Vitrue Audio M1 Piano CD player needs repair. Worth it?

gdphoto

I have a Vitrue Audio M1 Piano CD player which I bought 10 years ago and paid $700.00. It always sounded great. Recently there is no sound coming out of it. Actually I do get a very, almost unauditable sound from it. I tried it on a different system and it didn't work there either. I cleaned the lens and that also didn't do anything. I cannot seem to find Virtue Audio anywhere, only a chat room. I called a couple local repair shops, but they were not interested in looking at it. Does anyone know how to reach Virtue Audio? They were in Tuson AZ. Is it not worth repairing? Thanks for reading!

F1nut

They went out of business some years back. The only thing I can suggest is to keep looking for a tech willing to look at it, which apparently would require you shipping it somewhere.

F1nut

The CD mech (transport) is a Samsung. The chip is the TDA 1543, so he got that right.
Here is a pic of the guts.

Emlyn

Do either of the digital outputs work?

nooshinjohn

Time to upgrade to a Yamaha CD-s2100

SIHAB

Time to upgrade to a Yamaha CD-s3000.

Did you pop the top? Anything look burnt or exploded?

F1nut

The M1 got some pretty good reviews and it looks great. I understand one was able to custom order the exterior appearance.
Here's one example.


I think it's worth finding out if it can be repaired.

engie490

The other thing you can do is check to make sure the disc is spinning up and being read.

F1nut

This Teac is about the same A4 chassis size and sounds very good.

gdphoto

Thanks for all of the responses. I didn't see any evidence of caps going bad. I am not a Tech so I can only do so much.

treitz3

PM sent.

Tom

Emlyn

If it powers up, the disc spins, but there's neither analog or digital output it's likely the laser reader's gone bad. It's not uncommon after a decade of use. DAC chips and other electronic bits very rarely go bad after just a few years and I understand the M1 was somewhat proprietary so may be difficult to fix for a reasonable cost if anyone can diagnose and find parts.

F1nut

The M1 uses a Samsung transport.

gdphoto

I do not have a way to test the digital outputs.

SIHAB

That's a cool piece. I'd repair/upgrade it.
I'm old school grey beard though...

Find a friend with a DAC.

gdphoto

I spoke the the repair guy that Tom recommended and explained my issue. He said that is sounds like the DAC has gone bad. After a quick look up he said "Based on my reading the other day the DAC is a Philips TDA series". The CD mech. might be sony. He then said that it is a very good DAC and is used in a lot of high end CD players. If he is correct it would cost $350.00 to replace the DAC. I figure with 2 way shipping it will be $400.00. I just ordered on Amazon a cheap DAC with both input & output RCA's. If this works I'm guessing it proves the Tech is right and I'll go ahead and send it to him. Any thought's? Also, can I hook it up with RCA cables, or do I need to use the digital output?

treitz3

You would need to use the digital output. The RCA outputs are already analog and have gone through the DAC within the unit.

Tom

gdphoto

Thanks, Tom That's what I figured. Gary

treitz3

Does that unit have a coaxial out?

Tom

gdphoto

Is it possible I could replace the DAC chip myself, assuming the DAC is the problem? Although I am not a Tech, I can use a soldering iron. I replaced all of the caps in my amp & preamp and they didn't blow up and still sound great 12 years later. Also, if the answer is yes, is there a better chip I could/should use?

P.S. I see I can buy the TDA 1543 with shipping for around $20.00.

pitdogg2

How is your "fine" soldering skills? Some dac chips can have many many fine as hair fingers to solder. That can be MUCH different than dropping a blob on a solder pad for a cap. I do not know what your dac chip looks like it could be like the old ladder dacs and very easy if you find the right one.

treitz3

Well, that depends. Is the chip surface mounted, plugged in or soldered in?

Also, do you know for certain if it is the DAC chip or other parts within the DAC itself?

If not, you may be repairing something that won't solve the issue.

Also, do you have a coaxial out on that unit?

Tom

gdphoto

I do have a coaxial out on the unit. I also ordered a tube DAC with a coaxial input, it also has Blue Tooth which I have been thinking of getting so the kids can play their phone on it. The thinking is, if it works using the coaxial hookup then it is the chip that's bad. As far as your first question goes, I haven't looked inside yet to see where it is, or how it's mounted. I won't attempt this if all of the stars don't line up.

gdphoto

Here's the unit I ordered from Amazon. I know it probably won't be great, but it will be useful for testing purposes. I also ordered the coaxial cable.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MLPC8X3/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Emlyn

If you can get a digital signal out to it you may prefer the sound of the tube DAC. The TDA 1543 is apparently an old an inexpensive DAC chip. Hope it works for you.

The M1 appears to have a good power supply in it and nice casework considering the original price of the player.

engie490

Agree with @pitdogg2 on trying to solder the dac. Also, lots of counterfeit Philips TDA chips are out there. Not sure where to point you for a part you can trust.

Looking at the DAC you ordered, I'm sure that those tubes are just a buffer and probably impart little effect on the sound. I'm not sure that DAC will be a worthwhile investment since it is also an amp. I would expect it to be comparatively noisy.

Recommend looking for something that is just a DAC. I would look at Topping or SMSL at that price point.

gdphoto

Just canceled the DAC I ordered and bought the Topping E30 II.

gdphoto

I received the Topping DAC today. Hooked it up using the coaxil RCA output and it's working fine. Thank you everyone for all of the advise.