AudioCircle
Industry Circles => ModWright Instruments (MWI) => Topic started by: modwright on 29 Dec 2016, 07:05 pm
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This thread will be dedicated to discussion of the ModWright Truth mods for the Marantz SA8005 CD/SACD player and DAC.
First of all, some fresh feedback from a happy customer on Facebook:
"...this is the best I have ever heard my system. I would have to spend an incredible amount more on my vinyl playback to rival the enjoyment I am getting from my digital now. Superb, extended, effortless bass. The space around and separation of instruments & performers is scary realistic. Recorded venues explode beyond my domicile and transport me to the venue."
-K. Cunningham
For those interested, I have a NEW IN BOX Marantz SA8005 with full Truth mods, Audio Magic Pulse Gen and Bybee rail installed.
We made a mistake when machining the holes in the lid for the tubes. A pilot hole was drilled about 1" off. We have contacted Marantz about ordering a replacement lid and are waiting to hear back. In the meantime, we put a MWI 'medallion' over the hole and the finsihed lid looks like this:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=155530)
What this means, is that we have a unit available at a discount of over $1300!
Retail for this unit = $1200 (unit) + $2500 (Truth mods) + $625 - Bybee rail and Audio Magic Upgrades) + shipping = $4325 + shipping.
We are offering this unit for $2995 - shipped via UPS Ground.
Please let me know if you are interested, this unit will NOT last long at this price!
Thanks,
Dan
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Somebody jump on this now. In my opinion, nothing will come close at this price.
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I picked my unit up from Dan on Wednesday. When compared to ModWright 5400 I am hearing things that were not present before. The sound stage has expanded, increased articulation and resolution as well as the center stage moving forward in a more present and 3 dimensional manner. I have just started to change the stock tubes in the power supply with a 60's Mullard and am waiting for my 50's Tung Sols from Andy at Vintage Tube Service for the player. I always buy my tubes from Andy since he is the only one I trust with the goods! The tube pins are always polished before measurements and he is very picky about his stuff. In a nutshell, this player has some sonic magic going on with it after Dan's mods.
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Dan I like the way you have these tubes setting inside the case on the SA8005 vs standing up like some roman sentinel on the other player mods which prevents a lot of us users from a purchase due to rack space. Great idea and I bet it sounds great.
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Dan - is this unit still available?
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Dan - is this unit still available?
Per this - yes - http://us.marantz.com/us/products/pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=hificomponents&ProductId=SA8005
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/cdplayer/home-audio/audio-components/cd-sacd-players/1.html
https://www.amazon.com/Marantz-SA-8005-Super-Audio-Player/dp/B00HAZ6B1A
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_642SA8005/Marantz-SA8005.html
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I think the poster was asking about the modded one which Dan was selling and write about 4-5 posts up.
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Yes, dminches, you are correct I was inquiring about the Modwright modified unit that was discussed earlier in this thread.
But thank you to Phil A for pointing out the many sources of an unmodified Marantz unit.
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I would call Dan directly to secure this unit ASAP if it's still available!
Wig
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I would call Dan directly to secure this unit ASAP if it's still available!
Wig
I concur. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
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Sorry, it was sold for $2995. In fact, I could have sold it many times over.
Feedback from owner:
"Received the Marantz mod Monday in perfect condition. I have a near reference ss system.
Your mod sounds amazing. I’ll dedicate more time this weekend to listening and email my
impressions. Hopefully my pixels will encourage people to consider this product to
be one of the finest available. I’m saving up for one of your fine preamps." - M. Bernert
Thanks,
Dan
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More Feedback:
"I made some adjustments to my digital front end. i am now using HQ Player streaming to a custom built PC running NAA. All PCM is being upsampled to 24/192. It sounds sublime on the 8005. I love this player. One of your best mods!" - D. Minches
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To owners of the Modwright SA8005, go to the menu and turn off the digital outs if you're not using them. A more than subtle improvement in sound.
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Thanks Decal,
Turned off the digital outs on my Modwright Marantz last night and its an appreciable difference. The background
is darker than before and the player sounds a bit smoother too boot.
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Just saw this and thought I would put it out there. Sure looks like the player less drive. I.e. same DAC, analog stage and ripe for the same mod!
https://www.musicdirect.com/dac/marantz-na8005-network-enabled-dsd-dac (https://www.musicdirect.com/dac/marantz-na8005-network-enabled-dsd-dac)
Can't beat the price of the stock unit!
Dan
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Guys,
Have any of you tried using a Sandisk Cruzer USB with Hi-Rez music? Someone made one for me but I keep getting USB not supported, could it be the brand or maybe it's not compatible with the Marantz?
Thanks,
Wig
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The Marantz accepts a USB computer input, but not a simple USB drive. The Oppo players will accept a USB drive, thumb drive, HD, etc. It handles the interface via internal processor in the Oppo. USB computer input is handled via XMOS USB receiver and the computer offers the asynch USB data format conversion.
I hope this helps.
Dan
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Dan,
Thanks for your response! I'll download the files on my laptop to see how that goes.
Thanks again,
Wig :)
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Just wanted everyone to know that I'm still enjoying my Modwright Truth Marantz SA8005. Worth every penny. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
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Sounds good Wig and thanks Decal!
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Can anyone (Dan?) help with a sound comparison between a fully ModWright modded OPPO. 105D and the Marantz SA8005 with the same mods.
Thanks, BD
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I will share my thoughts, albeit biased, but I do know the designs better than anybody else!
First of all, the Marantz is a CD/SACD player with no video of course.
Both mods use a tube analog stage and outboard power supply.
The 105/105D uses a tube regulated and tube rectified supply and 6SN7 as the driver tube. As such, it is a warmer, more laid back and has a more vintage tube sound!
The Marantz uses the 5687 tube in a different circuit with a tube rectified and SS regulated external supply. It is more neutral, resolving, detailed and dynamic. Still very much a tube sound, but not as warm as the Oppo 105/105D mod.
The latest player that we are modifying, that I am MOST excited about right now, is the Pioneer LX-500 Universal Player.
It plays all disc formats and does have a USB input for playing files from a static USB drive or thumb drive, but does not have a computer USB input. I.e. no network streaming or connecting to a computer, server or bridge. It requires a monitor of some sort to access the files on the external drive.
Because of the amount of space available inside the LX-500, we are able to install TWO new power supplies inside the player for a true one-box solution! It is also $1K less cost!
The stock player retails for about $995 and our mod cost is $1500 (vs. $2500 for Oppo and Marantz mods). The lack of external supply, PS enclosure and umbilical reduce our costs significantly! It also allows for a more convenient one-box solution!
I came across this player in a quest to find something to replace the Oppo 205 Universal Player when we learned that Oppo had closed their doors:
First of all, it uses the AKM DAC, which I find to be more musical overall than the SABRE DAC, and that is saying A LOT!
Secondly, Pioneer has done a FANTASTIC job of designing an enclosure and drive, that is very inert and resonant free! This is huge in terms of video and audio performance! The drive itself is encased in a completely damped and vibration free sub-enclosure. The overall chassis has a thick steel plate that adds significant rigidity and mass damping to the overall enclosure and other aspects of the chassis have all been designed to make this a sturdy and rock solid player! Very uncommon at this price!
Now they cut corners on the power supply and the stock analog stage. That is where we come in! The DAC is very good, but the power supplies supporting the DAC and poor quality op-amp based analog stage are built to a price-point.
We install two new power transformers and power supplies. One is low voltage and powers all of the audio digital circuitry. The second is high voltage and powers the audio circuitry. The stock power supply is a SMPS (Switched mod supply) and while this is fine for video, it is never good for audio. So we completely power the DAC, digital circuitry and our new analog stage from our own power supplies.
We then take the signal right off the DC pins, transformer coupled to our own Class A, zero feedback tube circuit, providing an extremely low output impedance, excellent bandwidth and very low noise and distortion!
Sonically, the player has weight and definition, body and an organic musical presentation that meets or exceeds that of our best modified players to date! We used two of these at Axpona this year, in a $30K system and a $130K system and it served both VERY well! In fact, it was the first time that I felt that our digital nearly rivaled our analog playback!
So, I am writing to answer the question about the difference between the Oppo 105 and Marantz, but also to let you all know just HOW GOOD the Pioneer LX-500 mod is! I feel that it is our BEST offering!
Thanks,
Dan W.
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Further customer feedback from a recent Marantz SA8005 mod recipient:
Thank you for the mod. It is fantastic. Every disc sounds better and the improved dimensional aspects, especially the sound stage depth are stunning. It is just remarkable. I put on something like Patricia Barber's Cafe Blue that I haven't played since I got the mod and I just sit there amazed and thrilled. - R. Rochelle - May 29, 2019