Introduction

The SCD-XA333ES is a multi channel SACD/CD player. Because of the nice mechanisme, the nice dac's and the solid design this player sounds very well in its standard form. To really take this player to the next level we have modified it extensively.

The first target was to design a much bigger, faster and more powerfull power supply for the analog section. This will become a new print with many small elcos instead of two larger ones. Also a new ring-core tranformer will be placed as part of this. The existing system clock will be replaced by a Tentlabs XO-2 with its own power supply. We want to upgrade the output stages by placing higher quality Op-Amp amplifiers, and the best possible output condensors.

Below is a step by step description of the modifications made.

Power supply

The power supply is the center piece of all (hifi) equipment and the sound is completely dependent on it. At first sight the SCD-XA333ES seems to have seperate power supplies for digital and analog, but appearances can deceive. The second transformer does analog but also a big part of the digital section.

The second drawback is that the power supply for the analog section is below par. Both the transformator, who doesn't have enough power for the job, and also for the elco capacity which is minimal for the job at hand. This power supply has to feed 12 Op-Amps who use quit a bit of current. With a better over dimensioned power supply the Op-Amps will sound much better. Also the power supply for the digital section doesn't influence the analog section anymore because they are galvanic seperated.

The power supply we designed replaces a smal circuit of 4400uF capacity. Our print has 24 elcos of 1000uF each. These are very fast Panasonic FC elcos.

Our circuit will hold very fast Schottkey diodes. Together with a local buffer elcos of 2 x 1200uF and 2 x 470 uF (Panasonic FC) the total current capacity becomes 27340uF! Many integrated amplifiers have to cope with less! This print has its own insulated ring-core transformer with a capacity of 30 V/A. This power supply is capable to react very fast to any dynamic musical change in one of the 12 Op-Amps amplifiers.

The Op-Amps (the primary target for this power supply) are decoupled direct on the power supply pins with 10nF MKP condensers. These condensers are directly soldered under the main print to the power supply pins of the 12 Op-Amps. This way high frequent noise is kept outside the Op-Amps. Sony has failed to do this!

System clock

The SCD-XA333ES uses a better system clock than standard players. It is the standard setup but with a better inverter IC. However it is nowhere near the quality of a Tentlabs clock.

Also the existing clock is connected to the same 3.3 volt power suply of the servo and dac chips. Because of this it will always have a high frequent negative influence. The existing system clock has been replaced by a Tentlabs clock with its own choke filtered power supply. The transport and the data selector chip are now directly clocked by the XO-2 without jitter generating buffer and/or cmos chips. The result is simply more resolution, details and refined low-end.

Output amplifiers

As with many Japanese equipment the designers of the SCD-XA333ES have used strange tricks to decouple the output DC (direct current). In this case they used polar Elna Cerafines with a too large value of 100uF. To improve the high frequent behaviour it is several times bypassed with a smaller one. This is also the design they used for the Denon DVD2900 and which was something that had a clear negative influence on the sound. For example, distortion and phase behaviour where changed negatively. In the ideal world we wouldn't want to have elcos at all in the output stages. However we somehow need to kill the direct current. Our solution: remove all elco's en cerafines and replace them by 47uF non-polar black gates. These are elcos specially desgined for the transmission of AC (alternating current) music signals. They have very limited influence on the original signal because of their non polar properties they possess. They have more than enough bandwith and releave us of all phase and overlap problems due to multiple parallel cerafines. The complete musical signal passes through these elcos, so they need to be of the best possible quality. Because of this the influence of the end result is big. More black around instruments and a more open and layered sound stage. Also the low-end gets an extra dimension.

The SCD-XA333ES is a design with only Op-Amps in the output amplifiers. Nothing to worry about in this time when very beautiful Op-Amps are being made. At first we wanted to replace al the orignal BurrBrown OPA2132 Op-Amps with very fast and distortion free versions of Analogue Devices, the AD8620. However, this Op-Amp proved to be problematic to apply in all stages. The change on oscillation was big and this was also what happened. This lead to the decision to apply the AD8620 only in the I/V stages. This is the first stage after the D/A convertors. BurrBown OPA1234AU's are being used in the second stage. This leads to a stable system with no change on oscillations. This way we have the benefits of the very fast AD8620 Op-Amps in the I/V stages with the drive and ease of the OPA2134AU in the actual output stage. The result is a sound stage which has more ease, detail, and drive.

Other

Other modifcations are mechanical or cosmetic. We have made a construction for the assemblation of the power supplies, clock and ring-core transformer. All green and orange leds are replaced with soft blue pieces. To be able to use an better power cord the fixed power cord is replaced by a euro chassis. The standard feet are replace with Soundcare SuperSpikes.

Conclusion

This modification has litterally taken weeks of research, trial and error. However is has proven to be worth every minute invested in it! We are sure that there is nowhere a multi channel SACD player to be found with a power supply of this quality and size! It has become a player which reveals everything, without being intrusive or aggressive. Detailed until the smallest layer. The bass drive is unbelievable with precise placement. We are very happy with the result and the player is really complete as it is. We wish all listeners tot the Sony SCD-XA333ES/SE lots of listening enjoyment. This is a unique product of which there is only one.