With these costs deducted, it is feasible that the actual cost of the electronic used in the machine you are buying is typically $100-125!!!! Of course, all manufactures have costs and this has to be accepted. But in almost all cases, 30 - 50% of your allocated budget for a new machine invested in your existing CD, SACD or DVD player will equate to far better sound! (This is why we can take a $750-$1500 stock unit (for example, Esound CD-E5 or a Denon DVD-3930), you would spend in total less than $2K for a great mod package (remember your money is going straight 100% to the performance of the unit) and continually outperform every type of off the shelf player that is out there and you save many thousands of dollars, its that simple!).

RAM's Unique Approach to Executing Digital Modifications

Currently, on a worldwide basis and primarily through the explosion of the internet, audiophiles may purchase new, used, or modified digital audio equipment. It is apparent the digital audio era is present in full force triggering the births of new innovative companies as well as causing the mature to develop an ever increasing number of new products. In addition to all this, digital modification has recently developed into another valid avenue of purchase for the audio enthusiast. The choices out there are unquestionably immense! How does one choose? What path does one take? New? Used? Modifications?… Help!!!

It is our belief that the modification avenue will get you the “most bang for the buck”. Many great mod companies have developed and completed some very good sounding digital front- ends for relatively bargain basement prices. RAM would like to explain how we specifically and systematically address an SACD/CD player modification.

POWER SUPPLY MODIFICATION

The power that feeds any digital circuit is absolutely critical! However, before we go any further, we categorically believe no matter how good a power supply is executed, or how extreme the parts quality, this will NEVER be enough!! Unfortunately, we have a much bigger problem with our AC mains worldwide causing more bad sound then you can possibly fathom. On the other hand, high quality supplies are essential to high quality sound…no two ways around it. A player may consists of either a classical linear power supply or the more efficient and increasingly popular switching supply. Some may have both. The digital circuits and their power supplys in CD players for example are so frequently overlooked, and commonly the components used are low grade electrolytic capacitors whose characteristics do not produce low E. S.R, low distortion, fast discharge/recharge, low microphony. Similarly diodes are low grade silicon types, which are noisy & slow and ringy.

Any compromising in the digital circuits will yield poorer results further along the chain in the analogue domain. Smearing, masking, muddiness, compression etc...... are examples of a piss poor digital power supply.

Our approach here is simple: :

IEC

Adding or improving the stock IEC will provide better grip on the power cord and better voltage integrity. Remember connections will oxidize over time, its better to have a better conductor for the power to pass!

High Quality Diodes

Replacing the stock noisy silicon diodes in digital sources, preamps, power amps, etc with our custom handmade ultra low impedance diode bridges will bring a much lower switching noise and reduce impedence for much cleaner sound. It works hand in hand with other mods to completely remove the glare, grain and hardness/harshness from the music!

High Quality Capacitors

Exchanging stock electrolytic capacitors for our ultra low impedance types in the digital or analog power supplys will markedly improve the sound quality in terms of greatly improved dynamics, transparency, detail, tonal purity, depth, definition and a quieter background.

High Quality Voltage Regulators

If the circuit requires regulation, a simple 78XX or LM317 type regulators are not enough. These devices are much to slow and very high in impedence for good sound. We replace them with ultra low impedance and tuned discrete voltage regulation circuits to dramatically improve the sound and the video!

Clocking upgrades

In more than 90 - 95% of CD players (SACD, DVD & DVD-A ) the master clock whose function is to generate a low jitter square wave, is a simple passive circuit which uses the input of an inverter, typically 74HCU04 and consists of a quartz crystal, 2x low value capacitors in series fixed to ground, and 1-2 resistors. The remaining 5 - 10% of players are slightly better and use a clock oscillator module which uses its own inverter and has a better temperature stability, or use a single discrete transistor oscillator circuit. This is true of machines costing $500- to $20,000+- regardless of manufacturer or model.

None of these methods are suitable and all produce high losses of resolution for both audio and video recording and playback, Period.

Replacing these clock circuits with a aftermarket reference type clock (like Superclock 4 or Ultraclock) provides an exceptional improvement in all areas of sound & picture quality. The internal clock of digital gear has a profound effect on the music and video.

The effect of a clocking upgrade is like adding a supercharger to your car!

ANALOG OUTPUT STAGE MODIFICATION

We feel the analog output stage of any player or DAC is the most important.
This is the primary area where most music gets “lost” or becomes “compressed” and “lifeless”. This is due to the fact that manufacturers design analog output stages using spec sheets from opamp manufacturers, the signal goes through many signal resistors, signal coupling capacitors, signal pathway transistors and relays and other nasties. Many solutions exists in this area as it is the one aspect that very much distinguishes the modders from each other.

Here is our approach, which we feel is the best balanced sounding:

Remove all analog filtering. We believe this really is performed to satisfy the scope and not the ear because music sounds compressed with filtering.

Execute summation and amplification with transformers (if the circuit allows)!!!!

Using a transformer based analog output stage offers many improvments:

~Removes all signal pathway parts such as resistors, coupling capacitors, transistors, etc..

~In Dual Differential designs (most players), allows for TRUE BALANCED XLR OUTPUTS!!!

~Provide galvantic isolation, allows less noise to pass into the DAC area and raise S/N ratio

~Very low impedance, and higher output voltage lead to better system flexibility.

~Remove the needs for the AC mains so you don't have noises and harmonics effecting this very sensitive area of the unit and you are rewarded with a much lower noise floor, more ambient detail and a super huge sound stage that is balanced and live sounding!!!