Hi-Rez Highway: REVIEW: APL Hi-Fi Philips SACD 1000 SACD Player (Modded) by Pete Watt

Model:	Philips SACD 1000
Category:	SACD Player (Modded)
Suggested Retail Price:	$2500 + player
Description:	APL Base Mod plus Extensions
Manufacturer URL:	APL Hi-Fi
Manufacturer URL:	APL Hi-Fi

Review by Pete Watt ( A ) on November 15, 2004 at 13:39:40
IP Address: 198.81.26.75

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PART TWO:
This is a follow-on to a review I posted on July 13, 2004, describing the results of listening tests conducted in my home and on my system, comparing my SACD 1000 including the basic Mod package offered by Alex Peychev of APL Hi-Fi, vs. a stock Meitner DCC2. That review can be found via the following link:
http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/hirez/messages/183588.html
At the time, I concluded that, although Alex's SACD 1000 scored at the top or near the top (with some obvious trade-offs) of most of my thirteen measurement criteria, the Meitner unit achieved a level of excellence across the board, was outstanding in selected areas, and had only a few noticeable weaknesses.
Specifically, the APL Hi-Fi player was exceptional in the areas of base clarity, detail resolution, naturalness in the treble, realism in the mid-range, and delineation of concerted instruments. In contrast, the Meitner had a very open, airy and dynamic presentation, a high degree of transparency, life-like tonality, and unquestioned overall musicality. Bottom line, the Meitner had the edge, but the competition was very close.
After completion of this shoot-out, I discussed with Alex the possibility of his doing some additional mods to my player, and we decided to implement some changes that Alex had under development which he felt would produce significant further improvements in overall performance beyond that achieved through his base mod package. First, Alex replaced all of the factory installed capacitors with a much higher quality set of caps. Second, and of even greater importance, he added his newly developed digital board. This proprietary board allowed Alex to replace the factory Crystal DAC's with their latest and greatest DAC chips, the Crystal 4398's, which he paralled in mono configuration to each of the two stereo channels. The Crystal 4398's also offer a non-decimating digital volume control option, which permits the coupling of the player directly to my Spectron Class D amp. In Alex's view, these changes take the Philips SACD 1000 "just about as far as it can go" in producing warm, accurate and life-like sound.
Although I'm not convinced, after only one week of even extensive listening, that the latest modifications are fully burned-in, the preliminary results have been spectacular. Played both through my current pre-amp, but especially directly coupled to my digital amp, the SACD 1000 is performing at an entirely different level. Specifically, the sound is more immediate, more involving and totally more musical. Also noticeable is that much more information and detail is coming off the disk. For the first time, I have heard the Philips produce a level of detail resolution that I previously associated only with top-of-the-line modified Sony players, plus accompanying new layers of precision and transparency. Also he soundstage is much more deminisional, both in width and depth. Finally the delineation of multiple instruments playing concurrently is greatly enhanced. In short, this is a much more life-like presentation of recorded sound.
I have not yet had the opportunity of listening to the newly modified unit head to head against the Meitner DCC2 (also performing in a directly attached mode), but hope to do so soon. From my current and prior listening notes, however, I believe Alex's new mods have all but erased the Meitner's advantage of open dynamic presentation, transparency and overall musicality, leaving it with perhaps only a slight edge in life-like tonality.
Beyond the SACD 1000, it's interesting to note that, in his basic modification package built around the tubed output stage, in his new digital board and in the various component upgrades that he routinely uses, Alex has built a menu of upgrades that appear to be readily transferable to a select number of suitable players. Given a quality transport, power supply, digital signal processor and well constucted chassis, Alex seems to have a strategy that is not limited to just one single platform.
Finally, although most of my listening within the last week has been to Red Book CD's, the differences I have noted above were even more apparent on the few SACD's I also played (admittedly I chose the few well engineered and well recorded SACD's I have in my collection).

Product Weakness: Best of breed tonality
Product Strengths: Immediacy, detail resolution, transparency, soundstage dimensionality, multi-instrument delineation

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Spectron Digital One
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Conrad Johnson PV-12 modified
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	APL SACD 1000
Speakers:	B & W Nautilus 802's
Cables/Interconnects:	Alpha Core Goertz MI-2 / Audience AU24 IC's
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Classical
Room Size (LxWxH):	20 ft. x 18 ft x 12 ft.
Time Period/Length of Audition:	One week
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Exact Power Regenerator
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Best of breed tonality
Product Strengths:	Immediacy, detail resolution, transparency, soundstage dimensionality, multi-instrument delineation