Kenwood DP-x9010 CD transport - Modification Thread
Oct 5, 2023 18:28:09 GMT
stevew, robbiegong, and 3 more like this
Post by Bigman80 on Oct 5, 2023 18:28:09 GMT
The Kenwood CDT came into my possession a few days ago now, and such is the performance of it, i felt i needed to give it as much of a chance as possible of cementing a place in the system long term. Here is what the manual has to say o it:
CD transport specialized for digital output.
When the DP-X9010 was released, the term CD transport was not used yet, so it was regarded as a D/A converter-less CD player.
Low center of gravity center mechanism is adopted for internal layout. In this system, the mechanism is laid out in the center and the center of gravity is lowered to keep the balance of the chassis and to prevent the chassis from being twisted due to rotation. In addition, the mechanism is placed in the center realize a layout in which the analog part of the servo system and the digital part of the signal system are separated, thereby preventing mutual interference.
A linear motor mechanism is used for the mechanism part. This system has a sensor coil and a drive coil, and the pickup is mounted on a mount that moves only in the tracking direction. By amplifying the voltage generated in the sensor coil and applying NF, speed control that cannot be achieved with conventional gear drive is applied, and the pickup can move at a constant speed according to the feed signal.
Compared with the conventional method, there is almost no backlash because no gear is required, and the mount servo F characteristic extends to high frequencies because speed control is applied. This has the advantages of improved tracking and convergence in the tracking direction. In addition, the improved mounting convergence improves the tracking servo convergence during search, enabling high-speed search.
A large mass pickup with a zinc die-cast body is adopted, enabling more precise control.
Uses NEW strut suspension with special elastic rubber and double coil spring.
It is a double-structured case, and 1.6 mm thick steel plate is used for the bottom plate and mechanism chassis.
Mechanism mount adopts special insulator method.
A hybrid insulator composed of coil spring and special elastic rubber is used to support the pickup, and the low centre of gravity design of the suspension system enhances the basic performance of the player.
The modifications to this player are quite minimal, mainly due to the outstanding build quality of it. That said, there are always things that can be done, and according to Lukas at Lampizator these mods are the way to go. First off we needed to source a "superclock" of the correct frequency. Initially this was trickier than i had anticiopated, but thanks to a post on PFM regarding a superclock in a Sony CD player, i managed to glean just enough information to set me on the path to this:
For £17 including delivery, it seems too good to be true. Hopefully it arrives and works as intended. This superclock will replace the standard crytal in the Kenwood DP-x9010.
We will also be including g a BNC connection to bypass part of the original output circuit:
Lukas says the following:
As good as the Kenwood is - it can be further improved. It is not easy to upgrade transports - they are not analogue. This player has such good power, that I wouldn't mess with it.
Someone else has changed the clock and reported the big improvement. (16 meg) There are two output shaping chips which can be bypassed - and that's another very audible improvement in clarity. The big chip IC10 looks just like the good old Sony CXD1125 and it also has digital S/PDIF output on pin 27th DOTX. We can wire it straight to new RCA socket. I suggest the signal divider L-pad : 200 Ohm series and 75 Ohm parallel resistors at the RCA.
The clock is in the green circle. The three crossed components are: output chip, output transformer and toslink chip transmitter.
One of the opinions on the internet regarding the SQ of this player is that the LF is a little unresolved and too heavy handed. I must admit, that whilst i could understand the heavy handed comment, i am not losing much in resolution to my memory of the X50D or the TEAC, but it's definitely a lusher presentation. Another comment i found was that the HF is a little sharp/aggressive. Again, i don't necessarily agree, but there is a more "upfront" or "forward" presentation about what i am hearing. IF these mods have the desired effect and just add a little more rez to the LF and a little silk to the HF, this player will be extremely tough to beat.
LASER:
Well, here is the fly in the ointment....there is no replacement laser, nothing. You can apparently butcher the 8010 player an use that laser, but try finding one. This laser was only made for these two players. The 8010 and 9010. So, if you live this transport, you need to collect spare units to harvest for parts.
EDIT:
The comment in bold is utter bollocks. I have just played a couple of CD's with tracks that i know REALLY well and the LF is bloody brilliant.
CD transport specialized for digital output.
When the DP-X9010 was released, the term CD transport was not used yet, so it was regarded as a D/A converter-less CD player.
Low center of gravity center mechanism is adopted for internal layout. In this system, the mechanism is laid out in the center and the center of gravity is lowered to keep the balance of the chassis and to prevent the chassis from being twisted due to rotation. In addition, the mechanism is placed in the center realize a layout in which the analog part of the servo system and the digital part of the signal system are separated, thereby preventing mutual interference.
A linear motor mechanism is used for the mechanism part. This system has a sensor coil and a drive coil, and the pickup is mounted on a mount that moves only in the tracking direction. By amplifying the voltage generated in the sensor coil and applying NF, speed control that cannot be achieved with conventional gear drive is applied, and the pickup can move at a constant speed according to the feed signal.
Compared with the conventional method, there is almost no backlash because no gear is required, and the mount servo F characteristic extends to high frequencies because speed control is applied. This has the advantages of improved tracking and convergence in the tracking direction. In addition, the improved mounting convergence improves the tracking servo convergence during search, enabling high-speed search.
A large mass pickup with a zinc die-cast body is adopted, enabling more precise control.
Uses NEW strut suspension with special elastic rubber and double coil spring.
It is a double-structured case, and 1.6 mm thick steel plate is used for the bottom plate and mechanism chassis.
Mechanism mount adopts special insulator method.
A hybrid insulator composed of coil spring and special elastic rubber is used to support the pickup, and the low centre of gravity design of the suspension system enhances the basic performance of the player.
The modifications to this player are quite minimal, mainly due to the outstanding build quality of it. That said, there are always things that can be done, and according to Lukas at Lampizator these mods are the way to go. First off we needed to source a "superclock" of the correct frequency. Initially this was trickier than i had anticiopated, but thanks to a post on PFM regarding a superclock in a Sony CD player, i managed to glean just enough information to set me on the path to this:
For £17 including delivery, it seems too good to be true. Hopefully it arrives and works as intended. This superclock will replace the standard crytal in the Kenwood DP-x9010.
We will also be including g a BNC connection to bypass part of the original output circuit:
Lukas says the following:
As good as the Kenwood is - it can be further improved. It is not easy to upgrade transports - they are not analogue. This player has such good power, that I wouldn't mess with it.
Someone else has changed the clock and reported the big improvement. (16 meg) There are two output shaping chips which can be bypassed - and that's another very audible improvement in clarity. The big chip IC10 looks just like the good old Sony CXD1125 and it also has digital S/PDIF output on pin 27th DOTX. We can wire it straight to new RCA socket. I suggest the signal divider L-pad : 200 Ohm series and 75 Ohm parallel resistors at the RCA.
The clock is in the green circle. The three crossed components are: output chip, output transformer and toslink chip transmitter.
One of the opinions on the internet regarding the SQ of this player is that the LF is a little unresolved and too heavy handed. I must admit, that whilst i could understand the heavy handed comment, i am not losing much in resolution to my memory of the X50D or the TEAC, but it's definitely a lusher presentation. Another comment i found was that the HF is a little sharp/aggressive. Again, i don't necessarily agree, but there is a more "upfront" or "forward" presentation about what i am hearing. IF these mods have the desired effect and just add a little more rez to the LF and a little silk to the HF, this player will be extremely tough to beat.
LASER:
Well, here is the fly in the ointment....there is no replacement laser, nothing. You can apparently butcher the 8010 player an use that laser, but try finding one. This laser was only made for these two players. The 8010 and 9010. So, if you live this transport, you need to collect spare units to harvest for parts.
EDIT:
The comment in bold is utter bollocks. I have just played a couple of CD's with tracks that i know REALLY well and the LF is bloody brilliant.
