The reference system

Home of the worlds greatest Marantz CD63!

Here are details of Brents system that is sometimes used to assess possible upgrades and comprises of the following:

• Extremely modified Marantz CD63KI
• ATC SIA2-150 (Main L/R amp)
• 2 Heavily modified Marantz PM66KI (centre & rear)
• Heavily modified Yamaha DSP-E800 (5.1 processor)
• ATC SCM40 (L/R)
• ATC C3C (Centre)
• Mission 752F with tweaks (rear)
• Sercal mains filtering (approx total of 380uF L-N)
• Kimber Reference power cables
• Kimber 8Ag and Crystal Ag interconnects
• Custom oak rack with Torlyte shelving
• Modified SKY HD receiver

 

Marantz CD63KI

 

Not much of this player is original. It features 23x SPower low noise regulators with 9 additional mains transformers crammed in (112VA). Most capacitors are Black Gate FK or Standard. The output stage is discrete using MOSFETs operating in class A, Holco precision resistors and silver mica capacitors. The DAC and servo sections have been re-clocked, each using the C2 precision clock. Needless to say the detail and naturalness of this player are shocking. Fed by Russ Andrews Kimber Reference mains lead.

 

List of modifications (PDF) often updated

 

ATC SIA2-150 MAIN L/R AMP

What Hifi Review

Home Cinema Choice Review

 

 

ATC SIA2-150 Integrated Amplifier wins What HiFi shoot out: What HiFi magazine has just judged the ATC Integrated amplifier the winner in a shoot out between it, the Cyrus Pre XPd/8 Power, the Naim NAC 152xs/NAP155xs and the Unision Research Preludio, describing it as 'sublime; no other amp can boast the same connection and bond with the listener'. Couldn't agree more. So nice when the magazines get it right for a change.

 

"Clarity, insight and control; clean presentation; plenty of power; solid build"

Output Power:

• 8 ohm. Both channels driven. 150W (Class A up to 100W then AB to 150W)
• 4 ohm. Both channels driven. 200W
• Fitted with AMR Silver fuse

 

ATC P1 CENTRE CHANNEL AMP

This power amp is basically the same as the SIA2-150 with the pre amp section removed. Sonically and power wise they are the same. This amp is used to drive the ATC C3C centre speaker with the Left channel driving the bass and the Right channel the treble. The scale of impact the centre speaker now offers is superb.

Output Power:

• 8 ohm. Both channels driven. 150W (Class A up to 100W then AB to 150W)
• 4 ohm. Both channels driven. 200W

 

MARANTZ PM66KI REAR CHANNEL AMP

This already good amplifier has been treated to a 2nd mains transformer connected in parallel with the original, doubling the current capacity and halving the impedance. The smoothing caps have been upgraded to Elna Silmic 22,000uF & bypassed with 4700uF Mundorf HC capacitors. Output devices were uprated and bias current was increased to reduce distortion + the heatsinks were replaced with much larger ones. Mundorf Supreme are used for audio input coupling. Other signal and PSU caps have been replaced with Black Gates and silver mica. Fed by Russ Andrews Reference mains lead.

List of modifications (PDF) often updated

 

MARANTZ PM66KI (WAS REAR CHANNEL AMP) - SOLD

The second KI amp used for powering the rear speakers and has undergone an extensive upgrade. I have treated it to a 2nd mains transformer connected in parallel with the original, doubling the current capacity and halving the impedance. The smoothing caps have been upgraded to BHC AEROVOX 15,000uF. Signal and PSU caps have been replaced with Black Gates, Silmics and silver mica. Mundorf MKP and BG N capacitors were used for signal coupling. Bias current was also increased to reduce distortion. Fed by Russ Andrews Reference mains lead.

List of modifications (PDF) often updated

 

ATC SCM40

What Hifi Review

 

 

 

These terrific speakers were chosen for their ability to reveal changes upstream as their sound is very transparent and revealing. The huge power available from the ATC SIA2-150 amp does not go to waste as these speakers have rather low sensitivity. Low distortion across the sound spectrum is particularly noticeable with vocals and piano. Extremely neutral and enjoyable. Tri-wired Kimber 8TC & 4TC.

 

 

ATC C3C

Weighing in at 30Kg this superb speaker was chosen for its ability to produce terrific bass and remarkable transparency, revealing fantastc detail to on screen dialogue. The speaker is wired using a bi-amped setup with the L channel for bass/mid and R channel for the treble. Movies spring to life with very low distortion across the sound spectrum. Extremely neutral and enjoyable. Connected with Kimber 8TC.

 

Yamaha DSP-E800

Surround sound processing is performed by a Yamaha DSP-E800 feeding the ATC and 2 modded Marantz PM66KIs. The Yamahas soundstage is explicit, large and three-dimentional, a sense of effortlessness and system resolution is ever-present. The Yamaha is also dynamically impeccable and capable of agile sublety. Fed by Russ Andrews Reference mains lead.

List of modifications (PDF) often updated

 

Thomson DSI-8215 HD receiver

Sky HD receiver for high definition viewing and 5.1 Surround sound. The few tweaks have sharpened up the picture giving brilliant whites, crisper more detailed images and superb colour balance. The sound is crisper with a larger sound stage. Added to this are finer details and excellent sound presentation. The optical output is connected to the Yamaha DSP-E800 via a Cable Talk medical grade optical lead. The TV is fed via a Kimber HD-19 HDMI lead. Mains is fed in via a Russ Andrews Classic mains lead.

List of modifications (PDF) often updated

 

Infrastructure

Mains setup

Sercal mains filters used to reject mains born noise and spikes, you hear a more three dimensional and rich sound with a really low noise floor. Good quality mains leads (Russ Andrews Reference cord - with fuses shorted using copper rods) added to lower the mains impedance and reject noise air born noise.

 

See set up schematic here.

 

Interconnects and Rack

The cd to amp interconnect is a top quality custom made Russ Andrews Kimber 8Ag silver interconnect with silver WBT nextgen plugs and Cryo treatment. The centre channel uses a Russ Andrews Crystal-Ag on bullets with a Kimber Hero on the rear channel all providing optimum signal coupling for a fully detailed and balanced sound.The custom oak and Torlyte rack helps to minimise time-smear caused by acoustic feedback and reveals every tiny detail on the recording. The sense of precise, musical timing is aided by using a light and stiff rack such as this.

 

 

Other

• Rear speakers are Mission 752F with improved x-over components and Kimber 4VS internal wiring.
• The monitor is a 37" HD Panasonic plasma.
• Xbox 360 Elite with QED Quinex HDMI cable
• The LFE is supplemented by a lightly modified Mission 75AS subwoofer (Larger smoothing caps and burr brown opamps).