Pioneer PD-S06 CD
player
The king of
Pioneers lampized in november 2008
This catch
required the longest hunt in my history. Even the rarest
players on Earth like Grundig 9009, Naim CDS1, Kenwood 7090 and Revox
426 took less time to buy. Pioneer took 3 years of automated ebay hunt.
BUT IT's
MINE NOW!
Apart of the
small dent on the drawer face - it is a bloody definition
of MINT. Museal condition really.
There are tens
and tens of Pioneers with their famous "upside down" CD mechanisms
called stable platter but
they are all alike - using same plastic and flimsy mechanism (far far
far from the good mechanisms like CDM1 or KSS190A) and same Pioneer DAc
chips. The chip PD2028A / B sits in almost half of all Pioneers.
Why name 06 ? Nobody knows. There was no 01, 02, 04 or 05. Only 06 and
no followers like 07 or 007. They changed their naming convention only
for this one player.
Strangely, in USA they called it a CD transport and as such it was
listed in Stereophile. This model looks like an odd one-timer,
not a member of a series or something.
What is different about the PD-S06 is that they used for the first time
the Burr Brown dac and a very good one too - PCM1702. Just like in
Kenwood 7090,
Denon 1450ar
and many
more good players.
I also described another similar
Pioneer some 4 years ago - my second lampized player ever.
List of other fine
players using the same DAC ...PCM1702
ACCUPHASE
DC-61 12 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASE
DP-55 6 x PCM1702 –
SM5843AP
ACCUPHASE
DP-65 8 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASE
DP-65V 8 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASE
DP-75
16 x PCM1702
ADCOM
GCD-750
4 x PCM1702
ASSEMBLAGE
DAC-2 2 x PCM1702
AUDIOLABOR
531
2x PCM1702
BOW TECHNOLOGIES
ZZ-Eight 4 x PCM1702
California Audio
Labs CL15
PCM1702
California Audio
Labs Icon Mk II 2 x PCM1702
CEC
TL5100Z
2x PCM1702
CLASSE AUDIO
CDP.3 2 x
PCM1702
CLASSE AUDIO
CDP.5
PCM1702
DENON
DCD-201SA
2 x PCM1702
DENON
DCD-755AR
2 x PCM1702
DENON
DCD-2700
4 x PCM1702-
DENON
DCD-2880AR
4 x PCM1702
DENON
DCD-3000
4 x PCM1702
DENON
DCD-S1
4 x PCM1702
DENON
DCD-S10
4 x PCM1702-J
KRELL
KAV-250cd
2 x PCM1702
KRELL
KAV-300cd
2 x PCM1702
LINN
CD12
SONDEK
4 x PCM1702
LINN NUMERIC Mk
3
PCM1702
MARK LEVINSON No
36 4 x
PCM1702
MARK
LEVINSON No 39 PCM1702
MCINTOSH
MDA4000
2 x PCM1702
NAIM AUDIO CDS
II
2 x PCM1702
NAIM AUDIO
CDX
2 x PCM1702-
NAKAMICHI
DAC-41
2 x PCM1702
PARASOUND
C/DP-2000 2 x
PCM1702
PRIMARE
D30.2
4 x PCM1702
PS AUDIO
DIGILINK
II
PCM1702
SONIC FRONTIERS
ANTHEM 2 x
PCM1702
SONIC FRONTIERS
Transdac 2 x
PCM1702
STAX DAC-TALENT
BD 4
x PCM1702
TEAC
VRDS-8
4 x PCM1702
TEAC
VRDS-9
4 x PCM1702
THETA DS PRO
BASIC III PCM1702
ULTECH
HDCD-10 2 x PCM1702
WADIA
16 2x
PCM1702
WADIA
21 4 x
PCM1702
WADIA
25
4 x
PCM1702
WADIA
27
PCM1702
WADIA
830 4
x PCM1702
WADIA
850 2
x PCM1702
WADIA
860 4
x PCM1702
Now if THAT IS not
elite of players, then what is ?!?
From Burr Brown datasheet:
BiCMOS Advanced
Sign Magnitude 20-Bit DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG
CONVERTER
FEATURES DESCRIPTION
ULTRA LOW –96dB max THD+N (No External Adjustment Required)
NEAR-IDEAL LOW LEVEL OPERATION
GLITCH-FREE OUTPUT
120dB SNR TYP (A-Weight Method)
INDUSTRY STD SERIAL INPUT FORMAT
FAST (200ns) CURRENT OUTPUT (±1.2mA)
CAPABLE OF 16X OVERSAMPLING
COMPLETE WITH REFERENCE LOW POWER (150mW typ)
49% FPO
The PCM1702 is a
precision 20-bit digital-to-analog converter with
ultra-low distortion (–96dB typ with a
full scale output). Incorporated into the PCM1702 is an advanced sign
magnitude architecture that eliminates
unwanted glitches and other nonlinearities around bipolar zero. The
PCM1702 also features a very low
noise (120dB typ SNR: A-weighted method) and fast settling current
output (200ns typ, 1.2mA step) which
is capable of 16X oversampling rates. Applications include very low
distortion frequency
synthesis and high-end consumer and professional digital audio
applications.
I like the look
of Pioneer players because the thick drawer looks
cool. Also " the turntable" is a cool gimmic, even if I think
that
technically it is a bullshit. The turntable is a typical cure to
an imaginary disease.
Some other
companies, including Wadia (630) Audio Alchemy and Theta (Miles) also
OEMed
this mechanism in cheaper players, but make no mistake - this mechanism
is NOT anything solid or highendish.
Also Legato Link
Conversion HiBit is a buzzword, without merit.
Nice feature -
this player ALREADY HAS the superclock - Kyocera quartz
with own circuit and supply.
Nothing to tweak.
Huge premium
caps in raw Power Supply - VERY nice thing.
We can see here
two Pioneer transformer - one for Audio, one for
mechanism and display. The AC inlet has ferrite rings (ORYGINAL!!!) and
the Lampizator transformer is hidden at the back side. On the
left bottom corner is the CRC filter for lampizator heater supply.
The heater PSU
in the corner.
JUST LOOK! All
the oscons - a whole bunch of them - is a factory job.
(blue caps around each DAC) NO NEED TO TWEAK CAPS !!! Bravo Pioneer.
Was it a diploma project or something ???
The mechanism -
in reality does not differ much from plastic boombox.
Very flimsy. It is also hard to get, so beware - get only mint units.
Motors are not magnetic brushless, sorry.
I wonder how the
1702 would work in NOS mode? Anybody knows how
to bypass the legato link digital filters ??? Note another oscon.
Tubes - 6N2P in
place. Dacs are current output type so the conversion
I/U is by passive R, chosen by potentiometer test to be 820 Ohms -
optimal value. tubes are in SRPP mode.
.
Please note that
I removed the opamps and I also removed their power
supply caps +/- 15 VDC (empty rings on PCB are after caps which
were very nice elna premium grade. I will recycle them.
In general, the
main PCB in stock form is a nice one, similar to the
better Japanese jobs like in DENON 2560, Nakamichi CD-2P and
others. But it is not from top league like the ESD Sony range or better
Kenwoods.
I was so excited
to work on the Pioneer that my hands were shaking ....
THE SOUND of
the Pioneer PD-S06
In stock form
this player disappointed me a little bit, It is okay, but the sound is
small, unexciting, uninspiring.
The mechanism
reads everything very well and very fast.
The front panel
ergonomics is one of the best in the world. My
benchmark. All functions are intuitive, easy, even after a couple of
wines and in the dark - you can operate everything VERY EASY.
I am absolutely
in love with that front panel. Especially the dial knob
which skips the tunes.
Display could be
larger but it is quite legible and with dim function
and complete OFF as well.
After
lampization which is VERY easy and without any need to tweak caps
or clock - the sound opened up by a big margin.
I like the
PCM1702 but it does not bring me on my knees. I may be alone
here, but this chip is not as good as the player list suggests. It is
good-plus.
I compared it
for a week with PCM58, PCM63 and TDA1541A and I did not
find the 1702 to be superior.
It is very safe
choice - it has no weaknesses. No hiss, no noises, no
bad sound, etc. But it did not win. It is equalizer with the DACs
mentioned above.
The sound is
rich, full of details, vocals are natural, bass is deep,
space is wide and deep, it is easily category one, but not zero.
The TDA1541 in
NOS mode especially - can sleep well.
VERY good player
which with lampizator makes top gear, easy to lampize,
without special tricks or nasty clicks and pops. Recommended.