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Hi-Fi: Sony SCD-1 Modifications by Audiocom UK (Chapter 2)

The story so far. My SCD-1 had had the full original Audiocom modifications (see Chapter 1) about two years ago, but with a couple of variations. The S-TACT circuitry gained higher performance super regulators and the mains power supply was bypassed with REL-CAP RTX capacitors. Some other film capacitors were also selectively bypassed with REL CAPs.

This time around, I asked Audiocom to complete the modifications with a Superclock II and its dedicated power supply, and a further couple of super regulators on the audio board missing from the first set of mods. I also asked them if they could replicated the 'Richard Kern' transport mods as discussed in AudioAsylum. Audiocom studied the circuit schematics and devised for me a set of upgrades to the RF and main transport PCB. This is the machine I am now discussing.
The Sony was hooked up to my system consisting of Pass Labs X1 preamp, Chord SPM-1200E power amp and JM Lab Mezzo Utopia and REL Studio II speakers. Power is via a PS Audio P300 with Multiwave II and Kimber Reference Powerkords, and interconnects are balanced Kimber Select KS-1121 with KS-3035 speaker cables. The SCD-1 sits on Aurios MIB bearings on a Torlyte system rack.

Running-in was every bit as painful as with the previous set of mods. Fat bass and congested sound initially, followed by thin bass and then a gradual return to normality, widening and deepening of the soundstage, and appearance of macro and micro-dynamics. The following notes relate to the unit with about 230 hours of running-in.

Listening to the SCD-1 in its new, fully upgraded state, I notice several areas of distinct improvement with these latest mods. The first is the bass. As extended as the player was previously, it now reaches new depths. Not just in terms of reach, but in the quality or texture of the sound. Compare the usually forced presentation of deep bass in a typical home with the unforced, natural feel of such bass in a large space such as a cinema or cathedral. That is the nature of bass I am now finding in my system. My subwoofer has real work to do.

The second quality I find different is its dynamic punch. Whatever is responsible (and I suspect it's the Superclock II), this really is a sizeable improvement over an aspect of the SCD-1 which was not previously lacking. The sheer startle factor which brings drums and other percussion forward in the mix is impressive. Microdynamics, or the small cues which make music come alive, are sprinkled everywhere, sometimes in the least promising of recordings.
The third most noticeable improvement relates more to CD replay than SACD and that is the smooth and natural treble. The SCD-1 was notable for its lack of harshness even in unmodified form, despite its forward presentation, but now I realise that this was a mere shadow of what was to come. It now makes the shimmer and decay of cymbals from ordinary CDs sound very, very SACD like.

Here follow some highlights from my listening notes. Listening to Jewel/Spirit, the light touch of the bongos came to my attention for the first time, as well as the very sweet and light decay of cymbals. Guitar strumming had real texture, her voice was more tightly focused and the overall pace was very snappy. The Eleanor McEvoy/Yola SACD featured bass with real texture and was sprinkled with delicate micro-detail. k d lang's Drag has long been a favourite of mine, with The Air That I Breath showing how great a cover version can be, sung with a voice of extraordinary beauty. There is real structure to the bass and her voice soars most thrillingly. Playing some oldies from the Rolling Stones/Through the Past Darkly SACD reveals clean recordings with surprisingly well captured studio acoustics. The remastered CD of Supertramp/Crime of the Century reveals a powerful sense of drive to tracks like Dreamer. Here the enhanced clock is revealed as making a big difference to a song I thought I knew so well. The fantastic Rufatti organ featured in Saint-Saëns/Symphony No. 3/SFSO/Edo de Waart on Philips created subterranean pedal notes of extraordinary power. Never has my room shaken with such elemental forces and never have I so clearly re-learned what the addition of a subwoofer does to my system. Joan Armatrading/What's Inside reveals a palpable sense of Joan in the room, her lipping sounds and tiny studio noises making the experience all the more real. Tasmin Archer/Great Expectations is an example of a good studio recording with poor early digital mastering. Listening to Ripped Inside, I noted that the SCD-1 provided the best rendition I've yet heard of this wonderful song, with her vocal sibilance considerably reduced and good depth and space to the sparse production. Rickie Lee Jones' eponymous album sounded fresh, with snappy timing and forgiving reproduction of early CD treble. My wonderful Vivaldi/Gloria/AAM/Preston sounded as good as many SACDs, with multi-level layering of the boys and adult choirs and faultless performances. The wispy boy's voices showed how possible it is to record massed choral music on CD without creating a homogeneous mess.

In summary, the 'maxed out' SCD-1 has stunning detail, great extension at both ends of the frequency range, timing and clout to make a Naim owner proud, and the thankfully preserved 'up-front' presentation that I so liked in the original. All this clarity simply leads to new levels of realism and a very transparent window on the recording. It makes the most of ordinary CDs and often digs up extraordinary levels of information such that you would not believe the 16/44 format capable of. On the other hand, it makes SACDs sound magical.

The overall cost of this machine was £3,600 for the player, £2,290 for the level 1 mods (see Chapter 1) and £1,150 for the level 2 mods as described above. This adds up to £7,040 or USD10,000 in total, and compares favourably with top-of-the-range players from the likes of Linn, Wadia and Accuphase. I consider it great value for money for a level of performance I have yet to experience from any other source component.