You Wanna Hear The Secret? This DVD Player Plays CD Audio Flawlessly

Somehow, as an audiophile, my satisfaction is when setting up the equipment for cheap but the result are beyond expectation. This phenomenal is first came on late 90's when the retail electronic store in the United States sell the in-house brand portable CD player, the Radio Shack CD-3400, resulting this cheap portable CD player (actually it is sold at US$ 179 at that time) play CD audio in very good sound quality.

I don't have one but after that phenomenon, is there any others audio components that have high quality audio while they are actually sells as a general consumer product?

Let's find out.

Before I jump to this topic, let me brief a little bit about the Sony Playstation SCPH-1001 story.

As a CD player, you may know from my previous post that I really like this Sony Playstation as a CD player. The sound is very good. It has a smooth mid-range and has amazing three dimensional sound-stage. This Sony Playstation is also become a worship CD player among underground audiophile, un-published until it is review by 6moons and stereophile. It sound just like US$6000 CD player alone.

Please don't get mad after you read this, it is true indeed.

Since then, I did check many audio sources that could give best audio possible with the price tag that everyone can bear.

Another story is the CD player that use by Goldmund is actually taken from Pioneer DV-373S. Although some reviewer give positive feedback about this player, unfortunately it doesn't meet my expectation as a good sounding CD player.

Letter on I try this LG DVD player that I bought around 5 years ago. It cost for around US$40 for a brand new unit. It is used to playing my daughter favorite DVD: Dora The Explorer for years until she is now grown up and now she can navigate her own favorite channel on Youtube.

This is LG DV-440, a consumer DVD player that can play the CD audio flawlessly.

It is not a joke, it is not an April fool. The story of it just started last week when I swap my audio sources with it and surprisingly the sound quality is good.

My CD player reference is the Sony Playstation SCPH-1001. Surprisingly, this LG DV-440 have the same characteristic as the Sony Playstation sound quality. It is smooth and quiet background. I should listening again and again to make sure what I am experienced.

Perhaps if you don't familiar with the sound of the Sony Playstation, this is the quote from Stereophile that exactly describes how the sound is:

"The PS1's sound was unique in a number of ways. First, its frequency response was just a bit down at both frequency extremes, yet its slightly diminished bass content and rolled-off treble were apparent only in direct comparison with other players. While I can't imagine that the audio-only performance of such a product would have been tweaked so carefully, the end impression was of a cannily tailored frequency range—that, and an exceptionally smooth sound, with no edginess or artificial grain whatsoever."

"Second, and despite the relative lack of treble extension, the PS1's midrange was remarkably clean, present, and tactile. On Tony Williamson's "Boatman," from Still Light of the Evening (CD, Mapleshade 08952), the guitar fills and G-runs were notably more audible, more nuanced, and more impactful through the PS1 than through Sony's own SCD-777ES SACD/CD player. Amazing."

Well, it is an amazing CD player. But you know now the bass from Playstation is weak and the treble extension are rolled-off. That is true for the Sony Playstation, same as I felt when playing my favorite CD's on my audio equipment, but not for this DV-440.

Let me quote this LG DV-440 here:

"This LG DV-440 have the same characteristic sound just like the Playstation. The plus points you will immediate notice are the treble are wide open and the bass are pronounce louder. You may complaint about the weak output of the Sony Playstation but not for this LG DV-440. With this player you doesn't have to crank your volume all way up to make it sing louder."

Then time goes fast, I have already spent three CD's on my first listening session with this player. I was blew by the sound of this LG DV-440.

But the more I listen to it, there is nothing perfect. The downside of this LG DV-440 is you harsh treble especially when playing the music with a lot of hit-hats. I think I should do some components upgrade in this LG DV-440. Maybe it may help a little bit.

It only took a few minutes to disable this LG DVD player.

Clearly, this is a cheap DVD player that put everything in one single board.

The main-board are handle everything, from the digital to analog, motor disc driver, display and video codex. There is no popular DAC in there and even all the capacitors are from Korean company. That would be the first victim of the harsh treble sound.

The others things is the power supply playing role for a good sound quality and SMPS certainly not. And this LG DV-440 using SMPS for sure.

I make this upgrade efficient and fast.

I carefully look to the PCB trace, focusing to the signal output near the output op-amp and power supply filtering capacitor around the power socket.

In total, I only change 7 capacitors.  The 4 Elna Silmic II capacitors are placed at the line output and the 3 Elna Cerafine capacitors at the power filter. A Sanyo Os-con capacitor is placed at the 5 volt digital supply.

All of the capacitors value changed are the same as the original.

The capacitors upgrade is all done now.

This is the LG DVD Player DV-440 after the components upgrade.

Once I connect to my amplifier, I notice a huge improvement on the overall sound quality. The bass are now pronounce better, the smooth mid-range with more realistic three dimensional sound-stage and open wide treble. I am now listening to this player more often I really like the sound from this player, it is cheap, small upgrade, and sound good.

After quite some time, I certainly going back to my first question which is this LG DVD player can compete with the Sony Playstation SCPH-1001?

For sure I cannot say about it yet. The more I listen to this LG DV-440, the more time I need to conclude that this is better then the Sony Playstation.

But overall, this LG DV-440 is a good player for playing CD audio.

Disclaimer: Any statement and photos in this article are not allowed to copy or publish without written permission from the writer. Any injury or loss from following tips in this article is not under writer responsibility.