The answer is easy based on you saying you spin CDs. I owned this player and you only need the upgraded caps and resistors on the analog board to get the whole Signature upgrade when spinning CDs .
I replaced the cheap yellow caps with Jupiter copper foil caps and Dynamicaps. I replaced the 4 resistors with the Vishay nude Z foils.
this is all that is upgraded on the analog board with the Signature upgrade. The total cost for parts was about $400.
You our will have better resolution, darker background, better micro details, and a more airy top end.
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Also, to achieve even better performance than the upgraded Signature footers buy the Star Sound Apprentice stand to go underneath the unit. It by itself is an amazing upgrade. It will give better focus, improved imaging, tighter bass and better separation of instruments.
The he stand is $360 I think? Anyway both of my suggestions will give you even better sound than the Signature upgrade if you are only spinning CDs. |
Where did billandsol go? Great stuff for you here!
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They give instructions on how to do it with little tape strips. Very easy to do. The tape strips hold the disc in place, place the unit on the platform , then remove the tape strips. I've done it many times with no problems. |
Best tubes I had for the unit came from Upscale Audio. The Gold Lion tubes they offer with all the sorting and testing upgrades. They were the most dynamic and quiet for me. |
As I remember standby keeps the power supply on, but not the analog board with the tubes. |
If you're only spinning CDs then the cap and resistor upgrade on the analog board combined with the Sistrum Apprentice rack gets you beyond Signature. I used Jupiter copper foil caps which are better than the Dynamicaps used in the Sig upgrade. Much better. They are on the level of the Stealth caps used in the Eclipse upgrade.
Problem is the dealer nor Aesthetix will do this for you. You need a DIY friend etc...I purchased my unit used and did the upgrades. Total cost for the Romulus and upgrades was around $4000. Aesthetix will only do the full upgrade at a crazy high cost to you.
Before ever spending that kind of money on the full upgrade I would sell it for the better Luxman DA06 dac. Combined with a great used transport like the PS Audio memory player or a CEC unit, you would have a better sounding digital front end.
Any decent repair or tech guy can upgrade the select resistors and caps on your analog board. It is simple to do. Sure it voids warranty, but if it is a used unit, then who cares? I sold mine for what I had put into it. Great unit, but I like the Luxman better as an FYI. |
JWM, I guess we will just disagree on this one. |
Lula, glad you like the unit still! It is very musical indeed and with your transport I am sure it is spectacular. A good transport really brings a lot to the sonic party. |
Sorry guys. I do think I can say the Luxman is a better dac....not subjectively, but holistically. I feel quite comfortable saying this based on my experience with both dac's in two systems.
I am not saying something ridiculous, but perhaps I have said something some cannot handle. Oh well. Try the Luxman and learn for yourself!
Sometimes it is not prudent to say one unit is better than another as differences are subjective and system dependent etc.. Other times a unit so outshines another in every conceivable manner and matter that one can say it is better. This is one of those times. We have to admit as Audiophiles that at times a piece of gear simply outclass another. It does indeed happen.
Saying my statement is ridiculous is not based on reality or reasonableness.
I found the Yamamoto dac very pleasing and while I liked it better than the Romulus I would not say it is better. Both have their strengths and are very good. However the Luxman takes the strengths of these two dacs and others I have owned and brings even more to the musical event.
So perhaps I will now say for JWM that "in my opinion" the Luxman is a better dac in all systems:)
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Forgot to mention that even the high end, boutique parts market is priced out of sight. I can build gear that sounds as good as gear selling for 10x the price, but it is not cheap for me to build with top quality boutique parts. Some don't believe in these boutique parts, but I have come to know many can make a substantial improvement.
No no reason for a capacitor to cost $120 or more etc.... |
Seems I cannot edit even 10 seconds after posting. The edit function is not working.
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Meant to type "the" Luxman not "he". Seems you cannot edit once the post is 30 minutes old. |
I bet the Eclipse version is outstanding as I found the simple upgrades I performed to the stock unit to be a nice step up. I just wish these upgrades were more affordable from the manufacturer.
High end audio pricing has really gotten out of hand and unreasonable IMHO. Reasonable buys can be had on used gear for sure. Some new gear is priced reasonably, but far to much of it is priced ridiculously high in my opinion. Some of it is the small market and demand, some of it is greed, and some of it is desperation in an attempt to survive. |
He Luxman does not have a volume control.
I did did hear the Romulus with both a cheap Sony CD player as a transport and and older CEC belt drive transport. Very slight difference and I would say the CEC made the sound a tad smoother. Not day and night to be sure.
I suppose if one thinks their Rotel system sounds as good as a well matched $50,000 system, then this hobby is certainly subjective with no absolutes. Yes, subjectivity carries with it the fact that some cannot hear differences, don't even care about differences, and cannot discern the more subtle musical nuances. All of these realities exist within the subjective territory.
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JWM, that is true. We are in a tough spot as the gear and hobby we love so much is priced so very high. Not all the time, but too much of the time. |
Some good values do exist and you mentioned them. However, a great many others fit my description. I cannot build a car, but I can can buy a Scion for the price of some high end dac's and amps.
I cannot build a wave runner, snowmobile, motorcycle, computer, complete kitchen appliance set up, high end washer & dryer combo, but can buy these for less than the cost of many single high end pieces of gear.
Demand does not outpace supply on these boutique parts. The market is very small and some manufacturers just price as high as they can to sell the relatively few buyers.
It is just too bad the market is not bigger.
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Really hard and most likely impossible to state where high end begins. I have owned Van Alstine and Quicksilver gear and they were pretry good really. |
Tomic601, we agree. You are making my very point. Our hobby has so few that our prices are so crazy high. We disagree on the parts being aerospace as the boards are filled with common parts etc...the type of parts found on the boards in a Scion. The whole CD transport is cheaply built, the parts used are common for the most part.
As for the $3000 cost for the upgrade, well we all know that is just plain nuts. I can buy a brand new highly rated dac that sounds as good for that kind of money like a Yamamoto. Yes I am using this as an example of audio ridiculousness. You are obviously a big fan of the designer and perhaps that clouds your ability to see the plain facts. $3000 for 4 resistors, a handful of capacitors, footers and a different digital board. Oh my.
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Tomic, I do understand your point being in innovation & product development. Yes it is part of the cost and spread out over a relatively few units unfortunately. Good point.
Charles, on Red Book CD spinning the Yammy is a great value and to my ears competes with many bigger dollar units. You could combine it with a nice Emperical Audio Offramp for great computer audio also. |
I should make a comment here on the wonderful Star Sound Apprentice stand. I use the less expensive Adona coupling discs and they may not extract the very best performance from these stands. I just am not sure. I will try the Star Sound coupling discs and see if they make any difference. Just a caution to those reading this thread. |
Same thing, the Gold Lion select tubes from Upscale Audio. These tubes are even more important and you want the quietest tubes of the bunch. |
