I recently purchased a used Electrocompaniet ECD-1 DAC and had it modded by Empirical Audio. I've been listening to it for about three weeks, and now that it is full broken in, I thought I would post a couple of impressions and thoughts about Steve's mods. I know there are some previous threads about the ECD-1 mod, but I think they are almost a year old or more, and I thought some more recent impressions would be useful.
I had the full turbo mod package done by Steve, including the Superclock 3 turbo mod. It took about three weeks for the mods to get done. I was somewhat worried that the mods would not make much difference and would not be a good value for the price ($1650), or that the beautiful midrange of the ECD-1 would be lost in the process. I was wrong on both counts, as the mods transformed a really good sounding DAC into a DAC that produces a magnificent sound, and one well worth the cost of the mods without question.
In fact, the differences and improvements were so noticeable, I actually found myself making a list of the areas where I found improvements. I don't normally listen to music this way, but I couldn't help myself. Some of the areas of imrovement are as follows: 1. The bass produced by the modded ECD-1 was signifciantly improved from the stock unit. 2. Every piano note sounds much more realistic, and has more of a percussion effect (just as Steve said in an earlier thread), just like a piano sounds when you are standing next to it. 3. Backgound noise was lowered quite a bit when compared to the stock version. This is something I wasn't really looking for, and I didn't hear any noise in the stock unit, but I notice the absence of it quite clearly after the mods. 4. Notes decay longer if that is the right word to use. A prominent note will recede into the distance gradually, instead of falling off a cliff. This makes every recording sound more musical. 5. HF response was defintiely improved, to the point where I heard things I hadn't heard before in recordings I have listened to probably 50 to 100 times. 6. The focus was improved also. It was easier to tell voices apart in duets and harmonies, and instruments could be more easily separated and identified (and remember, this is compared to a pretty good DAC in its own right -- one that I preferred to the Meridian 588). 7. Vocals are much more realistic, and I have even found that it is much easier to understand the lyrics in many songs that were somewhat difficult to understand before. 8. The modded ECD-1 is a more dynamic DAC, notwithstanding that the stock unit was no slouch. The modded unit gives punch to songs and recordings that just didn't have it before, at least to the same degree. At the same time, the mods did not deprive the ECD-1 of any of its glorious midrange. And there is not a trace of digital harshness anywhere. 9. I have also found that the modded ECD-1 sounds wonderful with every kind of music, though I have not listened to any classical. But rock sounds great, with no glare or harshness that is often experienced in digital rock recordings, jazz sounds punchy and dynamic and your toes start tapping, and vocals, especially female vocals, just make you sigh when you hear them through the modded ECD-1.
I had a lot of confidence in Steve's work based on what I had read here and elsewhere about his mods, but based on what he did to the ECD-1, he would be on the top of my list for any other mod I was considering. As others have found, he also keeps you informed every step of the way, and seems to take pride in making your unit the best it can be. He even added a few new touches or tweaks to my unit that he had discovered since he first came up with the mod for the ECD-1. That's what a craftsman does who treats his work not as a job, but as an art. And what he did to the ECD-1 was indeed art.
Thanks again Steve for doing such a great job.
