hi john,
i understand the past and what was percieved as the best. i have a marantz cd-12 transport/dac. some would claim it the best. when i listen to it now and what aberdeen components has done to my current digital gear, the marantz sounds broken and unlistenable. take the time to talk to aberdeen components. i guarantee you will be happy you did. i made the wrong mod choice, but it was my decision. i am trying to get you and everyone to not make the same mistake. i have sent some of my mod gear for this company to look at. i will leave it at that.
john, make the call. its only a call. you will be amazed at what you hear and what they do that others do not !!
sales@aberdeencomponents.com
bill |
Bill - The opportunity to hear the modified Genesis to my stock Genesis will not happen. My attempts to email the seller appears to have not been a success. It looks there was an email tool and/or filtering problem where my incoming emails were likely tagged as spam and thus were never received by the seller. My payment was received but I just learned that the unit is no longer available for my evaluation. Oh well....onto Plan B....or C.
I will not persue more Genesis upgrades; there are clearly a lot of opportunities to refine one's digital setup. I did check out the Aberdeen site and mauimods but it is not clear what products they modify other than the few brands they sell as new. I will have to call them for details here.
The Pioneer PD65 I have owned since 1993 continues to perform at an incredible level. And this with the Genesis into various DACs has resulted in impressive CD playback vs. my Clearaudio LP playback system. If there was a transport solution in the <$1500 range, I would give this serious consideration over the PD65/Genesis pair. But if not, I am thinking more and more to go with a music server on my wireless network. This would then drive a DAC (maybe through the Genesis!) into the audio system. As this "technology" matures, I might wait another year or so before I go this route, provided I have no digital component failures in the meantime.
John |
dan,
i had already responded to john's comments before reading your post. we both gave the same reason why a new lens was not produced. single players was also a big issue as well. i know aberdeen had a lens and looked into it. i believe what can be done to the lens can be also implimented into units today with todays newer technology and parts. example is my modded millenium and modded northstar 192. the need for a big ben afterwards was not needed . i also believe the same would be true of a lens as well.
regards
bill |
john,
anxiety is hardly the correct word. RELIEF is the correct word. i finally found someone that knows how to mod. i am not talking about someone putting a bunch of 3 cent bypass caps everywhere. maybe you should open your modded lens and see what you got. rf clamps and bybee filters dont count as upgrades as well. you could do that yourself. i stand by my statement of devices like the lens being a bandaid especially when today's clocks can outperform now what the lens did. maybe you should look into a better player before adding more issues.
the reason MCGOWAN did not produce a new lens is because there was a poll taken on his website. the response going back a few years was " no need to produce one because of the use of single players now". there was not enough interest in it. i would send what ever player you are using and have aberdeen look at modding it. i know for a fact they had a lens there. it was boxed up and sent back. with today's newer parts, they could mod your unit to outperform even the need for a lens. how about a modded northstar 192 cd player. talk to aberdeen how good the clock is in that unit and when its modded.
you will never know how good your digital can sound if you want to use older digital gear. maybe you can try a northstar 192 before putting more money in a product that even PAUL MCGOWAN SAY'S IS OUTDATED.
I have no history as you said with results of modded gear. one company just outperforms the sound of the other company when it comes down to sounding musical. maybe this is why aberdeen themselves said their modded tact millenium mk3 is the best sounding amp they have heard.
now you also know why MCGOWAN did not produce a new lens.
www.sales@aberdeencomponents.com
its worth talking to them. ask them about the exact power ep15a and how it outperforms the PS AUDIO GEAR and WHY !!!
i hope you at least talk to them even if you choose to not have them do any work for you . you will be farther ahead either way.
regards
bill |
I meant to say "Higher sample rates" above. |
Kana is right about Pauls decisdion about the DL3. After being promised it would appear year after year, a bunch of DUMMMIES(!) decide that it wasn't needed. Paul has said that the Lens was obsolete the moment that the higher sample came into being. I sold mine for this exact reason and purchased an Assemblage D2D. |
Millenium - I am in the process to audition an updated Genesis directly to my stock unit. This is THE only way to get a handle on how any changes might result from the upgraded unit. I already know the value of going through a modification process vs. starting from scratch with a "new and superior" product.
I sense just a little bit of anxiety in your response, as if there is some history with you having unsatisfactory results with modded gear ... and it took Aberdeen to finally do this "correctly". I will wait to hear a modified piece in the context of my system and pass judgement only then.
As for the use of the TACT products, I have read about them but not heard them. I enjoy CD playback but it is secondary to my LP playback system. And this with the Aesthetix front end into CAT amps and SoundLab speakers is not likely to change anytime soon. Putting A/D and D/A conversions in my preamp/amps is not likely to happen anytime soon. So for me anyway, if a digital bandaid from a decade ago can improve the sound of CD playback, and get me closer to the 3-dimensionality of my LP playback, AND .... only costs me $400-500 (typical cost of Genesis on the used market), then you better believe I'll go for it. And oh my, now I am considering a modification to the bandaid. Stay tuned.
Why not write Mr. McGowan to get the answer to your final question? His company is quite successful with a new line of amps, cables and PLCs, etc. I suspect he already has his hands full with all these new devlopments. What may have been an exciting engineering challenge for him then with the Genesis, may no longer peak his interest at all. Or maybe there's not enough demand to work on a new generation of such a product. It could be due to anything here. So why not write to him and find this out for yourself? Why did Goldmund so obruptly stop the Reference TT shortly after Harry Pearson reported the Versa Dynamics to be the superior TT? The audio scene is full of unanswered questions.
John |
Bill-
Mr.McGowan's decision not to build a new lens, was based on the results of a poll he took on his website.
IMO, with so many new high jitter digital sources and different digital formats, there's still a need for a devise like the lens.
Dan
PS- I'm sure Aberdeen would be happy to help lens owners upgrade their units, if they're not DIYers. |
john,
maybe JP can contact mrhienedaudio and he can send you pictures of the work he does to the genesis lens. has anyone seen any internal pictures of mrhiendaudio's work ?? i had one done by him. now that my tact amp has been modded correctly by aberdeen components, the need for these bandaids from the past, are no longer needed. don't you find it strange that PAUL MCGOWAN finds no need to create a new version of the lens ??? |
Looking at how Kana813 and Millenium were pissing on the thread it is obvious in other threads that they pissed and made up. |
Use this as an excuse to get a Harmony remote. They're worth the money; I've owned dozens of universals and this is the only one I've ever loved. |
Kana813 - Thanks for the offer to share some tweaks. With the Genesis long out of production and the company not willing to share the schematic with even a respected modification/repair company like GNSC, once a Genesis has a failure, most likely it's bound for the scrap heap....and that's unfortunate.
Since the Genesis brings on a huge improvement in my system, I am reluctant to do any tweaking to risk damage or failure. I did take it to GNSC and Steve Huntley felt there was not enough room under the hood to address some changes he would otherwise have done. And his concern of possibly causing damage was also there.
If someone would be willing to report the actual before and after differences, pros and cons, it would give a Genesis owner greater insight as to whether or not to take the risk to modify the unit. Until I can get a handle on such sonic benefits, I do not just want to start soldering away with a handful of component changes.
John |
Jafox- JP1208 made this pissing match. I've done my own mods to DL, so I don't need Aberdeen's or the Upgrade Company's mods. If you have DIY skills, send me a PM and I'll
tell you what swap out. |
Now that this thread has turned into a pissing match on what upgrade company is superior to another for products that have nothing to do with this thread, does anyone have quantitative or qualitative information as to any mods they have had done to a Genesis Time Lens? |
Jp1208-
"You can find the solid true testimonials at www.upgradecompany.com."
Why would I waste my time reading this stuff?
I have no need for Mrhiendaudio's services.
After reading Bill's comments in his Millenium system listing, it's very clear that he thinks the Aberdeen mods do more to improve his TacT Millenium, then the Upgrade Company's mods. End of story. |
Just got back, Response to what? Cut n paste? I have a feeling it is not about this thread. No message was given to me. Is it about comparing Aberdeen mods to the Upgrade Company players? I would not be interested. My Denon and Marantz outperforms the UX-1 now and that is good enough for me until I move into a Theta Compli or Bel Canto PL1-A upgraded with signature upgrades. The Theta Compli is in the same league as the EMM DAC6 SE combo after upgrading for a fraction of the cost. So much for the respect regarding Aberdeen/Mauimods and I see they deleted the other thread regarding Aberdeen and the Upgrade Company. I guess it was getting a little out of control. |
JP,
I talked to David today, for a good lenght of time.
It is apparent he did not pass my message to you.
I tried to contact you via phone, and email. David did mentioned you was "on the road today".
I am not sure why you are avoiding me, Or could the reason be; you dont have the "proper responce" you can use to cut n' paste, yet? |
Kana813,
looks like you and Bill have made up considering the other posts both of you are in regarding the slamming of the Upgrade Company/mrhiendaudio. It all makes sense now Aberdeen/mauimods- Bill/millenium-tact audio. And you being from Maui is the icing on the cake. Now that there is a marriage, why not go out slamming together.
Oh, and while you are at it why don't you tell the story of how you and Bill hooked up. Meanwhile, as you are soaking up the sun and baby sitting you know who, the Upgrade Company will be making more people happy with his work. You can find the solid true testimonials at www.upgradecompany.com. After looking at Millenium's post regarding the Upgrade Company it is obvious that there are some issues there. So good luck with that one and maybe one day you to will see the light and I hope you have real good rates on long distance service. Dude! |
Jp1208-
This thread is ancient history dude.
Suggest you & MrHiEndAudio read Bill's current comments/feelings in his system listing about MrHiEndAudio's work. |
Kana813, they are not "Snake Oil" at all and have been part of advanced physics theory and research for years. Someone is indeed quite obviously clueless....FYI I would be careful what you say and post from here on out, I understand MrHiEndAudio is not taking your slander and defamation lightly any longer....unless you're rich. Others have been notified about your snake oil theory regarding SOL technology. People working with this technology will not take this lightly. |
bill-
I have no idea how mrhiendaudio's modified DL sounds,
that your job.
I do my own mods. Going into my modifed TacT 2.2X, the DL
sounds wonderful at 20/d1.
Mr.Greene is right when he says mrhiendaudio's claims of "Faster then Light and Speed of Light proprietary upgrades" are snake oil. |
dan,
instead of filling us in on a review that is closing in on a decade, how about sharing with everyone the sound of the lens that has been upgraded by mrhiendaudio????? equipment that was used to test the lens were not even the 24/96 dacs that are found in the MAJORITY of digital products today. with that, what setting does the lens sound better with in stock form and one from mrhiendaudio since you brought up his name. by the way did you not bring up the same lens and persons name to robert e.greene from the absolute sound??? in his statement back to you, he said this philosphy is based on physics. he viewed it's use in audio circuitry but only had reservations of it being applied in cabling. he called its use in cabling bordering snake oil. what mr. greene doesn't understand about you is your constant slams of anything mrhiendaudio does but i do. back in the early years of audio people who worked on it were called pioneers of audio. thank god you were not around back then to stop them from getting their ideas off the ground. you might have been known back then as "KNOW IT ALL" DAN. a title that works well even today.
bill |
"the majority feel the 16/d1 setting works best when you are using another upsampler. going to 20/d1/d2 smears the sound."
bill-
What majority? You, Mr.Hiendaudio and CP?
Read the original sterophile review:
"According to Genesis, 16-bit processors, and even processors using 1-bit DACs, sound better when fed dithered 20-bit data."
Guess Mr.Hiendaudio's $799 DL mod ("it involves adding Faster then Light and Speed of Light proprietary upgrades as well as Black Gate capacitors. The unit is totally transformed.") must have screwed yours up.
Dan |
Tabl10s is correct.I own two lenses,one has the plastic remote and the other is metal remote.Recently a guy was selling a lens with TWO metal remotes.I offered to buy the second remote so I can upgrade my plastic remote and he turned me down.His responce was that his buyer wanted BOTH remotes with his lens.Go figure.Also recently I was lucky and found a used metal remote for sale for my Krell md-1 transport,which came with a plastic remote,well I bought it and waiting for it to arrive.Remotes are good ,metal ones are GREAT.
George |
I think that kevin is saying the owner is cheap. BTW, the metal remotes are very hard to find. Arnie Nudell wouldn't sell his when I needed one. The plastic versions are $142 with tax. |
Kevinkwann - What exactly is the value of your response here? |
You have $7500 speakers, an $8400 amp, a $5000 dac and you cant pop for a machined aluminum $100 remote that's worth every penny? Wow. Unbelievable. |
Most programmable remotes should have a "learn" function and you do exactly what you mentioned "...point a Programmable one in front of a Genesis one to pick up the codes"
The Pronto code you downloaded is used for Phillips touch screen remotes. The Pronto software which you will have to download from Phillips website and install on your PC will read the file and allow you to add it as a device to their programmable touchscreen remote. The best you can hope to get from this download is the actual "codes" which you may be able to load into a remote of your choice that allows the input of the "raw" codes. Good luck. |
thanks for your kind responses, there was a file with the coded uploaded on the link that Kamil provided, You need a PC to read the file ( I use Mac) I will have to download the file when I get back to work on Monday, The download is for codes pertaining to a philips Pronto remote which costs even more than the Genesis! ($200) i will see if the codes can work with another cheaper programmable remote.
not being too versed in remotes, can one just point a Programmable one in front of a Genesis one to pick up the codes? |
the only way to turn it on is the remote. matter of fact the designers of it said the dumbest thing they ever created for it was the remote contol because of the cost vs. just putting the functions on the unit. i believe they were specifically talking about the metal remote's cost even though its more highend looking which some want. i stil use mine with a tact amp that has 24/96/192 dacs. the unit still is great used with a transport and then i use a upsampler for a permanent 24/96 sampling rate. others use it as well as the majority feel the 16/d1 setting works best when you are using another upsampler. going to 20/d1/d2 smears the sound. the only draw back is it cannot be used for HT. PS AUDIUO was talking about a lens 2 but they did not see the request for it on their on line poll. the new unit would have used new technology and handled all formats and had a price point of $995.00 i would have bought one if they had produced it.
bill |
Even if you plan to leave always on, I have found with any power outage you will need to re-enter all your settings.
If you need another member's Genesis remote to act as source for a programmable remote (if this is practical idea) then keep me in mind, also.
I have the metal remote. |
Best bet is to get hold of the remote control codes and program them into a cheaper off the shelf programmable remote. Try getting the codes from:
http://www.remotecentral.com/
or http://www.remotecentral.com/files/ind-17.htm
I think they have the Genesis listed. BTW I had the same problem with my lens when the remote ran out of battery. Seems like there is no other way but with a remote. |
Maybe you can find an inexpensive programmable remote, $10-20 or so, and have someone local program this with their Genesis remote. I have the Genesis Time Lens and I am in Minneapolis if you are anywhere close. If you have no luck, email me and we can do this by mail.
John |
