THE KING OF ALL CD PLAYERS
July 2007. Fourth lampized player 9009 better be the best or ....



I tried to make the first 9009 with resistor type of conversion. After all - paralell dacs have double current output so better voltage can be created on the resistor!

I also wanted to use 6H1P because it has more energy in sound.

That was also the first time that I started fiddling with the Grundig PCB - I replaced all lytic caps with low ESR TEapos.
(I know it was not a kosher thing to do but I did it anyway)




The back-plate vertical PCB all goes to garbage.





The back plate gets new tube sockets installed "inward facing".




Power supply caps are on the middle partition plate, tubes - this time around - 6H1P.
(they are more punchy and detailed than 6H6P plus they have 2x more amplification.




No change on the digital board.



The DAC is surrounded by the white MKP caps - 100nF/63V. These can be replaced with 0,47uF MKP or MKT type if you are a real no compromise, take no prisoner and die hard high-ender. Two dacs means you have to remove 28 caps. Change the blue electrolitics (3 around every DAC) with something like low esr OS-CONS : 150uF/16 V or even 470 uF.



The op-amp bonanza




Paper in oil caps (grey cans - 2 x 2uF per channel) connecting tube anodes with the RCA jacks.


Resistors which sit in the dill 8-leg sockets after removal of the first op-amp. This way - the signal path is properly isolated (remember - in I/U conversioon by resistor the signal from legs 6 and 25 of the DAC can NOT connect to anything at all except the ground via a resistor.
The resistor can be easily swapper by "plugging" it into legs 2 and 3.
Where 2 is the signal, 3 is the ground.
The resistors can be smaller than usuall 100 Ohm because two DACS = double current and hence double signal strenght. The conversion error is reduced by the factor of SQRT2 because of paralelling. in the end I used 58 Ohm if memory serves me.



Note that R519 had to be cut as well as it's counterpart from the second channel - R521.



A place to steal the AC power for lampizator (after the AC switch).



Under-side of the beast.



CDM1MK2 mechanism and drawer. This mechanism - a heavy sucker - gets easily damaged if the player is shipped without arretage protection (2 screw locks under the floor). The die cast magnessium unit is softly suspended on delicate springs inside plastic fittings. This laser - if it works - it reads EVERYTHING and it is very good sounding as a transport too.


THE END RESULT.
After trying Grundig 9009 with the SOWTER/6H6P lampizator, and the SOWTER/MEGA lampizator, I liked finally best this one - no SOWTER and 6H1P or ECC 81 or ECC801S or E88CC or ECC88 . But my amps need BALANCED otherwise they do not sing. For this reason I started hunting Marantz CD94MK2. I found it one year later.

The sound of the Gru - in one sentence - is breathtaking and absolutely drop dead phenomenal.
Untill further notice - it is THE BEST.
September 2nd 2007.

In 2008 sept
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