Nice pickup!!! I love symphonie fantastique as well. It’s still is one of my favorite piece I heard live from my local symphony.
Everyone have different ears and setup, so your situation might be different. What I like with the ZMF shop is that they offer different pads and different DIY like the titan mesh to accommodate the difference in people taste and ears. I would say I’m a little sensitive up top and the upper midrange and higher frequencies on the ZMF AC was pretty unpleasant on all my equipment except maybe the Magni Piety, but I haven’t really spent too much time on that. So, I ordered the solid titan mesh to smooth out those frequencies and voilà! I got the ZMF AC tune to more my liking on my setup and to my ears! I haven’t plugged it to my main tube setup, so I’m hoping it works tonight lol.
There are many good recordings of Symphonie Fantastique, but this is one of the best vinyl pressings and they were all immediately sold out. This was a random unopened find from Europe; can’t imagine ever selling it!
My last CD-Player …
- highest level Swoboda Audio modified Sony CDP XA50ES
- Swoboda Audio Reference cabling
- Special Acapella base, propritary Pucks underneath, 9kg Speedblock on top (underneath propritary wooden triangle with 3 pin’'s)
Sound wise: some people thougt they hear HiRes titles through the MU2. It is really outstanding and my friend owning an Accuphase DP-770 was shocked how good it is
Who is Swoboda Audio?
2 German (crazy) engineers mostly focused on Vintage Sony CD modifications (have started in 1996 with 1st highend Sony modifications). They rebuild OPA, digital section etc…Sony CDP-XA50ES Swoboda - Eine klangliche Sensation - Swoboda Audio Modification
Not listening to SACD, because DSD I’m listening through Grimm MU2 (yes, they do DSD256 with 1.5bit - pretty neat and sounds impressive. Eelco Grimm mentioned in an Email and never tested DSD before).
Of course, CD source material must be mastered properly (I mostly listen to EMC recordings, Stockfish Records, ACT, the lost recordings or Blue Note).
Welp, I bought one of the least “HIFI” items you could add to your setup… bass shakers. I installed two Dayton BST-300EX shakers to the back of my chair.
A couple of Fosi ZA3 amps to power them and placed them on my kallax next to the chair so they’re easy to turn on/off and adjust shake level.
Being fed by a cheap used crossover (Rockville RX230) that is fed by my Freya+. (didn’t want to put more than $600 into adding bass shakers in case I didn’t end up liking it). Also put some blue tac over a couple of the LED’s since they were bright as hell and stick out so I couldn’t use my light dims.
And after putting some anti vibration pads under my chair I can definitely say it’s a fun setup when gaming haha. Helldivers 2 is now that much more stress inducing when you feel every shot, explosion or giant enemy on it’s way to kill you lol. Being able to easily turn it off at a moments notice is nice too. So while it may not add from a SQ standpoint, it’s definitely a fun addition. Now I just need to upgrade my speakers… eventually
Reading this makes me smile, the whole point of our hobby is enjoyment of what you’re doing/listening to! I love it!
It’s too easy to take all the fun out of it if you’re not a proper, serious “audiophile”…
Can a charger still ninja sneak up on you or does your rear now have spidey sense against that?
So you bolted the bass shakers directly to the frame of your lazy boy? Directly into the wood of the legs?
Yes, yes he did. LOL
Mastery of his own domain! I keep looking at the picture and all I see is my wife’s pissed off face. YOU. DRILLED. THROUGH. THE. LEATHER!?
Only been listening about an hour (slapped custom pads on after 5 minutes) but god damn. These things are hilariously good. They’re so light and the clamp force is enough that the dog shit headband is a total non issue. I’m suddenly wondering what price range you have to get to with estats to compete with these because the tuning alone makes most companies estats seem like a joke. I tossed a pretty fat bass shelf on and these can actually slam with a decent amount of authority and they don’t distort and flex.
Unfortunately they still can, but you can definitely feel it once they start charging towards you. So I guess spidey senses for when they’re about to obliterate me haha.
Yup, that’s more or less what I did lol. I bolted them into the back of the arms, but put them low enough so it shakes the seat itself pretty well. I actually tried the shakers in a couple other positions before settling on where they are now.
Haha exactly, fortunately the chair itself is pretty cheap (definitely not real leather) so I didn’t feel bad putting a few holes into it for this endeavor. Though my wife did say that it didn’t look bad in it’s current configuration, and that if anything it looks like I’ve strapped some jet engines to the back to send me flying lol.
The nerd in me couldn’t help but bought this PS1 as my new CD Player! Looking forward in trying this out with all the modern equipment!
Notes from the seller on what he done on this PS1
This listing is for a PlayStation that has been restored and modified to make an excellent CD player. This model is the SCPH-1001, the original US release. Due to the use of an AKM DAC for sound processing, It has very good sonic characteristics and a clean sound almost three decades after its release. Later models lost the high-quality DAC and the clean sound of the original. This unit, like the vast majority of first generation units, was made in Japan.
MODDING PROCESS:
As can be seen in the close up picture of the mainboard, the audio signal from the AKM DAC now bypasses the capacitors that were previously in the audio section of the board, as well as the op-amps that are on the underside of the board. The goal with this mod is to remove as many components as possible from the audio path to make it as clean as possible. In place of the stock capacitors and op-amps, a pair of Nichicon FG capacitors is installed, one for each channel. These help smooth out the sound a bit and also help reduce “popping” that can sometimes occur when the unit is switched on and off.
Both the mainboard and power supply have been fully re-capped using Console5 capacitor kits. Sony Playstation PS1 SMD Cap Kit - Rev PU7, PU8 for the main board and Sony Playstation PS1 Power Supply Cap Kit: Mitsumi 100v - 120v for the power supply. The jack that connects the power cord to the power board has been de-soldered and re-soldered, as this connection can fail overtime due to plugging and unplugging the power cord from the rear of the console. (Several places in this listing the phrase 'de-soldered and re-soldered is used. When stated, this means that all old solder has been completely removed, the surface cleaned, and then fresh solder used to complete the connections again.)
All three RCA connections have been de-soldered and re-soldered. Aging solder joints can affect the video and audio signals and produce the “you have to hold down on the connector in a specific way and at a specific angle to get it to work” behavior that can arise from bad or old solder joints.
The disc lid detection switch that only allows the console to read a disc when the lid is closed has been removed and the contacts bridged so the console always reads the lid as closed.
All connection points on the mainboard that make contact with the RF shielding have been de-soldered and re-soldered.
All soldering on this console was done with high quality Cardas Quad Eutectic Silver Solder.
CLEANING PROCESS:
All units are 100% disassembled, cleaned, and rebuilt. I ensure that the lid opens smoothly and consistently, and that the latching mechanism and open button, a common sticking point, function well.
Units are fully disassembled, and plastic components are cleaned with a mild detergent with to remove the majority of debris and residue.
Top and bottom cases and the three buttons are then retrobrited to remove the majority of the yellowing that is common on ABS cases from consoles and electronics of this era. The retrobriting process involves exposing the shell to UV light while it is submerged in hydrogen peroxide. I am not sure of the chemical process that restores the plastics, but my experience with retrobriting has been exceptional.
After soldering has been completed, all boards are cleaned with 99% isopropyl alcohol, including all the rear ports. 99% IPA is an excellent electronics cleaner and can remove oxidation that causes issues with sound and video quality.
INCLUDES:
PlayStation console
PlayStation 2 DVD player remote and corresponding adapter. While the majority of it is non-functional on the PlayStation, it does allow you to play/pause (triangular button at the bottom), stop (rectangular button at the bottom), next track (R1), previous track (L2), fast forward (R2), and rewind (L2). When you power on the PlayStation with an audio CD inserted, it reads it and then goes to the CD player automatically, so all you need to do after it boots is to press start on the remote. No display is required if you don’t want to use one.
Power cord
NOTES:
The removal of the lid detection switch can cause issues with playback when switching CDs. If the console fails to read a CD when play is pressed after swapping, simply press the reset button on the console and let the console reload with the new CD. This takes only a few seconds.
Functionality of the multi-out video signal is not guaranteed, and the modifications made to the audio path remove audio signal for the multi-out.
I do my best to make the consoles look as good as possible but sometimes there is superficial damage that cannot be removed without causing further issues. When purchasing consoles for refurbishing and upgrading, I try and select ones that are physically in good condition.
I fully test every console for the functionality described in this listing after completing my modifications and again before shipping, but these systems are almost three decades old and can occasionally exhibit issues, even after testing. More often that not, resetting the console using the reset button or by powering it off and on will fix the majority of issues.
Lol nice! I tried one back in the day. I even still have it somewhere, if I can find it I’ll put it up for sale. Worked great. Mine was unmodded, just OG Playstation 1001. That’s really cool to get one modded like that. Enjoy that quirky bit of audiophilia!
Just a quick follow-up on the Dunu Davinci.
These things are fantastic. If you are looking for an IEM with amazing bass quantity and quality, great bass texture, great vocals and mids, and politely tuned treble…these are for you.
They are really really good for the price point if the tuning is what you are looking for.
Amazing headphone stand by @oberon
It would be a shame to hang some headphones on them and hide the beautiful burl edges.
I am considering removing that hook and using it as a decor piece
That clear resin in the middle is so cool
To get resin that clean and clear is no easy task. Kudos to @oberon .
That piece of Manzanita is just stunning, enjoy! It’s really something
Those things sound fucking amazing, I had one as a kid and I would use it instead of the cd player