Is it possible to transform the EMM CDSA SE?

Pubul5"... it is a sad component that needs that much work to sound SOTA ..."

With all due respect, if this were true there would have been no need for EMM to bring out the X upgrade and then the XDS1. Those who are not in the market for these expensive versions have 2 choices: leave the SE as is, or try to improve it. I chose the latter route and have had great success. The sound that now comes out my speakers does not even resemble the sound out of the box. It has been more than worth the money and the effort. With the added advantage that if I replace any components in future, the money I would have spent on trading and upgrading will not be lost through resale. The system improvements will be there for the next components.

Sabai,

I have an Oyaide non filtered iec replacing the filtered iec on the EMM. That did improve dynamics slightly. And of course power conditioning & cords help. But the generation after EMM products did not sound to my liking. Then this latest generation is reputed to be much better (from what I have heard in unfamiliar systems) and probably is. On a different note: the new EMMs use a discrete output stage which is an improvement we can not obtain via mods etc. The signature of the EMM is as much due to its output stage as to the D/A stage. If I remember correctly they are using op amps inside which from my experience usually have a little less than absolute resolution compared to op amps. Usually with an upside of extreme musicality. At this level the EMM changes is like changing phono cartridges. Different flavors.

The Prism Orpheus is a professional studio DAC which is excellent but a step down in the bass from the EMM.

The latest EMM has digital inputs which make it much more appealing but at the price you can have the CDSAse and a stand alone DAC so I went that way.

Dgad,

"But the generation after EMM products did not sound to my liking."

Do you mean the X upgrade and the XDS1 were not to your liking? If so, what did you not like? I have not heard them.

"On a different note: the new EMMs use a discrete output stage which is an improvement we can not obtain via mods etc."

What does this do to the sonics?

Sabai, are you suggesting that you found a different way of making a CDSA like the XDS1, different than the approach EMM Labs took? If you have managed to do that, I would say that is quite can accomplishment.

What are the various tweaks you have discovered and what problem do you believe they are address?

Pubul57, I have never heard the XDS1 so I cannot make a direct comparison. What I can do is describe my experience with the EMM CDSA SE. It had relatively flat sound out of the box but it now has an incredibly detailed 3D sound stage -- beyond the width of the speakers and with a lot of layered depth and very fine resolution of both instruments and vocals for all types of music. Tone is beautiful and all harshness is gone from the upper frequencies. I have a lot of accessories and tweaks in my system, with more to come. If you'd care to PM me I will be glad to go into greater detail. For some reason, my postings on the thread are limited to 750 characters.