NOS Phillips TDA1540D DAC

[muon*]

4 minutes ago, RockRolley said:

Jays is quite a bit more expensive though right? So far are you thinking it’s competitive in its price range?

I really have no idea on what it is competitive with, I highly doubt it would compete with a Jay's CDT2, just not many out there in the main stream with the CDM4. That's the only reason I use the CDT as a goal kind of

 

Will be visiting Matt tomorrow to catch up on what he;s done in his system, but we will compare it to his TL5 both into his DCC via COAX.

[MattyW]

Well that was a lovely listening session today. We got to compare the CDM4 player vs my CEC TL5, and also vs my streaming setup at volumes far higher than I ordinarily get to listen at which Ian agreed is extreme low level listening rather than just low level listening.

 

Vs the CEC TL5 the CDM4 transport has more bass impact with an associated slight improvement in PRaT, in comparison the midrange can with some CD's sound a little less clear than the CEC which has marvelous midrange clarity and bass seems just a touch less extended and less impactful. Detail I'd say is much the same between them. The CEC is the more mellow sounding transport which I do enjoy and both pull off that "you are there" experience very well with good recordings.

 

Vs my streaming setup I'm sad to say the streaming while lovely loses a little immediacy and "you are there" type presence. Likewise bass isn't quite as deep or impactful though still rather exceptional. I've no intention to try improve my streaming setup any further apart from the Holo Red I have on order with Indie Hi-Fi which I'm hoping can improve things a teensy bit with SilentAngel VitOS installed.

 

The comparison does however make me curious how much better things can sound with another transport where I can sync the clock between transport, DDC and DAC so I'll likely be keeping an eye out for a CDM4 transport with 10Mhz clock input..... Which comes in black rather than silver. Thge comparison has triggered my desire to tweak and experiment darn it! I all fairness though, with me it doesn't take that much 

 

So which is better? In terms of sonics, neither. It's more personal preference than anything else. In terms of value for money, the CDM4 transport is the clear winner. Interestingly it has a word clock output on the back which could give a nice performance boost with DDC or DAC which have a word clock input. I've no idea whether it's 50 or 75ohm. Hopefully 50 as a 50ohm sine wave word clock will work just fine with components which have 75ohm inputs as well, not just 50ohm input.

Edited June 29, 2023 by MattyW

[muon*]

As above, could come down to preference and the system.

 

Was great fun and interesting, Matt's speakers are really something, at my listening level I was really enjoying them and the extra detail they provide, and without being bright or shouty like often reported with FR speakers.

[RockRolley]

Thanks guys for the notes on your listening session. @MattyW, are you saying you’re considering getting one of those CDT’s and using your Holo Red as DDC then into Dac? I know it’s outside the scope of this chat, but briefly, for your current purposes are you going to use the Holo Red as streamer or DDC?

[muon*]

The Transport I have only has a clock out connection, Matt is hoping to find a transport with a word clock input.

[RockRolley]

@muon*, it seems as though your CDT fared very well to get such high praise in comparison with the CEC. I have the CEC 5100 which I believe is lower down the chain than the TL5, and my CEC is heaven on a stick paired with my ABBAS Dac, so I imagine your CDM4 transport could be a great option if I ever decide to use a second CDT. I currently use a Woodside WS2 CDP as second transport. It has the blackest of backgrounds; the music just seems to materialise out of nothingness, which is fantastic, but it’s just not as ‘musical’ as my CEC. Thanks again for sharing 

[muon*]

11 minutes ago, RockRolley said:

@muon*, it seems as though your CDT fared very well to get such high praise in comparison with the CEC. I have the CEC 5100 which I believe is lower down the chain than the TL5, and my CEC is heaven on a stick paired with my ABBAS Dac, so I imagine your CDM4 transport could be a great option if I ever decide to use a second CDT. I currently use a Woodside WS2 CDP as second transport. It has the blackest of backgrounds; the music just seems to materialise out of nothingness, which is fantastic, but it’s just not as ‘musical’ as my CEC. Thanks again for sharing 

Sounds like they pair well.

 

Never heard of the Woodside, will have to have a look

 

Edit: @RockRolley that Woodside player looks cool, single crown chip and CDM-1 Mk II mech, the CDM4 is a cheaper composite smaller version of that revered CDM-1 Mk II one I think.

Edited June 29, 2023 by muon*

[RockRolley]

22 minutes ago, muon* said:

Sounds like they pair well.

 

Never heard of the Woodside, will have to have a look

 

Edit: @RockRolley that Woodside player looks cool, single crown chip and CDM-1 Mk II mech, the CDM4 is a cheaper composite smaller version of that revered CDM-1 Mk II one I think.

Yes, it’s a fantastic CDP, I think the WS2 isn’t a single crown…. Which is the only difference I can see between it and the WS1…? Either way, it’s beautiful and I’m lucky to have it

[muon*]

24 minutes ago, RockRolley said:

Yes, it’s a fantastic CDP, I think the WS2 isn’t a single crown…. Which is the only difference I can see between it and the WS1…? Either way, it’s beautiful and I’m lucky to have it

WOODSIDE WS2

Philips TDA1541A-S1 (Single Crown)

Philips CDM-1 Mk II

https://www.dutchaudioclassics.nl/Overview-Philips-TDA1541-based-cdplayers/

 

Seen on another forum a guy pull a single crown out of his WS2.

Edited June 29, 2023 by muon*

[MattyW]

I’ll be keeping an eye out for a CDM4 transport with a 10Mhz clock input as in theory it might even better the TL5 or Ian’s transport. I think these trade blows and those who love impactful bass would probably favor Ian’s transport over the TL5.

[muon*]

With the Transport having i2s/hdmi out, I have added a receiver board to the rear panel of my DAC, the tape will be replaced with a little brushed silver plate with i2s/hdmi engraved on it.

 

Rear panel is 8mm thick so was a chore to Dermel out a 5.5mm recess on the inside of it.

 

Edited August 1, 2023 by muon*

[RockRolley]

12 minutes ago, muon* said:

With the Transport having i2s/hdmi out, I have added a receiver board to the rear panel of my DAC, the tape will be replaced with a little brushed silver plate with i2s/hdmi engraved on it.

 

Rear panel is 8mm thick so was a chore to Dermel out a 5.5mm recess on the inside of it.

 

Nice one, I'll be interested to hear your reflections after some listening via the i2s input

[muon*]

1 minute ago, RockRolley said:

Nice one, I'll be interested to hear your reflections after some listening via the i2s input

An unknown at this stage, will see though.

 

Might be only slight, or more than slight all else being equal, thing is my coax cable is a nice one so unless I also have a nice HDMI cable will I really know

[MattyW]

Agreed. Digital cables really do make a difference 

[muon*]

Swapped the Vishay's front and back of the two 15v +/- regs (powering output stage) for Audio Note Standard and Keisai.

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2023 by muon*

[muon*]

On 01/08/2023 at 9:19 PM, muon* said:

With the Transport having i2s/hdmi out, I have added a receiver board to the rear panel of my DAC, the tape will be replaced with a little brushed silver plate with i2s/hdmi engraved on it.

 

Rear panel is 8mm thick so was a chore to Dermel out a 5.5mm recess on the inside of it.

 

Well that didn't end well

 

Wired the receiver card up and connected with a HDMI cable and no signal lock so no sound

 

So a warning for others if buying this DAC, if you want the i2s option get it included at time of purchase

[RockRolley]

2 minutes ago, muon* said:

Well that didn't end well

 

Wired the receiver card up and connected with a HDMI cable and no signal lock so no sound

 

So a warning for others if buying this DAC, if you want the i2s option get it included at time of purchase

Oh that’s a shame, sorry to hear that

[muon*]

16 minutes ago, RockRolley said:

Oh that’s a shame, sorry to hear that

Such is this hobby at times

 

I'll check that the card is getting 5v as it should tomorrow.

 

Sounds good with the coax after the Keisai caps so I'm still happy with the DAC, just wasted some money buying a Dremel and wasted some time *shrug*

[muon*]

One last try, ordered the receiver board that is made by the same maker as the sender board and the DAC board.

 

[MattyW]

Fingers crossed

[fell off the boat]

Fingers crossed, times 2

[muon*]

Shouldn't be any compatibility issues with that board, so I think it should end well

[muon*]

So this is part of the puzzle, a switch on the main board for i2s.

 

With this off and connected via hdmi the light on the front stays red, with it switched on relay kicks in and I get a green light, but no sound.

 

With it on coax is disabled.

 

So will wait for the new input board, meanwhile have emailed the maker with some questions, hopefully they will respond.

 

[muon*]

I wonder if that Mute_Dis needs to be bridged

 

Garrr...these need a manual!

Edited August 11, 2023 by muon*

[muon*]

OK, a knowledgeable member helped me get a better handle on this Of coarse this was the great DAC maker, Clay. (Gieseler Audio)

Thanks, Clay.

 

The connector row I used is the wrong one to use.

 

Working now, better separation and definition and that's using the lesser receiver board and a cheap hdmi cable from jbhifi.

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by muon*