Playstation One

Rasta · « **on:** 21 Oct 2007, 01:06 am »

Ok, just bought a playstation 1 (SCPH-1001) off of eBay. It set me back some serious bread - 53 bones with shipping.

Is this thing for real?

If it is, I'm wondering why it hasn't caught on. It makes me think some of the ugly rumors about audiophiles could be true. If not, I guess I can have some fun playing games (I thought that was what work was for)!

GDeering · « **Reply #1 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 01:27 am »

I'd like to hear your impressions when you've listened to it for a while.

I've bought some of the "killer" mass market world-beaters, I generality try them on audio and then put them beneath the TV where they belong.

The only one that I think deserved some of the hype if got was the digital Panasonic receiver. Not the one hears too much about last year's hyped mass market miracles anymore.

I'll check back,

Gregg

Rasta · « **Reply #2 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 01:37 am »

Good points!

Every "world beater" I've ever owned, no longer graces these old brick walls. The only amp I will never sell is my my beloved Shindo Montille. A truly incredible amp that gets no fanfare. Go figure!

IronLion · « **Reply #3 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 02:51 am »

I have one of these playstations and have been using it as my redbook source for a while now; I haven't heard many CD players as I'm relatively new to this hobby, but it sounds good to me, good enough for me to not bother with any other stand-alone CD players in the future. Most of the time I use my Macbook Pro to an Ack Dack! 2.0, but when I want to play a CD directly I pop it into the Playstation and it holds it own very well. For the money, I don't see how it could be beat.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 02:58 am »

It's kind of a pita to use a PS for music, IMO. The controller makes a passable memote, but it's corded. Probably not a big deal if you tend to listen to entire discs but a hassle to skip many tracks.

Rasta · « **Reply #5 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 03:07 am »

I'm more or less fully committed to the computer server/Squeezebox model, but sometimes I like to spin a CD - reminds me of the days of spinning vinyl.

If I like it (the Sony) I will depart with my Magnavox modded CDB-473.

Peace out and best wishes to WEEZ!

fmw · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 12:37 pm »

No kidding. I didn't even realize the PS1 played CD's. I have one that was given to us as a gift some years ago. I have about 8 games for it that I've never played. I'll hook it up. should be a fun experiment.

fmw · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 12:49 pm »

I tried it. It works. It won't play combo SACD's but it plays straight red book CD's just fine. The upper front button on the game controller steps through the tracks. The start button starts. The +/- buttons on the controller restart a track. I think a regular CD player is more convenient. You have a remote and a display. I wouldn't waste my money on this thing.

Rasta · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 02:04 pm »

fmw,

check this out: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/leben2/system_3.html

It needs to be the SCPH-1001 model and may take a while to warm up.

IronLion · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 02:24 pm »

Given how cheap they are, if you are curious you should check one out; they might just replace any CD player you have now.

fmw · « **Reply #10 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 02:36 pm »

Quote from: Rasta on 21 Oct 2007, 02:04 pm

fmw,

check this out: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/leben2/system_3.html

It needs to be the SCPH-1001 model and may take a while to warm up.

Sorry, that "review" left me cold. It reminds me of the raving and ranting in Stereophile magazine over a Radio Shack portable CD player from about 10 years ago. I still have one of those silly things. The author is suggesting the DAC chip will perform better after a week of warm up. That's just plain nonsense. What performed better is the author's imagination, I'm afraid.

To put things into perspective, I've been a high end audiophile for 50 years. Several years ago I finally learned what really is audible and inaudible by getting involved in blind testing. Now I know the difference between audibility and imagination. That resulted in my selling my $60K audio system and my on-line vacuum tube business concentrating on listening to music rather than equipment. I'm just as enthusiastic as ever about listening to music and video sound tracks. I just do it now without worrying so much about the equipment and I do it with a more sensible investment. At the moment I'm listening to streamed MP3's via my Squeezebox. I wouldn't have done that 10 years ago. That's why I groan a little when I read articles like that one.

I assume your comment on the model number relates to playing combo SACD's. If so, then mine is not one of those since it won't play them. My Oppo 980, on the other hand, plays SACD's brilliantly so I'm good to go. It also puts out quite a bit more gain and allows me to use less amplifier power to play CD's. I put the PS1 away. Perhaps I'll bring it out again one day and try those games I have for it.

el`Ol · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 02:41 pm »

Quote from: GDeering on 21 Oct 2007, 01:27 am

The only one that I think deserved some of the hype if got was the digital Panasonic receiver.

I prefer it to PS1 + SI T-Amp, even in combination with sensitive speakers.

gstraley · « **Reply #12 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 05:18 pm »

There is a web site that talks about a mod that you can do to the Sony Playstation One. I have had a chance to hear the difference between a stock Playstation One and a modded one. The improvement is pretty significant. The stock player is musical for what it is. There is nothing that says that is has any major problems and is actually enjoyable to listen to if you are not trying to pick it apart. It does not have great dynamics or detail in stock form. It is more analogue sounding compared to a good number of stock players in the under $1000.00 price range.
The modded player that I heard only had the output stage modified per the instructions on this site. http://dogbreath.de/PS1/index.html . It also had an IEC connector installed and the original power cord removed. The power cord is a pretty good improvement over stock. The modded player on the other hand will give a good number of highly regarded players a run for the money. The dynamics are better, there is better detail and more of a sense of realism compared to the stock player. For the money this is a real killer if you do the mods. They mention about a power supply upgrade which would make an improvement also. Keeping it simple and maintaining a one box unit I would like to have heard one where someone installed larger diodes and bigger and better power supply caps. This combo could make a really decent sounding player that not only you could enjoy but your kids can also have some fun playing games with. When looking into this I found a web site that showed that you can still purchase a complete transport assembly for $25.00. If anything goes wrong with these players that is usually it. It's a simple quick fix. The modified player seems to have a more analogue sound to it compared to a lot of other players that I have heard. That said it is only a 16 bit player and does not have the ultimate in resolution compared to some of the newer higher priced cd players. But it can be more enjoyable to listen to then some of the mega dollar players.
I purchased 2 of the Playstations. If anyone is interested I have one that is stock but has had an IEC connector installed in it. I would be willing to sell it for $50.00 plus shipping.

Gregg

Rasta · « **Reply #13 on:** 21 Oct 2007, 06:26 pm »

Gregg,

Thanks for the info and your impressions. It might be fun to do some of the mods.

GDeering · « **Reply #14 on:** 22 Oct 2007, 02:12 am »

Quote from: el`Ol on 21 Oct 2007, 02:41 pm

I prefer it to PS1 + SI T-Amp, even in combination with sensitive speakers.

RE: Panasonic receiver

Yeah, I have it hooked up sometimes to my single driver speakers (very old C&C Abbys) the real plus is that it does something good to my Meridian CD player, or may be I should say bad - because it reminds me I should get a DAC?

Gregg

PS sorry to all for the crummy typing on the other post - I promise I was sober, just not re-reading.

rhing · « **Reply #15 on:** 22 Oct 2007, 09:03 pm »

I've been using a Playstation 1 Model SCPH-1001 as my CD player for the last five months. I was skeptical as well after I read Jeff Day's "Music Lovers" article on Six Moons, but I thought, "Why Not?" So I went to my local used game store and picked up a mint condition unit for $25. It's best to buy one from a local game store, because they can test out the unit to make sure that it still operates. Keep in mind that the previous owner of any Playstation 1 probably wasn't using it as an audiophile CD player, so there could be a lot of junk and dirt all over the place. I took the cover off mine and cleaned everything out with an air blast cannister, some Isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth. You'd be surprised what stuff you find on these and in these. I also cleaned all the RCA jacks, AC receptacle, AV Multi-out port, the AC fuse holder and fuse with MG Chemicals Electrosolve residue-free contact cleaner. I also used Isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs to thoroughly clean the laser cleans and track. Afterwards, I used my Allsop CD lens cleaning disk to give the lens a final clean.

I didn't believe the claims that the Playstation sounds better after leaving it for a few days, but it's true. After initially turning on the Playstation, the sound isn't all that impressive: a little conjested, rolled-off highs and lows, a narrow and shallow soundstage. After about 1-2 days, I noticed details and tonal textures I hadn't heard before with my Onix XCD-88 CD player (same as Music Hall CD25.1). As I listened more and more, I noticed that the frequency extremes filled out more and the soundstage grew. To me, the Playstation portrays audio in an analog-like sense with a pleasant midrange. To provide better air flow around the plastic chassis, I elevated it using three 3M Bump On Polyurethane feet (two underneath the front and one underneath the rear). The 3M Bump On compound has some great dampening characteristics, and this came through with better defined bass and I have never experienced vibration or shock-induced skipping.

I later invested in a $45 PS Audio XStream Power Punch C7 power cord with a polarized IEC C7 power cord, and that further improved the frequency extension and dynamic performance of the Playstation. Tympani drums took on an even more realistic slam, rubatos were even more convincing and the soundstage grew. I am not a tweak freak, but this little ABS plastic clad console seemed to respond to the tweaks, so I went out on a limb and bought an Isoclean 2A 5mm x 20mm slow blow fuse for $25. The fuse made a noticeable improvement primarily buiding upon the improvements I heard with the power cord. I also purchased a used Sony Playstation 2 DVD IR remote control and IR receiver module that plugs into the controller port. My total investment is around $105, and I have a highly musical Redbook CD player that has made my Onix CD player obsolete.

I have a friend who owned an Electrocompaniet CD player with an Anagram DAC, and he likes his Playstation 1 more as he feels it is a more musical player. I just met a gentleman at The Burning Amp Festival in San Francisco yesterday who told me he sold off his Marantz SA8260 SACD/CD player in favor of a Playstation 1. A few people who have read some of my posts on Audiogon have emailed me and told me that they have had excellent results with the Playstation 1. Michael DeVore of DeVore Fidelity uses a Playstation 1 in one of his factory's audition systems.

I have since purchased a couple more units for future modification projects. My plan is to bypass the op amp output buffer and channel the signal from the AKM DAC to the RCA outputs. This modification has been well documented in a diyAudio.com thread. AfFordable Audio featured a write-up on this mod in their review of the Lite DAC in the October 2007 issue.

When shopping for a Playstation 1, you want to get Model SCPH-1001 with the three RCA jacks on the rear: Left Audio Out, Right Audio Out and Composite Video Out. It's impossible to verify this before buying one, but the later built units used an improved die cast laser housing (e.g., K440-ACM) rather than the cheaper and less reliable plastic housing that tends to bind on the laser guide rails due to excessive thermal expansion of the plastic parts from heat generated by the power supply. Good RCA interconnects make a big difference. Please don't pass judgement on the Playstation 1 using the cheap AV cable or RCA interconnects.

Puffin · « **Reply #16 on:** 22 Oct 2007, 09:16 pm »

rhing. I wrote the article for A$$A regarding the Dac Ah and modded PS1. I am hoping to have an article ready for next months edition regarding the linear power supply for the PS1. (instructions to build it from Dogbreath's site) I power the 3.6v side of the PS1 (everything other than the motor) with a 12v car battery and then regulated through the psu. The motor is fed through another regulated board from a 12v toroidal. This takes it to a whole new level and it is very impressive.

aa

rhing · « **Reply #17 on:** 22 Oct 2007, 09:37 pm »

Puffin,

That was a great article, and now I'm waiting with baited breath to read your article on the power supply mods. Now I'll know what to do with my third Playstation.

Rasta · « **Reply #18 on:** 23 Oct 2007, 12:09 am »

Thanks for the posts guys!

fmw · « **Reply #19 on:** 23 Oct 2007, 12:17 am »

Ringh, get a grip. It's a DAC. I just converts bits to analog waveforms. It does it cold just like it does it warm.

Do a little reading about placebo effect and the biases inherent in listening. Then go do a blind listening test between a newly turned on unit and one that has been cooking for a week. $100 says you can't tell one from another in a properly conducted blind test.