Lets not forget that even though the TDA1541 and TDA1543 are an excellent basis for a DAC..Several other factors can influence the overall sound. I've had quite a few of these chips in various CD players and DAC's and they invariably all sound a slightly different to each other.Yes there is the underlying sound signature of the chip itself,but different OP amps and Over-Sampling can play a significant part in the overall sound. Some have been crystal clear and slightly harsh.Some have been dark and a bit two dimensional.Luckily there are a good amount that have sounded perfect to my ears.
I picked up an absolutely mint, boxed Rotel RCD-855 for £20 on the ‘Bay earlier this week. It won’t replace the S1 single-crown Quad 66 I inexplicably sold a few years back, but eager to see how it stacks up against the Burr-Brown chip in my DAC.
My two main go-to players right now are a Rotel RCD-965 Limited Edition (which I also bought boxed and mint a couple of months back) and the Sony that has the Burr-Brown chip in there. The Rotel is gorgeous, I love the sound, I'm so glad I picked it up for a decent price when I did. Sadly I had to give up on the Sony CDP-750 I bought with the TDA chip. I tried Beave's suggestion to swab the lens but to no avail, it just must have been "it's time" even though comestically, inside and out, it was pristine. So odd because the Sony CDP-590 I bought around the same time, with the Burr Brown DAC, looked like a mess out of the box. That seller gave me back 50% because the tray didn't open constantly...but after I did some cleaning, the thing is running like a champ and has given me no problems at all. Though I like my current set-up, I'd still like to try another CDP-750 since they seem fairly reasonable in comparison to other players with the TDA chip at times. I was 3 days out of the Ebay 30-day return period but thankfully still within Paypal's 180-days so I was able to get my $ back even though the seller was all "not my problem now".
I did have a 965BX - the Discrete model - again picked up cheap - sounded fantastic, but it got so temperamental about whether to read discs or not, I moved it on. Couldn't believe I got the 855 for £20, as they seemed to be fetching considerably more than that. Bloke was selling it as 'for parts or not working' simply because he had nothing to hook it up to. He confirmed it powered on, opened up and played discs - worth a punt for a score, I thought. So it's proved - bit of dust, but otherwise very clean example; box, remote, the lot.
YOU SOLD A SINGLE CROWN QUADD 66??? Did you go to the Doctor to find out what made you do that? Now promise us you will NEVER do something like that again and we’ll forgive you! Beave
I know. I genuinely can’t remember what mental aberration I was having at the time. Sold for relative peanuts (about half what they’re now fetching) to a nice chap up near the Lakes as I recall. I think I was pouring money into the vinyl front end & took my eyes off the digital ball. File under ‘life’s greatest regret’. Alongside not marrying Kate Rusby. Anyway, the 855 is in the rack and sounding sweet. Not the Quad, on first listen, but not far off. Possibly missing a trace of detail compared to the BB chip in my DAC, but blimey these things just sound right. Very musical.
Here’s a U.K. 240v Quad 66 serviced and looking MINT for a reasonable price: QUAD 66 REMOTE CONTROLLED CD PLAYER (QUAD SERVICED/UPDATED) | eBay Great looking deck, too bad you don’t live in the States, you could use stimulus money to buy it. Beave
Look below Chris, costs some bucks but it’s serviced and looks Mint, like my new/old Philips cd50, worth the cost if it’s been serviced imo. Hell, here in the States IF you can find a good service center your looking at $149 just for them to look at the unit, to get an older Up scale model working perfectly for under $500 to me is still a bargain when you compare it to units by Audiolab and Cambridge, a bargain in fact, because that chip.......ah, that chip.......... Beave
I did actually nearly pull the trigger on that last week, funnily enough, but a) I didn’t really have £300 spare after the vinyl spending during lockdown, and b) couldn’t really bring myself to pay double what I sold mine for!! Hindsight? I’m glad I didn’t; this Rotel is sounding absolutely beautiful, and an absolute no-brainer for £20. CD very much my secondary source.
I find the Sony's with the 1-Bit 'Pulse' DAC's from the mid-90's sound a bit better than the Burr-Brown Sony's.
Hi-Fi hanger on Ebay have a Quad 67 for £295 (serviced). Supposed to be even better. I remember hearing one at a Quad show demo and was impressed.
Chillin in quarantine with the Beatles BBC 10 cd set spinning on the Philips cd50. Last night when I started my burn in process on the 50 I popped in a disc I love and got hit with some of the harshest sounding “S” sibilant noise, OUCH! Which leads me to believe that this deck indeed has never really been used, so it’s been spinning all day yesterday and throughout the night, the Beatles are sounding really good. I’ll be letting it keep going continuously for another day and then see what it sounds like, but that really did surprise the hell out of me last night, especially on a 1541A chipped deck. But then again, it was proper never really given the chance to break in. But that’s changing as I write this! And man, is this series Philips decks different from their Maggy line. Beave
A good condition Sony CDP-605ESD...worth taking a shot on for $150? A near-mint one went on the Bay for nearly $500 a week ago.
Well from what I found it has the Philips 1541 dac in there, and the user reviews gives it high marks for sound. Listed for $1000, built like a tank so I would give it a shot, if you don’t why not send the info to here so someone can snag it. Now condition wise is it dirty and scratched up? Or does it look like someone took care of it. The one that sold for $480 looked nice and the seller says he was the original owner but it’s filthy with dust on top and on top of the buttons, not 5/5 in my book! Kinda stupid not to at least take a wash cloth and clean the damn thing, and if it’s been sitting in the box for a long time, how did it get so dirty? So just try it with a cd and make sure it reads the top within 2 seconds, if it doesn’t there might be problems with it. But $150 for a working good unit is a good deal. Beave
I feel that TDA1541/1543 sound at their best with no oversampling Can anyone suggest any 'non-modified' CD players /Devices/DAC's that feature those two chips with NOS..New or secondhand. Here are a couple: Audio Note DAC 0.1X has TDA1541 NOS Hifiman audio players HM-601 /602 /603 have TDA1543 NOS
Thanks Beave, just pulled the trigger. Seller's not on Ebay but Etsy and also has their own online store (no tax being charged there) --seem to be a small audio store in Pa. that sells LPs and vintage audio equipment (and repairs them also). They took Paypal and they have good reviews via Google. Most of their products look to be in good/restored condition -- who knows really (I've been disappointed before because you never know on the inside what you've got), but it's worth a shot! They have a Magnavox CBD650 there also: MAGNAVOX CD-B650 Single CD Player Plus a Magnavox CD1000: https://theturntablestore.com/online-store/ols/products/magnavox-cd1000-single-cd-player Have a 2 week return policy so I will give it a thorough breakdown...though I guess they only ship on Mondays because of COVID shutdowns.
Your-very welcome! Until recently I didn’t even know that Sony used the Philips chips in some of their decks! And that deck seems to be up there with Philips cd880 which is a hot deck as it has that crown chip, which actually you might find in your deck, but you’ll have to open it up to find out! Boy wouldn’t THAT be a kick if you got an S1 or Crown 41 for $150!! That would be the score of the year! So congrats your getting a Japanese semi Maggy! Cool... Beave
All I can tell is what's shown cosmetically, which on the surface looks good, as is most everything else in that store (they have a lot of older receivers, tape decks, some CD players). Since they specialize in repair work I hope they've checked out their sale items. Either way, I rolled the dice and we'll see how it shakes down!
As a repair service facility I’m sure they would say if the deck had any mechanical problems. A sweet deal for $150. Beave
Thanks to the Beave I bought a refurbished Magnavox CDB-460 with the TDA1541 in it and swing arm mechanism. Great little CD spinner. I enjoyed looking through the store. I came across a Phase Linear amp and preamp I had years ago. Congrats on your purchase!
Yeah I would expect that too. The owner emailed me, said it's in great shape, the laser is tracking perfectly and they locked it prior to transit. Said that if it has an issue, they'll pick up the freight for return shipping. They'll also provide a refund if I simply don't like it and ship it back on my own accord. Sounds reasonable! Either way it's on its way so I will let you know in case someone wants one of the other players they have.
Ok, Wake up guys! I just did something CRAZY..........I bought this: Marantz CD-80 High End CD Player TDA 1541A S1 Single Crown | eBay A good forum friend helped me jump off the clif! Now my search for a stamped crown is over. Any thoughts? Beave
