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Post by macca on Sept 28, 2018 17:46:44 GMT
Arrived the other day but only just got it out of the box. Here's a stock photo until I can get my telephone to talk to my computer:  And some blurb from the internet: The first Compact Disc players arrived in 1982 and reached British buyers a year later. This generation has since become largely forgotten, which is a shame because – ironically – many sound far more ‘analogue’ than much of today’s high end esoterica. The Marantz CD-54 is a case in point. Made in 1984, it’s a late first generation design using Philips’ exquisite CDM-1 Pro metal diecast transport mechanism and the same company’s Palaeolithic 14-bit, 4 times oversampling DAC/filter package. Despite its midi size, the thing weighs a ton – evidence that the consumer electronics giants built their very first generation players to last. As they cost the format’s early adopters a packet, it was only right that they weren’t plastic boxes full of air.
Not given it a try yet, too knackered from work and it took me an hour and a half to get home tonight. Will give it a go tomorrow and report back. |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Sept 28, 2018 19:18:03 GMT
Arrived the other day but only just got it out of the box. Here's a stock photo until I can get my telephone to talk to my computer: And some blurb from the internet: The first Compact Disc players arrived in 1982 and reached British buyers a year later. This generation has since become largely forgotten, which is a shame because – ironically – many sound far more ‘analogue’ than much of today’s high end esoterica. The Marantz CD-54 is a case in point. Made in 1984, it’s a late first generation design using Philips’ exquisite CDM-1 Pro metal diecast transport mechanism and the same company’s Palaeolithic 14-bit, 4 times oversampling DAC/filter package. Despite its midi size, the thing weighs a ton – evidence that the consumer electronics giants built their very first generation players to last. As they cost the format’s early adopters a packet, it was only right that they weren’t plastic boxes full of air.
Not given it a try yet, too knackered from work and it took me an hour and a half to get home tonight. Will give it a go tomorrow and report back. I picked up one of those in April for £15. I thought it was really nice sounding with a bit of weight to it. I didn’t listen critically, but then I don’t really do that any more anyway. I just enjoy stuff since I got the Duevels. I just have no incentive to compare. I’d imagine the 54 would be one of the weightier players around. Your Technics is meant to have a bit of heft, so many players must disappoint in compariosn. It will be interesting to see how you beget on with in. |
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Post by macca on Sept 28, 2018 19:32:48 GMT
I paid a bit more than £15 for this one.
I will be giving it a critical listen, because well, why not? My main interest though is to see if the widely held view that the first CD players sounded hard, harsh, scratchy and thin has any credibility. It's always been my theory that it was the amplification and the speakers that were popular back then that were the real culprits. In the UK, anyway.
I'm not that keen on the other Marantz players I've heard. (I've got a mint 67SE around here somewhere) They have that 'rosy glow' to them that gets on my tits after a bit, even if it does make some recordings sound like they've been sprinkled with fairy dust. I'm more of a 'strip the recording bare' man. I wonder if this one is too early to have been 'voiced'?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2018 5:13:37 GMT
tried many marantz cd players in the 90's..took them all back after one day...just too bright for me
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Post by macca on Sept 29, 2018 7:00:23 GMT
yeah but you don't like anything. I thought I was fussy about sound quality until you came along.  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2018 7:50:11 GMT
Get the lid popped and let the dog see the rabbit. If it weighs a ton then there must be some serious transformerness going on in there.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2018 7:58:52 GMT
yeah but you don't like anything. I thought I was fussy about sound quality until you came along. nope not much over the years tbh..main reason i knocked it all on the head. wont be going there again either. |
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Post by macca on Sept 29, 2018 9:02:05 GMT
I don't know all the kit you've had obvs but from what you've mentioned you do seem to have had a lot of flat earth tat over the years. Hi-fi doesn't have to sound like that.
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Post by macca on Sept 29, 2018 9:05:10 GMT
Get the lid popped and let the dog see the rabbit. If it weighs a ton then there must be some serious transformerness going on in there. It doesn't weigh a ton but it is hefty for a midi-sized CD player. Suspect the transport and the heatsinks on the back contribute quite a lot. Here's the internals, what do you think?  |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Sept 29, 2018 9:27:24 GMT
yeah but you don't like anything. I thought I was fussy about sound quality until you came along. nope not much over the years tbh..main reason i knocked it all on the head. wont be going there again either. I reckon the ship has sailed long ago for Rudi and hifi, but I suspect he might have solved his issues with “ear splitting cack” by using upward firing, or omni speakers. Having the sound fired straight at me was a problem I didn’t realise I had until I stumbled on Spicas. Of course not everyone will be sensitive/receptive to such differences, but they are especially relevant in reflective and sparsely furnished rooms. If he ever tries another bit of kit, I’d say start with speakers and listen to anything that doesn’t fire straight forward. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2018 11:38:22 GMT
Get the lid popped and let the dog see the rabbit. If it weighs a ton then there must be some serious transformerness going on in there. It doesn't weigh a ton but it is hefty for a midi-sized CD player. Suspect the transport and the heatsinks on the back contribute quite a lot. Here's the internals, what do you think? A decent sized EI transformer which is a good thing in my book. I can only see one diode bridge but some of the board is under the main pcb. Smoothing caps are on the small size small but big enough. Four things bolted to the back panel are probably regulators. Main pcb looks like it has most of the components on the under side so cant comment much about that. Hope it brings a smile to your face |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2018 11:44:13 GMT
Oh and the transport looks like you could run over it with your car and it would still work.
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Post by dsjr on Sept 29, 2018 12:01:24 GMT
It's the same one that's in my CD94 derived Micro Seiki I think. Boards in this generation (CD104/DAD7000 models) were dry-joint prone, so don't bash the thing about or it'll surely fail
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Post by macca on Sept 29, 2018 13:15:22 GMT
I'll do my best not to bash it about  |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Sept 29, 2018 13:30:20 GMT
Yep it’s a CDM1 and I believe they were in the CD94.
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Post by dsjr on Sept 29, 2018 14:43:56 GMT
Stu, don't judge a line level (non power amp) supply by the size of the supply caps. They don't always need to be huge and making them larger may well make certain aspects worse. NVA does it differently to everyone else, so what works for them *may* not always work for others.
Not criticising anyone here, but different circuits prefer different things and it very much depends on the designer and their preferences. This machine hasn't skimped at all on the engineering (that was to follow with the first 16-bit ones when prices began to tumble) and I think it fair to suggest that capacitor size/price was as nothing in terms of cost compared to the cast solid chassis and transport mechanism.
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Post by macca on Sept 29, 2018 15:32:41 GMT
True, these were flagship machines to promote the new digital technology, it's unlikely they skimped anywhere.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2018 17:34:07 GMT
Stu, don't judge a line level (non power amp) supply by the size of the supply caps. They don't always need to be huge and making them larger may well make certain aspects worse. NVA does it differently to everyone else, so what works for them *may* not always work for others. Not criticising anyone here, but different circuits prefer different things and it very much depends on the designer and their preferences. This machine hasn't skimped at all on the engineering (that was to follow with the first 16-bit ones when prices began to tumble) and I think it fair to suggest that capacitor size/price was as nothing in terms of cost compared to the cast solid chassis and transport mechanism. Of course Dave, i agree. I spent too much time bodgineering in naim land where everything is MASSIVE. Two 10,000uf caps in a cd3.5 and that uses only two poitive voltage rails as standard. |
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Post by macca on Sept 29, 2018 19:00:30 GMT
Right finally got this son of a bitch thing going.
First of all needed to get one of those dumb 2 prong leads, had to rob one off the AV system.
Next up it powers up, draw trundles out, cd in. Won't read. Tried it a few times decided to give up. Switched it off and pulled it forward to disconnect it. Then realised I had left the cd in so switched on again to get it out and what do you know it reads the disc. So press play, music starts, left channel only. Bollocks. Switch off again, fed up now. Then notice when I pulled it forward right channel interconnect had come out. So put that back in, power up again. Reads the disc but now won't play. Bollocks. Cocked about with it, nothing doing. About to give up again and all of a sudden music starts playing, both channels this time!
Think I might need to get my double E to look at it. I've had players muck about like this before after being shipped so maybe it will settle down with some warm up, get the moisture out of it. We'll see.
Anyway listening now and this is a really good player. I thought I'd play something appropriate to the era so put on Dire Staits 'Brothers In Arms', the record that supposedly kick-started cd player sales worldwide. As expected nothing harsh, screechy or hard about it. Lovely instrumental tone, deep soundstage, guitar sounds very 'guitary'.
Female backing singer on 'So Far Away' comes across lovely. Delicate cymbal work at the start of 'Your latest trick' is resolved very well, superbly realistic. A more relaxed listen than my Sony X505ES but it is drawing me in with its beguiling nature. It's certainly better than any of my slew of budget and mid-price players that range from 10-20 years after it. I'll have to try a wider range of albums to see how coloured it is, but I suspect not much, certainly not as much as some other Marantz players.
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Post by macca on Sept 29, 2018 20:36:29 GMT
Now seems to be working flawlessly, played another couple of albums with zero issues. It's not as good as the Technics SLP1200 but then nothing I have ever heard is as good as that, any format, don't care. But it is good.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Sept 29, 2018 20:46:30 GMT
Mine was a bit slow to wake up. When I so,d it, they guy who bought it reckons they are often exactly as you describe unless regularly used.i don’t reckon there is anythig else as well built for that sort of money. And I’m a died in ten wool Marantz hater. It’s the only Marantz I’ve ever liked tbh.
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Post by macca on Sept 29, 2018 21:07:43 GMT
I think I might be joining you on that. It has that Marantz trademark 'fluffy' midrange but I can live with that as it's not doing a lot else wrong. Bit too late now to carry on at the levels I like, will have to knock it on the head for the night and go back to TV  |
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