with a digital output, but I thank you for posting this information so that many of us could have some cheap thrills.:)


Widget

Nightbrace
12-03-2005, 09:03 PM
Pangea, is there a site where I can see pictures of what to shield on the Playstation, I would like to try it.

pangea
12-04-2005, 01:19 AM
Pangea, is there a site where I can see pictures of what to shield on the Playstation, I would like to try it.

There could be, but I don't know of one. On the other hand, if you go through this thread, there is enough to get you started AND to help you avoid the pitfalls.

BR
Roland

pangea
12-04-2005, 01:24 AM
That is probably not a very good argument... have you seen the stupid stuff they sell audiophiles for hundreds and even thousands of dollars?

Roland, I agree with you that the PS1 is one hell of a bargain. I personally would rather have a dedicated player with a digital output, but I thank you for posting this information so that many of us could have some cheap thrills.:)


Widget

Your very welcome, I'm only glad if there is something I can do, to give a little back, to this great forum where I have received so much help from you and many others.
So, it's really MY PLEASURE

BR
Roland

Aussie Pete
12-04-2005, 05:12 PM
Hi all ...... I have been following this thread with interest and have since gone out and bought a SCPH-1002 from a local pawn broker. I have been using a Harmon/Kardon CD player for years it cost me about au$750 12 years or so ago and was at the time the best sound for the money. Anyway I tried the ps1 and was quite surprised on how good it sounded, I used the swing CD from Robbie Williams with lots of brass in it and to my amazement the brass sounded less harsh and cleaner than the H/K also with an apparent improvement in bottom end. I have the swing CD and the live DVD of the same tracks, on the credits of the DVD there is a studio version of a track which is on the CD, so therefore I have a DVD and CD version of the same track, I would stick my neck out an say that initially I was disappointed with the quality of the CD vs the DVD which is understandable given the difference in bit rates and sample rates but played through the ps1 the CD quality sounds just as good as the DVD track of the same. Now before the nit pickers hound me down in droves let me qualify my statements.... the terms "sound as good as" etc are based wholly on what you are comparing it against, some guys with top of the range CD players might say there is little or no appreciable difference where as other guys with less than top of the range gear might say the opposite. So rather than enter into an argument of who's ears are better and who's CD player is the best I am prepared to say that stacked up against my medioka H/K CD player and Sansui DVD player the ps1 sounds very very good indeed ... The fact that the output level is less than most other CD players … well not a problem I can add some gain into my Aphex 10/4’s ….. as far as screening/shielding the power supply I have found that "straight out of the box" is fine, the only time I did induce some noise into my system was when I had the video output connected to my “live chassis” TV. The ps1 will do me until I can find a super high quality "stand alone" D-A Converter (at the right price) and start using optical or coax inputs.



My system comprises of JBL 4435'2 bi-amped, 2 X BGW 250D's bridged driving the LF and a JBL MPX300 driving the HF via a JBL 5235 X over network and an Aphex 204 Aural Exciter and a couple of Aphex 10/4's and a set of 4430's awaiting amplifiers and now a PS1 !!!http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/applaud.gif

pangea
12-05-2005, 01:56 AM
Hi all ...... I have been following this thread with interest and have since gone out and bought a SCPH-1002 from a local pawn broker. I have been using a Harmon/Kardon CD player for years it cost me about au$750 12 years or so ago and was at the time the best sound for the money. Anyway I tried the ps1 and was quite surprised on how good it sounded, I used the swing CD from Robbie Williams with lots of brass in it and to my amazement the brass sounded less harsh and cleaner than the H/K also with an apparent improvement in bottom end. I have the swing CD and the live DVD of the same tracks, on the credits of the DVD there is a studio version of a track which is on the CD, so therefore I have a DVD and CD version of the same track, I would stick my neck out an say that initially I was disappointed with the quality of the CD vs the DVD which is understandable given the difference in bit rates and sample rates but played through the ps1 the CD quality sounds just as good as the DVD track of the same. Now before the nit pickers hound me down in droves let me qualify my statements.... the terms "sound as good as" etc are based wholly on what you are comparing it against, some guys with top of the range CD players might say there is little or no appreciable difference where as other guys with less than top of the range gear might say the opposite. So rather than enter into an argument of who's ears are better and who's CD player is the best I am prepared to say that stacked up against my medioka H/K CD player and Sansui DVD player the ps1 sounds very very good indeed ... The fact that the output level is less than most other CD players … well not a problem I can add some gain into my Aphex 10/4’s ….. as far as screening/shielding the power supply I have found that "straight out of the box" is fine, the only time I did induce some noise into my system was when I had the video output connected to my “live chassis” TV. The ps1 will do me until I can find a super high quality "stand alone" D-A Converter (at the right price) and start using optical or coax inputs.



My system comprises of JBL 4435'2 bi-amped, 2 X BGW 250D's bridged driving the LF and a JBL MPX300 driving the HF via a JBL 5235 X over network and an Aphex 204 Aural Exciter and a couple of Aphex 10/4's and a set of 4430's awaiting amplifiers and now a PS1 !!!http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/applaud.gif


Glad to hear you liked it and and to hear that your experience is similar to my own.

Now let me ask you something about your BGW 250D, if you don't mind.
Do your BGW's get very hot on the transformer and do the transformer create any humming noice (50/60Hz)?

I have one of those and the tech-shop says it's OK, but I'm not convinced.

Mine is getting to hot to touch on the transformer after a while, say an hour or so, even on idle. The transistors stay cool on my amp.

Your input here would be highly appreciated, thanks

BR
Roland

Aussie Pete
12-05-2005, 04:08 AM
I forgot to mention Roland ...... thanks for the heads up on the ps1 it is appreciated ... down to the BGW 250D .... ok mine I built myself from the original schematics which I "borrowed' when working for a national commercial television broadcaster here as senior tech, the advantage of building it was that I adopted a "no compromise" approach with respect to passive components ... ie MKT series German capacitors and 1% metal film resistors and a ceramic substrate version of the input IC, I re-designed the pcb (back then using Bishop Tape) but basically the same layout as the original with the exception of the octal input socket arrangement, I imported a heatsink extrusion that was as close to the original as possible from Germany which took around 6 months to get here and then had 2 channels milled out of each heatsink to accommodate the output devices, I used 2 Torrodial transformers for the power supply (1 independent transformer, rectifier and filter caps for each channel) and copied some novel Bryston circuitry for LED Level indication using bi coloured LED’s, Clipping (measuring the voltage difference between the DC power supply rail and the peak voltage of the output signal) rather than the usual crude method, Power Supply Integrity and DC Offset, this I then had to design/interface into the existing output relay so in the event of a fault it would de-activated the output relay. I did this work back in 1987 and these amps have never let me down since ….. at the time I did have access to Bryston schematics and could have copied the 2B and/or 3B but Bryston and BGW did the same later on and they probably all do it now is they will have their own semiconductor number stamped on the device and in most cases they will be beta matched which are not available outside of Bryston BGW etc. Yes it is possible to substitute other generally available semiconductors but my humble opinion is that if you are going to copy something it needs to be at the very least equal to or better than the original and substituting semiconductors might make a sine wave at the output but there are a whole lot of other criteria that have to be considered and operating a device in it’s linear part of the beta curve it primary, substituting …. Well you may have to re-bias the devices to operate in the linear part of the curve and then in my opinion it becomes a completely different amplifier with completely different sonic attributes. Ooops of track again, so back to your question re: the transformers …. Some types of transformers can be inefficient and do run warm to hot …. Not an issue …. If it’s making a noise and given it’s age then it could be that the clamping arrangement around the laminations has become slightly loose or the windings have become loose because the laquor they were dipped in has broken down and become brittle over time or something … the important question is does the buzzing noise increase with load?? … my guess is that it’s probably nothing to worry about but there are some quiescent current checks that could be done just to make sure the electronics isn’t drawing more that it should at idle, I do have the original owners/schematic handbook if it is of any use to you.



If you are interested I have posted some pics of my built BGW’s.



I also stated that I have a JBL 5235 xover …. This as well is a direct copy of the original (sorry Mr. JBL) nothing at all outstanding in its design/topology … very basic but does the job and gets the eq right (close to but not standard 12db/octave Butterworth slopes)



I also copied the English Quad 405 “Current Dumping” Amplifier of the 70’s as well …..It was regarded as the top of the top back then, operating in class A at lower levels then to quasi comp at higher levels … but then you have a look at the cct and specs and find out they have slew rate limited the input to a couple of volts/microsecond … no wonder they only used 1 output devices per rail … there was no way that those little babies were ever going to be overworked…. Off track again … many apologies... let me know if I can be of any further help to you.

Ian Mackenzie
12-05-2005, 05:18 AM
Nice diy amp.

Regards a reference I am hope for one of these in my Xmas stocking

http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/minidac.php

pangea
12-05-2005, 10:18 AM
I forgot to mention Roland ...... thanks for the heads up on the ps1 it is appreciated ... down to the BGW 250D .... ok mine I built myself from the original schematics which I "borrowed' when working for a national commercial television broadcaster here as senior tech, the advantage of building it was that I adopted a "no compromise" approach with respect to passive components ... ie MKT series German capacitors and 1% metal film resistors and a ceramic substrate version of the input IC, I re-designed the pcb (back then using Bishop Tape) but basically the same layout as the original with the exception of the octal input socket arrangement, I imported a heatsink extrusion that was as close to the original as possible from Germany which took around 6 months to get here and then had 2 channels milled out of each heatsink to accommodate the output devices, I used 2 Torrodial transformers for the power supply (1 independent transformer, rectifier and filter caps for each channel) and copied some novel Bryston circuitry for LED Level indication using bi coloured LED’s, Clipping (measuring the voltage difference between the DC power supply rail and the peak voltage of the output signal) rather than the usual crude method, Power Supply Integrity and DC Offset, this I then had to design/interface into the existing output relay so in the event of a fault it would de-activated the output relay. I did this work back in 1987 and these amps have never let me down since ….. at the time I did have access to Bryston schematics and could have copied the 2B and/or 3B but Bryston and BGW did the same later on and they probably all do it now is they will have their own semiconductor number stamped on the device and in most cases they will be beta matched which are not available outside of Bryston BGW etc. Yes it is possible to substitute other generally available semiconductors but my humble opinion is that if you are going to copy something it needs to be at the very least equal to or better than the original and substituting semiconductors might make a sine wave at the output but there are a whole lot of other criteria that have to be considered and operating a device in it’s linear part of the beta curve it primary, substituting …. Well you may have to re-bias the devices to operate in the linear part of the curve and then in my opinion it becomes a completely different amplifier with completely different sonic attributes. Ooops of track again, so back to your question re: the transformers …. Some types of transformers can be inefficient and do run warm to hot …. Not an issue …. If it’s making a noise and given it’s age then it could be that the clamping arrangement around the laminations has become slightly loose or the windings have become loose because the laquor they were dipped in has broken down and become brittle over time or something … the important question is does the buzzing noise increase with load?? … my guess is that it’s probably nothing to worry about but there are some quiescent current checks that could be done just to make sure the electronics isn’t drawing more that it should at idle, I do have the original owners/schematic handbook if it is of any use to you.



If you are interested I have posted some pics of my built BGW’s.



I also stated that I have a JBL 5235 xover …. This as well is a direct copy of the original (sorry Mr. JBL) nothing at all outstanding in its design/topology … very basic but does the job and gets the eq right (close to but not standard 12db/octave Butterworth slopes)



I also copied the English Quad 405 “Current Dumping” Amplifier of the 70’s as well …..It was regarded as the top of the top back then, operating in class A at lower levels then to quasi comp at higher levels … but then you have a look at the cct and specs and find out they have slew rate limited the input to a couple of volts/microsecond … no wonder they only used 1 output devices per rail … there was no way that those little babies were ever going to be overworked…. Off track again … many apologies... let me know if I can be of any further help to you.

Thanks for all the info and pic's, very nice job there indeed!

I think you are right about the loos laminates in the transformer. It seems someone has added a piece of a copper sheet on top of the transformer and has poured some lacquer over the transformer, probably to improve the clamping and to try to silence the transformer. It looks a bit suspicious, so I think I will return it to the guy I got it from, instead.

He has said he'll take it back, no problem, so I think I will just play it safe here.

Thanks again.

BTW, is is there a connection between Bryston and BGW?

BR
Roland

PS: The amp did come with a manual, which included schematics and an individual test report, quite nice tho. DS.

Aussie Pete
12-05-2005, 04:26 PM
Thanks for the compliments guys ….. an awful lot of time went into building/re-designing those amps and I was sort of hooked on BGW after copying their BGW 202 pre-amp first, if you ever get a chance to buy one of those do it (circa 1977) …. One of the best sounding RIAA pre-amps you will ever listen to. Most of the reviews canned it at the time but what they were listening to was for the first time ever from and RIAA pre-amp was transients, this was evident in BGW’s design topology, instead of the usual design topology of RC networks in the negative feedback chain (which knock the hell out of the transient response or transient rise time) to obtain the required slopes BGW used a novel approach of “long tailed pairs” and differential techniques to obtain the slopes and the sonic result was outstanding. There were not many of these about and certainly here in OZ the half dozen or so that came out here went into radio broadcasters, the pre-amp was never aimed at the domestic market, it was a professional piece of equipment and priced accordingly. You may be surprised at how many so called top end pre-amps or any piece of audio gear for that matter both in the domestic and even professional/broadcast use crappy designs and get away with it, put a nice front panel on it and some bright lights to stun the golden eared hi-fi nut then give it to the marketing experts to put some new spin on it and pay off the reviewers and hey presto ….. a popular pre-amp is born…. What a cynic!!



There is no connection between Bryston and BGW it’s just at the time we were using both at the studios, Bryston was fairly new to the scene then and I was leaning towards the BGW because of previous experience. Bryston generally speaking use the topology approach of many lower gain stages throughout the amp which is a far better approach with respect to stability and linearity but more expensive, rather than using less higher gain stage approach which is cheaper but then having to use large amounts of negative feedback to stabilise the thing. Bryston manufacture a very very fine amplifier both in cct topology and performance and if I had the spare money I would buy 2, in my view their design approach is one that I am a believer of.



Thanks for the link on the DAC Ian, it seems to be priced quiet reasonably even at US$$, do you know if they have an Australian distributor, it would be nice to be able to listen to it. Previously I was thinking of a Bryston pre-amp with the option of an internal DAC but again they are big bucks and after buying those 4435’s recently and now hanging on to my 4430's I somehow don’t think my marriage could stand another expensive acquisition like the Bryston ……. Well not yet anyway ….. I think I will let the dust settle for a while.

morbo!
12-05-2005, 04:32 PM
some nice work pete

how much to build me one!:D

luv the donut shaped power thingy`s

Aussie Pete
12-05-2005, 05:13 PM
some nice work pete

how much to build me one!http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

luv the donut shaped power thingy`s

Hows it going Morbo .... thanks again ... unfortunatley if I had to charge what it cost me in time those amps would cost around $5,000.00 each http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/puke.gif but next time I decide to rip off someone elses design I will post here first, get some orders and bring the price down ... hows that sound http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/blah.gif http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/images/smilies/applaud.gif

Zilch
12-05-2005, 05:20 PM
luv the donut shaped power thingy`s;)

morbo!
12-05-2005, 06:09 PM
if i start saving now and you start building in 6 months we might have a deal!:D

cruisaire
12-06-2005, 10:11 AM
Just picked up a local, working 7501 (a model I didn't already own) for 10 with tax and 2 controllers. My 1001 is still the "best of breed". I'm using it with the repackaged Sonic T amp. Fulll range 4-inchers are sweet and pretty damned loud to boot!

pangea
12-06-2005, 10:20 AM
Just picked up a local, working 7501 (a model I didn't already own) for 10 with tax and 2 controllers. My 1001 is still the "best of breed". I'm using it with the repackaged Sonic T amp. Fulll range 4-inchers are sweet and pretty damned loud to boot!

If you can find a 5001 or a 5501, you might be able to use the laser-kit and power supply for spare parts.

The 7501 isn't the best sounding model, as you have already found out.

BR
Roland

cruisaire
12-09-2005, 01:58 PM
Got a 5501 for $2.89 today. Looks like it was never played with! Passed on another 7501 at $10.

pangea
12-09-2005, 02:46 PM
Got a 5501 for $2.89 today. Looks like it was never played with! Passed on another 7501 at $10.

A really good find! :applaud: Congrats!!!

Now you''l be set up for many years of musical excitement.

BR
Roland

Nightbrace
12-21-2005, 09:46 PM
What makes this Playstation soo much better than my CDPC701ES Sony? I think they do in fact sound identical, but neither sound nearly as good as my NAD. Again you never answered me, how do I know I am NOT hearing jitter??

pangea
12-22-2005, 03:52 AM
What makes this Playstation soo much better than my CDPC701ES Sony? I think they do in fact sound identical, but neither sound nearly as good as my NAD. Again you never answered me, how do I know I am NOT hearing jitter??

I didn't go in to a lengthy explanation, since you had already made up your mind.

You said you prefer the NAD and that's fine with me. I would NEVER try to convince you otherwise, because I'm not selling the PS1, so I said "fine, go for the NAD".

I did try to explain the best I could, how "jitter" might be heard, but that does not mean that you can sense the difference between CD-jitter and a good Vinyl record, "n'est ce pas"!?

BR
Roland

donoghue
01-05-2006, 10:27 AM
Sorry if you guys want this thread to die, but I registered just to say thanks for this info. My 1001 came in the mail today from ebay, $17.50, and to my ungolden ears this is the best sound I've yet heard. I have an ancient pioneer sx receiver and a much newer set of hong kong tower speakers and my cd playback sound quality just went up 100%. My test cd so far is only Kind of Blue so thisn't comprehensive by any stretch but what a difference in depth of sound! I was previously using the much hyped pioneer dvd player 563as, another ebay purchase $23. Again, thank you :applaud:

pangea
01-05-2006, 03:39 PM
Sorry if you guys want this thread to die, but I registered just to say thanks for this info. My 1001 came in the mail today from ebay, $17.50, and to my ungolden ears this is the best sound I've yet heard. I have an ancient pioneer sx receiver and a much newer set of hong kong tower speakers and my cd playback sound quality just went up 100%. My test cd so far is only Kind of Blue so thisn't comprehensive by any stretch but what a difference in depth of sound! I was previously using the much hyped pioneer dvd player 563as, another ebay purchase $23. Again, thank you :applaud:

Glad you liked it and also very welcome to this great forum.
But do try to get your hands on a 5001 or a 5501 as well, I think you will appreciate the automatic "Gain" and "Bias" adjustment on those later models, should you encounter some drop outs later on the 1001.

BTW, I don't think anyone want the thread to die, so far this thread has managed to attract and introduce quite a few newcomers to this great forum. :)

BR
Roland

CONVERGENCE
01-05-2006, 06:36 PM
Hi

My knowledge on CD manufacturing is basic. Studios will use 24 bit recorders

and playback . But when it's time to put it on a commercial CD 16 bit is still the norm. How can you read a 16 bit Cd with a 32 bit player is beyond me.

Firts look at the basics.



A CD can store up to 74 minutes of music, so the total amount of digital data that must be stored on a CD is:



44,100 samples/channel/second x 2 bytes/sample x 2 channels x 74 minutes x 60 seconds/minute = 783,216,000 bytes

To fit more than 783 megabytes (MB) onto a disc only 4.8 inches (12 cm) in diameter requires that the individual bytes be very small. By examining the physical construction of a CD, you can begin to understand just how small these bytes are.

A CD is a fairly simple piece of plastic, about four one-hundredths (4/100) of an inch (1.2 mm) thick. Most of a CD consists of an injection-molded piece of clear polycarbonate plastic. During manufacturing, this plastic is impressed with microscopic bumps arranged as a single, continuous, extremely long spiral track of data. We'll return to the bumps in a moment. Once the clear piece of polycarbonate is formed, a thin, reflective aluminum layer is sputtered onto the disc, covering the bumps. Then a thin acrylic layer is sprayed over the aluminum to protect it. The label is then printed onto the acrylic. A cross section of a complete CD (not to scale) looks like this:

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/cd-crosssection.gif
Cross-section of a CD

pangea
01-06-2006, 10:42 AM
I'm sorry, but I don't know the first thing about the technical aspects and therefore I wouldn't know where to begin, trying to answer your question.

From what I've heard/read, it has mainly something to do with bandwidth, DSP head-room and the clock, but I really don't know.

Others would have to step up to the plate and explain why the PS1 is so great.

I only know that it does work great as a CD-player and I'm happy to have found that out and therefore I'm trying to pass it on to others.

BR
Roland

eyedoc
01-20-2006, 03:48 PM
I thought I would actually look into this thing, and low and behold there is a guy on the bay that has bought 150 of the silly things!!! Just look at his past feedback.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-PlayStation-Game-console-light-gray_W0QQitemZ8252141013QQcategoryZ62054QQssPageNa meZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Just thought it seemed interesting...

kevin

trueview
01-20-2006, 05:29 PM
I thought I would actually look into this thing, and low and behold there is a guy on the bay that has bought 150 of the silly things!!! Just look at his past feedback.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-PlayStation-Game-console-light-gray_W0QQitemZ8252141013QQcategoryZ62054QQssPageNa meZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Just thought it seemed interesting...

kevin
too funny...I thought about the same thing back when this thread started...
ended up with two units...both 1001's
not a bad player but for the controls...some buttons on top would be sweet

cruisaire
02-04-2006, 01:23 PM
and I picked up another 1001, this one for $7. A little dirty, but she sounds great! Looks like the thrifts have been swamped with these lately, guess it's post-Christmas cleanout.

pangea
02-05-2006, 12:54 PM
and I picked up another 1001, this one for $7. A little dirty, but she sounds great! Looks like the thrifts have been swamped with these lately, guess it's post-Christmas cleanout.


I too have picked up a few spare units, just in case one goes down. :D

But 150 of them, seems a bit over the top, or is he just greedy!?

BR
Roland

cruisaire
02-06-2006, 12:41 PM
Here's an interesting link as well:

http://dogbreath.de/PS1/index.html

I am awaiting a remote control unit of da 'bay now.

pangea
02-07-2006, 01:59 AM
Here's an interesting link as well:

http://dogbreath.de/PS1/index.html

I am awaiting a remote control unit of da 'bay now.


Many thanks for the link, there seems to be lots of useful info for the handy DIY'ers. :applaud:

BR
Roland

gerard
02-07-2006, 09:16 AM
:applaud: Very nice info

best one of the year !!!!

Gerard

rek50
02-07-2006, 10:27 AM
YOWZA, Thanks for the link! I only have four SCPH 1001 units, so I can't "Kill" them all at once trying out the "Mods". One at a time for me. :D

cruisaire
02-08-2006, 02:11 PM
As I find more, I'll post and include which mods I've tried as well as success/failure rates.

hapy._.face
02-11-2006, 09:36 AM
Just picked up a SCPH 1001 yesterday ($8) after my rega bit the dust. It should serve as a backup player- but who knows? I may love it! The dogbreath site is nothing short of amazing. That guy has it so well laid out for you- nice pics, easy to read, etc. I can't wait to start modding. If all goes well, I may house it in a different chassis to try and fool guests. ;)

I'll keep you posted with my findings.

eyedoc
02-15-2006, 10:02 AM
OK, now for one more opinion (like the world needs one more biased/uneducated opinion from yet another self appointed authority...):bouncy:

I finally procured a Sony Playstation 1001. I decided to buy mine at the local pawn shop that gives in store credit if you find that your purchase was junk. I spent way to much: $25 for all cords, remote, BUT NO GAMES! (I have never owned video games, so I don’t know what I am missing).

To give one more piece of background, I had always heard that the most important piece of the stereo was the speakers, and not much else mattered. Thus the JBL habit. Then several years ago when I could not cure the “head cold” that the stereo developed when we moved to a new house, a began to replace the electronics from receiver to components. Suddenly the “head cold” was cured! Of course, that’s also when my electronic addiction got more serious, but that’s another story. I had also figured that the strongest link was the CDP, because the digital domain was originally touted to be better than the human ear was able to hear. So I did not think much about upgrading from my original Denon purchased in 1988 (which I am listening to at the office as I type). My current player in the main system is a consumer level JVC DVD player. With that in mind, my review.

Wow! I had no idea that there could be so much difference! Yes the soundstage seemed wider, and very smooth. I don’t think that I heard things that I had not previously, but what I did hear sounded great. It made my the bass tighter, and took away some of the harshness that I hadn’t realized had bothered me. This is even with using old and retired Radio Shack interconnects as that is all I had laying around. While I can’t disagree with Widget’s and other’s opinions when comparing it to high $$ CDPs, as I have never owned a high end CDP before. I can say that it blows anything available through normal consumer stores out of the water. It made me a believer that all digital readers/players are not created equal. As far as the controls, I can get used to that to get better sound. And by the way, mine has not skipped or dropped out once (yet).

eyestrain.

pangea
02-15-2006, 02:07 PM
OK, now for one more opinion (like the world needs one more biased/uneducated opinion from yet another self appointed authority...):bouncy:

I finally procured a Sony Playstation 1001. I decided to buy mine at the local pawn shop that gives in store credit if you find that your purchase was junk. I spent way to much: $25 for all cords, remote, BUT NO GAMES! (I have never owned video games, so I don’t know what I am missing).

To give one more piece of background, I had always heard that the most important piece of the stereo was the speakers, and not much else mattered. Thus the JBL habit. Then several years ago when I could not cure the “head cold” that the stereo developed when we moved to a new house, a began to replace the electronics from receiver to components. Suddenly the “head cold” was cured! Of course, that’s also when my electronic addiction got more serious, but that’s another story. I had also figured that the strongest link was the CDP, because the digital domain was originally touted to be better than the human ear was able to hear. So I did not think much about upgrading from my original Denon purchased in 1988 (which I am listening to at the office as I type). My current player in the main system is a consumer level JVC DVD player. With that in mind, my review.

Wow! I had no idea that there could be so much difference! Yes the soundstage seemed wider, and very smooth. I don’t think that I heard things that I had not previously, but what I did hear sounded great. It made my the bass tighter, and took away some of the harshness that I hadn’t realized had bothered me. This is even with using old and retired Radio Shack interconnects as that is all I had laying around. While I can’t disagree with Widget’s and other’s opinions when comparing it to high $$ CDPs, as I have never owned a high end CDP before. I can say that it blows anything available through normal consumer stores out of the water. It made me a believer that all digital readers/players are not created equal. As far as the controls, I can get used to that to get better sound. And by the way, mine has not skipped or dropped out once (yet).

eyestrain.

I'm very glad, to have been able to be of some help.

Do let us know if you're going to upgrade the cables and perhaps make som mods and please, do tell us if it made any improvements.

BR
Roland

Anthony L100
02-16-2006, 08:45 AM
Hi Pangea, I stumbled upon this thread a few weeks ago and had to see for myself. PS1 SCPH-7502 model turned up this morning at a cost of £2.19!! I plugged it in, put a CD in, fired it up and............yeah,:D this ain't too bad. 5 minutes later, still thinking the same. Now this is just a first impression but I am fairly impressed! I normally use a Marantz CD7300 coupled to the PM 7200KI amp which IMO is a good combination. Just the fact that they are not a million miles apart is very encouraging, I love the Marantz. I have to carry out more detailed listening tests, especially at realistic levels and I will report back. Do you consider the earlier models to be a discernible improvement over the 7502? If so, I will try and find one. Thanks, Tony.

hapy._.face
02-16-2006, 09:27 AM
UPDATE: Plugged it all up this morning and my first impression is disbelief; It does play nicer than expected. My main cd player (Rega Planet re-issue) was put out of commission recently, so there is no way for me to A/B the performance. I will say that as it stands- "It's no rega". The PS1 (1001) did track well, and had an overall "decent" presentation. There is a bit of "congestion"
which might be rectified by removing the MJM2100, A/V muti, and muting transistors. Updating the output stage, and jumping the current one might yield better performance as well. Time permitting- these will be my first modifications- I'll post results.

pangea
02-16-2006, 02:46 PM
Hi Pangea, I stumbled upon this thread a few weeks ago and had to see for myself. PS1 SCPH-7502 model turned up this morning at a cost of £2.19!! I plugged it in, put a CD in, fired it up and............yeah,:D this ain't too bad. 5 minutes later, still thinking the same. Now this is just a first impression but I am fairly impressed! I normally use a Marantz CD7300 coupled to the PM 7200KI amp which IMO is a good combination. Just the fact that they are not a million miles apart is very encouraging, I love the Marantz. I have to carry out more detailed listening tests, especially at realistic levels and I will report back. Do you consider the earlier models to be a discernible improvement over the 7502? If so, I will try and find one. Thanks, Tony.

Yes, the earlier models are better. I've compared the 1002/5502/7502 and I find that the 7502 come in third, by a margin.

Shielding the power supply, better cables and other mods will improve the result even further.

Personally I use the 5502, because it's the most convenient one. It may be that I only had some bad luck with drop outs on the 1002. Now I have a few of them, for spare parts.

I have also noticed there can be small differences in sound within the same model, so if you have several, try them out and use the best one and keep the others for spare parts. :D It isn't that big of an investment after all.

BR
Roland

pangea
02-16-2006, 02:53 PM
UPDATE: Plugged it all up this morning and my first impression is disbelief; It does play nicer than expected. My main cd player (Rega Planet re-issue) was put out of commission recently, so there is no way for me to A/B the performance. I will say that as it stands- "It's no rega". The PS1 (1001) did track well, and had an overall "decent" presentation. There is a bit of "congestion"
which might be rectified by removing the MJM2100, A/V muti, and muting transistors. Updating the output stage, and jumping the current one might yield better performance as well. Time permitting- these will be my first modifications- I'll post results.

Are you quite sure it's the PS1, congesting the music? ;) Could it be it's only revealing problems?

I thought I had a bit of congestion earlier, but when I removed one x-over point, by removing the UHF driver, I got more details and better focus on the holographic sound stage.

Please come back and let us know how it's progressing.

BR
Roland

richieb1971
04-11-2006, 07:52 PM
I don't know how much of this has been covered but I can tell you a few things about the first generation playstations.

SCPH-1000 - Launch Japanese machine released in Dec 94. Sockets included were the parrellel port, composite, svideo, L+R RCA's, vs link (2 connect 2 playstations for link up play) and the AV multi output. This machine was capable of the swap trick to play CDr games.

To perform the trick, you turn on the machine with the lid open, put a Japanese origonal game in the machine, go into the CD player option, use some blu-tac or putty to push the lid button down, the CD will spin to read the CD tracks and then it will stop (it will also insert the region boot code). You then take out the origonal disc and place the CDr inside, exit the CD player menu and the CDr game will boot up like an origonal game (this is because the button was pushed down, the machine never thinks you opened the lid on the machine). The only downside to doing this, is that the CD track table of contents will differ from the origonal game CD to the CDr, therefore alot of the time the wrong audio will play in the game if its in red book format. Most of the time, this is not an issue. This trick allows you to play USA games as well. It will boot up European/Australian games but they are in the PAL format, so unless you have an RGB connection you will get a black and white picture.


SCPH1001 - With Hong Kong and Chinese mass producing CDr versions of all Ps1 games in 1995 Sony revised the origonal hardware of the SCPH1000 so that the above swap trick became impossible. They also ommitted the svideo socket. Apart from that the SCPH1000 and 1001 models are exactly the same. You can still play CDr games on SCPH1001's, the only difference is you have to swap the disc midflight, when the screen first goes from white to black.

In September ish 95, the USA model was launched, which was the SCPH1001. You can do all the above with the USA SCPH-1001, except to do the swap trick you would need a USA game to boot up with.

Now obviously, in the day.. the CDrom units were not that good.. the SCPH1001 swap trick was used by alot of pirates and this put alot of wear and tear on the drives. It wasn't until 18 months later the first generation mod chips came about.. so thats 18 months of cdrom abuse.


Further revisions were made to the PS1 console. Most things have been documented.. Eventually Sony copied the other manufacturers of consoles by noticing that Sega were making a heap of cash from proprietory console leads/cables. By ommitting the rest of the standard connections on the PS1 Sony were able to drop the price of the machine from $300 to $200, but you had to buy a proprietory svideo cable, composite cable etc etc. The drive placement and construction was changed, the operating system was modified again to stop the midflight swap trick. The Parrellel port was ommitted also as it was used for cheat cartridges which also bypassed the region lockout which enabled CDr playback of games.


With the very earliest PS1's (1000-1001 models), if your drive is clicking and searching it is derailing. The cheapest way to fix this if you cannot be bothered to replace the drive is.............................Turn the machine upside down... YEP, you got it, turn the machine upside down.... This will benefit those people with CDr's and dropouts.


The SCPH1002 I believe is the European launch console. Same as SCPH1001.


Hope this helps someone out there :applaud:

louped garouv
09-19-2006, 10:26 AM
http://dogbreath.de/PS1/index.html (http://dogbreath.de/PS1/index.html)

mod listing/how to for the PS1 if anyone wants to play with it....

Moose
10-27-2006, 07:24 PM
Hi, just putting my 2c in the discussion. I haven't listened to one of these PS1's, but have investigated the components used in the construction. I have discovered that the DAC used is a standard cheap as chips unit with pretty average SNR (of 90dB).
Sure the transport of the PS1's might be good, but the DAC is not. It wouldn't cost too much to put something like a Wolfson DAC in there with 20 times better SNR and then put a better Opamp after it.. and so forth, but then you might as well use any CD transport. Seems the PS1 isn't that highly spec'd.

As to the guy a page or so back asking about the 32bit DAC, the DAC used (and in fact almost all DACs) are Sigma-Delta based, which means they are just 1 bit (they use a comparator as the DAC, which is very fast), but the audio on the CD is encoded in 16bit words (per channel), so any DAC saying that it is 16bit or whatever is referring to its wordlength (and 32bit - 2 channels at 16bits each), which must match what is beign fed into it. Having a higher sampling frequency is good too, as better filtering can be employed to remove artifacts and images from the signal. The PS1 DAC can run at sampling rates up to 50KHz, compared a decent DAC of up to 192.KHz.
Heres a link to the Sony based DAC http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/54935/AKM/AK4309.html
and to a better Wolfson DAC http://www.wolfson.co.uk/uploads/documents/en/WM8740.pdf

Got a friend who's going to build one of these up, so maybe I will reneg on my point of view, but we'll see. I personally think analog stages of music are just asking for noise and losses anyway, makes more sense to go from the CD transport straight to a digital PWM amp and skip out the noise injection.

Meh, just what I think as an electrical engineer as opposed to an audiophile.

Cheers

Seamus

gerard
12-08-2006, 07:18 AM
Hello

Just want to tell I was using Ps1 1002 and found it very nice specially on high medium but I have tryed and buy a cyrus CD6 and I am very pleased with .
Nothing to compare , much larger spectral sound and also real harmonics .
I also listen to well known Cambridge audio azur was for me a very bad sounding device .

Gerard

biddy67
06-12-2007, 05:16 AM
Which would be a good remote? I have the 1001 model. I've found this one which looks pretty cheap, but I'm unfamiliar as to the functions it would need to have and how easy to use it would end up being.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=320112781605&rd=1&rd=1#ebayphotohosting

pangea
06-14-2007, 07:21 AM
Which would be a good remote? I have the 1001 model. I've found this one which looks pretty cheap, but I'm unfamiliar as to the functions it would need to have and how easy to use it would end up being.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=320112781605&rd=1&rd=1#ebayphotohosting

It looks good enough, but that does not say anything of its performance.
The price is right though.
Personally I'd try to find a Sony PS2 remote.

BR
Roland

analogman
01-19-2008, 12:57 PM
Now I'm going to tell you something that you probably won't beleive in a million years.

I'll give you a tip, on hw to get your hands on what is probably one of the best CD-player ever made and the best part is, it won't cost you more than 30 US$ or so.

What you're saying... No I'm not kidding, I'm deadly serious!!!

So what's the big secret? OK, OK, hold your horses, I'll tell you.

Perhaps you've already got one, without even knowing about it.. OK, OK,

I'll tell you right away, but you've got to agree, the suspence is killing you, am I right or am I right...:D

Playstation PS1, is what you need, nothing more and nothing less.
The older the model, the better it is suited.

Right out of the box, it will be a real :jawdrop: , which probably will outperform anything you may have got, below the 5000 US$ range and with only some minor shielding of the power supply and some better cables/connectors, it'll most likely blow away anything up to the 10k mark. :D :D

So, what's the big secret here?

First of all, it was designed to be sold in millions, so there were hardly any limits/restrictions quality wise, on the parts that were used.

It uses a 32 bit DSP, because it has to be able to handle graphics as well and when it's used only for audio, there's plenty of muscles left.

There's a German company modifying the US model (PSone) and then they're charging the customers 2500€ for the thing.

The best part is, you most likely wont hear any difference between the 2500€ player and the more modestly modified one.

And most importantly, how does it sound?

VERY open, airy, detailed and powerful, and a lot of other things, but I'll stop there...

Go for it, be bold, make the 30 US$ investment and try it out for your self.:applaud:

Then tell me what you think.

BR
Roland


.........thank you enough :) The Rega Planet's sold, and out of here today. The PSOne kicked it's ass right out the door, DEAD STOCK.
And I'm just now getting the parts together for the full blown mods and power supply.
Going to pick up several as spares, and for parts.
Also very cool that most of them come with enough games that are still relevant enough to be re-sold and defer ALL costs.
High performance Red Book Sound for FREE.
Can't tell you how pleased I am to have a good reason to unload a 10 year old player (the time you start to think about service issues) :bouncy:

Enough to prove to me, what I've long suspected, that most $1,000.00 and up players, are in actuality, about $50.00 worth of parts, in bull-shit jewelry boxes. :bs:

Suburb,
Analogman

P. S. : And please, no bull shit lectures about research and development costs, ESPECIALLY with an outfit like Sony, who's shit is in, and makes up about 80%, of every branded player out there. Amortization-a-plenty.

readswift
01-19-2008, 01:32 PM
that quoted post is uhh... LOL

readswift
01-19-2008, 01:34 PM
i tought we re not kidding on this forum ! Uhh. Im still floored Moose Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 1 at least he tried something reasonable LOL ok this topic gets a 1 star from me right now this guy who beleives this is simply retarded

readswift
01-19-2008, 01:47 PM
and you analogman don't dare to ask anything from me, you introduced yourself pretty much to not count on me, thanks . http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/fail.jpg

wd4090
01-20-2008, 03:33 AM
ehh

so, how did this thread sneak by me for so long:(
I even have a 1001, gonna have to hook it up now

analogman
01-22-2008, 10:12 AM
and you analogman don't dare to ask anything from me, you introduced yourself pretty much to not count on me, thanks . http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/fail.jpg



Well, it appears you've ALMOST solved your problem of how to get some pussy to eat. Great job, you're nearly there! :bouncy:
Now you don't need my help.
Analogman

analogman
01-22-2008, 10:19 AM
ehh

so, how did this thread sneak by me for so long:(
I even have a 1001, gonna have to hook it up now


Go for it, you may be very surprised and pleased. Definitely worth the few minutes required for the experiment. The link they gave further back is excellent. I'm in the process of tweaking mine. Picked up a remote and receiver sensor for $5.00 at a local game store. Glad to be rid of a 10 years old machine and it's inevitable break down while still recouping 50% of what I payed for it. And this sounds just as well (better, truthfully, to MY ears).
Let me know what you think. :bouncy:

Analogman

hjames
01-22-2008, 02:55 PM
C'mon guys, grow up ...
Keep it civil, okay

readswift
01-22-2008, 08:43 PM
from another forum


"Asked my analyzer and he told me:

Lots of harmonics, K3 = -39,5 dB as bad as TDA1543 and TDA1540.

Bad noise floor around -50 or -55 dB, don't remember."

http://www.beautyphoto.de/playstation.jpg

those are the byproducts produced by a nice clean sine wave...
are you listening to what was recorded? - no... :(
euphonically pleasing? maybe...:bouncy:

yggdrasil
01-23-2008, 09:03 AM
C'mon guys, grow up ...
Keep it civil, okay
Yes, please.

readswift
01-23-2008, 12:30 PM
that "animal" is a frequent sight on another top tier forum , prodigy-pro , dunno whats wrong :))

Fletch
02-24-2008, 04:38 AM
I picked up a 1001 with the analog outs and it made some clicking noises when trying to read a disc. A q-tip with some windex and then the other side to get any dust, etc and it read the disc without a hitch. Sounds good so far but I am still on the fence. I need to do a lot more listening but for $8 plus $4.50 for a controller and I have a decent CD player.

UPDATE: That was only half of the problem with the PS1. About the last 2 tracks were causing me issues with dropouts. i checked out Mike F's very knowledgable website and adjusted the laser intentsity, gain, and bias. When I hooked it back up I had made it worse so I double checked all of the settings and tweeaked them here and there. The solution was to turn my laser intensity to 12.9 mV and that was the trick. Seems to recognize everything I have thrown at so far. I have a few "poor" CD-Rs I burnt with a CD burner that was on it's last leg. If it can read that disc it will read ANYTHING. Anyway. I know now how to fix these with relative ease which is a bonus considering that you can get these for anywhere from $1 to $10. Now to the modifications.

Oh and Analogman, that was too funny. Great comeback. :)

Dark Knight
02-24-2008, 02:32 PM
This thread may be onto something. It exactly follows an Educational post from a vintage audio dealer who has been in the business a long, long time.

http://www.audioproz.com/AP.php?Article=58&Tab=Educational

Check it out, then explore his other material. He is halarious and knowledgable at the same time.

DK

Fletch
02-24-2008, 05:47 PM
Dark Knight..................whew.....my brain hurts. Too much info. I think I get the just of what he is saying and kind of what I have been thinking the last week. I am a thousand times more knowledgable due to this and other forums. I've tested everything that I can throw at it and it is ready everything fine. Even over burned CDs with over 80 minutes of play time are being read and played without a hitch.

Dark Knight
02-24-2008, 06:01 PM
Fletch. I just posted your suggestion to the AK forum to a member looking to upgrade their CD player. It will be interesting to see what the response is. It is a great suggestion that I liked it enough to post there.

I know nothing about vintage audio but digital electronics is part of my job. You either have the "bits" or you don't. If the Play Station has greater digital resolution with high quality components, then it makes perfect sense. My hat's off to you. I am sorry that I forgot to give you due credit for the idea on AK but you can go there to help defend the idea.

DK

Fletch
03-15-2008, 05:21 PM
Short writeup on these in the new Stereophile issue. I haven;t read it but thought I;d pass it on.

I don't know about the rest of you but I am pretty much sold. I picked up another unit for $6 plus trade from DVDs that I could not get rid of and an old Nintendo game I found free. It's actually in much better condition then the other 2 I have found and he has a 14 day return policy. I got the console, a controller, power cord, and new AV cable. My 6 disc Oknyo unit is going up on Ebay.

I still have a unit that's not working. I'm wondering if I should just butcher it for all of the parts? Anyone else recommend the 5501 model or have expereince with it?

readswift
03-15-2008, 06:27 PM
the playstation is a harmonic distortion generator ,so, for instance , you dont need vacuum tube stuff anymore for that effect : )))

SEAWOLF97
03-16-2008, 08:24 AM
Short writeup on these in the new Stereophile issue. I haven;t read it but thought I;d pass it on.

In the April issue of Stereophile, John Marks talks about using Sony's original Playstation as a CD player. Says it sounds pretty good, with expensive cables, only OK with standard cables. Despite all that it is very inconvenient to use and not "comparable to a $6000 player" as many boast.

Mr. Widget
03-16-2008, 10:03 AM
The thing is that for the $10-$25 price you would pay for one of these on eBay, you can pick up a used CD player these days. I'd guess the CD player would have lower mileage than a typical Playstation too.

When this thread first started I bought one of the 1001 models. It sounded OK. I wasn't blown away, but it was OK. Since then the price of used CD players has plummeted. You can pick up an excellent used CD player for under $100, with remote and far better aesthetic appeal.

I think these Playstations appeal to those who want to get in on "the secret deal" whatever that is.


Widget

Russellc
03-17-2008, 09:05 AM
I think you are right, same deal a year or two ago with the toshiba 3950 DVD player, I bought one new (60 bucks) as I needed a DVD player. Used as a CD player, it wasnt bad at all when compared to cheap CD players. People were saying the same thing about how great it was and modable and all that. My stock Rotel 971 ( just an OK player) smoked it hard. But for the price of entry.....OK Better than a 5000 or 10000 player? Sorry guys there is no free lunch, and audio ( one of the few areas of electronics where "new" innovations never get cheaper at retail level) I doubt is any exception, but a good use for an outdated game box.

Russellc

analogman
04-04-2008, 10:16 AM
I think you are right, same deal a year or two ago with the toshiba 3950 DVD player, I bought one new (60 bucks) as I needed a DVD player. Used as a CD player, it wasnt bad at all when compared to cheap CD players. People were saying the same thing about how great it was and modable and all that. My stock Rotel 971 ( just an OK player) smoked it hard. But for the price of entry.....OK Better than a 5000 or 10000 player? Sorry guys there is no free lunch, and audio ( one of the few areas of electronics where "new" innovations never get cheaper at retail level) I doubt is any exception, but a good use for an outdated game box.

Russellc

Not talking cheap chinese Toshiba DVD players.
Have you done the Sony yet?
Have you visited the German engineer's site(s) where objective data and information are provided, as well as the "eye candy" being built to nicely maximize this electronic reality? Several running tube outputs.
Otherwise, how can you comment?
Analogman

analogman
04-04-2008, 10:28 AM
If you are serious about this and want more than a "zero effort" miracle so you can just talk shit about what a joke this is, remove the cheap opamp from the RCA outs.
If that don't open your eyes then just keep lovin' dem ole Emperor's Clothes and buying audio porn and jewelry.
Digital is shit for sound to begin with.
The Playstation will just give it to you about as good as it gets for pennies.
If 1/4" aluminum face plates and such is your bag, go for it.
Analogman

analogman
04-04-2008, 10:54 AM
In the April issue of Stereophile, John Marks talks about using Sony's original Playstation as a CD player. Says it sounds pretty good, with expensive cables, only OK with standard cables. Despite all that it is very inconvenient to use and not "comparable to a $6000 player" as many boast.


The best thing anyone could ever do for themselves UNLESS the are EEs, or similar, is to avoid shit rags like "Sterephool" like the plague.

I learned that one the hard way, and it cost me a LOT of money.

Those English Majors can really sell the crapola, AND get you jonesing for it.

I owned a Sonic Frontiers Anthem 1 (6BQ5). Long story, big expensive mistake, mods etc. It was just a piece of shit from the get go. Major disappointment. My first "modern" Stereophool approved tube amp.

Right this moment, as I type this I am listening to a new acquisition: a Stromberg-Carlson ASR-333 (6BQ5) dead stock original, yet to be refurbished (parts on the way).
Blows the S.F. out of the fuc&ing water. Stereophool consistently insists that 6BQ5s are only adequate in the BASS department, in general.

I paid $100 bucks for the S-C and a matching FM/AM tuner. My rebuild on the amp will run me about another $75-$100.

AudioXpress, V.T.V and a few others are all I read now, as well as texts on the subject (the texts came a little late in life, but I'm trying to understand)

Sterephool is starting to recognize classic circuits now with heavily couched language in Vintage side bars. "Cause the pricks publishing it are making money off passive parts vendors as the Vintage craze grows.

Holt left, that should tell you something.....
Analogman

hjames
04-04-2008, 11:10 AM
Lot of anger there - seems directed at anyone who disagrees - whats with that??

Besides, from what I've seen, the problem with MOST techie magazines, be they audio, auto, home improvements or gee-whiz science, is too often they become beholden to the advertisers and can't (don't/won't) call out the weasels like they need to. Big money talks, far too often!



The best thing anyone could ever do for themselves UNLESS the are EEs, or similar, is to avoid shit rags like "Sterephool" like the plague.

Holt left, that should tell you something.....
Analogman

analogman
04-05-2008, 12:46 AM
Lot of anger there - seems directed at anyone who disagrees - whats with that??


No, that is not the case......
It is frustration directed at those who denigrate in absolute terms things that they have no direct experience with, whatsoever, in this case, the Sony Playstation as a CD front end.....
and justify their broad stroke dismissals with irrelevant "apples and oranges to bananas" comparisons and rationalizations.....based on nothing....
usually fueled by what they have bought and spent, or what their friends have bought or spent, and often a decision based in large part to what the English Majors at the "Hi-Fi" rags have deemed the flavor of the month, or increasingly, what internet forum lemmings are embracing at any given moment as the answer and solution to "best", or "good" or "great" or "biggest bang" or any other meaningless superlative, no matter the piece of hardware or software it may be under discussion.........not to mention regret for bad buying decisions....

You are an accomplished violinist for the sake of this discussion:
Would you buy, let's say, a violin that you have no personal experience with, either playing or hearing, based on a magazine article? On a forum post?
By the same token, would you refuse to consider it as a possibility, at least until YOU, YOURSELF had experienced the instrument?

For me, I'm getting a lot more out of it now that I've finally learned to listen with my ears and not with my eyes.

Analogman

trackingforce
12-14-2008, 11:09 PM
Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I've purchased a PS1 SPCH-1001. I've done three days of testing, and, yes, this is an excellent player. I prefer it to my marantz 6000 OSE and my Carver SD/A-360 cd players. The PS1 has a superior midrange to either of these players. Vocals are brilliantly dead-on. Female vocals are nothing short of amazing. I have a couple questions however. I have having bad drop-out problems. I went to the PS1 mod page at dogbreath.de, but for the life of me, I couldnt figure out what tool to use to adjust the laser intensity or bias "screws." What kind of tool is used to make the adjustments on these fragile parts? Has anyone had any success with these adjustments? I can't play a disc with the slightest imperfection and CD-R are really a washout. I'd appreciate any help and thank you for convincing me to purchase one of these lovely players!

gerard
12-15-2008, 03:42 AM
I am just using a very small philips screwdriver ( the one sold for electronics ) .
I do not use the help of reading the voltage current but just try see by ear what's going on . Also when you set up , try to start a Cd while the ps1 is open , if the Cd starts after a few turns then it should be ok if it turns too much to find the Cd you have to use the screwdriver .

Hope this help .

regards