[Reference Audio Mods]

EastSound CD-E5 (Our Impression of the stock player)

We have evaluated the EastSound CD-E5 in its stock form for many hours.
For the cheap price ($700 range SHIPPED)! from the distributor in Asia direct, this player is a NO Brainer
when it comes to getting great stock cd peformance on a blue collar budget.  Immediately I thought the unit
sounded as good as many $2000-3000 units on the market. If the Eastsound CD-E5 was sold in the USA, it would be about
a $2500 unit after the distributor/dealer markups. The Build quality of the unit is AWESOME! The unit utilizes a Philips VAM 1202 transport mechanism which is
two fold: great sounding and cheap to replace if it ever breaks! Also, the DAC chip used is the Crystal CS4390 which is a SUPERB DAC chip, (especially driving a set of
high speed low impedance buffers and Audio Consulting transformers!!). The sound is really good, bettering the
stock Marnatz SA-8260 I have heard many times before. I do notice that there could definitely come a improvement to all areas of the music.
The stock analog output stage is mediorce in parts and design and sound, but this is acutally better than most I have seen (especially at this price!)
so this rates very high in comparison to alot of other players where there analog output stages are rated poor. It didnt take more than a couple days of listening until
I knew it was time to tear it up and rebuild the circuits with our "tried and true" exotic parts and topologies.
This unit uses the perfect stock transport and parts topologies, so modding it to extrems should really topple the best on the market. Well ladies and gentlemen, this is
indeed true. After the long labor intense installation, we have ourselves a player that sounds state of the art and offers much higher pefromance than anything on the market stock.
Truly a awesome looking and sounding machine!!!




Modification descriptions and prices:


-Power Supply upgrades ($400 installed)

Replace stock diodes in the power supply with custom handmade ultra low impedance RAM versions.

Improvement: Replacing the stock diodes with our custom RAM versions eliminate the grain and glare of the stock noisy silicon diodes. Since our
diode bridges are ultra low impedance and ultra fast, music has now more speed and more dynamics. Our diode bridges are handmade per mod order and take some time to make and install.

Replace stock electrolytic capacitors in power supply circuits with Jensen 4-pole and Rubycon ZA/ZL series capacitors.

Improvement: These capacitors are much more open sounding, very neutral and have more speed than any other cap on the market.
We have compared Blackgate FK/N, Panasonic FC/FM, Nichican Muse, and Os-cons and they are not in the same league. We replace the
stock smoothing caps with an Exotic Jensen 4-pole version which provides increased performance over any conventional 2-pole design which "push" noise, the Jensen
blocks noise and decouples away from the circuits. The Jensens are not cheap caps, typically costing about $50 each. These are not plug and play type caps and we HARDWIRE them from our modified diode
bridges into the circuit.

Re-wire the AC input with Audio Consulting Silver Wire, Re-engineer the power supply board and eliminate some energy robbing devices and unnecessary stock parts

Improvement: This brings more resolution, better defined and deeper bass and more sonic character. This is the final tuning of the supply to make sure the sound is balanced on the output end.







Audiocom Superclock 3 Clock($295 Free Install!!)-

We add a reference quality jitter reduction circuit called a Superclock 3 ,
this a major improvement in overall sound! This replaces the master clock and
offers much lower jitter rate than the stock cmos type oscillator
(the TCCO in the Eastsound is better than a standard passive oscilator due
to its voltage control (better stability). However, the output signal frequenct
is still not ultra low in noise but can be marketing to be better than most stock
players that use passive oscillators). Expanded
soundstages and accurate instrument definitions for example are the many
outcomes of this major mod component. Breathtaking performance is now possible!!

FREE $65 value Xtreme AV Quicksilver Contact paste kit with every Superclock 3 order/install placed until DEC. 31st 2005!!



Audiocom Superclock 3 Power Supply Unit (modified)- ($295 Free Install!!)-

We add a discrete power supply for the Superclock 3 that adds another level of performance to the unit.
Increased dynamics and resolution is what to be expected. We further modify the power supply with Rubycon
ZA/ZL capacitors to take it even further. The clock power supply is needed to truly have a matched package with the SC3 clock!!!



Balanced/Single Ended Output stage Rebuild ($750 Installed )

Completely REMOVE the stock Eastsound discrete analog output stage (many many active parts) and replace with passive very high quality Audio Consulting Signal Coupling Transformers.

Tech notes and sonic Improvement: The stock EastSound output stage is mediorce in build and rather decent in sound quality.  However, there are MANY ACTIVE parts in the signal path, such as op-amps and transistors.
There are also many resistors in the signal path as well. This is not the most optimal topology for signal coupling and HF filtering. The reason the Eastsound Output stage sounds as good as it does is because it does not
use any types of capacitors in the signal path. Capacitors in the signal path "smear" the sound or (change the timing of the music). Active parts rely on voltages from the power supply. Power supplys produce noises (from diodes and voltage regulators).
In Additon, active parts produce a type of noise by themselves (ie: transistors produce a high frequency noise or commonly known as "shot noise"). This is not optimal for the best sonic resolution and noise floor.
The RAM Approach is simple: Completely remove the entire active analog output stage, and replace it with a set of very high quality Audio Consulting Signal Coupling transformers. NO ACTIVE PARTS! NO OP-AMPS! NO CAPACITORS IN THE SIGNAL PATH! NO TRANSISTORS,ETC!!  Now with the transformers we can now effectively and inherently
provide galvanic isolation from other components in your system. The transformer stops High Frequency noises that occur from other components in your system.  The also provide a means of connect the Balanced outputs and RCA single ended outputs
at the same time, with both having similar sonic attributes. Since there are no active parts, the noise floor in your music drops to a complete dark and black level. More detail comes out of the music. The soudnstage appears much larger, wider deeper with a bold lifelike stance.
Our approach is considered "state of the art" and this mod will easily alone take the performance of this machine alone to a level that is unattainable by just about any stock player in existance. We wire the transformer to the XLR jacks and the upgraded RCA single ended jacks.

Replace stock RCA single ended jacks with the new WBT NextGen connectors

Tech notes and sonic Improvement: We add a set of high performance WBT Nextgen RCA connectors for the closest to "no connector" connection possible for the single ended outputs.
These are the best sounding RCA female chassis connectors on the market! The reason is they use very little amount of metal and have no eddy current issues with a large surface of metal unlike
everything else available on the market. We had done head to head comparisons and these connectors lose the grain the other connectors such as cardas and vampire connectors on the market.




We Are the first in the world to supply modifications for the CD-E5 and brand new modified machines!

We can sell you a brand new EastSound for $750 for us to modify only, dropped ship to RAM. We will order direct just as you can, but
will make this easier for you so you do not have to buy it and ship it around.

We also can replace/repair the Philips VAM1202 transport if ever needed. We will have a small stock if they
ever develop problems, however this is just safety conscious as the 1202 transport is very reliable.

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Thanks and we look forward to assisting you in the path of the best sound available today!