Technics SL-P555 CD Player - Circa 1989 - MASH DAC - Restoration Thread
- Thread starter crooner
- Start date
I'm betting a chorus of seraphim will sing most sweetly from this cd player when you're finished.
crooner
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hahaha I couldn't have said better myself!
I am pulling all the stops on this thing so it better deliver!
Today I am wiring up the primary side of the toroid and relocating the original power transformer.
More pics coming soon!
Bert 1100
Super Member
(I'm just having fun) 
FOH Engineer
Lunatic Member
I've bought Technics 4 MASH players ( 2 singles and 2 carousel changers in thrift stores over the last month or so for under 10 bucks each. They all work perfectly, the mechanics are dead quiet, and they sound is beautifully balanced with no listening fatigue issues at all. Seems like a best kept secret.
crooner
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Indeed! I think further 1 bit development yielded perhaps more impressive specs on paper, but no gains in sound quality. As matter of fact, the more complexity in a design the greater the chance for the overall sound quality to suffer. The simplicity of the early MASH players definitely plays a significant role in their overall sonic and mechanical performance.
Audioraven
Well-Known Member
Some pictures for inspiration, crooner. X1000 MASH DAC power supply section.
crooner
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That's crazy. Construction is overkill on that thing. Totally cost is no object!
Reminds me of my reference CD player, the Sony CDP-XA7ES:
Audioraven
Well-Known Member
Nice! The 7 series Sony ES players all had excellent build quality.
Audioraven
Well-Known Member
I feel like I should show the rest of the X1000 DAC.
Top view-
Top view-
Audioraven
Well-Known Member
X1000 analog board.
Copper shield.
Copper shield.
Audioraven
Well-Known Member
SH-X1000 Digital Board (under copper shield)
Jacks.
Jacks.
crooner
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Gotta love the use of copper on the high end Japanese units! The wood end panels are a nice touch as well.
Do you have the matching transport?
I am also curious about the lithium coin battery on the digital board? Some sort of memory preset for sample rates or filters?
Do you have the matching transport?
I am also curious about the lithium coin battery on the digital board? Some sort of memory preset for sample rates or filters?
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Audioraven
Well-Known Member
I wish I had the matching transport (SL-Z1000)! I didn't even know the transport existed back when I bought the DAC on ebay.
The X1000 remembers which input of three was engaged when powered off. Also if the Jitter Free circuit is turned on or off for each input. I believe the battery powers the memory for those selections. Sample rate is automatically detected and set by the DAC itself.
The X1000 remembers which input of three was engaged when powered off. Also if the Jitter Free circuit is turned on or off for each input. I believe the battery powers the memory for those selections. Sample rate is automatically detected and set by the DAC itself.
crooner
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Very cool features. How about the wide and narrow switches on the digital inputs?
I had never seen that feature before!
I had never seen that feature before!
Audioraven
Well-Known Member
The Wide/Narrow switch is for the Jitter Free circuit. Narrow is for very low jitter sources. If the circuit cannot lock or stay locked in Narrow than you switch over to the Wide position. I just leave them on wide on the inputs I use. They have no effect when the Jitter Free circuit is not used.
crooner
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That's a very cool feature and quite ahead of its time. A few years before jitter was given serious consideration in digital design.
I plan to reclock the SPDIF on my SL-P555 and then feed this, hopefully low jitter, signal to my Lampizator Atlantic. We'll see if the sound quality matches USB on the same material (ripped CD files, vs. Original CD).
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