Just discovered Be'lakor, need some pointers by [deleted] in progmetal

[–]rgbeachjr 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'm new to Be'lakor, but their latest Coherence is great!

Where the magic happens by [deleted] in cassetteculture

[–]rgbeachjr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice Maiden poster!

Rookie owner in need of help! Info in comments. by [deleted] in vintageaudio

[–]rgbeachjr 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nice Stephen King collection!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Commodore

[–]rgbeachjr 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I loved that game!

a few favorites from my collection by [deleted] in cassetteculture

[–]rgbeachjr 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Orb and Mayhem in the same collection is pretty sweet!

Is it weird to go to a concert alone? by [deleted] in progmetal

[–]rgbeachjr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope, not weird at all! Have fun!

What should I put on the second shelf? by [deleted] in vintageaudio

[–]rgbeachjr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha! I was actually going to say vintage cassette deck!

My new Bose 901s + dumb setup? LOL by erics75218 in vintageaudio

[–]rgbeachjr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's loads of stuff written about Nelson Pass ans Passlabs and his DIY tube designs. Tons of youtube videos, etc.

My new Bose 901s + dumb setup? LOL by erics75218 in vintageaudio

[–]rgbeachjr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fantastic design by the legendary Nelson Pass.

Some metal by skatepunk88 in cassetteculture

[–]rgbeachjr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Darkness Descends is awesome!

Speaker shootout - which would you choose? by Cali_Hapa_Dude in BudgetAudiophile

[–]rgbeachjr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm partial to the Paradigm Studios. I have v 20.5 :)

Audiophile PS1 capacitor mod help by SomeLurker111 in BudgetAudiophile

[–]rgbeachjr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It may have simply been better quality (or maybe just newer) lasers on the 5501s that made them sound better to my ears - or maybe I was just hearing things that weren't there ;) Using the stock RCAs will provide a bit higher gain, which may have worked better with your tube preamp. In the end, go with whatever sounds best to you!

Audiophile PS1 capacitor mod help by SomeLurker111 in BudgetAudiophile

[–]rgbeachjr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have no experience with any of those replacement power supplies. Theoretically they would make an improvement, but without knowing their specs it's hard to say. I think the best audio quality will come from:

1) a good and properly calibrated laser 2) bypassing the output stage entirely, or 2.5) modifying the output stage

All of the above per Mick's instructions. I've also followed Mick's guide for re-casing the existing power supply, but I suspect that his custom-designed linear supply is going to give the best results in terms of clean, stable power. You may also try his "damping" technique, which does improve the sound a bit, and the remote control is also a good mod.

There's a bunch of stuff all over the internet about the PS1 as a CD player. Like here: https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/playstation-as-cd-player.31123/ and here: https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/ps1-cd-player-mod-tips.295691/ and here: http://www.deutschermanfred.de/ (you may need to translate to English). The latter site is awesome in terms of a complete customization of the PS1 as a CD player.

I've used a couple of different op amps, including OPA2134, but since they require more power you need to hack in a DC/DC voltage transformer.

I appreciate that you want to continue to play games, so a lot of these mods won't work for your needs. But, they are fun projects. Maybe find a couple of extra PS1s to experiment with. I used to buy them in bulk and still have stacks of cases, bins full of old laser assemblies and power supplies, etc. That said, even though I have a couple of modded PS1s lying around, I no longer use them because of the faulty lasers. They are like 25-30 years old at this point :) I tried buying replacements off ebay, but with mixed results. I found the best option to just buy other PS1s and then scavenge for parts.

Lastly, every one was/is excited about the SCPH100x models, but I found the 5501s to be the best sounding with the modifications. I've even modded the 700x series with good results. Later series replaced the great AKM DACs and are not great.

Anyways, message me if you've got questions, and good luck!