I basically feel the same( as Arthur and Rushbattle)..I thought the JD was a very open player in my system (at the time)..I will also add that the player is very responsive to tube rolling. The Chinese tubes provide decent drive, but seem to be responsible for what I thought was a rather "splashy" top end, (at least in my set up) NOS types such as RCA, Raytheon,GE's 5751's with their lower gain seemed to limit the dynamics and made a more closed in soundstage IMO. I dont think any amount of tube rolling is going to drastically change the player into a top performer though.
Power cords too have a definate effect upon the player. I tried cords from VH Audio's Flav 4 to Electraglide's Epiphany ( some would concider overkill)..All changed the character of the sound as would be expected.
FWIW..a good audio buddy and I were able to compare my stock JD with a Level 2 (Parts Connection) player side by side..The jest of it was that while the modded player had the better bass and lower noise, as well as a more forward presentation......the stock player with EH 12AX7 provided the warmth and texture that makes this player as good as it is at its price point.(at least at its used going price)
I owned a Rega Apollo and then NAD 542 after the JD. While I felt the Rega to be a bit better than the JD in terms of noise floor and overall smoothness, It was more of a lateral move than a real sonic upgrade IMO.
Like Aball..I landed upon the new AA Prima and haven't looked back. It's more than 2X the price but truly is a leap in sonics above the JD in every regard.
If I still owned the JD...This is a tube I would try. I like them in my Jolida amp very much!
http://www.thetubestore.com/tungsol12ax7g.html
Ken
Power cords too have a definate effect upon the player. I tried cords from VH Audio's Flav 4 to Electraglide's Epiphany ( some would concider overkill)..All changed the character of the sound as would be expected.
FWIW..a good audio buddy and I were able to compare my stock JD with a Level 2 (Parts Connection) player side by side..The jest of it was that while the modded player had the better bass and lower noise, as well as a more forward presentation......the stock player with EH 12AX7 provided the warmth and texture that makes this player as good as it is at its price point.(at least at its used going price)
I owned a Rega Apollo and then NAD 542 after the JD. While I felt the Rega to be a bit better than the JD in terms of noise floor and overall smoothness, It was more of a lateral move than a real sonic upgrade IMO.
Like Aball..I landed upon the new AA Prima and haven't looked back. It's more than 2X the price but truly is a leap in sonics above the JD in every regard.
If I still owned the JD...This is a tube I would try. I like them in my Jolida amp very much!
http://www.thetubestore.com/tungsol12ax7g.html
Ken