Review: Sony PlayStation 1

Review: Sony PlayStation 1 (SCPH-5003)

Home Visit: Tannoy Gold Reborn - Maggies, ESL Step Aside!

I think it was almost a decade ago, long after the PlayStation1 had become obsolete, that certain audiophiles started to re-appraise it. It took quite another while before the underground reputation reached the internet audio press (6moons), not to mention the mainstream (namely Art Dudley's informative and well written 2008 Stereophile article).

Various Versions There have been many revisions of the PS1. Read the wikipedia entry and here is also a chronological list of hardware modification. As stated in the links in the first paragraph, most agree that the version to have is the one with RCA analogue outputs that allows you to use your own interconnects. This means SCPH-1001 and -1002 in the US and Europe, respectively. My unit though, is SCPH-5003, which, according to the latter link is an Asian revision.

Click to enlarge.

Structure/Built The PS1 uses the KSM-440 CD-ROM for transport, and the DAC is the AKM AK4309AVM 16-bit sigma-delta DAC chip. I opened up my unit to confirm that these indeed are used.

Aside from the light plastic casing, built is very good, with the laser anchored on a metal platform and isolated by three rubber grommets. That is better shock absorbance than many so-called hi-end digital players!

Ergonomics Hardly great, as operation is via a linked umbilical cord. But, so are many older professional studio gears, like Studer! The Stereophile article has a diagram for instruction. On my unit, for some reason, even though it plays all discs in full, the forward button loses functionality beyond track 10. A nuisance.


Modification Given the underground reputation, the PS1 has seen many modifications, particularly from the DIY sector. A good guide and summary can be gleamed in this excellent site named dogbreath. I plan to follow some of his easier steps myself.

Sound

Before I proceed to write about my initial impressions, let it known that I shall be brief as they are pretty much in agreement with Art Dudley's. In particular:


"...During my first round of comparisons of the two output schemes, I wondered if the absolute phase of the RCA output was the reverse of the A/V output's. But the extreme smoothness of the PS1's sound in RCA mode (see below) confounded my efforts at a detailed back-and-forth comparison, and the whole matter ultimately proved too fiddly to hold my attention for long..."


"...the end impression was of a cannily tailored frequency range—that, and an exceptionally smooth sound, with no edginess or artificial grain whatsoever...."


"...Above all, with every CD I tried, the PS1 exhibited a superior level of rhythmic acuity, or—since it's true that an amplifier or CD player can't make recorded music sound faster or more propulsive than it actually is—a superior lack of the distortions that can blunt leading-edge transients and make music sound temporally dull and listless. Even slow, broadly paced music sounded involving through the PS1: the best and truest praise I could give it..."


pic: icefox's magnificent Tannoy's

Sonic Evaluation - Round 1

Remember my well-connected friend icefox, aka "the audio pimp" 淫媒 (so named by me for his ability to arrange visits of all kinds that satisfy all tastes, no matter how perverse). Yes, the one who is my taskmaster, who occasionally visits me just to whip me into shape.

You may also remember my numerous previous visits to his large industrial space. This man has wide-ranging tastes (including Maggies, SP100, and ESL) but it has always been Tannoy that shines in his place. Previously, his Tannoy 15" Gold's in original corner York cabinets (you can still see one right next to the door) had sounded very good.

As the pimp did me the favor of picking up the PS1 for me, it was time for me to visit his newest Tannoy setup. Incidentally, you may have noticed that I do fewer home visits these days, not only because of lack of time, but also because of diminishing interest - so few setups are really worth hearing.

The 15"s are now installed in a newly acquired pair of original rectangular York's and placed in the middle of the the room. Simple setup:


Digital Source: Sony DVP-PR50P (my previous Best-Buy selection) vs PS1
Preamp: Passive
Amp: Leak TL10.1
Loudspeakers: Tannoy 15" Gold's in original rectangular York cabinets

The sound instantly struck me as very good, AND very modern, without any trace of sluggishness. Apparently, this pair had the two frequency controls removed. I am sure that adds to the transparency though many vintage aficionado's may frown upon it. Initially, a pair of Optimus "super-tweeters" were attached and driven by an ss amp. After a few cuts we removed it - I did not feel it was needed!

The bass at first did not plumb the depth it should have, so I lifted up the front with a small chunk of wood - resulting in a cleaner bass that goes down lower (this trick works every time). The sound was so transparent that it was almost too much at times, particularly with violin tone. Also, in this large space, judicious use of volume has to be exercised - the Leak runs out of steam after a certain level, and the sound becomes fuzzy and loose, rather benignly distorted that is.

PS1 We swapped in the PS1 and to my ears the sound improved. The sound field shifted back and there was more representation of the recording venue. Martzy's violin was more richly nuanced. Indeed the sound was much more composed. The interesting thing was that resolution did not appear to be less than the 24/96 newer Sony player!

The system, which is only in the initial phase of setup, already sounds more than promising. It had totally outperformed what had gone before. Once again, the visit further strengthened several of my convictions:

• If you listen to a wide range of music, despite what many vintage fanatics maintain, later Tannoy concentrics are superior to earlier ones (Silver, Red etc). They are simply more even in frequency response, more extended in at both ends and go much louder. The Gold is as undervalued as the Silver and Red are over-rated.

• Original Tannoy cabinets always sound decent! I have heard too many bad reproduction cabinets.

• ESL is only suited to small spaces and simple music - there is no way to get around it, and it would never be for me. Maggies in larger spaces fare better but demand much effort - even then, the results would not be as good as a good pair of dynamic speakers. Not worth the effort.

• Digital gears need not be expensive. The Pimp sighed and confessed that modern digital stuff appeal to him less and less.

Click to enlarge.

Sonic Evaluation - Round 2

Back home, I was able to carry out more detailed evaluation. The PS1 was connected by a pair of Audio Note silver AN-V. Setup:


Digital Source: YBA WD202 vs PS1
Preamp: Leben RS-28CX
Amp: Wavac MD-300B
Loudspeakers: Tannoy Canterbury HE

My setup is smoother sounding than The Pimp's, and that should work against the PS1, but it was not so simple. I heard the same things, composure and a more recessed sound field. A few comments:

Output Level Although lower output levels can sound more refined, with SET amps usually high output sources work better, for obvious reasons. That is one reason I still keep my Audio Note DAC-2, which has a very high output level (I think 6V). However, both the YBA (a normal 2V) and miraculously the PS1 (a paltry 1.09V) manage to keep the music always engaging. When doing comparison, you must remember the PS1's 1.09V is >5db lower in level when compared the 2V output standard ! When level matched, the PS1 performs well. Many years ago, I heard a 1V Muse DAC at the now defunct HK Opera Audio - it did not work at all. The PS1 works much better at keeping the excitement while being refined.

Mechanical Aspects The PS1 is light. I tried various devices underneath it. None works better than doing nothing. BUT, as often (if not always), playing with the lid open improves the sound. To do this, you have to find a way keep down the piston at the upper right hand corner of the tray.

Composure The PS1 exhibits one rare quality. Unlike much digital, it gets better as it gets louder! That is an analogue quality, if you ask me! As Art Dudley said, the leading edge is more correctly rendered than most digital sources (also a sterling quality of the YBA). Sigh, the CAS people would never know that.

AKM The PS1 strengthened my conviction that AKM makes excellent chips. I am not sure why they are not more often seen in audio gears. Previously I had only encountered it in a Primare CDP (more about that and AKM here). If highest end Esoteric use them, they must be good!


Great fun! You'd certainly hear more about the PS1.

Review: 3 Superb CD players Revox C221, Pioneer PD-T07A, Primare D20 and the AKM4324

Review: 3 Superb CD players
Talk Digital: Older, but better

I am in the process of setting up multiple stations in my room, and take the opportunity to run my large collection of idling CD players a little, or else they will go bust in the humidity here (I learned from mistakes!). For my last LFD exercise I tried out these three and found none wanting.

Revox/Studer C221 (1991)
This has been a long-term reference, not necessarily because it has the "best" sound (what does!) but because of its neutral balance, as befits a studio quality product that carries the Revox name! The Swiss counterpart of Revox has the exact same player as Studer C221. Unlike earlier Revox, and like Studer, the C221 has fully balanced circuitry and output. Digital out is RCA only.

Unlike the legendary Revox 225 and various iterations of the 226 (Studer 725, 727), the later Revox/Studer C221, circa 1991, is much less known. There is surprisingly little info on the net (this Polish site with internal views). Laser is CDM4, DAC is supposedly Philips Bitstream, probably the SAA7321 or 7323 (but various sites also mention SAA7310, 7320 or 7350). On my unit, I cannot see the chip on the circuit board; perhaps it is underneath, so I cannot confirm.

According to the info I gleamed from this Taiwanese Blog in Chinese 音響白痴小痞, supposedly some Revox C221 were made in Germany and some in Switzerland. Aside from minor differences in the circuit boards, one can tell it is from Germany (most of them I think) by the following: 1) the Revox logo has a slightly protruding 3-dimensional tactility; 2) there is a transport lock underneath; 3) the transport motor is brushless and mechanism is CDM4-Pro. As my unit is made in Germany, I can attest that points 1) and 2) are true in my case, but when it comes to 3) my unit is fitted with a generic CDM4. Mine came from a TV studio, and was defunct when I received it. It was determined the laser had died, and I sourced a used CDM-4/(19 I think) as replacement. It was resurrected and had operated flawlessly ever since.

The C221 is a wonder to look at. If you ask me, it is even better looking than the C225 and C226, and approaches the coolness of the superb EMT 981. Using this studio player is a little inconvenient. One has to turn on a switch in the back and turn off the bottom-row buttons (otherwise it will only play 1 track). I was told that the laser in this kind of professional player is always on, and I suspect that is the truth as it plays a disc instantly. And so, as a caution, I always turn it off after use, which means it will take some time to warm up next round (note: see reader's comment below on how to circumvent this). Of course, there is no remote.

The sound is wonderful. It is quite detailed, smoother and just slightly on the light side if compared to better true multi-bit players, a refreshing change and improvement from the usual bloat (mostly due to unresolved bass) of Bitstream player. Its even-handedness is such that it gives pleasure when inserted into any system. If you ask me, sound through the XLR is a little better than through the RCA.

Personally, I think this player is even better than the LHH statement products of Philips that used the supposedly more advanced one-bit chip TDA1547, a little more musical than DPA (also using TDA1547), and on par with the best from Micromega. In sum, one of the best Bitstream players.

Pioneer PD-T07A/PD-77 (1992)
The original T07 was second-from-top in a series (others are T05 and T06; top model is the magnificent T09, the US version being PD-95). It looks almost identical to its descendants, but used Philips bitstream conversion.

The PD-T07A (and its even rarer variants S, U, and HS) sports the same legendary Stable Platter mechanism as the previous series, but the DAC section was designed in-house from scratch and a full assault on state-of-the-art. Pioneers developed their own DAC (I think it was 20-bit). The unit features balanced analogue outputs. There is precious little info on the internet on the PD-T07A per se (an English "translation" of a Japanese site here). Web info has it that the alleged US equivalent PD-77 is the same machine, but if you browse the pics available (few) the PD-77 seems to have a flat back and no balanced output, whereas the PD-T07A has the balanced output coming out of a sizable protrusion in the center of the back (as do the other variants and the earlier T07 and T09; see link above).

The sound through either RCA or XLR out is excellent. The player is highly resolving, but everything is delivered in a warm, bold and rich manner. Sound is a little more upfront than most players, and soundstage is perhaps not as deep as the best, but there is nothing unbalanced, as evidenced by the fact that its replay of classicals is every bit as sophisticated as jazz.

As a transport, to be frank, it is superior to most of today's megabucks stuff. The same warm, big and bold sound lends gravitas to even the thinnest sounding DACS.

This is a masterpiece. In my house, it has received praise as much as the Revox.

click pics to enlarge

Primare D20 (MkI; 1999)
And now for the dark horse. Not to mince words, I feel exactly like what the reviewer said in Soundstage: "I feel like I have discovered a rare jewel of a player."

The funny thing is, I didn't even buy this CDP. Captain Lo, my old friend took it to me unannounced when he last visited. The unit belonged to a friend of his who was not in a hurry to sell. Well, as if my place needs more stuff...

While the player was superbly built and above average in physical stability, there was not much inside. It bothered me that the transport mechanism used is the notorious Philips CDM 12.4, which received no special reinforcement here. On the other hand, I was much captivated and intriqued by the very small DAC and output board (the small board with the close-up). Amid the SM components I was excited to see the AKM4324 DAC chip.

While AKM is a reputable chip maker, in audiophile equipment their DAC chips are only rarely sighted (Rotel, Gryphon). This is because they are much more often seen in things like soundcards and Pro Audio (think Behringer).

Although the D20 is just a red-book CD player, the AKM4324 chip is 24/96 capable. Later, AKM would become more known for their so-called Miracle DAC, the AK4396, a true 192kHz 24-bit 2-channel DSD-capable DAC used in the SlimDevices/Logitech Transporter. Current Primare CDPs though do not use AKM chips, instead the more ubiquitous Burr Brown's.

All it took was just one cut and I was hooked. The incredible air and purity of the treble have to be heard to be believed. I believe in terms of treble this is the best player I have heard, true transparency without any stridency, the Kondo of CDP if you will. The midrange is see-through and the bass well delineated. Dynamically, it is no slouch, able to scale above average, though not perhaps equal to the best here. This entry-level Primare IMHO beats out many much costlier rivals.
There is some confusion on the internet regarding this player. I think the unit I have, with Philips CDM 12.4 transport (and obviously Philips servo, including display, as in this pic)), is the so-called MkI. Very soon, Primare changed to a Sony mechanism (note the official manual pdf file shows the Sony, as well as Sony style display), and that became the so-called MkII. The DAC remained the AKM4324. It is likely Primare ran into the same problems with CDM12.4 as Micromega did with their Stage series, which in effect bankrupted one of the best digital companies in my book.

Conclusions
Excellence does not get out-dated. Things become different, but not always (if ever) better. Witness these 3 players. Each still sound thoroughly enticing, and should beat the hell out of many modern players, not to mention over-rated CAS.