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Sit back and relax, this is just another tale of weirdness with a little wonderfulness mixed in for goodmeasure (the best we can often hope for in life, no? 
)
Sometime while I was at the movie and out to dinner, the folks from the post office dropped off a package I've been waiting for several weeks. It was a replacement modified Philips CDM12 transport, which goes in the item picture below, an APN Hawk Audio modified Philips CD753. Yes, more strange stuff from across the pond, from your European correspondent and employee, Jon.
What is this all about? It's a modified CD player, in which the conventional audio portion is stripped out for all purposes, a new power transformer and some capacitors are incorporated, and a variety of key capacitors on the digital board and transport controller board are replaced with Sanyo OSCON capacitors, probably the lowest impedance polarized capacitors currently available- which is why they're used in things like Pentium IV and Athlon VRM regulators. (Believe me, I know, I'm working on a new design this week with some of our unreleased power components for a P4 VRM regulator for a CPU not yet in production).
Additionally, the chasis is beefed up with a non-resonant base, and a considerable amount of damping material in strategic locations. There are some other tweaks incorporated which I've identified, which out of resect for John van der Sluis and his band of designers and music lovers, I'll forgo discussing. Why give everything away, hmmm :?:
Maybe because I've walked and noodled around a few cities and a lot of smaller villages on the continent, and even perused some computer and audio emporiums there, the idea of purchasing on "speculation" an unusual but possibly high value piece of gear doesn't frighten me the way I suppose it might those who's shopping experiences are largely confined to the Mall, or their local Good Guys, Tweeter, or SoundTrack. On the other hand, maybe I'm just dense and reckless, too! :LOL:
As initially received in early February, this unit didn't work, due to some mechanical issues with the actual transport mechanism. :roll: Although there was no apparent package damage for the complete transport, it would accept a disk only briefly, then spit it back out without having even read the TOC. Inspection of the unit with the cover off determined the disk was not being clamped and read properly. A replacement drive mechanism was dispatched by John van der Sluis immediately. Air Post takes an unpredictable amount of time, and John tells me that future shipping will use UPS, in spite of the increased cost. This evening I installed the replacement mechanism, which really takes less time to do than to write about it.
Why a Philips CD753? Well, across the pond, it was/is a fairly ubiquitous model, available at a not very princely sum. More importantly, it uses the highly regarded Philips CDM12 mechanism.
And, you're thinking, why should that be at all significant? Well, the various versions of the CDM12 are used in a variety of players, including the Metronome Technologie, the Sonic Frontiers SFT1, Tag Mclaren CDT20R, the Audio Aero Capitole, the Marantz CD-63, the Quad 77, the Cambridge Audio CD4SE, and of course, the AH! Tjoeb players, based as they are on Marantz mechanisms. (Marantz is owned by Philips).
Why are the Philips CDM12 variants found in such a range of players? Well, basically, because at relatively reasonable cost it does one of the best jobs of resonance control of a moderate cost mechanism- and with a little work, is capable of some very respectable performance. This is why so many use it as a starting point, including Hawk Audio.
So, here I am tonight, sipping a little rum, and wondering how to plausibly compare it to a Sony SCD777ES used just as a transport, without having everyone fall laughing out of their seats. :LOL:
Well, actually, as long as I'm not bothered with any liability suits from the barristers among you, I don't care if you fall laughing out of your chairs. Because I'm listening to the Hawk transport, and you're not.
The Hawk definitely has a different presentation from the Sony. To make sure the playing field is as level as possible, I've connected them with nearly identical custom made cables, excepting that the transport termination for the APN unit is BNC, while for the Sony it must be RCA. Both are being played through the customized MP DAC I built the end of last year. See this thread for more info.
I still owe a more complete writeup on this, but I wanted to do that after evaulating this modded transport also- so that will be forthcoming *after* I return from my business trip all next week.
System is my usual pile of odds and ends, Ayre V-5 NLFB amplifier, passive preamp with Shallco attenuators, custom interconnects and speaker cables using a variety of Cardas, AudioQuest, Kimber and WBT components, and with the Mk II versions of the M8 "bookshelf" project speaker (Eton 8-800 woofers and Accuton tweeters).
Now first off, what's noticeable is the difference in presence region and top end. The last tweak I'd made to the Mk II M8 speaker, lowering the tweeter level slightly, had tamed the upper end, but rendered it a little dark overall in tonal balance; I'd even been considering restoring it to the last voicing. I've been listening to these speakers again quite a bit since delivering the Mk III M8 (M8z woofer, Focal Tc120dx2) to my ladyfriend last weekend. Today, I listened to my recent favorite platter, Jonatha Brooke's "Grace in Gravity" more than a few times. I spun it again tonight, and the slight darkness of the M8 MkII's seemed to vanish, while the high end, if anything, became a tad smoother, yet losing no detail; not effacing, just better integrated with everything else. (maybe this is what lower jitter sounds like, hmmm?) Playing some of the cuts with agressive acoustic guitar (Jonatha is sort of an "Alt Folk" type of gal), a little of the grit in the chord attacks seemed focussed into a more natural transient attack.
After going through the whole album, and really enjoying the last couple of acapella cuts, which are real showcases for her voice, with multi-tracked vocals, I decided to spin the new (relatively) Strunz and Farah, "Stringweave". Was I hearing a little more focus and impact on the string bass and lower frequency percussion, or was it just that I was mellowing out from sipping a little brandy? Was there better integration of the attack and skin tone of the Middle Eastern drums they use, or was it just the lack of fatigue I felt listening to the cuts, even when cranked up a little more than usual? And what about those cymbal strokes, and they way the decay seems audible a little longer into the background? Could it merely be my relief at it being the weekend, and the nice dinner I had tonight? One thinks that's not the right explanation.
Am I being fair, here, comparing an introduced at $3500, reduced to $2500 50 lb. Sony transport to a ~$600 transport built on a midrange Philips player? Of course not. After all, the Sony has several hundred hours of breakin, and the APN Hawk transport was just turned on tonight for real listening. But who am I being unfair to?
Now, where do I put the Sony SCD777ES- perhaps in the bedroom? Why not- I can always get another APN DAC kit to build and use with it.
Perhaps I should have postponed this writeup until the last day of this month. Then you'd really be scratching your head when you read it, but figure it was all just a joke, in the end. That would make life a lot simpler and more predictable, but for better or worse, life isn't so simple and predictable. It's a little weird at times, and a little wonderful.
Have a great weekend, folks.
Best regards,
Jon
Earth First!
_______________________________
We'll screw up the other planets later....
)Sometime while I was at the movie and out to dinner, the folks from the post office dropped off a package I've been waiting for several weeks. It was a replacement modified Philips CDM12 transport, which goes in the item picture below, an APN Hawk Audio modified Philips CD753. Yes, more strange stuff from across the pond, from your European correspondent and employee, Jon.
What is this all about? It's a modified CD player, in which the conventional audio portion is stripped out for all purposes, a new power transformer and some capacitors are incorporated, and a variety of key capacitors on the digital board and transport controller board are replaced with Sanyo OSCON capacitors, probably the lowest impedance polarized capacitors currently available- which is why they're used in things like Pentium IV and Athlon VRM regulators. (Believe me, I know, I'm working on a new design this week with some of our unreleased power components for a P4 VRM regulator for a CPU not yet in production).
Additionally, the chasis is beefed up with a non-resonant base, and a considerable amount of damping material in strategic locations. There are some other tweaks incorporated which I've identified, which out of resect for John van der Sluis and his band of designers and music lovers, I'll forgo discussing. Why give everything away, hmmm :?:
Maybe because I've walked and noodled around a few cities and a lot of smaller villages on the continent, and even perused some computer and audio emporiums there, the idea of purchasing on "speculation" an unusual but possibly high value piece of gear doesn't frighten me the way I suppose it might those who's shopping experiences are largely confined to the Mall, or their local Good Guys, Tweeter, or SoundTrack. On the other hand, maybe I'm just dense and reckless, too! :LOL:
As initially received in early February, this unit didn't work, due to some mechanical issues with the actual transport mechanism. :roll: Although there was no apparent package damage for the complete transport, it would accept a disk only briefly, then spit it back out without having even read the TOC. Inspection of the unit with the cover off determined the disk was not being clamped and read properly. A replacement drive mechanism was dispatched by John van der Sluis immediately. Air Post takes an unpredictable amount of time, and John tells me that future shipping will use UPS, in spite of the increased cost. This evening I installed the replacement mechanism, which really takes less time to do than to write about it.
Why a Philips CD753? Well, across the pond, it was/is a fairly ubiquitous model, available at a not very princely sum. More importantly, it uses the highly regarded Philips CDM12 mechanism.
And, you're thinking, why should that be at all significant? Well, the various versions of the CDM12 are used in a variety of players, including the Metronome Technologie, the Sonic Frontiers SFT1, Tag Mclaren CDT20R, the Audio Aero Capitole, the Marantz CD-63, the Quad 77, the Cambridge Audio CD4SE, and of course, the AH! Tjoeb players, based as they are on Marantz mechanisms. (Marantz is owned by Philips).
Why are the Philips CDM12 variants found in such a range of players? Well, basically, because at relatively reasonable cost it does one of the best jobs of resonance control of a moderate cost mechanism- and with a little work, is capable of some very respectable performance. This is why so many use it as a starting point, including Hawk Audio.
So, here I am tonight, sipping a little rum, and wondering how to plausibly compare it to a Sony SCD777ES used just as a transport, without having everyone fall laughing out of their seats. :LOL:
Well, actually, as long as I'm not bothered with any liability suits from the barristers among you, I don't care if you fall laughing out of your chairs. Because I'm listening to the Hawk transport, and you're not.
The Hawk definitely has a different presentation from the Sony. To make sure the playing field is as level as possible, I've connected them with nearly identical custom made cables, excepting that the transport termination for the APN unit is BNC, while for the Sony it must be RCA. Both are being played through the customized MP DAC I built the end of last year. See this thread for more info.
I still owe a more complete writeup on this, but I wanted to do that after evaulating this modded transport also- so that will be forthcoming *after* I return from my business trip all next week.
System is my usual pile of odds and ends, Ayre V-5 NLFB amplifier, passive preamp with Shallco attenuators, custom interconnects and speaker cables using a variety of Cardas, AudioQuest, Kimber and WBT components, and with the Mk II versions of the M8 "bookshelf" project speaker (Eton 8-800 woofers and Accuton tweeters).
Now first off, what's noticeable is the difference in presence region and top end. The last tweak I'd made to the Mk II M8 speaker, lowering the tweeter level slightly, had tamed the upper end, but rendered it a little dark overall in tonal balance; I'd even been considering restoring it to the last voicing. I've been listening to these speakers again quite a bit since delivering the Mk III M8 (M8z woofer, Focal Tc120dx2) to my ladyfriend last weekend. Today, I listened to my recent favorite platter, Jonatha Brooke's "Grace in Gravity" more than a few times. I spun it again tonight, and the slight darkness of the M8 MkII's seemed to vanish, while the high end, if anything, became a tad smoother, yet losing no detail; not effacing, just better integrated with everything else. (maybe this is what lower jitter sounds like, hmmm?) Playing some of the cuts with agressive acoustic guitar (Jonatha is sort of an "Alt Folk" type of gal), a little of the grit in the chord attacks seemed focussed into a more natural transient attack.
After going through the whole album, and really enjoying the last couple of acapella cuts, which are real showcases for her voice, with multi-tracked vocals, I decided to spin the new (relatively) Strunz and Farah, "Stringweave". Was I hearing a little more focus and impact on the string bass and lower frequency percussion, or was it just that I was mellowing out from sipping a little brandy? Was there better integration of the attack and skin tone of the Middle Eastern drums they use, or was it just the lack of fatigue I felt listening to the cuts, even when cranked up a little more than usual? And what about those cymbal strokes, and they way the decay seems audible a little longer into the background? Could it merely be my relief at it being the weekend, and the nice dinner I had tonight? One thinks that's not the right explanation.
Am I being fair, here, comparing an introduced at $3500, reduced to $2500 50 lb. Sony transport to a ~$600 transport built on a midrange Philips player? Of course not. After all, the Sony has several hundred hours of breakin, and the APN Hawk transport was just turned on tonight for real listening. But who am I being unfair to?
Now, where do I put the Sony SCD777ES- perhaps in the bedroom? Why not- I can always get another APN DAC kit to build and use with it.
Perhaps I should have postponed this writeup until the last day of this month. Then you'd really be scratching your head when you read it, but figure it was all just a joke, in the end. That would make life a lot simpler and more predictable, but for better or worse, life isn't so simple and predictable. It's a little weird at times, and a little wonderful.
Have a great weekend, folks.
Best regards,
Jon
Earth First!
_______________________________
We'll screw up the other planets later....
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