Cdp refresh

[_D_S_J_R_]

Having sold the 206 when new, it depends on the batch it was made from as to how it sounds tonally. SSC for these ears is great and better fleshed out over the SC on its own - to me anyway. meridian tinkered with their models during production sadly and sometimes, the changes weren't subtle. Bob Stuart never seemed to quite know what to do with his designs and up to the 500 models, some were changed like the wind I remember.

The 1541 chip is a 'dirty' old thing in many players in my experience and it's actually the digital filter and analogue output stage afterwards that determined the 'sound.' The QED Digit 'bitstream' DAC was a squishy bloated fat sound until the analogue output chip was separated from the DAC chips, transforming it for the better and I still use mine with Positron and Caiman supplies. I can clearly hear into the music and the various productions in different tracks and albums and 'bitstream' designs always 'played tunes' well, so I'm happy in my workroom system...

The Sony CDP S1 from the Doc is amazing in many ways. Cheap output stage slagged off on the DIY forum because it goes in many cheaper Sony players, it still plays the music superbly and makes for a superb little transport as well when used from the optical output (I don't have a problem with TOSLINK these days).

I think most 'digital' these days is absolutely fine. If you can spare sixty quid, try one of the cheapo 'DAC-for-a-fiver' type plus Chinese linear supply set to 5V - lower output which will suit you based on your comments (no extra output buffer I think to take output up to 2V max) and the 'sound,' already quite pleasant with a wall-wart, takes on more stature I feel with the larger 30VA? supply. If you don't see it - in other words, not listening with your eyes - it sounds really good if not as 'expansive' as the very best stuff around, as it does the basics properly to me. Just think, thirty years ago you needed a hugely populated circuit board stuffed with components to get this sound... The 206 whle running still, should be a fine transport for it.

For a more objectively good little DAC, the eighty quid Topping D30 looks cool and is dinky, supply (almost) immune, has three inputs and measures well, as well as sounding quite decent I'm told (I haven't heard one and don't need to buy one now the QED is working again).

[OrangeFixie]

I bought an Audiolab MDAC+ 18 months or so ago, because I was interested in using my laptop as a source rather than my CD player. Amazed how impressed I was with the sound from CD via a £40 DVD player. Sold my Naim CD players and bought a CD transport with XLR outputs and haven't really explored the laptop as a source because CD sounds great.
I love the idea of following Stu's advice but wouldn't know where to start. Might be very disappointed to compare what I've got with a £5 Chinese DAC but it's too late now...
There are so many CD's in charity shops now, cheap enough to buy because I like the sleeve art or might recognise the name of the band/musicians so I'm enjoying discovering new music.
No idea whether my experience might be useful to you or not, but as far as I'm concerned, there's plenty of life in CD's.

[Latteman]

Thanks for the replies
I have also been searching the charity shops for cds and trying different artists but will eventually put all onto a storage device (more advice needed there lol)
I will try the £5 Chinese dac but it appears to be a £10er now.
The 206 has interesting panel access that will take bravery.
I’ve rigged a mock up power supply for it and this has opened the sound with less background grain, next will be cable upgrade and then trial dacs
Cheers peter

[eagwok33]

Try one of the old cheapo Philips machines with the 1541 in. That's probably what the meridian is based off, I found that I preferred the Philips machines when I had an mcd Pro a few years ago, the meridian was abit cold.
I use a cd371 which cost about 20 quid

A cheap used Philips, Marantz or other brand with 1541 DAC chip would be also my tip. And then - as Stu said - have someone with knowledge work on the analogue output stage / bypass it with a better one. This brings these machines really to life and would be an alternative solution. The 1541 is "dirty old" as D_S_J_R rightly said, but at that time the engineers had the say to make CD competitive to vinyl, so this chip has been definitely well engineered. Later on "cost saving" took over, in my opinion...

[_D_S_J_R_]

Competitive to vinyl?

I don't quite know how to answer that. Vinyl needed to be more truthful to the source, as CD is (yes really - been there, done it etc. etc.) and many popular UK 80's turntable systems really were shite, by and large. Amazing how much better (once) cheap CD players sound when a musically well behaved amp like an NVA is used..... the issues weren't always in the players you know, but often in distorting harsh toned or bland amps and speakers with shocking issues hidden by the (then, often) softer vinyl tones