cdp-307esd

Well I ran accross this thrifting today so I snagged it $15. Opened it up and it has a philips tda1541a and some higher quality caps so at least if it sucks I got some spare parts.

It sounds real nice but as I am typing it skips DAMN :cry: well I guess it is a parts donor ity:

Well with nothing to loose I found a pot on the laser housing a decided to adjust it. Not knowing how sensitive it is I moved it just a smidge and the improvment was dramatic. Hopefully I did not go to far but i guess time will tell. So far I like this player alot. Seems more detailed than my modified toshiba. Could also be the "newness" factor but bottom line is it does not sound bad.

Must have been hit pretty hard in it's lifetime. Def a nice score. My search continues for a nice CDP from the thrifts.

Sony's ES series CDPs are truly nice sounding machines, compared with models from other brands within the same price range, and with lens focus and tracking adjustments easy to calibrate.

Congrats! Another happy Sony finds a new home!

I have been playing around with this cdp trying different low level mods just for experience / fun. I did the usual cap swaps and such and the appeared to help. I did do one mod that I would like to share because it made a tremendous difference. Its not a mod really but a parts swap and requires very little solder skills. Sony, like other manufacturers use the 5532 op amp because its has very good low noise characteristics. This makes for excellent specs to show on paper but not IMO the best sound. I decided to use a drop in replacement op amp ad826an. Difference is huge, overall sound is much clearer and detailed. Best of all it cost less than $10 to do this change. this mod can be done on any player in under 30 minutes, well provided that player uses dip IC's for the op amps some of them use smt and they require a little more soldering skill.

B-C,

Got any photographs? Inside and out?

Sure here ya go. The op amps are the 8 pin IC's near the green caps towards the top of the pic. The CDP looks crooked because the 1 of the foam balls I set it on has lost its "bounce back" I need to get new ones.

Where did you order the Op-Amps? Did you need to modify the sockets at all?

I ordered them from digikey. There is no socket it is thru hole. However I added a socket so I could try different op amps without de / re soldering. There are literally hundreds of different op amps to try. I have just ordered opa627's to try out. these actually require 2 chips per side so I ordered an adapter from cimeron tech to use them. I will let you know the results.

Thanks! I am interested in trying this myself.

Now that I see a pic, that's basically the same player as the CDP-750 from that time frame. I had a 750...was a wonderful player. That Philips 1541 is a great classic DAC. If I see one at the thrifts I'm nabbin' it...

TP

Agreed about the 1541. It is one of the finest dac's I have ever heard. This player made me realize my modded 3950 did not sound as good as I thought (wanted). But thats the upside to messing with the cheapie/thrift items. If they sound bad you don't feel awful taking them out of your system.

Sony CDP-307esd

I got this Sony 307esd and researched it a little on the net, and just learned about the TDA1541. I believe from all the pages I have viewed, alot of people like this 1541 from Philips and they have dedicated web pages for it with lists of cdp's with it installed. I use to have the Pioneer PD-M model cdp with the 6 disc cartridge load. Not bad, I thought, but I really like this Sony. Now, I see where there is a big following on DIY's on modding these cdp's with 1541's in them.
Well, I am really curious about the mod for this 307esd when BeerCan finishes what he wants to experiment with his. I hope he continues to post his results as he proceeds on.

307's sister CDP-950

I snagged a Sony CDP-950 from the SA Thrift Store for $12.99 and it works perfectly: just two small scratches on case. Looks like the laser sled was recently lubed. No mods need to be done to satisfy me (like NOS, upgrading caps or lampization). It replaces a Philips CD-614 which had a TDA1543 and CDM4/19 mechanism.
The 950 has most of the same major circuit components as their legendary CDP-555ESD: The Philips TDA1541, Sony's CXD-1125 (digital signal processor), CXD-1088Q (4x oversampling), CXA-1081M (RF amp), and JRC 5532DD op amps.
As you can see in the last picture I've included (of gkwolfman's CDP-307ESD), the only difference from my CDP-950 is the Error Prediction circuit (circled in red), which is composed of:

IC203 LC6523H-3446 *

Q202 Transistor 2SC3402
Q203 Transistor 2SC3402
Q204 Transistor 2SA1348

R225 Carbon 1K 5% 1/4W
R226 Carbon 100 5% 1/4W
R227 Carbon 10K 5% 1/4W

C214 Elect 22MF 20% 25V

D201 Diode 1SS132lc6523h-3446

This I've gleaned from the service manual, which covers both units. There is no comprehensive description of the added circuit that I can find on the Web.

Update: I found several photos of 307's on the Web. Some have the EP circuit and some don't, but the model number remains the same. The EP function is marked on the front panel display if the unit has it (right next to the 4 Time Oversampling indication).
Also try tweaking RV101 slightly AFTER adjusting RV102 and RV104 (note: 102 & 104 are interdependent: adj one then the other in rotation). I found RV101 made a HUGE improvement in the sound (after having previously done 102 & 104 in Sept 2010), raising the unit's performance from very good to exceptional IMO. See the ADJ photo attached. The best way to do the 102/104 adjustment is if you have a test CD with dropout tracks. I was able to improve it from 0.50mm to 1.0mm with these tweaks. The rv101 is by ear. I recommend a very small adjustment, but mark RV101's original position with a fine tipped marker first, in case it cannot be improved in your case.

Having just bought a CDP-950 this morning, I need to bring this thread back from the dead. Is the CDP-950 and the CDP-307ESD the same player? The service manula says it's for the 307ESD/950.