If TDA 1541 base Cd Player is still relevent compare with current technology

Hi there....

Just need some info with forumers about TDA 1541 DAC base cd player compare with current new technology cd player.Since most of the 1541 base cd player going sky hi is there huge gap between current tech...

thanks

Another can of worms topic. You go audition to them, perhaps tell us what you think. One man's meat is another man's poison, as the olde saying goes.

1541- Musical,smooth,easier on ears.less kick but very easy to follow and..ofcourse less detail



Current technology-- Very HIFI.prolong listening may not possible...easily tired. But superb transcient for a short moment



ASK yourself what you want...enjoy MUSIC or Enjoy HIFI....its up to YOU!!

thanks hi5papa ..... so what cdp u r playing now,with tda also

my view is that the tda1541 fans are romantic folks who feel nostalgic. the 1541 chip was an early generation chip.
when the cd player was introduced in the early 1980s, vinyl fans attacked it for lacking warmth and emotion and said it sounded clinical, 'hard' and uninvolving.
now some 30 years later, the 1541 fans are saying the latest chips lack warmth and emotion and sound clinical, 'hard' and uninvolving; and they now say the early chips sound "musical, smooth".
i do not recall people saying that when the 1541-based cd players were introduced in 1985.

Thanks sflam...hopefully this info can usefull to others that who looking good cd player for his system

As much as countless people hype and jump for joy with the 1541 (not to mention modding to Non oversampling), I've preferred the later TDA1547 which is a better all rounder.

Philips stopped making DAC chips for a long time, and technically disassociated themselves in producing CD players. Current Marantz hardly have any Philips parts inside. Its mostly OEM from somewhere else. Yes, Philips are a changed company even giving up their LCD TV products.

Having a Philips/Marantz 1541 based CDP could be nice, but not forgetting the optics aren't bullet proof. They'll surely die one day and spares can be rare and expensive.

Good point cmboy.....we also die anyway
agreed with the replacement part im sure 1 day it might cost same price as new cdp .....

To me most of these TDA dac's are already quite old. Only acceptable noise figures, longer signal paths, not so tidy layout, single or basic opamp output, all these contribute to something quite dated and a far cry from current designs with SMD's, very compact circuitry which lowers cost, increase efficiency, higher accuracy and higher manufacturing standards all contributing to a technically higher sonic quality, BUT again, its all a matter of anyone's personal preference.

Like sflam says, nostalgic, just like LP's or people just like driving vintage cars purely for more fun factor, despite knowing its obvious shortcomings on spares or performance data.

I'm lucky to own an almost Philips book circuitry outboard DAC (hah!, don't have to worry about optics) based on the later TDA1547 + SAA7350 noise shaper, PMD100 HDCD digital receiver chip (HDCD feature) and linking to an array of analog circuitry dotted with OPA134, OPA627 output. It have lots of other great features I'd not want to gloat about it. These are all standard fitted, no mods, never even attemted to open the cover. Perhaps from other people's view, also outdated, cannot play 24bit, etc, I find it just perfect as a great all rounder with no complaints for a decade now.

Throughout time, I've also learnt, its NOT only the DAC and associated circuitry that responsible for great sound. Its the quality of the optics and entire loader mechanism that either makes or break with a CDP. Thats likely one primary reason why high quality build standalone CD transport patched to a good DAC will surpass some CDP to another height. Look at Wadia, TEAC, CEC, or other heavy build transport, they didn't build those just for fun. Plasticky optics and loaders can only go so far. To my experience, these types NEVER surpass a heavy build optic transport mechanism in numerous sonic areas. Plastic is plastic...cheap stuff and they can break.

if $ no issue, get AMR CD 77 with TD1541 chip, its little bro AMR CD 777 is good too, both player play "music" but not "hi fi". No worry about laser head dying

The 1541 application of the early days was only implemented with technology available in the earlier days. Its output stage was also mediocre sounding compared to current technology thus giving it an ' assumed ' sonic signature of being smooth and romantic like.

In fact not many around here has ever heard what a well implemented 1541 output stage can really do. I don't think anyone has ever claimed a 1541 chip to be clinically sounding, in fact it's far cry from being that for no matter how one implements it, it remains very musical and emotionally touching, just like vinyl. ( Can't really compare but it is perhaps the only DA convertor that could offer analogue like presentation in many ways )

Forget about the earlier players from Phillips or Marantz with their implementation of this chip, in fact many different manufacturers during that era implemented this chip in their players and not only this, even their range of CDM series mechanism was employed together with it.

However so, lens aside, modern implementation of this legend can still be employed with external outboard DAC's in fact by far more flexible since CAS users as well as better external transports could and would be used to harness more out of this wonderful sounding chip.

Sound in different makes of players using the same chip can not be used as a fair comparison since all manufacturers uses their own proprietry analog output stage that ' molds ' the sonic signature of their own players. Am sure all of us are aware of the differences between a Marantz/Phillips and Sony players both using the same DA convertor in their range of models in the 80's.

My take on this topic is that, the 1541 represented the pinnacle of DAC technology by Phillips back in the 80's that implemented with today's technology brings the best out of what this very musical sounding chip can do. I prefer it to the likes of today's modern DA convertors. ( bet the Phillips engineers back then did not realize themselves! ) And this is very much to do with the fact that it is a current output based DA convertor similar to the likes of AD 1865 or the BB 1794. Today's modern convertors are all voltage output ( internal op amp built in )

While it is rather ridiculous of the prices asked for older ' yesterday's ' players, many of us who are into listening to stock standard players can only revert to these units that offer a less ' tiring ' or energetic ' modern ' sound compared to current units implemented with DAC's of today. I must say players build during that era are a lot more ' meat ' for the money we spend on today's players, all made out of plastics.

So your question on if 1541 is relevant to today's modern technology? hell yeah , better than it ever was then but if yesterday's 1541 based old players are relevant to today's technology, a NO definitely, for we all have huge issues with finding replacement lens that are already 2 decades old!!

Thanks guys...we have details explanation above that really interesting to read at..from this we can analyze pro and cons about this and sharing this good info with others

Hi guys,
info to be share....

http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com/28/06/2010/is-the-tda-1541-dac-still-relevant-today-the-amr-cd-77-compared/

Studer A730 still commands prices of RM10k or more on ebay. Had a friend bring over a unit to test in my system. Beat the crap out of my CAS based setup, sounded as good as the AMR 77.

Took me weeks to recover.