Can't help on the amps, but the Pioneer can be modded as a pretty good transport by Steve Nugent of Empirical Audio.
www.empiricalaudio.comFrom his website....
Pioneer Elite PD-65 Mods
The Pioneer PD-65 Transport mods consist of:
1. Power supply component upgrades
2. Rewiring of the digital output circuitry and speeding-up the SP/DIF
signal edges from 25 nsec to 5 nsec risetimes.
This mod makes the Pioneer a world-class transport. You get all the
advantages of the "stable-platter" and great S/PDIF preformance as
well.
Mod Details:
Black Gate capacitors are swapped-in as well as high-frequency
decoupling caps. Harris FRED's replace the bridge rectifier.
Digital output circuitry is rewired to reduce crosstalk, components are
added and rearranged. New pulse transformer.
Super-Turbo-clock2 - This change to the Superclock2 tightens the bass and
clears up the last vestiges of sibilance. The visceral impact of music is
astonishing after this mod.
Pricing:
Complete Mods - $600
Superclock2 (modified) with installation - adds $450
Super-Turbo-clock2 modification - adds $100
Please send us an email and we will arrange for payment and shipment.
Reviews:
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=4150"Recently, I had Steve Nugent from Empirical Audio modify my P-3A DAC
and was more than pleased. Based on the quality of his work, I decided to
take a chance and see if he could improve on the PD-65 as well. I received
the unit back from him a few days ago. And, once again I am very happy.
This is another mod that I consider very worthwhile. Basically, what he does
is reduce the jitter to extremely low levels. He mods the digital power
supply. And more importantly, he redesigns the digital output circuitry.
The improvement was noticed immediately. My system before this mod
was already very good. To be honest, all I was expecting from this was for
the upper end to become liquid smooth. What I heard was that and more.
The upper frequencies(female vocals)did become somewhat smoother - it
already was very good and there was not that much room for improvement.
The most significant improvements were in the following three areas:
1. The bass became very tight and focused. I was not expecting this at all.
It was truly a pleasant surprise.
2. The overall focus became dead on. The 3-D stereo effect is really quite
amazing now.
3. The micro-dynamics really stepped up. This part really is related to #2.
By hearing these secondary sounds so clearly, it causes the spatial effect to
really come to life. For all those who have PD-65’s, I think you will be quite
pleased with the performance Steve can extract from these units. I could
go on and on with details of how this mod sounds to me. But, to really
appreciate what he can do you would have to hear it for yourselves. I am
extremely impressed with Steve’s work and would highly recommend this
mod. Combine this with his modified P-3A and Bitmeister SP/DIF cable and
you have a digital front end that is something else."
Steve K.
July, 2003
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/digital/messages/71179.htmlMr. Nugent's mods have raised the performance level of my transport to parity
with the performance level of my AN DAC. Stated another way, my formerly
"mid-fi" transport is now a "hi-end" unit. It was evident with the very first
cd I spun after putting the modded transport back into my rig how much of
my DAC's potential had been previously untapped. Startlingly improved
coherence, focus and "air" down to the bottom end (30Hz w/my speakers).
The difference was FAR from subtle. I've gone through enough upgrades in
building my system (details available on this site) to know when a change
is significant (for me, many haven't been). The PD-65 together with the mods
set me back over $4000 less than my AN DAC.
I have absolutely no affiliation with Steve Nugent or Empirical Audio.
I am simply an extremely satisfied and grateful customer. The results in my
rig tell me that Steve CLEARLY knows how to cost-effectively engineer hi-end
digital into the stock units he mods. He's a real gentleman as well, and was
very generous with his time both by phone and email.
John B.
August, 2003
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=4416My first impression of Steve Nugent of Empirical Audio was very positive.
He responded quickly to my email inquiry and was very generous with his
time by phone. He got into my transport the day after delivery, a very
pleasant surprise. More importantly, he listened to it in his own reference
system FIRST, before opening the case, comparing its pre-mod performance
to that of his reference transport. To me, this is no trivial matter. It told me
Steve is no mere "parts and solder slinger". He wanted to make direct
comparisons of my transport to his best, both before and after modification
to assess for himself the performance gains that resulted. After completing
the mods, he informed me about what he changed, in understandable not
overly technical terms. He let me know what was previously modded by
Musical Design, and what was not. For example, he told me that the BNC
output connector I use had not been properly terminated to 75 Ohms (thus
far totally negating a benefit I THOUGHT I was getting by using a BNC-BNC
digital cable from CDT to DAC!). Steve let me know how my money was
spent which I liked very much. His bottom line was that the result, to his
ears, matched his reference transport. Whoa!
What improvements do I hear?
1.) "Air" around instruments and vocalists is much greater. I think this is
what Steve meant when he said my CDT had much better focus post-mod.
Instruments and vocalists now seem locked into discrete positions in space,
to a greater degree than ever before. Have you ever closed your eyes to
better create the illusion of your system's creating a live performance in
front of you? I've done so many times. Now, I get that illusion with eyes
open as well. I've read many reports of speakers "disappearing", and have
gotten increasingly closer to this ideal as I've upgraded my system. This
CDT mod has really put my system over the top in this regard. That focus
thing highlights, in a very appealing way, interesting aspects of cds I know
well. Example: "Closer To It", Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - Brian
handles the vocals here(which he didn't for his live gigs) and his voice is
actually multitracked at the far left and right of the stage, with his
incomparable Hammond B3 playing taking the center. An interesting twist,
never more enjoyable than now.
2.) Soundstage DEPTH is now very apparent, especially on live recordings.
My system was already throwing a very wide soundstage with nice center
fill, but FLAT. Just prior to writing this review I listened to a Elvis Costello
and the Attractions' 1978 "Live at the Mocambo" cd and got the sense of
a 3D vocalist and band, rather than cardboard figures.
3.) Tight bass - This is a subset of the improved focus, but deserves
mention in its own right. My speakers are fairly flat to 30 Hz, and I want
to hear notes and chords as distinctly as possible to that floor. Steve"s
mods really cleaned up the mud. I have two "acid tests" for assessing
bass reproduction in my system. Disc #2 of Miles Davis' "Black Beauty -
Live at Fillmore West" NOT an audiophile recording, with hiss at the start,
and a very audible transient dropout about a third through the disk, but
(to me) the epitome of improvisational jazz. Problem: trying to make out
Dave Holland's electric bass at left-center when everyone but Chick Corea
is essentially coming out of the left half of the stage. I can FINALLY
distinctly follow most of his foundation for the the three great pieces on
this disc. The Who "Live at Leeds" In a classic power rock trio, there's no
mistaking Entwistle's playing out of the left speaker, but he's got a pretty
"fat" sounding bass that has tended to blend into Townsend's guitar when
Pete is at the lower register and both are essentially soloing at once
(particularly on"My Generation" and "Magic Bus"). The improved bass
focus with Steve's mods really shows up here!
4.) Microdynamics - For my system, this aspect of the music has always
been most challenged by recordings with lots of multitracked percussion
elements, especially from upper-midrange on up. My "acid test" has been
Weather Report's "Black Market" - The title track HAS to hold the record
for cymbal crashes and has driven me from the room with earlier stages
of my system. They are now tight to the point that, for the first time, I
realized that Chester Thompson is not doing all the work-at front right,
Alejandro Acuna clearly moves from congas to cymbals/gongs in the
course of the piece. Another treat: Black Uhuru's "Sinsemilla" - the Sly
and Robbie signature production style gets no better than on this disc,
with heavily multitracked percussion, gits, keyboards. My modded CDT
opens the mix up in all its lush beauty.
In summary, the results of the Steve Nugent/Empirical Audio CD transport
mods have far exceeded my expectations. Add to that the very reasonable
cost and Steve's personalized service, and it's a no brainer. Big time.
John B.
August, 2003
