MUSIC HALL MMF CD-25 MODIFICATIONS (INSTALLED BY ASI) 

Music Hall mmf CD-25 modifications (Installed by ASi)

Product Code: MUSICHALL Price: Check Latest Audiophile Sound innovations (ASi) Audiophile Sound innovations consists of myself and a gentleman named Douglas Jesse. We are a couple of younger fellows who share an intense passion for HiFi and making it perform to it’s highest potential. In the following article you will see how our base performance package has transformed a Music Hall MMF CD-25 into a magnificent sounding machine capable of embarrassing much higher priced players. First impressions: I have owned a few CD players in my day from the Adcom GCD-575, to the California Audio Labs Alpha and Delta combo, the ARC CD-1 and the Meridian 508.20. All have sounded very good. For Christmas I decided to buy myself a Music Hall MMF CD-25 CD Player (after clearing it with my wife first). After purchasing the Music Hall MMF-CD25 I arrived home and immediately unboxed the unit. The first encounter with the CD-25’s aesthetics and build quality exceeds what I would have expected for this price range. The next thing I noticed was the weight. It feels like a very substantial machine. It exudes quality with its sleek chassis and thick aluminum faceplate. The CD playback of the CD-25 could be summed up as very good. The plus factors are it’s musicality, depth and good timing for a player in this price range. Dynamics, detail, transparency, timbre, sound stage and overall definition was average compared to much more expensive models on the market. The sound was better than I had expected. It reminded me of the Audio Research CD-1. I thought...this player has great potential! The upgrades: The part enlisted into ASi’s Performance Package “C” for the Music Hall MMF-CD25 is as follows: Audiocom Superclock 2, Audiocom AD825T2 Opamps, Harris high speed soft recovery diodes, various amounts of odorless Vinyl Sound damping materials, high quality pair of RCA’s, Audio Consulting 99.99% Pure 24AWG silver wire, soldering using WBT Silver Solders. Upon first inspection, the RCA connectors had to go. They were using a typical $.99 pair of RCA’s that you would find in any mass-market machine. I upgraded them with a large, heavy-duty pair with Teflon insulation with short runs of 24 AWG solid silver Audio Consulting soldered from the board to the connectors. Second I heavily dampened the chassis with a vinyl based vibration absorption material (various amounts under the lid, circuit board and transport also on the sides and on back). This cured the typical twang on the top cover and made the player overall feel much heavier and full of more mass. I replaced the stock rectifier diodes for all circuits with 9 Harris high speed, soft recovery diodes. The stock operational amplifiers used were two Burr Brown OP2134. They were upgraded with a pair of Audiocom AD825T2 dual J-FET modules. I installed the Superclock 2 with a dedicated mini switching power supply supplied by ASi (not the “Superclock Power Supply”). I connected the clock out and signal ground with 24 AWG solid silver wire. Everything is available from www.referenceaudiomods.com with the exception of the RCA’s, dampening material and ASi Superclock 2 power supply. Click on pictures below for an enlarged view. Superclock II RCA connectors internal RCA connectors external Dampen cover Diodes ASi power supply Transport Op Amps The sound: I let the player burn in for 48 hours before I sat down to listen for the first time. I used the burn in track 9 off of my XLO CD and also some very dynamic music from my collection. I first listened to my reference track 5 from Eric Clapton Unplugged. I was immediately floored to say the least. I immediately noticed a significant change in the bass. The lows went deeper, had more weight and produced more bass “energy”. It was like my amplifier power doubled. The sound stage was much deeper with an increase in width. Images were now firmly planted in the sound stage with much more air around them. The highs were much more extended with better definition. Everything had a more “real” sound. The piano had more body, plucking or picking of strings was very evident. On track 5 (Lonely stranger) of Clapton’s Unplugged I was hearing the whole band in sync with one another. Clapton’s guitar had a certain bite to it that I had never heard before along with every other instrument. The sound stage was much more open and “easy” sounding. It gave me that rush of emotion that I have not had listening to this track before. I could now feel the drums with much power behind them. It was almost startling at times even at low volumes. The biggest difference was that I felt like I was hearing music instead of electronics. I would characterize the overall changes to the CD-25 in my listening room as a definite audible quickness to the performance of this player. By this, I mean that the reproduction quality of CD’s seemed to be a bit more responsive to dynamic changes in the music, especially in more subtle passages. Gone was the electronic glare, zippy highs and the flat midrange. Highs were very pleasing and real sounding. The midrange lost that glare and opened up with perfect placement in the image depth. And bass was quicker, more dynamic and accurate. It was a giant step up. I was very pleased. It’s a huge improvement from stock. It has truly made the player come alive in ways I didn’t think it could. The effectiveness of the jitter reduction and high quality parts and extreme damping in our mind weigh out rather simple component changes from the get-go. Watch for package “B” soon to come out that will be addressing even more concerns that we have with the stock components and making this player go to even a higher level! Best parts for better sound!(TM by Reference Audio Mods) Ed Padden ASi Associated electronics: Preamplifier: Audio Research LS-3b Power Amplifier: Audio Research D-200 Loudspeakers: Custom built consisting of 1” metal B&W dome tweeter from their old Matrix line, a Scan Speak 8545 7” midrange and a Focal 11” woofer. Cables: Interconnects: Audio Consulting 24AWG wiring with Eichmann silver bullets. Speaker Cables: Audioquest Midnight AC Cord: DIY design power cable utilizing Belden 83802 cable with Marinco Hospital grade connectors. Installation Please contact Ed Padden or Doug Jesse of Audiophile Sound innovations by e-mail or by phone for installation. Ed Padden Call after 6pm CST (313) 388-9572 Home (248) 752-6768 Cellular Primary E-mail: edpadden@yahoo.com & audiophilesoundinnovations@yahoo.com Doug Jesse Call after 6pm CST (586) 755-1802 Home (586) 944-5611 Cellular Primary E-mail: audiophilesoundinnovations@yahoo.com Pricing Modification Package "C" $600 (Includes parts & labor less any shipping charges). RAM parts can be purchased here and shipped directly to ASi. Price does not include the unit which is supplied by the customer. Customer Reviews Send us a review and share your thoughts with other customers