Avguru- Please don't accuse me of a comment I didn't make. It was Tbg that posted "I think shootouts are useless."
I look forward to the results of your shootout, but please include the EMM Labs gear. |
Oldpet, I agree,I am one of the Chicago gang as my
friend Guido, refer to us.There will be a final
shootout.Brian is on the CES.We are waiting for
Him,He knows the guy who owns the Sonymod Richard
Kern, and the owner of Meitner.The APL of 711 is
in Vegas.Let us all be patient, no fighting please,
Thanks Enjoy the music and the Shootout.After
all like Dolfan and 1Markr benefited from this
shootout, WHY CANT YOU. |
Audiojoy 4,
Did you not read my post in regards to making agressive overtures and "sales pitches" towards Alex's or any other modders or individuals products on this thread? What part of my post did you not understand?
If you want to be a spokesperson for Alex's product in the UK contact him privately (not via my thread) and negotiate your deal with him on your own time. That is not the purpose of this thread and I would hope not to have this conversation with you again!
AVGURU (MODERATOR) |
Eldon & Flye (aka Richard & Kyle),
I understand your frustration and your points of contention have been duly noted. There are many on this thread who are aware of the excellent mods you have provided over the years. And most people here are also bright enough to differentiate between those who are trying to further their own agenda and those who are still interested in seeking the musical truth. People who do that in the long run lose all of their credibility and objectivity and are no longer viewed as being impartial contrary to what they may say publicly.
Again, there is no need to make personal attacks on individuals...and I'm especially disappointed that you did that after my rather long post asking everyone not to engage in that activity any more.
I will be in touch with you guys shortly (after CES). I want everyone to have a fair shot at getting the truth known about their product. By the way, I have never heard Alex (who I have spoken to on several occassions)say anything negative about RAM or your mods. I just thought you should know that.
AVGURU (MODERATOR) |
T1day, For your description of what you are looking for I think you would love the Exemplar. It is truely extended, detailed, transparant, crisp, and just a tad bright for me. I believe John is selling off his remaining 2900's for a GREAT price. You are right when you say there are different flavors for each individual. Therefore, there is not 1 BEST player for everybody, but there is a BEST player for an individual.
Best of luck |
Avguru - If, infact, there is another shootout. A NEW thread would be appropriate, considering the tone, and LENGTH of this thread. Just a thought.
thanks |
Avguru, great comments, I agree. Lets keep this FUN. |
Avguru made a request (demand since it is his thread) that the thread get back on track. The first few posters seem to ignore this request. I am very interested in the shoot outs. I tend to like a bright crisp detailed sound, apparently different than many on the thread. So someone's idea of better, best or blows away is meaningless to me. I want to know about detail, bass, midrange, extension. I hope the shoot-out finally occurs, or better yet, a series of shootouts. And I hope each participant can tell us what he/she heard, and what they think are the strengths and weaknesses of each player. |
Avguru,
Eagerly awating the shootout and your insightful comments! Keep it up!
Jonas |
It's amazing how the good intentions of an individual can get twisted into something that turns ugly. We should all be thankful to Avguru for the quest....I know I am. Everybody relax, take a deep breath and enjoy the ride. |
DEAR ALEX APL,
I have left my E mail address on your website. Please get me on your order books as soon as possible, remember I am in LONDON uk, in the land of analogue lovers who can only make do with only reasonable products like chord dacs, arcams,musical fidelity etc, I have every confidence your mods will bring a new world of audio nirvana here, and I am your man to pass the message on this side of the pond.
Luke (doc) |
Hi all
DAC,
A neurotic condition founded on the unrealistic obsession of seeking for the best sound. It is comparable to mania. A manic patient, has beliefs of grandiosity and super power, including spending money at will even though there is not that much in the coffers. This can potentially lead to financial ruin in some cases, and being kicked out of the house by the missis.
There are no strong foundations to believe it is hereditary directly, however, an obsessive verging on neurotic perfectionalist personality is deemed tobe the root trigger combined with intelligence and the need for progressing the boundaries of human interpretation.Such individuals are likely to lead other parts of their lives in a similar obsessive manner. This obsessive behaviour can lead to irritabillity and over sensitivity. (Hence the tone of some of the comments on this forum).
Biochemically this is easily explained by the presence of inadequate amounts of serotonin a neurotransmitter, which can be artificially replaced with its analogues that is the
SSRI (serotonin selective receptive inhibitors) ie such as prozac.
In itself it is not necessarily a bad thing as long as family, exercise, eating healthily etc. are not neglected.
After many hours in the laboratory and using Guido as my guinea pig, I have now come to two potential cures.
1) Someone reaches Audio nirvana and is able to duplicate the original performance replicated to perfection in your room I DONT THINK SO,not in our lifetime.
2) If there is a financial risk, then DIY is fun. See the many traetments I have so far contributed above, which do nbot cost much gives you hours of relaxation from constantly driving yourself mad over the accuracy of your present system. But above all, you do not need to make large payouyts. A power supply mod can cost a few quid, can be implemented in minutes, and then you can get the same amount of time analyzing it as you would a new piece of equipment.
3) I know a man in the heart of the Congo jungal who makaes a potent herbal remedy called JJ that is his term for Jungal Juice. I can let you have this doctors name and address if you wish. One word of warning though like some other one man team hifi manufacturers he is extermely difficult to get hold of, has a dubious address, and you may not get a quote for several months after which the potion may take up to a year to arrive, he is after all a one man team.
Alas as you can see there is no cure,it is a chronic condition with the possibility of burning itself out in the future.
best of Luck to you all, I will continue my research and let you know the minute I have implemented a new mod to my management program.
doc Luke. |
I am writing this just in case my last post was
misunderstood. It was directed to 711smilin not Flye.
Kyle is an honest man and right on the mark when it comes to Alex. |
Kyle is right on! Alex is unprofessional and arrogant
and so are his followers, like you. Or should I say
stooge? How much is Alex paying you to front for him?
Or did he give you a free mod? You sure are loyal to him.
I wonder why? None of my customers are this loyal, but
then I don't buy their loyalty like Alex does. |
Hello to all,
This is AVGURU. I am the originator and moderator of this thread. Over the last two weeks I have received numerous private e-mails from contributors and observers of this thread asking me step in and add sanity to a thread that is clearly out of control! These concerns have come to me from various sources including A-goners, other modders, manufacturers (yes, manufacturers!), dealers and even people associated with the Audiogon staff. There have even been comments from people within this thread at various points asking me to do something.
Additionally, everyone needs to understand that this thread has garnered a lot of attention outside of Audiogon. There are professional reviewers who are aware of it, it has been mentioned on other well known forums, it comes up as one of the first items if you do a google search under Esoteric, etc..etc. Contrary to public belief, free speech is not "FREE"...it does come with certain responsiblities..the biggest of which is to report the truth, have integrity in how you report information, treat other people with respect and lay off the personal attacks of other contributors on this thread. If there is anyone reading this who does not believe they have any of these "responsibilities" then please feel free to leave this thread immediately.
Furthermore, whether true or not there is a real perception out there that this thread contains an underlying current of bias favoring Alex and APL. In revieweing the thread from the beginning to now I can readily see how that perception could exist. I don't believe that was Alex's intent in becomming involved as he was just trying to answer as many questions as possible about his product. However, there is no question that APL has been over-exposed on this thread and there seems to be a general belief from many that his mod is the best one out there. This is a problem and I will address that issue as well as suggest a solution later in this e-mail.
My first responsbility is to re-focus this thread and res-establish its original purpose and intent. I invite everyone to start at the beginning of this thread again. I started this thread by taking home numerous high end cdp's and comparing it to the Esoteric DV 50. Why did I do this? Because the DV 50 had received numerous accolades, rewards and favorable reviews from the audio industry. As such, I was seriously contemplating buying one but first I wanted to find out for myself if all the hype was accurate.
In doing my comparisions I laid out a blue print which I THOUGHT would serve as a basis for others who contributed to this thread. I wrote detailed, concise notes about my listening sessions, using recognized audiophile terms and parameters to describe differences between units, sonic attributes, etc. I also used very descriptive wording that allowed those reading to "visualize" what I heard. I can't tell you how many people commented on how much they appreciated my insights and reviews.
Also, because I actually listened and did head to head comparisions my "opinions" were not really a factor in my writings. I reported the facts as based on my listening experience not from innuendo or others comments. Whether one agreed with my findings or not was not the point. The point was that my findings were based at least in part on empirical data. You had to respect that fact.
Finally,(but most importantly) when I listened to the modded cdp's and it became painfully clear that they were clearly better than the DV 50 (for less money to boot) what did I do? Did I arrogantly stick by my original findings that the DV 50 was the best? Did I look for excuses or reasons why my DV 50 didn't perform well? Did I become jealous, take these listening tests personal and attack others because they thought something else sounded better than my DV 50? NO NO NO NO!!! I reported the truth and I got so much love from those who respected the fact that even though they knew I was orignally biased towards my DV 50 I had the integrity to report the truth.
Now, having set this backdrop it is time for me to point out specifically what is wrong (and what must change in this thread). I am implementing the following new rules to make this a better thread. This will force me to be more active as the moderator and enforce the goals of the thread. Some will not be happy with that but I can't please everyone. From time to time I will have to mention by name those who have strayed from the guideliness. Please realize it is not personal in nature and my only intent is to make the thread better:
1). KANA 813- This thread was set-up and even designed with the intent of using shoot-outs as a basis of providing valuable listening insights and information to others. I'm sorry you don't believe in shoot-outs but please don't discourage others on this site from wanting them. Your comments about the "uselessness" of shoot-outs are not constructive.
2). Everyone, please, no more personal attacks, insults or smart-aleck comments towards others because you think their ideas are far fetched or you don't agree with them. Just leave it at "we have a difference of opinion". This is not kindergarten and there's no need to get in the last word. Those who do not abide by this and continue with this activity will be reported to Audiogon. I'M NOT KIDDING!
3). Those of you who have personal questions for Alex in terms of how his units operate, technical questions about his mods, parts, pricing, availablility, etc should direct your e-mails to Alex directly...not through this thread! This also goes for those who want to solicit his opinion about issues pertaining to other units, his thoughts on various products, topics, etc. This is nothing against Alex as I myself have learned a lot from his comments. But this thread is not meant to be a forum for APL products.
If you want to ask other members who might own an APL unit about their experiences or thoughts on APL product, or if you want to write a review about one of his products, no problem.
4). I've had numerous inquiries directed to me trying to "confirm" that the APL units we auditioned are the best of the modded units. Let me make it unequivocally clear right now to all reading this post that that was NOT OUR FINDING AT ALL. The only person in our group who believes that is 711 Smilin..and quite frankly he has been spreading that message all across Audiogon on different threads.
Right now, we have not finished our listening tests nor have we heard Alex's latest and greatest mod to the 3910. There is no question his unit sounded very good. My personal favorite as of now is the Sony Modwright 9000ES which is an older mod Richard developed 4-5 years ago. But again, that is not the groups final pick as we have not finished evaluating other product. Furthermore, the modded 9000ES does not play cdr's which for me is a big drawback. All of these considerations will be weighed and evaluated in our final analysis.
5). If you are NOT PREPARED to write detailed,specific reasons(based on actual listening observations/comparisons) as to why one product is better than another OR why you prefer one product to another then PLEASE REFRAIN FROM MAKING ANY DEFINITIVE STATEMENTS ABOUT THE SUPERIORITY OF ONE UNIT OVER ANOTHER. We need a lot less "opinions" on this thread and a lot more detailed reviews/insights. One of the goals of this thread is to get people to go out and listen!
There are people out here who for a myriad of reasons are unable to audition these units and are looking to our discussions for help in making a buying decision. Opinions don't mean alot unless based at least partly on solid information. See, nobody wants to take the time to write meaningful analysis. It's hard work but very necessary to add credibility to this thread. What good is any thread if there's no credibility or integrity to it?
6). I am sending out invitations to a bunch of other modders to send me their units for evaluation. There a lot of people out there who are very qualified and doing great mods. I personally think this "niche market" will continue to grow as the performance of these modded units continues to astound and in many cases is vastly superior to stock units. And I would really like to hear from others who have had their units modded by others not mentioned on this thread to contribute their thoughts and findings.
In conclusion, this has been a long but very necessary post as this thread severely needs some maintenance and re-focusing. I have outlined a lot of things that need to be changed and new rules that I'd like to see followed. Obviously, I can't do it by myself and I desperately everyone's help. I have no personal agenda other than to make this one of the most useful, informative and longest running threads on A-gon.
This thread has already brought a lot of joy and satisfaction to many A-goner's and I have the e-mails to prove it. The ultimate goal is not to "direct" anyone to a specific product but to help audiophiles make the best "informed" buying decision possible by exposing them to a wide range of products via unbiased and hopefully accurate listening tests.
However, for those of you who refuse to cooperate or maintain the spirit "persuing the truth" please know this: I will not tolerate a continuation of pessimistic antics and will file formal complaints with A-gon staff on specific members. And trust me, they do take them seriously and you will be contacted. I've seen them do it on many occassions.
Finally, should all fail and no progress be made I will just ask A-gon to shut this thread down. For those of you who are saying "good, we don't need it and I'll just start my own thread or a new one" my answer is fine...go do it. It's not as easy as it looks. There are already members of this thread who have already tried it with little success. We should all be working toward a common goal of persuing the musical truth.
Enjoy the music,
AVGURU |
Kyle- Mahalo for your post,and sharing your mana'o.I also agree with Richard.Folks like 711 have no idea what's under the hood,so APLHI can charge them big bucks for cheap parts.Aloha,Kana. |
Kyle, respectfully I must request that you abstain from personal attacks on anyone on this list. I am truly not interested in reading about any professional or personal disagreement you may or may not have had in the past or in the present, or may be having or not having in any hypothetical future, with any list contributor, regardless of status.
Understandably, you hold that your products excell in quality and performance: the readers of these lines would rather be interested in knowing what makes them excell and how. Furthermore, I have reason to believe that 711 and the Chicago gang would be delighted to include a fine sample of your creativity in an upcoming shootout and report on these pages.
So, please take a big breath, raise your chin, and start back from the beginning. Regards, and very very marginally amused, Guido Dante Corona
|
DBLD, the news is exceedingly worrysome. Your findings may make Schmaltzenstein & Pugnetti's study obsolete. It is quite possible that DAC may have mutated and now is born by a prion particle, such as in Jacob Kreutzfeld dementia, also known as spongyform encephalitis, or more vernacularly Mad Cow Deasese. I know this is an exceedingly private matter but, as classic J. K. infection requires the ingestion of central nervous tissue from a contaminated victim, have you ever feasted on the cerebrum of any audiophiles you didn't like? The alternative is even worse, because an airborn DAC prion may turn this elitist disorder into a world pandemic. Oh my God, I have images of Doc Luke ministering to the sick in a Britain transformed into a ghoulish audiophilic nightmare worthy of the most apocalyptic novels by John Wyndham and John Christopher. |
Phil and Guido, thank you so much for your insightful words regarding DAC.
Through your enlightenment I have quickly done some intense research and consultations and am afraid I too am infected with a severe case of DAC. Its origin in my family is uncertain since my father passed away quite young. Unfortunately, in my case, it is believed to be a new strand of this disease since thus far it does not seem to have a genetic connection after researching five generations. This is most regretful since it implies that this potentially debilitating disease has now mutated from one that is purely hereditary in nature and transmission, to one that is potentially transmitted to new subjects with dramatically quick progression to an advanced state of acute infection (in my case less than two years). Furthermore, the vehicle of transmission is, at this time, unknown, but it is believed to be airborne.
Dave
BTW, you guys have made me laugh on a most difficult day thanks. |
Aldavis, richard was politely, invited to participate, add his commentary, in a profeswsional, advisory manner. He chose to throw stones. Not us. I do agree we should let him skulk back into his hole, if he has nothing positive to add.
My feeling are not hurt. Why? Cause I am here having fun in this obsession. I am buying, trying, selling, and having quite an enjoyable time. I agree that there is a lot of hype on some products, by unsrupulous sellers. I just know by my own ears, in my own system, with my own brain. Exactly what I like, and dislike. I will not sheepishly go away. I will continue with my journey until it is no longer fun for ME. It will be MY decision, no one elses. I will stop my rant now. Enjoy the journey, my friends. |
Well, I certainly agree with Richard here, as well as the other major modifiers in this country(I should not have to mention names, right?). Alex, has pissed off most other modifiers with his blatant arrogance and unprofessional remarks and most of all statements which are formed merely from opinion and not experience. This is the bottom line. On that note, I am more then "honored" to put my modified Denon 3910 against his any day. We feel our execution and parts are far beyond his...because(quite simply) we have compared these parts to ours... I once offered Alex(~1.5years ago) the trial of Audio Consulting transformers which we confirmed without a doubt through listening tests were WAy better then what he was using(Lundahl?? and now Japanese stuff). He declined because he felt his were the best?????? This is the way he thinks and his arrogance and ego will start to hurt him. I do not post that often on the audio forums but in this case(Alex) I feel compelled to speak up for RAM and support Richard 100%
Sincerely,
Kyle Takenaga
Reference Audio mods-President |
Guido,
How very lucky for me that neither of my children have inherited the disease. How also lucky for me that my wife never had it, not even the slightest trace of it. I think their serendipity explains the existence of the purple boom box in my household. It also explains why I have been removed to a lonely basement room with shelves of LPs and CDs and why I'm permitted to play with glowing vacuum tubes and extravagantly priced electric cords. Now if I can figure out how to defeat the lock on the outside of the door, I may be able to rejoin my kids and their purple piece of audiophile Nervana. |
Phil, it is sad indeed to behold how the masses of the DAC afflicted are surrounded by unscrupulous individuals and companies that foster their doom and feed on their despair. From mysterious corporations that promise the poor wretches audio nirvana through gleaming pieces at staggering prices, to modifiers-magicians who sell promises of relief from the horrid compulsions of DAC for much more moderate sums, to British physicians who insite the whole sad lot to self-medicate for only penneys a day. And it's all downhill from here! The only thing left is to admit it in public, to declare our state, to cry out our fate. . . Yes, it is true, I too Guido, have DAC! I too am an audiophile, was bborn an audiophile, will pass on to Nirvana as an Audiophile! |
Hey guys lay off Richard. What he says shouldn't hurt your feelings if you truly believe in what you're doing. I think we all feel passionately about audio but it's how we express the passion that counts. I will assume for my own sake that Richard is sincere in his belief. Please let's just agree to disagree and get back to the journey after this brief,unfortunate interruption. |
Guido,I am so relieved that we can talk about this openly and sensitively. My name is Phil and I have DAC. My Dad had it too. He had tube gear that he built himself and a bozak speaker (tweeter suspended in the middle of the midrage driver) installed in the door of his bedroom closet, with a 15" woofer installed in something the size of a dish washing machine. He kept muttering: Infinite baffle, infinite baffle. My poor Mother. My poor neighbors. Dad would play his system at realistic levels. Being an engineer, (read: original propeller heads) he played a test record with a train comin' on down the tracks. One of our neighbors apparently made a mess of himself when he stood up suddenly upon hearing said train coming through the wall of his bathroom. The shame of it! This was a decent, middle-class neighborhood. Yet, how I loved Sunday mornings when my father would blast his classical music. We were eating downstairs in the kitchen, but the sound was at concert levels.
Guido, I know there is no hope for me (I have an order with Alex, that evil modder and facilitator of our sickness, that self-promoter who dedicates himself to this work by sleeping but a few hours a night and then has the unmitigated gall to be proud of his work!). I can only hope others escape this terrible fate. I hope to pass my remaining days in audio nirvana, but a shell of my previous virile, aggressive, unhappy self.
Phil |
Wow, I think I have DAC!! Is there a cure for it, Doctor? |
711, your humor is contageous. Yet, let's all try to avoid playing at 'MY DAC'S BIGGER'N YOURS!"
Doc Luke, Audiophilia Nervosa is an extremely debilitating hereditary condition. It is more formally known as Degenerative Audiophilic Chorea (DAC). It was first recognized and described in 1989 by a team of European neurologysts, audiophiles and philosophers of music lead by Gavronsky and Pugnetti of the Istituto Don Gnocchi in Milan.
See: Aloysius Q. Schmaltzenstein Gavronsky, Dr. Luigi Pugnetti et Al. Environmental triggers and sex-linked predisposition in late onset adventitious Audiophilic Dementia (Acta Medica Refutata, vol 35, No. 4, pp. 435 - 459. Appenzell, 1989).
The authors describe DAC as a acute disturbance of the central nervous system, usually having an onset in very early middle age and characterized by involuntary muscular movements, uncontrollable usage of credit cards, increasingly severe and expensive delusions, disastrous lapses of financial common sense, and general progressive intellectual deterioration, accompanied by often mewlings, drewlings and ritualistic genuflection and prostration in front of any gleaming audio component.
DAC attacks the cells of the basal ganglia, clusters of nerve tissue deep within the brain that govern coordination, as well as the cortex, which is expected to govern common sense.
The onset is insidious and inexorably progressive; no treatment is known.
Psychiatric disturbances range from personality changes involving compulsive purchase or modification of audio equipment, in the abscence of which the sufferer experiences apathy and irritability, to manic depressive or schizophreniform episodes when away from one's audio components for any significant amount of time.
Motor manifestations include flicking movements of the upper extremities, towards credit cards and compulsive signing of any audio sales slips, a lilting gait, in front of high-end audio stores, and motor impersistence (inability to sustain a motor act such as tongue protrusion), unless ever-more-frequent and progressively expensive upgrades to the patient's audio system are applied..
In 1989 the gene responsible for the disease was located by Schmaltzenstein-Gavronsky and Pugnetti; within that gene a small segment of code is, for some reason, copied over and over.
Genetic and audio counseling is extremely important, since 50% of the male offspring of an affected parent inherit the gene, which inevitably leads to the disease if the subject is exposed to any high-end system worth of such an appellation.
An autosomic recessive form of the disorder likely also exists, but is very rare, according to the scant epidemiology studies of DAC, as far less females than males are affected. The prognosis is rather bleak. Sufferers invariably end their days divorced, indigent, externally semicatatonic, with a silly grin on their faces, while immersed in a permanent REM state, dreaming of evermore extravagant system upgrades. |
Richard Kern's response is the stuff of which dreams are made - Alex's dreams. Nothing fuels the fires of interest, publicity and commercial success like a bit of sniping/outrage - as the success of tabloids tells us - and Mr Kern, in spitting the dummy (binky, in American) or throwing his toys out of the crib in a tantrum, has done just that. Calling potential buyers blathering, blind sheep is not smart. While I can understand Mr Kern's consternation, and applaud his honesty, I believe he has not helped Audiomod. But he probably knows that and let's give him the benefit of the doubt - he fell on his sword deliberately, on principle:)
In reality, Alex has not done anything that small manufacturers of any ilk, notably cables, have not done and continue to do.
According to Mr Kern, we, of the woolly,(pun intended) cerebrally challenged community of A'gon consumers, need a dual dose of censorship and independence, so as not to be misled by the self-promotion of modders/manufacturers. I disagree. I find the contributions of the likes of Alex and Richard Kern, and any other original designers, to be invaluable. And I would use Ralph Karsten as the role model. |
Can't imagine that anyone would EVER place an order with Richard after reading his insulting comments. |
BBBaaaa, bbaaaa, Richard, get a life, and learn your trade. Alex's mods are the BEST I have ever heard. Yours are not. Guess you just can't stand a guy putting this together in a couple years. You must be resting on past laurels buddy. You are wrong, each mod sounds different, unless you have poor hearing. Oh well, have fun looking stupid, and loosing customers along the way. I am sort of enjoying you blowing your image up, with your worthless garbage words. |
I'm sure he will be amused to read some of the recent contributions. I have followed this thread for some time. I have concluded that Alex contributes information regarding his product only when asked. In addition he has always been helpful helping members like me with limited understanding.
If that makes me a sheep as indicatied by Eldon's comment, then so be it. Not all sheep are led to slaughter. Some were known to be led beside "still waters". Sure sounds magical and musical to me.
At 54 I am beginning to learn I do not always have to be the one making all the conclusions through trial and error. Instead I can learn through others.
I recently sold my Esoteric DV-50 in the pursuit of more in my front end. I contribute that decision to some understanding of front end, but mostly to the contributions of many on this board who have taken the time to share their experiences with their search for a better listening experience. I concluded Alex's modded 3910 was probably the best one out there now.
Some might say that I'm taking a gamble. It is no more a gamble than the countless thousands of dollars I have spent buying through auditioning and not auditioning. We all know it never quite sounds the same at home as in the audio salons. When I deide to take risks, I try to minimize my exposure to loss. I beleive I have done that by my order placed to Alex a few weeks ago. I also think if my gamble does not pay off(the unit does not meet my ear's requirements) then there will be those who will gladly buy it at a very good price. Looks like doc Luke might be someone.
When I receive it, (Alex, says I should have it in my hands by Jan.17th) I will post my experiences with it.
Here's a guy who has a "hot" item and has plenty of orders for them, and still manages to find time to answere questions and give valuable input to these forums. If you ask me, that speaks very highly to his character.
Those who have time only to whine about him probably feel more thratened by him than anything else.
Sorry for the long rant. I feel better now. Tom |
Hi all,
I dont mean to be overburdening your site, but just felt I had to share all my experiences with you all. One final comment on this DIY stuff,
I had the Sony SACD sc1 , haad all the mods done by audiocom in the uk, clock2, black gataes, vishays, etc. etc. I used in my system, hovland hp100, Music reference valve amps, avantgarde duo, numerous support platforms, townshend, ebony, maple etc etc.
The sony was always detailed sounding, with reasonable tone and soundstaging, but overall lightweight with a forced 'musical' presentation with red book cd. SACD was excellent, more organic sounding,more palpability and 'musical'. I added the modded X10D that helped warm and provide a three dimentional sound. Still not satisfied with redbook, i got the chord dac 64. Chord dac 64 plus sony transport only a little better than the sony alone. I added the musical fidelity x10d, now more body and tonal warmth to the sound, with a more relaxed and realistic presentation of the tunes. I then added the DIP by Monarchy. So the set up was sony coaxial digital output to monarchy dip($100 used) to chord dac to x10d($100). WOW, my regular reedbook cds were matching easily the sacd sound. I begab to see why the full potential of redbook cd was never realized.
Make your own conclusions. The chord dac has its own highly developed clock!So has the DIP, so hs the sony with its audiocom clock 2/power supply.
I wonder if these units can further improve the sound of the already professionally modded units.??????
I am still waiting for Alex just to take my order.I think his order books will be full for some time to come and rightly so.
Does any one have an ALP fully modded with his latest dac clock etc etc, they would like to sell?/
doc Luke
doc luke |
I have said all I care to on this subject. If what I have
said makes no sense to anyone, then what more can I say?
I will let other modifiers chime in, if they have the guts!
If they don't, then I leave the sheep to their shepard, Alex.
Richard Kern
Audiomod |
Phil
Very well said, i had missed that diagnosis, and I have seen many cases of these including myself from time to time. However, I am applying my trade in an attempt to utlise the de sensitization technique which might lead to a partial cure.
Thanks for reminding me of about that syndrome, it will be a difficult one to crack.
I am happy to provide medical advice in return for bits of unwanted hifi should any of you desire to take my advice.
Doc Luke |
Dear Richard, I defend your right to post to this or any other thread and enlighten us with your obvious knowledge, and experience in the matter at hand as soon as you have found in yourself the fortitude to participate in the spirit that his thread was started, and has largely graced us to this date.
As I respect your professionality and wisdom, I trust that the sudden burst 'ad hominem' was an isolated instance and will in no means become part of a trend.
On the other hand, if you understandingly still feel overly stressed and you suspect you may very well soon fall victim to another such urge to vent some frustration on what amounts to your marketplace, I will feel perfectly comfortable if you decided to avoid posting here for a brief spell of self examination and meditation on the subject of marketing communications and language modalities.
Only marginally amused, yours, Guido Dante Corona |
Doc Luke, I think you are saying that if a patient has a cold, he should self-medicate (DIY). But these fellows (myself included) have a much more serious condition -- audiophilia nervosa. Folks with this dis-ease, need to seek a specialist, since they certainly wouldn't want to handle a transplant themselves, nor would a GP be the right person. I'm sure we would all agree that there is a pychological component to this disorder, and that sometimes people who have had one transplant, want another one, even if it means replacing an organ that is functioning perfeclty well. Guilty as charged. But that doesn't mean the idea itself is flawed when the organ is not functioning as it should. To you I say, "Doctor heal thyself." To all the rest of us sickos, I say "Carpe Diem" and find the best mod that will cure you.
I thoroughly enjoy this thread and hope that you and Eldon will too.
Phil |
Guido,
thank you for your understanding reply.
I disagree entirely with your comment that hifi systems cannot change the timing and rhythmic flow of a piece of music. Let me be clear with you. Timing and rhythm is utilised by me with their most commonly envisaged meanings. I use them to describe the potential a listener will have to tap their feet to a tune. This is most likely to occur when there is cohesion and coherence between the musicians being displayed by the system.
Foir example the timing of the bass would be perceived as driving the tune along. In this way you get a clearer understanding of what the musicians were trying to achieve, and hence is nost likely to be very much more enjoyable to listen to.
Of course, in its entirety, the structure of each and every note played by each musicsian with reference to time would be the major factor, and this in itself is the summation of numerous other factors in sound reproduction.
We all know that you can slow the pace of music, in particular by making changes to your system which slow the base notes down (e.g by overextending the length of the note or prolonging its decay unnaturally. Just try adding a subwoofer out of sync with the rest of the system, yet receiving the same electrical messages as the rest of the system). Or by making your system so highly analytical e.g excessive use of silver cables, that the details seem to be resolved around each musician rather then encapturing all the performers together. This gives a segmented/disjointed feel to the piece. i.e unmusical. You find it difficult to understand the soul of the piece, and concentrate on the individuals instead of the group as a whole.
Just to complicate matters further, copper cables can add warmth to the tone of the music, provide a feeling of coherence in the overall picture between the musicians but at the same time can lead to a leaden quality to the tune. This again is non musical in my opinion. I am of course generalizing here but you get the idea.
In conclusion then, if you listen to a sony scd 1(unmodded),
you can enjoy the detail retrieval ambience etc, but are you truely feeling what the musicians have tried to achieve and parade to you,their musical genious if you will. You may delight in the detail, but what about the music. Indeed many may not even realize there was a purpose to the piece that should have made your feet tap. You then put the Marantz dv8400 in its place (unmodded). You play the same red book cd, and the piece this time seems to click togerther.The detail may not be as obvious, nor the individual instrumental ambience. But, you are no longer listen to the individual instrumentalists, but you see the piece as a whole. A whole which hangs together creating a flow and rhtyhm with purpose and emotion. Your heart is racing and the hair on the back of your neck raises and you are rocking in tune with the music. The notes produced by the musicians are timed start and stop in their release from your system in such a way that they are interacting with one another in the way they were meant to be as originally felt by the musicians. That is their TIMING and PACE are such that a RHYTHM develops.
doc luke |
Pscialli
the musical fidelity should sound utterly neutral when set up correctly. It is heavily influenced by the tubes it uses. I do not get any darkness or rolling off of my sound. It is so utterly neutral that the original sound remains mostly intact but with added air, detail (lower noise floor)improved tonality (as warmth)and three dimentionality to the soundstage. I do not know about the latest version, but the original x10 going for $80 on e bay, had 9922 tubes if you substitute these for ECC85 you will get a much more neutral sound. Tube rolling is simple cheap and fun. I also think contrary to belief that the more expensive the unit the more effective the x10D (in modified form). If you want to take it one step further you can buy a high quality transformer to step down to the 12v ac input instead of the cheap one provided by mf. Again, cheap easy to do and fun as long as you have some knowledge in electronics as the mains voltages can be lethal.
Another simple tweak is to make your own power cord. Again quite remarkable changes are possible, for peanuts.If anyone is interested I can post this revelationary DIY cable, far superior to the TNT site ones. This will make a mockery of those multi thousand pound cables you can buy.
I feel these bits of advice are applicable on this site as we are talking about modding. These mods are really no different to the ones you are buying from the professionals, some as good as their modifications and some not quite as good. I am only trying to open your eyes to what is possible on your own with minimum effort. We all know the matrix movie the final part of the first episode when suddenly 'the one' was able to see clearly how the world was made up from its digital components. Well looking at the internals of a hifi unit can be just that, but infact all tyhosse resistors and capacitors form simmple functions and can with patience and education be unravelled. I have never had an electronic tuition, but I did study physics as a student. If you look at my other suggestions in the original post, you will see I have added more black art ideas, that do work, believe me they really do. i can afford the $5000, but it seems so much more fun to try and out do the professionals (if you can) with simple cheap tweaks which can before your very eyes finely tuune an already good system to an evcen better one.
doc(luke) |
You are all missing the point. I will not conduct myself
on this forum like Alex and his followers. It is not
uncommon for modifiers to use paid shills to post glowing
reviews of products on these pages, a practice I have never
used and never will. I have talked to other modifiers who
have heard Alex's work and it is good, but no better then
any other modifiers work. To me you are all fools!
Alex is profiting for your sheepish stupidity.
As I said before, if Alex wants to promote his business
let him post ad's on Audiogon. |
Eldon,Brian from Essential Audio is inviting us again
to his place.My understanding is one of the cdp,is
modified by you.This is a big opportunity for you.
Avguru,ME,1mark, will be there.We will tell the whole
world,about the result.AVguru can write,and he can borrow
my ear and Mark,hopefully 711 is available.He own Denons
the APL and the Exemplar.We already drove many hours on
this shootout,but its ok,like Dolfan said he is a very
happy owner of SonyModwright for less money.So we will
see.
Richard(Eldon)you are more than welcome to join us in
this forum, we need your input.your expertise,Dan and
Alex partipated here,I deeply appreciated it.We are
having fun right now.Thanks |
Richard, I am the guy who has owned the APL, Exemplar, and have a Modwright on order. In all my research, Over 1000 hours on the net, I felt most comfortable with these guys, to trust with my money. I have read some some threads on AA which made me want to stay away from your mods. Kyle has emailed me claiming to be able to better my current favorite APL player, but at double the cost, with no ability to listen too before $$$$. Alex has never, that I know of tried to promote himself here, or on other BB's. He does not even post regularly on his own BB. Alex is a one man show, his operation is Alex, his fiance, his garage, his knowledge, and his love for musical truth.
Alex came out of nowhere in 2003, he quit his job as lead engineer from sony when he got fed up with the crap they were reducing his ideas too, and persued the AMERICAN dream
I respect that, I honore that, I encourage that, I BELIEVE what Alex has accomplished in his short tenure as an AMERICAN entreprenuer is absolutely amazing. At the 2004 CES show, with Alex's mods on a SACD 1000, he was awarded the "most wanted component award" This was after only a couple of months. The unusual thing about Alex, is that he is a TRUE engineer. Like John Tucker, and others who not only buy higher grade parts to install, but, who design circuits boards themselves and have manufactured EXCLUSIVELY for themselves. These are proprietary, but, still subject to copy. These guys develop their own signiture sound on these machines. I was blown away by Dan Wrights machine that Jayctoy owns. I feel I would love to have one in my digital arsenal, and am in fact buying one. I still feel, as of today the the APL modded 3910, is the very best digital source I have ever heard.
I welcome you into the mix, as they say on the price is right, COME ON DOWN......I believe all those here on audiogon, interested in digital, welcome positive feedback, comparisons, insight into your thoughts. I also believe ya better have a change of attitude, cause with comments and complaints about the way audiogon(and their wonderful staff
and moderators)have dissed you guys. Maybe thats because you have not made your customers as happy as others have. I do not know of any modder, who has asked me to be active in writing about them. I am just having FUN on my audio journey. I am will to spend $$$$, and HEAR the music, as a result of putting together the components in my pursuit for my latest hobby. Music, is suppose to be fun, stress relieving. Not stressful.
I invite all you guys to get into the mix. Just no more BS please. Let your work speak for you, and your HAPPY customers write about you. Please be available top answer questions, and give insight. Most importantly, appreciate this audiogon forum, cause it's the BEST.
Have fun in your pursuits |
Hi AVGURU, Eldon & Flye
I second what Dbld is saying. We want to hear from RAM, Audiomods, Underwood and whoever else.
Eldon and Flye, can you or any of your clients can involved in the hearing sessions?
Rgds |
DBLD, I couldn't have said it better myself. in fact last night I wrote, then deleted, a much less eloquent version of your post. I would invite Richard, Dan and others to post and contribute with their knowledge to our enjoyment. Alex posted his prices here because he was requested so by several of us. But mostly Alex has shared his expertise and his unique views of matters digital. And the beauty of it is that I do not even have to agree with him all the time in order to appreciate his input and his openness. In fact he has freely shared with us information that would by many companies most likely be deemed as valuable intellectual property to be protected from the eyes of competitors at all cost. So, Richard, please join us and share your views of the world. |
Why not start your own "Digital Modifiers" forum on a different website. |
My post is four years old and was made before I learned
the forum rules. You only found one post of mine. How
many thousands of posts are from Alex and his followers?
|
OK - What I said above was written while Doug's post was going up.
I do feel all should play by the same rules. I really do want to hear from RAM, Modwright, Exemplar and whomever should they want to put some thoughts into writing. I they cannot participate, then that is indeed very wrong.
Furthermore, we as participants in this thread are loosing out on valuable and healthy debate and explanations.
Dave |
I don't feel Alex has advertised or acted inappropriately here. After all, it was a member from Chicago (more or less) that brought his machine into the mix. And it was his (APL) machine simply because AVGURU and 711Smilin went at it and decided to do a face-off of sorts. A Modwright Sony has equaled or bettered the APL with some material since the original comparison.
Alex's direct comments here helped to explain equipment, and his approach/philosophy. I for one have found his input very useful...albeit over my head often.
Richard - why not join in the debate as your area of expertise should help to balance the statements made here. It is difficult for some of us regular folk to grasp what is real or not-real when it comes to some of these mods. If you, Dan, Kyle, Alex and John Tucker openly discussed/debated some of the content in these pages...boy - now that would be interesting.
If you could put a machine into the mix
perhaps that would be the best of all. Isnt RAM East somewhat close to Chicago (I thought Doug was in MI)?
Think of it as a time saver. I am strongly considering a modded player (I have even spoken with Doug), but I have not made my required mental commitment and thus have not picked a modder
nor do I know much about the different modders. If I called each one I wouldnt know what to ask, but surely I would get a sales pitch. And afterward, I still wouldnt know who to go to because I am not technically savvy enough. . And, I dont want to be. That is the job of the modder. Furthermore, I would be wasting my time and the bunch of modders time that I would NOT end up doing business with.
That is why I say Richard; this is a place where you could preemptively answer many time wasting phone calls. Am I that far off?
Dave |
Pscialli,
I could not have said it better. I got my Modwright Sony 999es w/Platinum truth and volume control after Thanksgiving and from the moment it was turned on it was magic. I'm breaking mine in slowly as I listen to it. It is so much better than anything I ever heard already, why not enjoy it. I wish I was a better wordsmith at describing the sound but you nailed it anyway.
Thanks AVGuru and Jacytoy! This thread is how I discovered the Modwright. |
Doc Luke
I have a Musical Fidelity X10V3 here which I used on the output of my unmodified Denon 2200 for a while. I also gave it a try between my amp and preamp. While it does do some fairly nice things in the face of an otherwise harsh source, I don't think it measures up to the performance of my modded Sony in either of those configurations. It does give some nice, even desireable roll off and the impression of added air and texture. I found though that when using it after the preamp, LPs would tend to sound dark and compressed compared with keeping the X10 out of the circuit. In that configuration, it strikes me as a somewhat high priced, and mostly high performance, equalizer rather than a way of truely transforming the front end into a tube component. Some may find it amusing to know that I'm currently using it on the output of a Kenwood component receiver for Sirius Satellite Radio where it nicely rounds off the digital edges of that service. It makes for great background music when I'm working.
Peter |
1markr, Oh sorry about that. To be honest, I'm not sure what the tubes are. I'm afraid I've disposed of the boxes. Being a blind guy, I can't easily check the actual tube, but I'll have my daughter take a look next time I can get her attention by the stereo. She mostly stays away when I'm listening because she says I play it too loud and she prefers to be in her room listening to her purple boom box. She also hates the "junk" I listen to.
Peter |
