Anyone still running or ran one of these in the past?

Thoughts on performance and quality of demodulation?

Thanks

There is only one brand that understands about AC3 Demulators, and that is Pioneer.

The rest....only copies...

I used to have one and I liked it, it's the only one I've owned that had the LD Optimization switch. It has three different positions and each is tuned differently to try to avoid signal errors. It is also auto switching so you can put both the AC-3 RF and digital into it and just have one line going to the receiver. I'd recommend it. I still have my Pioneer RFD-1.

Kurtis:

Thanks.

I am diving in with it. I like the three position switch/optimization.

I picked up a NIB one for a decent price. Let's see if UPS doesn't kill it in transit. I only wish like the Pioneer it had a power switch.

I have not yet seen a Pioneer RFD-1 go for less than $200 on E-bay - when you can find them.

Fortunately the Lexicon is Rack Mountable so that's a plus. Now if Lexicon has the rack ears still... HA.

it is off topic but i think i can get more responces here. forrest gump, apocalypse now and the untouchables Laserdisc are on action at the moment on ebay. the seller claims they are in anamorphic format and there is a print on the back side of the cover that says these movies were enhanced in anamorphic format for higher picture quality. I have never heard of these titles in anamorphic format. misprint? or limited print?

it is off topic but i think i can get more responces here. forrest gump, apocalypse now and the untouchables Laserdisc are on action at the moment on ebay. the seller claims they are in anamorphic format and there is a print on the back side of the cover that says these movies were enhanced in anamorphic format for higher picture quality. I have never heard of these titles in anamorphic format. misprint? or limited print?

Uderman:

Start here:

http://www.lddb.com/search.php?search=forest+gump&sort=title

i know that website but these movies are not listed there. there are about 20-25 anamorphic laserdisc ever printed and about 4 of them are USA prints but never for sale purposes. those 4 were for people who bought toshiba or sony widescreen tvs. these look legit, the seller lists other widescreen titles and only these 3 are anamorphic. if they are legit, they must very very very rare copies(like less than 100 copies for each). i tried to purchase them but the current bid is higher than what i would like to pay for them. i saw back to the future part 2 and 3 muse laserdisc went for $850 each. some collector get a hold of these and wait for the right buyer can get probably as much for these titles.

well, we will see, if rmsmt or cararte replie they never heard of these titles in anamorphic then it will be proven that there must be so few copies, not many people know about them:)

I dont own those particular pressings, but have noted other LD's with anamorphic listing, that are not 16x9/squeezed disc, but just plain 4x3 letter boxed. Anamorphic is just the way the films were photographed. Not 100% technically correct, but many DVDers adopted the term anamorphic for 16x9 enhanced widescreen presentations.

Back to the original topic, I still have an LDD-1 patched into my Lexicon MC-8, and it still sounds great when playing back AC-3 LDs via my CLD-99.

it is off topic but i think i can get more responces here. forrest gump, apocalypse now and the untouchables Laserdisc are on action at the moment on ebay. the seller claims they are in anamorphic format and there is a print on the back side of the cover that says these movies were enhanced in anamorphic format for higher picture quality. I have never heard of these titles in anamorphic format. misprint? or limited print?

I have the complete list of "Squeeze LDs" here:

http://www.mindspring.com/~laserguru/squeeze.html

There were only 4 anamorphic LDs pressed in the US, all from Warner Bros. and given away with purchase of a Toshiba TV.

The titles listed above are all Paramount movies. These are not Squeeze LDs.

As tkmedia2 mentioned, the seller is confused by the text on the back cover, which refers to the photographic process these movies were shot in, not the method they're encoded as on disc.

then too bad the buyer paid $50+ for each one:)

Back to the original topic, I still have an LDD-1 patched into my Lexicon MC-8, and it still sounds great when playing back AC-3 LDs via my CLD-99.

Kucharsk:

Thanks. Mine just arrived today. The power brick is HUGE. Going to make for some interesting connection issues in the rack...

Now to find a CLD-79/99 to mate with...I keep loosing them on E-bay. They command such a premium.

Kucharsk:

Thanks. Mine just arrived today. The power brick is HUGE. Going to make for some interesting connection issues in the rack...

Now to find a CLD-79/99 to mate with...I keep loosing them on E-bay. They command such a premium.

Unless you want the Elite look the CLD-D704 will provide the same picture and I prefer it over the 79 as the 704 using the same Digital audio components as in the 99. The 79 uses the Digital audio components from the lower Pioneer players. The 99 does have the adaptive filter but I found todays TV's do better.

Unless you want the Elite look the CLD-D704 will provide the same picture and I prefer it over the 79 as the 704 using the same Digital audio components as in the 99. The 79 uses the Digital audio components from the lower Pioneer players. The 99 does have the adaptive filter but I found todays TV's do better.

Kurtis:

Thank you. I have read, however, that the 704 does NOT ship well given the lesser internal build quality compared to the 79/99.

Also the 704 does not have the legato link D-A conversion does it?

Still using my Pioneer CLD-704 and Kenwood DEM-9991D RFdemodulator...I like this unit cause you put the AC3 lead and the digital lead into it and it auto switches.

RayJr

Still using my Pioneer CLD-704 and Kenwood DEM-9991D RFdemodulator...I like this unit cause you put the AC3 lead and the digital lead into it and it auto switches.

RayJr

LDD-1 auto switches between two imputs (one coax/TOSLINK) and the other AC3 RF. Outputs to one Coax.

Just connected it in my system. Works wonderfully. Highly recommended. The outboard power brick is a WEE-Bit large (about 2.5/2.5") you will need a wide load type power brick/plug for it though.

Kurtis:

Thank you. I have read, however, that the 704 does NOT ship well given the lesser internal build quality compared to the 79/99.

Also the 704 does not have the legato link D-A conversion does it?

The mechanical assembly in the CLD-59, 604, 504, 505, 605, 406, 606, etc do not ship as well due to the pickup motor holder breaking with hard impact. The mechanical assembly in the 704 can be swapped directly into the 99 and 79. The 703, 704, 79 and 99 all ship equal.

For Legato Link every 704 I have seen has Legato Link but it is unadvertised. Pioneer claimed only the initial 704 run had it but again I have not worked on one without it. Now Legato Link processing is a digital step before the D/A. Personally from an audiophile point of view a quality D/A is far more important that Legato Link processing. 704 and 99 have the same D/A, the 79 is a lesser D/A. If you are worried about the D/A sound then you need to go back to a CLD-95 or the HLD-X9 where quality multi-bit D/A's are used. multi-bit D/A's have a warmer sound and more pleasing over long listening periods.

Again, if you don't need the Elite look the 704 is the best bang for the buck.

is cld-95 much better than cld-97 in terms of sound quality? cld-97 has some decent dacs and a seperate power supply for the audio circuit which makes it superior than cld-703,704,79,99 (hld-x9?) on the other hand cld-95 has multiple dacs with a power supply for the audio circuits. I use the digital coax output of my mld-7020 to my reciever which has multiple dacs of a better kind per ch therefor digital pcm performance does not concern me much however how about the analog tracks? does cld-95 offer better sound quality over cld-97 for analog tracks(or any other LD player?)

does better analog sound reproduction in a LD player mean better ac-3 out as well( as a raw fm modulated output before the rf demodulator)?

where does hld-x0 stand in terms of sound quality? both analog and digital?

is cld-95 much better than cld-97 in terms of sound quality? cld-97 has some decent dacs and a seperate power supply for the audio circuit which makes it superior than cld-703,704,79,99 (hld-x9?) on the other hand cld-95 has multiple dacs with a power supply for the audio circuits. I use the digital coax output of my mld-7020 to my reciever which has multiple dacs of a better kind per ch therefor digital pcm performance does not concern me much however how about the analog tracks? does cld-95 offer better sound quality over cld-97 for analog tracks(or any other LD player?)

does better analog sound reproduction in a LD player mean better ac-3 out as well( as a raw fm modulated output before the rf demodulator)?

where does hld-x0 stand in terms of sound quality? both analog and digital?

All the players analog sound uses the same components, only advantage of the 95, 97, & X9 is the separate power supplies. They are equal. AC-3 RF should be the same from all these as the demodulator re-clocks the output or any good one should.

If you have the MLD-7020 you are set fine since it is a CLD-97 with a McIntosh front. The CLD-97 is my favorite player.

...

If you have the MLD-7020 you are set fine since it is a CLD-97 with a McIntosh front. The CLD-97 is my favorite player.

And the MLD-7020 has a stanard AC3 output right? the CLD-97 does NOT.

not all of them but most do have ac-3 out. again not all but most do have digital noise reduction switch(on/off) and there are 2 finish options gold and silver(gold being more rare).

And the MLD-7020 has a stanard AC3 output right? the CLD-97 does NOT.

I have seen both , just depends on when it was made. Also as noted some do and some don't have the DNR ON/OFF selection on the front. That is important as it is not on the remote of the 7020 or 97. I once modified a 7020 to change the random button to the DNR selection button.

DNR on the MLD-7020 (CLD-97) is so subtle and when its on it washes off detail more than grain. I prefer it off but its default to ON so everytime I put in a new disc I have to manually turn it off. AC-3 out from factory was the reason why I went with the McIntosh unit(also the looks). I read somewhere that the superior audio section design in CLD97 over CLD99 was the reason why McIntosh chose 97 for their first and only LD player.

MLD-7020 + Lexicon LDD-1 is a nice combo

I dont listen to AC-3 tracks but I want to buy a RF demodulator eventually anyway. Lexicon LDD-1 is at the top of my list then Pioneer RFD1. I really would like a mcintosh unit to match up with my ld player but never seen any for sale for a year, those must be very rare.

DNR on the MLD-7020 (CLD-97) is so subtle and when its on it washes off detail more than grain. I prefer it off but its default to ON so everytime I put in a new disc I have to manually turn it off. AC-3 out from factory was the reason why I went with the McIntosh unit(also the looks). I read somewhere that the superior audio section design in CLD97 over CLD99 was the reason why McIntosh chose 97 for their first and only LD player.

I actually modify the DNR is the actual function is reversed. Starts with DNR "OFF". Only problem is that I do it after the control IC so the on-screen display says DNR ON when it is really OFF. I hated you had to wait for the LD to start playing before you could turn it OFF.

The reason as talked about before the 97 Audio is better is the separate power supplies and then the supplies have a lot more beef to them also. The decoding components are the same between the 99 and 97 but anything to do with power is superior in the 97.

Back to the original topic, I still have an LDD-1 patched into my Lexicon MC-8, and it still sounds great when playing back AC-3 LDs via my CLD-99.

I wish I could find one for my CD-99. Have tried everything but just can't locate one. I still enjoy popping in a disc and watching. Just watched Criterion's Last Picture Show a few weeks ago and still liked the way it looked.

I wish I could find one for my CD-99. Have tried everything but just can't locate one. I still enjoy popping in a disc and watching. Just watched Criterion's Last Picture Show a few weeks ago and still liked the way it looked.

They and the other models from other vendors pop up on E-Bay every month. Just be patient and diligently search every week.

Is there any sound quality advantage to this demodulator over a Pioneer RFD-1? I like the fact it is rack ready.

Is there any sound quality advantage to this demodulator over a Pioneer RFD-1? I like the fact it is rack ready.

Ax:

It is NOT really rack ready. The RACK EARS are NOT in the box. My requests to Lexicon parts resulted in a we don't stock that anymore - good luck in life - response.

I am looking for a set of rack ears myself for my new Middle Atlantic setup but can't find any. I guess I have to go to a custom shop for same.

The decoding is excellent. I can tell you that it is as good as the RF demodulator built into my Pioneer SC-09TX flagship receiver (a 2008 build). The Pioneer does report the source as slightly differently encoded from the LDD-1 when connected but the sound is superb from either my LD direct to the SC-09TX or through the LDD-1 set on Standard using a Pioneer CLD-79 source component.

If you find any extra rack ears and don't need them I would love to buy them off of you or anyone with them not using them. I would also buy another LDD-1 in a heartbeat.

How hard would they be to make?
Seems pretty straight forward.

RayJr

How hard would they be to make?
Seems pretty straight forward.

RayJr

Ray:

If you feel inclined. I can get you the specs. I have no clue how to do it but would be happy to pay someone to do it for me and to buy the appropriate parts. PM me if you are in for this one.

I will see if I can get some specs from Lexicon. Maybe someone else on the forum can use those too. Given its 1" or so height it should be a piece of cake for those with the tools.

IMHO one of the nicer things about the LDD-1 is its trigger input; I've got it wired to my MC-8 so it only turns on for the LD input.