What to do with these Philips TDA 1541 chips?

[nic]

ok ok moderators can you please lock this thread and throw away the key.... Don't need the price of TDA 1541 cdps going the same way as lencos, saba greencones, ESC waiting lists etc etc all of which i accuse L-H of causing! 

[flavio81]

the other is a salvage, which always had problems playing CDs, skipping occasionally and unpredictably.  Philips/Magnavox replaced it for the customer under warranty and told us to throw the old one away but I kept it for spare parts (except the CDM 4 transport, which is probably defective) but never stripped anything out. 

Try replacing all electrolytic capacitors, especially the ones that control the transport. And be careful not to move the laser-power-adjustment potentiometer!!

From what I remember of the stock CDB582 (has it been THAT long?), it was smooth and "euphonic."  Unlike many CD players, one could listen to it for hours at a time without fatigue. 

Same with my player. I bought it for historical reasons (first Philips CD player in history!) but was rather surprised by the good sound. CDM0 mechanism!

Pictures and info:
http://www.marantzphilips.nl/marantz_cd63_first_cdplayer/

I've read this Marantz (my model) was introduced a bit before the Philips CD100!!

[Fidel Costar]

It's interesting that you weren't impressed by the 582.

Hi Alex,

In my experience, most cheap CD players do not age well.

[GP49]

Try replacing all electrolytic capacitors, especially the ones that control the transport. And be careful not to move the laser-power-adjustment potentiometer!!

Too late...when it was languishing in its "throw it away" phase, before I literally rescued it from the garbage can, we'd already done quite a bit of fiddling with it!!  Actually since I marked the position of the pot, it's probably right where it was to begin with.

[nic]

placing a link here for interest sake and safe keeping....

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/diy/0310/marantz_cd_mod.htm

[jaspert]

What to do with Satch Dac board  with  TD 1541 chip?
Put them in a leftover  Lenco GL75 box until i know what to do with the DAC case.
Ugly as but sounds good..

[nic]

Jaspert,

Can you give an impression or review of the Valab DAC? I'm thinking of getting one (or more) for computer audio around the house. There are 3 versions presently from what i see on ebay. Which is yours?

I'm aiming at the "luxury" with the improved onboard PS.

Thanks in advance

[hatehifi]

I don't think my for sale ad is still active, that is, I purchased 5 pieces NOS 1541A chips still in bubble pack with a preamp and these have been in the drawer since. Anybody interested? There is a gummed label on the bubble pack which indicates to me that these are not copies... Trades or cash?

[jaspert]

Jaspert,

Can you give an impression or review of the Valab DAC? I'm thinking of getting one (or more) for computer audio around the house. There are 3 versions presently from what i see on ebay. Which is yours?

I'm aiming at the "luxury" with the improved onboard PS.

Thanks in advance

Hi Nic,

My Valab was from early 2009/late 2008  (no ventilation holes) and probably  the only version available at the time i think.  Comparing them, i think the older Valab is more akin to a Rega Planar 3 while the Satch Max with tube output stage is more like a modified Lenco, getting more details, lower noise floor and dynamic with the later.

[DAC]

Even today the Philips TDA1541 is a great chip with a good sound.
In this link you can find numerous information about the Philips TDA1541, like the S1/S2 grading process, history, etc etc:
http://www.dutchaudioclassics.nl/philips-tda1541.asp

[eldarvanyar]

The first CD player I bought was a CD50se in 1990 cost me £300 from Seven Oaks Hi-Fi in you guessed it Seven Oaks. I also bought a Cyrus II amp and Musical Fidelity MCII Speakers in Rosewood, and spent nearly £1000 which was a lot of money in 1990 when I was 23 years old.
This had the TDA 1541 chip in it and I never really liked it to be honest, but I think that was much to do with the CDs and recordings at the time. I ended up buying an offboard DAC and was blown away by the sound, and ended up buying a dedicated Miromega Drive 1 and DAC1. I sold the Marantz to a friend and ended up getting it back last year from a friend he passed it on to, mainly due to sentimental reasons being my first Hi-Fi CD player. I use it now and again but now have it connected to my Cambridge Audio DAC Magic, so using it more for a transport.
They seem to have a good reputation on the forums, but I prefer the Burr Brown Dacs  in my AVI S2000 MC Ref  Cd Player which is either 20bit or 24bit.
Lee