Pioneer PD-59/PD-65 as Transport.Mods ??


Do any of you know of the Pioneer PD-59 or PD-65 being used as a transport to feed an outboard DAC?...and with that, of any modifications to do any of the following...detatchable power cord, upgraded coax out/internal wire, disconnecting the audio section and/or the toslink out. Seems that this is the basic transport that Wadia and others have used that should be able to be modified into an excellent low priced transport. Thanks
whatjd
I currently have a PD-65 feeding through a Genesis Lens and into a Classe' SSP-50 (DAC/PRE) via Illuminations D60. The only mods I've done were an ac line balancer (Cinepro PowerPro30) and a set of Symposium Rollerblocks. I couldn't be happier with the system. The PowerPro made a small difference (my entire front end is plugged into it) and the RollerBlocks made a more noticeable improvement. I've thought about hardwiring a Synergistics Master Coupler to the transport which would be far better than making it detachable but the transport sounds so great now, I don't think its worth my time or money. The RollerBlocks, to my surprise, made a larger improvement in my system than any powercord (Synergistics Ref. M.C. and standard Master Coupler on Lens, pre, and amps). The PD-65 is a phenomenal transport at any price. I tried it as a joke when I was setting up my "ultimate sound system" but found I liked it better than the other <$3K transports I was looking at. Give the Rollerblocks a shot and if you make any other modifications that make a noticeable improvement, let us know. Good luck.
I have made the following modifications to my PD65: changed cheap RCA connector with a better one. added another transformer for seperate +5V. Increased power supply capacitance for all voltages. Added EMI filter. Shorten clock wire. Added dampening materail to chassis. Changed diodes. Added a much of bypass caps. changed 75 Ohm resistor to higher quality. The PD 65 is used a transport with a Genesis Digital Lens. RW
Thanks Argonaut and Sfstereo for your replies. I am not found of the sound of cheap DVD players as transports. I am currently using a Bel Canto DAC-1 and have tried various transports of both the DVD and 16/44 CD type...and much prefer the CD 16/44 transports for the current format. The Pioneer 59 and 63 seem to be great candidates for modifications to improve their performance as a transport. I have been unsure of any differences in 1 vs. 3 beam lasers in CD players ...I believe the Pioneers are 3. I do know that I have never had any transport/cd player (inc. Levinson 39, ARC CD-2..etc) that were as much improved by the sanding of the edges of the cd disk and the use of the green Stoplightstuff...perhaps it is the 3 beam laser...? I currently have a PD-59 that I am about to start to modify...any and allsuggestions and thoughts are of interest.
The Pioneer PD 59 and PD 65 are great as transports. The best modifier of them is Musical Concepts in Missouri. He's one of the best modifiers.
Thanks Twilo. Do you have a web address, a mailing address or a phone # for Musican Concepts? Also, do you have the contact persons name? Thanks