The king ofPioneers lampized in november 2008
This catchrequired the longest hunt in my history. Even the rarestplayers on Earth like Grundig 9009, Naim CDS1, Kenwood 7090 and Revox426 took less time to buy. Pioneer took 3 years of automated ebay hunt.
BUT IT'sMINE NOW!
Apart of thesmall dent on the drawer face - it is a bloody definitionof MINT. Museal condition really.
There are tensand tens of Pioneers with their famous 'upside down' CD mechanismscalled stable platter butthey are all alike - using same plastic and flimsy mechanism (far farfar from the good mechanisms like CDM1 or KSS190A) and same Pioneer DAcchips. The chip PD2028A / B sits in almost half of all Pioneers.
Why name 06 ? Nobody knows. There was no 01, 02, 04 or 05. Only 06 andno followers like 07 or 007. They changed their naming convention onlyfor this one player.
Strangely, in USA they called it a CD transport and as such it waslisted in Stereophile. This model looks like an odd one-timer,not a member of a series or something.
What is different about the PD-S06 is that they used for the first timethe Burr Brown dac and a very good one too - PCM1702. Just like inKenwood 7090,Denon 1450arand manymore good players.
I also described another similarPioneer some 4 years ago - my second lampized player ever.
ACCUPHASEDC-61 12 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASEDP-55 6 x PCM1702 –SM5843AP
ACCUPHASEDP-65 8 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASEDP-65V 8 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASEDP-75 16 x PCM1702
ADCOMGCD-750 4 x PCM1702
ASSEMBLAGEDAC-2 2 x PCM1702
AUDIOLABOR531 2x PCM1702
BOW TECHNOLOGIESZZ-Eight 4 x PCM1702
California AudioLabs CL15 PCM1702
California AudioLabs Icon Mk II 2 x PCM1702
CECTL5100Z 2x PCM1702
CLASSE AUDIOCDP.3 2 xPCM1702
CLASSE AUDIOCDP.5 PCM1702
DENONDCD-201SA 2 x PCM1702
DENONDCD-755AR 2 x PCM1702
DENONDCD-2700 4 x PCM1702-
DENONDCD-2880AR 4 x PCM1702
DENONDCD-3000 4 x PCM1702
DENONDCD-S1 4 x PCM1702
DENONDCD-S10 4 x PCM1702-J
KRELLKAV-250cd 2 x PCM1702
KRELLKAV-300cd 2 x PCM1702
LINNCD12SONDEK 4 x PCM1702
LINN NUMERIC Mk3 PCM1702
MARK LEVINSON No36 4 xPCM1702
MARKLEVINSON No 39 PCM1702
MCINTOSHMDA4000 2 x PCM1702
NAIM AUDIO CDSII 2 x PCM1702
NAIM AUDIOCDX 2 x PCM1702-
NAKAMICHIDAC-41 2 x PCM1702
PARASOUNDC/DP-2000 2 xPCM1702
PRIMARED30.2 4 x PCM1702
PS AUDIODIGILINKII PCM1702
SONIC FRONTIERSANTHEM 2 xPCM1702
SONIC FRONTIERSTransdac 2 xPCM1702
STAX DAC-TALENTBD 4x PCM1702
TEACVRDS-8 4 x PCM1702
TEACVRDS-9 4 x PCM1702
THETA DS PROBASIC III PCM1702
ULTECHHDCD-10 2 x PCM1702
WADIA16 2xPCM1702
WADIA21 4 xPCM1702
WADIA25 4 xPCM1702
WADIA27 PCM1702
WADIA830 4x PCM1702
WADIA850 2x PCM1702
WADIA860 4x PCM1702
From Burr Brown datasheet:
I like the lookof Pioneer players because the thick drawer lookscool. Also ' the turntable' is a cool gimmic, even if I thinkthattechnically it is a bullshit. The turntable is a typical cure toan imaginary disease.
Some othercompanies, including Wadia (630) Audio Alchemy and Theta (Miles) alsoOEMedthis mechanism in cheaper players, but make no mistake - this mechanismis NOT anything solid or highendish.
Also Legato LinkConversion HiBit is a buzzword, without merit.
Nice feature -this player ALREADY HAS the superclock - Kyocera quartzwith own circuit and supply.
Nothing to tweak.
Huge premiumcaps in raw Power Supply - VERY nice thing.
We can see heretwo Pioneer transformer - one for Audio, one formechanism and display. The AC inlet has ferrite rings (ORYGINAL!!!) andthe Lampizator transformer is hidden at the back side. On theleft bottom corner is the CRC filter for lampizator heater supply.
The heater PSUin the corner.
JUST LOOK! Allthe oscons - a whole bunch of them - is a factory job.(blue caps around each DAC) NO NEED TO TWEAK CAPS !!! Bravo Pioneer.Was it a diploma project or something ???
The mechanism -in reality does not differ much from plastic boombox.Very flimsy. It is also hard to get, so beware - get only mint units.Motors are not magnetic brushless, sorry.
I wonder how the1702 would work in NOS mode? Anybody knows howto bypass the legato link digital filters ??? Note another oscon.
Tubes - 6N2P inplace. Dacs are current output type so the conversionI/U is by passive R, chosen by potentiometer test to be 820 Ohms -optimal value. tubes are in SRPP mode.
.
Please note thatI removed the opamps and I also removed their powersupply caps +/- 15 VDC (empty rings on PCB are after caps whichwere very nice elna premium grade. I will recycle them.
In general, themain PCB in stock form is a nice one, similar to thebetter Japanese jobs like in DENON 2560, Nakamichi CD-2P andothers. But it is not from top league like the ESD Sony range or betterKenwoods.
I was so excitedto work on the Pioneer that my hands were shaking ....
In stock formthis player disappointed me a little bit, It is okay, but the sound issmall, unexciting, uninspiring.
The mechanismreads everything very well and very fast.
The front panelergonomics is one of the best in the world. Mybenchmark. All functions are intuitive, easy, even after a couple ofwines and in the dark - you can operate everything VERY EASY.
I am absolutelyin love with that front panel. Especially the dial knobwhich skips the tunes.
Display could belarger but it is quite legible and with dim functionand complete OFF as well.
Afterlampization which is VERY easy and without any need to tweak capsor clock - the sound opened up by a big margin.
I like thePCM1702 but it does not bring me on my knees. I may be alonehere, but this chip is not as good as the player list suggests. It isgood-plus.
I compared itfor a week with PCM58, PCM63 and TDA1541A and I did notfind the 1702 to be superior.
It is very safechoice - it has no weaknesses. No hiss, no noises, nobad sound, etc. But it did not win. It is equalizer with the DACsmentioned above.
The sound isrich, full of details, vocals are natural, bass is deep,space is wide and deep, it is easily category one, but not zero.
The TDA1541 inNOS mode especially - can sleep well.
VERY good playerwhich with lampizator makes top gear, easy to lampize,without special tricks or nasty clicks and pops. Recommended.
Found a Theta DS Pro Generation II digital sound processor in a local thrift. There might be some manuals online on the web somewhere. The DSPro series was one of Theta's highly successful and well regarded benchmark series that many other DAC manufacturers compare themselves.
This catchrequired the longest hunt in my history. Even the rarestplayers on Earth like Grundig 9009, Naim CDS1, Kenwood 7090 and Revox426 took less time to buy. Pioneer took 3 years of automated ebay hunt.
BUT IT'sMINE NOW!
Apart of thesmall dent on the drawer face - it is a bloody definitionof MINT. Museal condition really.
There are tensand tens of Pioneers with their famous 'upside down' CD mechanismscalled stable platter butthey are all alike - using same plastic and flimsy mechanism (far farfar from the good mechanisms like CDM1 or KSS190A) and same Pioneer DAcchips. The chip PD2028A / B sits in almost half of all Pioneers.
Why name 06 ? Nobody knows. There was no 01, 02, 04 or 05. Only 06 andno followers like 07 or 007. They changed their naming convention onlyfor this one player.
Strangely, in USA they called it a CD transport and as such it waslisted in Stereophile. This model looks like an odd one-timer,not a member of a series or something.
What is different about the PD-S06 is that they used for the first timethe Burr Brown dac and a very good one too - PCM1702. Just like inKenwood 7090,Denon 1450arand manymore good players.
I also described another similarPioneer some 4 years ago - my second lampized player ever.
List of other fineplayers using the same DAC ...PCM1702
ACCUPHASEDC-61 12 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASEDP-55 6 x PCM1702 –SM5843AP
ACCUPHASEDP-65 8 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASEDP-65V 8 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASEDP-75 16 x PCM1702
ADCOMGCD-750 4 x PCM1702
ASSEMBLAGEDAC-2 2 x PCM1702
AUDIOLABOR531 2x PCM1702
BOW TECHNOLOGIESZZ-Eight 4 x PCM1702
California AudioLabs CL15 PCM1702
California AudioLabs Icon Mk II 2 x PCM1702
CECTL5100Z 2x PCM1702
CLASSE AUDIOCDP.3 2 xPCM1702
CLASSE AUDIOCDP.5 PCM1702
DENONDCD-201SA 2 x PCM1702
DENONDCD-755AR 2 x PCM1702
DENONDCD-2700 4 x PCM1702-
DENONDCD-2880AR 4 x PCM1702
DENONDCD-3000 4 x PCM1702
DENONDCD-S1 4 x PCM1702
DENONDCD-S10 4 x PCM1702-J
KRELLKAV-250cd 2 x PCM1702
KRELLKAV-300cd 2 x PCM1702
LINNCD12SONDEK 4 x PCM1702
LINN NUMERIC Mk3 PCM1702
MARK LEVINSON No36 4 xPCM1702
MARKLEVINSON No 39 PCM1702
MCINTOSHMDA4000 2 x PCM1702
NAIM AUDIO CDSII 2 x PCM1702
NAIM AUDIOCDX 2 x PCM1702-
NAKAMICHIDAC-41 2 x PCM1702
PARASOUNDC/DP-2000 2 xPCM1702
PRIMARED30.2 4 x PCM1702
PS AUDIODIGILINKII PCM1702
SONIC FRONTIERSANTHEM 2 xPCM1702
SONIC FRONTIERSTransdac 2 xPCM1702
STAX DAC-TALENTBD 4x PCM1702
TEACVRDS-8 4 x PCM1702
TEACVRDS-9 4 x PCM1702
THETA DS PROBASIC III PCM1702
ULTECHHDCD-10 2 x PCM1702
WADIA16 2xPCM1702
WADIA21 4 xPCM1702
WADIA25 4 xPCM1702
WADIA27 PCM1702
WADIA830 4x PCM1702
WADIA850 2x PCM1702
WADIA860 4x PCM1702
Now if THAT IS notelite of players, then what is ?!?
From Burr Brown datasheet:
BiCMOS AdvancedSign Magnitude 20-Bit DIGITAL-TO-ANALOGCONVERTER
FEATURES DESCRIPTION
ULTRA LOW –96dB max THD+N (No External Adjustment Required)
NEAR-IDEAL LOW LEVEL OPERATION
GLITCH-FREE OUTPUT
120dB SNR TYP (A-Weight Method)
INDUSTRY STD SERIAL INPUT FORMAT
FAST (200ns) CURRENT OUTPUT (±1.2mA)
CAPABLE OF 16X OVERSAMPLING
COMPLETE WITH REFERENCE LOW POWER (150mW typ)
49% FPO
ULTRA LOW –96dB max THD+N (No External Adjustment Required)
NEAR-IDEAL LOW LEVEL OPERATION
GLITCH-FREE OUTPUT
120dB SNR TYP (A-Weight Method)
INDUSTRY STD SERIAL INPUT FORMAT
FAST (200ns) CURRENT OUTPUT (±1.2mA)
CAPABLE OF 16X OVERSAMPLING
COMPLETE WITH REFERENCE LOW POWER (150mW typ)
49% FPO
The PCM1702 is aprecision 20-bit digital-to-analog converter withultra-low distortion (–96dB typ with a
full scale output). Incorporated into the PCM1702 is an advanced signmagnitude architecture that eliminates
unwanted glitches and other nonlinearities around bipolar zero. ThePCM1702 also features a very low
noise (120dB typ SNR: A-weighted method) and fast settling currentoutput (200ns typ, 1.2mA step) which
is capable of 16X oversampling rates. Applications include very lowdistortion frequency
synthesis and high-end consumer and professional digital audioapplications.
full scale output). Incorporated into the PCM1702 is an advanced signmagnitude architecture that eliminates
unwanted glitches and other nonlinearities around bipolar zero. ThePCM1702 also features a very low
noise (120dB typ SNR: A-weighted method) and fast settling currentoutput (200ns typ, 1.2mA step) which
is capable of 16X oversampling rates. Applications include very lowdistortion frequency
synthesis and high-end consumer and professional digital audioapplications.
I like the lookof Pioneer players because the thick drawer lookscool. Also ' the turntable' is a cool gimmic, even if I thinkthattechnically it is a bullshit. The turntable is a typical cure toan imaginary disease.
Some othercompanies, including Wadia (630) Audio Alchemy and Theta (Miles) alsoOEMedthis mechanism in cheaper players, but make no mistake - this mechanismis NOT anything solid or highendish.
Also Legato LinkConversion HiBit is a buzzword, without merit.
Nice feature -this player ALREADY HAS the superclock - Kyocera quartzwith own circuit and supply.
Nothing to tweak.
Huge premiumcaps in raw Power Supply - VERY nice thing.
We can see heretwo Pioneer transformer - one for Audio, one formechanism and display. The AC inlet has ferrite rings (ORYGINAL!!!) andthe Lampizator transformer is hidden at the back side. On theleft bottom corner is the CRC filter for lampizator heater supply.
The heater PSUin the corner.
JUST LOOK! Allthe oscons - a whole bunch of them - is a factory job.(blue caps around each DAC) NO NEED TO TWEAK CAPS !!! Bravo Pioneer.Was it a diploma project or something ???
The mechanism -in reality does not differ much from plastic boombox.Very flimsy. It is also hard to get, so beware - get only mint units.Motors are not magnetic brushless, sorry.
I wonder how the1702 would work in NOS mode? Anybody knows howto bypass the legato link digital filters ??? Note another oscon.
Tubes - 6N2P inplace. Dacs are current output type so the conversionI/U is by passive R, chosen by potentiometer test to be 820 Ohms -optimal value. tubes are in SRPP mode.
.
Please note thatI removed the opamps and I also removed their powersupply caps +/- 15 VDC (empty rings on PCB are after caps whichwere very nice elna premium grade. I will recycle them.
In general, themain PCB in stock form is a nice one, similar to thebetter Japanese jobs like in DENON 2560, Nakamichi CD-2P andothers. But it is not from top league like the ESD Sony range or betterKenwoods.
I was so excitedto work on the Pioneer that my hands were shaking ....
THE SOUND ofthe Pioneer PD-S06
In stock formthis player disappointed me a little bit, It is okay, but the sound issmall, unexciting, uninspiring.
The mechanismreads everything very well and very fast.
The front panelergonomics is one of the best in the world. Mybenchmark. All functions are intuitive, easy, even after a couple ofwines and in the dark - you can operate everything VERY EASY.
I am absolutelyin love with that front panel. Especially the dial knobwhich skips the tunes.
Display could belarger but it is quite legible and with dim functionand complete OFF as well.
Afterlampization which is VERY easy and without any need to tweak capsor clock - the sound opened up by a big margin.
I like thePCM1702 but it does not bring me on my knees. I may be alonehere, but this chip is not as good as the player list suggests. It isgood-plus.
I compared itfor a week with PCM58, PCM63 and TDA1541A and I did notfind the 1702 to be superior.
It is very safechoice - it has no weaknesses. No hiss, no noises, nobad sound, etc. But it did not win. It is equalizer with the DACsmentioned above.
The sound isrich, full of details, vocals are natural, bass is deep,space is wide and deep, it is easily category one, but not zero.
The TDA1541 inNOS mode especially - can sleep well.
VERY good playerwhich with lampizator makes top gear, easy to lampize,without special tricks or nasty clicks and pops. Recommended.