TRL Marantz Sa-14



After speaking to Paul at TRL I am very curious to hear from those who own this unit what improvements do you hear with the player before and after the mod.

The SA-14 sounds weak in the bass and has no dynamics in comparison to some players like the Sony Scd-1 in stock form. Has anyone compared the TRL Sa-14 to the Sony Scd-1?
la45
Hi Jack
Sure did! I can't believe these updates were free. :-)
As good as the original TRL SA-14 was, and it was good - I've noticed: the dynamics are really slamin'.  It seems easier to hear the dynamic contrasts and subtle differences within them.  Voices (midrange) surely are more fleshed out as well.  No harshness, glare, or sizzle in the sound. Also, Bass seems to be more easily defined, both in pitch and in timbre.  Noise floor - NONE. All of this comes from a pure black background.  I say pure black because the system is as quiet when playing (and the music is silent) as it is when I turn everything off.  I have to look up to see if I have everything on.  :-)  
Images within the stage seem to be more easily defined, and pin point acurate too. All of this is being said with only 24 hours on the machine.  I'm looking forward to hearing it as it continues to break in.
I'd like to hear some "mega buck machines", just to give myself a better frame of reference. But, I honestly can't immagine better sound coming from a player. I'm very pleased and impressed.

I know I'm biased but, the guys at TRL really make me feel like I'M their only customer. That says alot about the way they treat their customers. Believe me - I'm probably their smallest customer, but i certainly don't feel that way.

Paul
Oldpet (Paul): They make us all feel that way. I'm now enjoying their new ST-225 amp along with the SA-14 ...

If you like the sound of the SA-14 with the latest updates, you'll thoroughly enjoy their amp. It definitely has the TRL sound. (Dynamics, black back ground, tight focus, incrdible detail, wide deep stage, full rich sound)

Back to the music!

Jack
Have to agree on the new TRL ST-225 integrated amp.
Nice amp. Heard it yesterday for a few hours with some Aerial 7B's.
Very natural and detailed sound.
Hi Jack
Wow! Paul said he is really impressed with the ST-225. Did you buy it or are you borrowing it? I understand that there is quite a waiting list. Keep us informed as you continue to listen to the ST-225.

paul
Oldpet: I bought the third ST-225 to leave the shop. Brian let me borrow the proto-type for a week after hearing it in his system. I called them the next day to set up/confirm my order.

I have around 500 hours on the integrated now and yes, it went through the break in similar to how their player mods do ... they improve along the entire break in period.

There is incredible synergy in my system with the Magicos, the SA-14 and FIM Gold cabling. I plan on spooling a reel master later tonight, just to see how it does with TRUE analog.

I should probably stop here and just write a review for the amp.

Best,

Jack