Great Giant Killer Wolfsen DAC Dedicated CD player-Onkyo C-7030

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by The Beave, Jul 5, 2014.

  1. cliffy

    cliffy Forum Resident

    Location:
    GB
     
  2. rac1

    rac1 Active Member

    Location:
    raleigh
    Bought refurbished 7030 in January, 2017; transformer died last week.
    Warranty repair.

    Love the performance, though...
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  3. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    That's too bad, glad you got it fixed though. FYI to anyone interested in this CD player - you can get an extended 3 year warranty with parts and labor direct from Onkyo for $30.
     
  4. Gizmo90

    Gizmo90 Ashes to ashes, funk to funky

    Location:
    Las Vegas
    I had one of these. I didn't have any issues, but I got a deal on a marantz CD5004 and ended up selling it. I liked the Marantz better sound wise. The 7030 was a bit thinner in my system, but still an awesome player. I also used it as a transport into a parasound Zdac v.2 with good results before I sold it.

    I've seen a lot of people having issues with this one, kinda a bummer.
     
    Dan Steele likes this.
  5. cliffy

    cliffy Forum Resident

    Location:
    GB
    I agree with Gizmo 90, the c7030 was thin sounding , I was using it with a dac, but i made the changes about 2 weeks ago...and i now have taken the dac out of my set up,with the changes the C7030 is a different beast, greater soundstage , vocal stand out like never before, clarity and detail ,again best i have had, you will be hearing stuff you have never picked out before.
    i was listening to Led Zep 11 last night (BD mastering) and boy it blew me away,definitely you will not need a remaster,it's all there,oh and the bass has got deeper also.
    Now if anybody has got the 7030 and maybe upgraded, for a few bucks do the tweaks, i could bet you put the C7030 back in your system...it's that good.
    Even if you do the caps first,easy to do and give it a listen, you will see what the caps do, but you will also need to change the op amps to get the best from it as well.
    If one other guy on here would do it,i can bet he will be on here singing the praises aswell.....and the other c7030 owners will follow, you will end up with a (Audiophile)cd player that would blast higher /dearer models out of the water.
    C303, 306 are for the DAC and can go to 4700/10V. C308 is ref for the DAC and can go to 1000/10V. C327, 328 are for the op-amps and should go to 6800/16V. The op-amps are Njm4580's and can be changed to LM4562'S , the LM4562's are soic.(first time i soldered soic op amps,tricky, but it can be done)
    The caps will all be big but it will be OK to have long leads with the body in the air. Not too high, however.
    I never changed the headphone board, i don't have headphones...
    The head phone amps are also njm4580's if you want to change them too. Their caps are C403 and C404 and can go to 6800/16v. The PCB was not shown so I don't have ant idea of how hard it will be to replace these parts.
    I was able to disconnect most of the cables that were attached to circuit board, well enought to let me work underneath the board.
    cj
     
    Walter Koehler and Gizmo90 like this.
  6. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    My first C7030 will be 3 years old in 2 days, never had an issue, I got it new from Amazon for $139.
    I have left it on 24/7 since getting it. I use a Teac UD-H01 DAC with it which I got on blowout sale new for $189.

    IMO those 2 for $328 make an impossible to beat combo. To spend more, well IMO that good old law of diminishing returns kicks in VERY quickly if all one is seeking to achieve is accurate CD playback.

    I got a modest priced $38 Wireworld digital cable to connect the two, and I also got two 8 foot 14 gauge oxygen free copper IEC power cords. One to replace the 18 gauge IEC on the Teac, and the other I cut the IEC end off and hard wired it into the C7030 to replace it's really crappy 18 gauge hard wired cord. I did this more than anything to put longer power cords on both to be able to reach to the wall power without using any power strips or extension cords. Sorry, but I'm not a power cord believer when it comes to sonics. I maintain a proper made cord of proper gauge with snug fitting ends is all that is needed.

    This is the cord I buy, IMO my audio friends it's all one will ever need for any IEC socket audio units other than big power amps It is available in many lengths here:
    Amazon.com: Hosa PWC-408 IEC C13 to NEMA 5-15P Power Cord, 8 feet: Musical Instruments


    I've got a mega top of the line ultra rare Pioneer Elite PD-S95 CD transport only unit from the early 1990's, that hulk weighs like 40 pounds! That runs with a LATE MODEL Musical Fidelity M1 DAC.
    That combo has an MSRP of about $5k. While it sounds shall I say more "refined" than the C7030/UD-H01 combo, for the price difference the sonic improvements netted with the PD-S95/M1 DAC for over $4,000 more is not worth discussing.

    I liked the C7030 enough that I later got a second as a spare from Accessories 4 less, a refurb for $129.
    That was almost exactly a year ago.

    I see they have refurbs right now for $129 right now.
    ONKYO C-7030 Compact Single Disc Player

    My refurb arrived cleaner and packed better than my factory original one.
    After running it 24/7 for 2 weeks with my Mobile Fidelity Sound Check audio test CD on repeat, that CD has a lot of strong signal material on it, well I felt confident that it was a solid functioning unit that will run for many years so I put it away for a bit.

    Recently I decided to use that refurb one in another system of mine in the den. No external DAC on it, just the C7030 stock. Sounds great.

    Oh, and I did check both of mine and they both have the Wolfson 192/24 bit DAC.
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2017
  7. cliffy

    cliffy Forum Resident

    Location:
    GB
    I also had a tweaked Teac UD-H01 DAC in my set up before i modded the Onkyo, after one listen the dac was pulled out, the tweaks to the Onkyo is worth while
     
  8. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I put very little faith in folks and their OPINIONS when it comes to " tweaks" on units like the 7030. The listener's ability to reasonably, factually, consistently hear any sonic differences, good or bad, is so far from reality it's not even worth discussing, for that matter nor is your fabled "one listen" to the Teac DAC.


    You make me laugh. :laughup::biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh::laughup:
     
    scottc1963 and Jerryb like this.
  9. cliffy

    cliffy Forum Resident

    Location:
    GB
    I didn't have one listen to the Teac dac smart ****, it was in my set up for a couple of years, it was one listen to the modded Onkyo, yes one listen, the dac was gone.
    And you can say this .."I put very little faith in folks and their OPINIONS when it comes to " tweaks" on units like the 7030. The listener's ability to reasonably, factually, consistently hear any sonic differences, good or bad, is so far from reality it's not even worth discussing".....without one listen, very good
     
    Dan Steele and Brother_Rael like this.
  10. DRM

    DRM Forum Resident

    The Beav should win a free 7030 for coming up with the title of this thread:

    "Great Giant Killer"
     
    bruce2 likes this.
  11. bruce2

    bruce2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Connecticut, USA
    Even better maybe Onkyo should send him a free C7000-R Reference cd player!
     
    DRM and c-eling like this.
  12. cliffy

    cliffy Forum Resident

    Location:
    GB
     
  13. Marcmusic

    Marcmusic Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Virginia
    I have the 7030 & love it. It was my first real CD player though. I saw the Onkyo C7000 Reference mentioned. Would I hear a significant difference with that? Just curious & clueless.
     
  14. Alfmeister

    Alfmeister New Member

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Just bought of of these from Jet.com for $126. There's a $25 coupon ITSELECTRIC25 good this weekend only. You have to add something from the electronics category to get to $150 as the price is $139.99. I bought a mouse.:wave:Free shipping.
     
  15. basie-fan

    basie-fan Forum Resident

    Hello,

    I just bought a Schiit Modi2 Multibit to use as an external DAC for my c7030. I was a bit apprehensive that it might be a wasted purchase and I wouldn’t hear an improvement over the built-in Wolfson DAC in the Onkyo. After all the c7030 had soundly trounced my 1990’s Yamaha CD changer, so could it get any better?

    I set up the inputs to the integrated amp so I could quickly switch between the analogue outputs of the c7030 and the Mimby without getting up. This wasn’t a blinded test but fortunately it was not difficult to hear the difference. The c7030 sounds nice on its own and a casual listener might not notice the difference when switching to the Mimby. There were several improvements however that made for a more satisfying listen with the Mimby in my experience.

    The biggest change was soundstage. With the Mimby the soundstage was noticeably wider and deeper than the c7030. This alone was very pleasing and worth the price of the Schiit. The Mimby also provided more detail across the audible range with the most effect at the frequency extremes. My hearing tops out at 14 kHz yet the high harmonics of bells and cymbals sounded more clear and well defined to me with the Mimby. At first I thought the Schiit was “brighter” but after a while I realized it was more detailed at the top than the Onkyo. At the bottom I didn’t hear much difference until I put on some music with strong low bass. The Onkyo sounded rounder and softer than the Schiit, which was very firm and tight in the lowest reaches. Taken together all these improvements were definitely worth the modest cost of the Mimby. As an added bonus the unit is very small so it can be tucked away.

    One strange thing I noticed is that the optical and digital coax inputs on the Mimby do not sound identical. I don’t know why this should be. I think I prefer the coax but it’s too early to say for sure.

    I have not yet tested the Mimby with digital music files, just the Redbook output from the Onkyo CPD. The other equipment used was a NAD 326bee amplifier and Harbeth P3esr, run full-range and supplemented below 70 Hz with an SVS SB1000. The Onkyo c7030 has been a rock-solid performer with daily use over the last 2 years and has never failed to perfectly track even moderately scratched discs. I look forward to many more years of service as a transport.
     
  16. Gizmo90

    Gizmo90 Ashes to ashes, funk to funky

    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Thanks for the info basie-fan!

    I too have noticed difference between coax and optical on devices.

    I now have the Onkyo C7000R. This is the one for me.
     
    Brother_Rael likes this.
  17. basie-fan

    basie-fan Forum Resident

    I sent an email today to Schiit asking them why the coax and optical inputs don't sound exactly the same. Let's see what they say.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  18. basie-fan

    basie-fan Forum Resident

    Schiit's explanation is that some optical outputs on CDPs are not as good as the digital coax. That seems odd to me -- until the signal is converted to analogue it should be identical, no?

    Has anyone else experienced this with the c7030, or any other CDP for that matter?
     
  19. Mel Harris

    Mel Harris Audiophile since 1970!

    Location:
    Petaluma, CA
    TOSLINK typically involves a red LED (as opposed to a laser) and plastic optical cable (as opposed to glass). So while galvanic isolation is a big upside for TOSLINK, there's many weak links in the chain. S/PDIF coax, if implemented well, can be quite superior to TOSLINK.

    There are also tweaks that can be done to TOSLINK, but those usually involve expensive "audiophile" glass cables that are retrofitted to TOSLINK connectors. Still doesn't change the red LED to a laser.
     
    basie-fan and DaverJ like this.
  20. rac1

    rac1 Active Member

    Location:
    raleigh
    Now I notice that my "refurbished" and now repaired (new transformer) 7030 is humming; not through the speakers, but from the unit itself.

    Haven't really listened to it since repair months ago until last night when noticed the hum; was it always there or just started I don't know, but Onkyo says should be no audible hum.

    Back in for service; only 2 weeks left on warranty.

    Too bad so unreliable (mine, at least) because still sounds great.
     
    patient_ot likes this.
  21. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    That's too bad. Mine hasn't had that problem. FYI if anyone is interested you can purchase a 2 year extended warranty from Onkyo for around $30 IIRC. Might be worth looking into - I plan on getting it for mine.

    If you got a lemon I think the right thing to do is for Onkyo to just replace it with another unit.
     
  22. rac1

    rac1 Active Member

    Location:
    raleigh
    I actually used the word "lemon" and they told me no lemon law for audio-of course, I didn't mean that there was, but it's a parts & labor warranty only-may be different for a purchased "new" model as opposed to "refurbished" like mine, but I don't believe so. He did tell me I was free to buy a new one.
     
  23. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Who did you talk to out if curiosity? Onkyo North America or a service center?
     
  24. rac1

    rac1 Active Member

    Location:
    raleigh
    Both, but the lemon conversation was with Onkyo...
     
  25. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    That's really disappointing then. I would try moving your problem up the food chain. My guess is the repair was not done correctly...
     

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