Open soundstage, Great price, ability to tweak

none at this price range

This is a great deal! I was using a JVC-GD723 DVD as a CD player. The difference between the soundstage and transient response is tremendous. I added the Siemans uprgrade tubes. It is important to have at least a 10 - 20 hour break in period. As most people at this site, when I first turned this unit on, it sounded weak and tight. After a week (I left it on for 7 days straight), it began to open up. I feel this is a great value for a relativly low priced player. The ability to play CD-R and CD-RW is a bonus! I have it hooked up to my Krell HTS/2 and run it through the analog bypass. I also purchased the Nordost Blue Heaven cables (pre burned in). Kevin is great to work with. He even called and left a message when the unit shipped. I have never had that happen before.
This is a great deal for the money and a great place to work with.

Equipment:

Krell HTS/2
Krell KAV-250a (L/R)
Krell KAV-250a3 (C/SR)
Krell KAV-150a (this drives my custom built Sub (Titanic 1200))
Purist Audio Design Balanced Cables
Ausio Scale Richter Sub Crossover
JVC GD723 DVD
Atlantic Technology 350THX speakers

No weaknesses for such a small price

The AH! Njoe Tjoeb 4000,which I`m going to revieuw here,has been part of our systeem for about three months.
The system also includes a conrad johnson PV 12 tubepreamplifier,with Telefunken ECC 82 NOS tubes inside and a Transparent Super powercable.
The poweramplifiers,which also have a Transparent Super powercable,are AW 180 mono`s from Electrocompaniet.
And the Loudspeakers are Vienna Acoustic 3.2 from Beethoven.
The cabling also includes Transparent Ultra interlinks and Transparent Super loudspeakercables.
My wife and I decided to go for the Njoe Tjoeb 4000 because of the analogue soundqality,which is something we haven`t come across before in the same price range.
We hadn`t been at all interested in digital equipment until we heard the AH!Njoe Tjoeb 4000.
After I installed the player in our system at home,we gave it half an our to warm upbefore we started to see how it would perform.
The sound was brilliant,but the low frequence production wasn`t nearly as impressive,which proves again that all new equipment,including the Njoe Tjoeb 4000,needs a certain amount of time to run in.
So I set the player to repeat and didn`t start "seriously"
listening until a week later.
And it was truly a revelation.
The sound now had everything that I had discovered in Dé Hifiwinkel:powerfull,analoque,smooth,dynamic and the bassproduction was also much better than it had been a week earlier.
It was now time to carry out some more modifications.
First of all I swapped the standard Philips ECC88 tubes for some Siemens E288CC SQ tubes which are very rare but wellknown for their excellent soundquality.
Next it was the turn of the standard netcable,I swapped this for a much better Transparent R.P.L. powercable.
Even though the Siemens tubes hadn`t completely warmed up,the sound was truly fantastic,far beyond our expectations.
The hihgfrequence production was much cleaner and smoother and especially it`s midrange area,something tubes can do very well, had won a couple of classes into it.
The bassreproduction was also much better.
The whole system had a certain lightness which you couldn`t
fail to notice.
After aother week in use it was working perfectly,and it was clear that the AH!Njoe Tjoeb 4000 was fully warmed up
(you`ve really got to take the time for this).
This is an amazing cd player for a reasonoble price,and it`s digital without the usual disadvantages.
I recommend that everyone who wants to buy a new cd player listen to the AH!Njoe Tjoeb 4000 (and don`t hesitate to compare it to a much more expensive player) and they`re sure to be convinced.
I Highly recommend it .
Also for more expensive high-end systems.

Similar Products Used:

Several players up to 2000 U.S.dollars

Soundstaging, tone, sense of space, quality full body sound, very LP like, true giant killer at this price.

Flimsy cabinet

Aloha,

System:
Njoe Tjeob 4000 (stock tubes, Tjeob Sjoes)
Audio Refinement Complete int amp
Meadowlark Kestrel Hot Rods
DH Labs T-14 & BL-1 series II cables


My goal in developing this system has been to find affordable components that do a good job of finding commonground between detail and musicality. A balance between head (detail) and heart (emotion). The Njoe Tjeob 4000 passes the test with flying colors!

Owned the Tjeob '99 for 7 months, enjoyed it, but wanted a touch more detail and resolution. Tried the Audio Refinement Complete CDP, was impressed, but ultimately its light bass was not to my liking. Enter the Tjeob 4000. Make no mistake, this unit is not just a re-issue of the '99. It's clear that Herman and the gang at Ah! put a lot of time and effort into raising their player to a new level.

To my ears, resolution and detail are better than the '99. The bloated bass of the '99 is cured while maintaining a very nice and full low end. The soundstage is also more spacious than the '99, both side to side and front to back. The 4000's transport is more smooth than the '99 and on the over-all feels more solid mechanicly. Looks are slightly improved, but it still looks like a cheap Marantz player, no getting around that, yet the insides are all top notch.

As I type this review "Doc & Dawg" is playing. Nice space between the players yet maintains a cohesiveness. It sounds so real, as if they duo are sitting in the living room playing before my eyes/ears! On "Nickel Creek" the harmonies are heart warming while still maintaining excellent space between the players. On "Ulalena" the soundstage is huge with every nuance of the complex music accurately presented. You feel the dynamics and emotion of Rebecca Pidgeon's rendition of "Spanish Harlem" presented to a high level of realism. I could go on and on, I'm very pleased and impressed.

In short, this is an excellent player, just what I was looking for. Looking forward to doing some tube rolling which is quite easy given they include the torx screwdriver with the unit. I have virtually zero technical skills and if I can roll tubes that means anyone can! As easy as changing a light bulb.

Kevin Deal and Upscale Audio are a pleasure to deal with. Had a warranty issue with my '99 and Upscale provided service beyond my expectations, doing more than was required of them. The 4000 arrived *triple* boxed, two boxes surrounded by peanuts and placed in another outer box. Excellent packing job. A highly recommended dealer. Fair, honest, laid back and nice folks. I suggest calling Upscale rather than relying on email, success is starting to eat into their online time ;^) Also, don't hesitate to email Herman at Ah! with questions, he's very helpful and answers emails promptly.

Tell yer ma, tell yer pa, to get the player from Ah! (sorry :)

Peace, Love and Boogie,
John

Music used in review:
"Doc & Dawg" David Grisman and Doc Watson
"Echoes of Brazil" Badi Assad
"Nickel Creek" Nickel Creek
"The Guitar Trio" Lucia, DiMeola, McLaughlin
"Sailing to Philadelphia" Mark Knopfler
"Soundtrack to Ulalena" (huge soundstage)
"A Decade of Steely Dan"
"The Raven" Rebecca Pidgeon
"Planet Drum" Mickey Hart

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha CDC-665, Audio Refinenement CD Complete

best cdp I have ever heard,large soundstage,articulate,very detailed,airy,dynamic threw the whole spectrum and luiquid smooth.

None yet,except the remote should have a turn on button-very minor,other than that the remote is very nice.

The reviews are true,this player is just incredable.This cdp is the biggest performance upgrade I have had.I have had this only for a day and a half.Once it gets broken in I will review again.Exellent service,packaging and instructions.You can trust Upscale Audio,I do.No I dont work for them,They got good service and you just know by the way the whole process went down.They should be commended for offering us this kind of deal. I love this cdp. A real deal,I can`t say enough.

Similar Products Used:

Sony-lower end,Pioneer-upper end

Detail, smooth, great buy, fun to change tubes.

lacks snob appeal

This is one incredible cd player, it was not going in my main system but it sounds so good it is there now,went with the tube upgrade(Siemen 7308 tubes) and the feet. All the main weakness of the 99 have been addressed, the music is very involving. If you can get one don't listen to it for the first couple of days just let it play, then after a week sit back and enjoy. This player truly sounds high-end and will not disappoint.

Similar Products Used:

Ah 99, Cal lab Icon Mk II, Rotel RCD 950, Marantz 65se

Clean and clear sound; no jitter, warmth, soundstage is impressive

Had to wait for it, but it was worth it. But hey, that was mostly my own fault. Reasons to follow.

After a lot of pacing the floor on which kind of CD player I should buy, I finally decided on the Ah! And let me say that I'm glad I did. This is one impressive little audiophile unit that plays CDs like they sound fresh from the recording studio.

I had a Panasonic DVD player that I loved. The unit had upgraded "AA" circuits inside, which brought life out of my CDs, including poor sounding ones like Heart's self-titled, "Heart." I was throughly impressed by the sound quality, until the unit to died on me. It was only two years-old.

I searched the Internet for nearly a month to find a replacement player. None of the DVD players I found could replicate the Panasonic's playback. So, I decided I would have to buy a separate CD player. I didn't really want to do this. More money; the wife's evil glare.

While searching the Internet for a player, Upscale Audio came up on my search engine. I called Kevin Deal there and at the last minute decided I'd buy some speakers from him. I'd still work on getting a DVD/CD player combo. But the speakers were near to my sound preference, but not quite near enough. So I returned them and ordered the Ah! Well, after much more mental diliberation, I decided to cancel the order at the last minute. After more deliberation on my part, I asked Kevin to renew my order. He was a total gentleman and said no problem. Bottom line, I'd have to settle for a mediocre DVD player and an excellent CD player, the Ah!

The Ah! is a nice player. The sound is wonderful and warm. Vocals are as clear as day. I'm hearing instruments that I didn't hear before on my CDs. After the burn-in time on the tubes, the sound really does open up. Even on the first day I had the unit, CDs sounded great!

As for the "tweeking" of the unit, this is easier than I thought it would be. A few twist of the Torx, open the unit, and walla, you're done installing the tubes.

Lastly, I'd like to put in a plug for Kevin at Upscale Audio. He's totally helpful and knowlegable. His service is first-class and he's willing to go the extra mile for his customers. Try finding that kind of service at The Good Guys or Circuit City-you won't. Kevin, thanks.

My "audiophile" system includes:

Yamaha HT-5250 A/V Receiver
Ah! Tjobe
Sony DVP-NS400D
Bose Am 3 (they're old, they're crappy, I'm working on getting completly new speakers)
Monster Cable everywhere
Phillips 765 CD Recorder

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic A-310 DVD player, Technics carousel changer

remarkable soundstage, imaging and definition, largely uncolored-very accurate, one the few listenale digital sources I've come across, good price/performance ratio

less than extraordinary build quality

I'd been thinking for a while about getting into a decent sounding CD player and after hearing a fair amount about the previous Ah Tjoeb players and getting recommendations from two friends whose opinions on music and gear I respect greatly, I decided to upgrade to this unit from my Parasound player.

First the good news. The sound is remarkable. I never imagined I would actually choose to listen to a CD over an LP(and in most cases, still wouldn't), but in the event that an LP is not available(more and more the case), or in the instance that an analog recording has been compromised somewhere along the line(digital mastering etc., also typically the case in newer recordings) this unit provides the opportunity to actually experience something that comes close to "real". Granted that I've never listened to high end players such as the CAL Tempest or other popular entry level players such as the Rega Planet, I have still never experienced anything like the Ah Tjoeb. The depth and width of the soundstage and the image placement and detail are as close to analog(and thus that much closer to the experience of hearing an actual performance live) in anything(digital) I've heard outside a mastering lab. Tonal accuracy is also very good, with a clear, crisp top end that lacks grain or harshness, natural middle, and fat, healthy bottom.

For those that care about these sorts of things, the player is pretty nice looking too, with clean, simple styling.

Now my caveats.

The first unit I received after preordering from Upscale was DOA. The transport was dead. Fortunately Kevin and everyone one at Upscale were all over this. They helped me out over the phone trying to troubleshoot the problem and when it was clear the unit was just not working, replaced my player immediately, at what I would think is no small cost to them. It seems that the issue was in the transport, which is not the most robust one I've seen, but is comparable to other inexpensive players(though I should say that it is better than the Parasound CDP 1000 I used to own, notorious for it's crappy transport and drawer). Not that I consider the Ah Tjoeb inexpensive, at well over $500, it is in the upper bracket of a lot of people's budgets, but given that one could spend 5 or 6 times that amount on another player, it is a very reasonable entry into true high end reproduction(I guess I should say that I've invested well more than that into almost every other piece in my system, I am just heavily biased against digital reproduction, though this player may change that attitude). My understanding is that there have been a handful of other units that had the same problem as mine, so this combined with my only other issue(follows shortly) is why I've given this product only a 4 star rating(5 stars, though, to Upscale for addressing the problem).

I am unable to play roughly half of the CDRs I have in this player. I am uncertain how it performs with CDRWs, as I don't own any. It would appear if you look up the parent unit here(Marantz CD 4000) that this is not an issue. I am uncertain if other owners have encountered a similar problem. Again, Upscale has been great at dealing with this,and hopefully we'll track down the problem(if there is a resolution,I'll post a new listing).

Those are my only complaints regarding this player, so 1. if you don't play a lot of CDRs, and 2. given how quickly and well Upscale dealt with my problem player, I would still put this high on my list of players to consider if you are planning on stepping up to somethinng that can begin to come close to realistic sound reproduction.

Associated gear:

Jolida 801a via Nordost Blue Heaven
Vandersteen 2c bi wired with Straight Wire Stage
vs. VPI HW-19jr. w/MK 3 platter, Audioquest PT-6 w/Emerald interconnect, Benz Micro Glider through a Croft Micro X as a phono stage

Similar Products Used:

Parasound CDP 1000, Parasound CDC 1500

Very musical. Thick, rich sound. Beautiful sound stage that is up front and clear.

Remote seems flimsy, but it works non the less.

I became interested in upgrading my CD player back in Sept of 2000. I stumbled upon a website selling Jolinda tube CD players. I became very interested in CD players with tubes in the $500-$600 range. This website lead me to AudioREVIEW.com. I reviewed the competion and then looked for more. This lead me to AH! I placed the oreder with Upscale and the rest is history.
I upgraded the tube set when I placed my order. Kevin sent me two Siemens 7308's. After the recommended one week burn in period I put the player through a work out. My music tastes of late have been jazz and progressive rock. I auditioned prog rock Porcupine Tree's "Stupid Dream". Unbelievable. The texture and richness from a $600 CD player. The music was there right in front of me. I heard things in the music I never heard before. Testing continued. Next came King Crimson's "Thrak" and "the construKction of light". The intensity and thunder was there. The high ends were crisp and sweet, not tinny and harsh. The bass response deep and forceful. Mid range response was thick and rich. Next came Miles Davis. "B****** Brew" and "Live-Evil". The CD player warm and ready presented these two fusion masterpieces with precision and perfection. My neighbor who had joined me for these two was astounded. Nest we listened to Miles Davis "Round About Midnight" and "Birth of the Cool". I wanted to sample the acoustic Davis. These two CDs proved to me that the AH! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 is a monumental value. I know that at least two people who have listened to this are sold and thinking of upgrading to AH! Simply put, the music sound very good.
My experience with CD players, although limited, has been with midrange products. I have listened to CD players that are true audiophile and run upwards of $5000. The AH! is perfect for people with budget and quality in mind. This is truly a monster value. This is why I rate it 5 stars. Music lovers who are true audiophiles may find fault. With my system, which is budget minded,accepts and plays the AH! like it was meant to be there. I feel I have been successful in my assembly of a system that can be put together with budget in mind and the love of music at heart. Thanks to Kevin at Upscale Audio. The previous reviewers were right in that Upscale Audio is very professional and forthright in there efforts to bring quality and value to music enthusiasts everywhere.

Similar Products Used:

Various mid level CD players. Current system: Conrad Johnson PV10B, Vandersteen 1C's, Adcom GFA5400 and TARA Labs cables.

good sounding player

cheap looking

I have had the player for approximately 2 months. I was replacing an Arcam Alpha 9, which retailed for 1600 but can be found used in the 800-900 range frequently. The first thing I noticed about the Ah was the very cheap build quality. When I bought the Alpha 9, that was one of the complaints people had, that it was underbuilt. Well, compared to the Ah, the Alpha 9 is built like a tank. Also, the display looks very cheap to me, it is like a dot matrix display. It looks like a $250 player, as I guess it should.

But sound is what matters. I let it run for a week, then started listening. Immediately, it is a very enjoyable CD player, nice soundstage (deeper than the Alpha 9), good bass, overall a pleasing sound. I found with the Alpha 9 I seemed to hear more music. I was constantly saying 'wow, I never heard that before'. With the Ah I rarely if ever say that. However, I like it more. Doing a head to head, the Alpha 9 extracts more out of the CD and thus may to some sound 'better'. However, my test was listening to one for a week then switching to the other. I found that I actually enjoyed the Ah more than the Arcam. The Ah is very musical and non-fatiguing. It is probably the best sounding player for this price.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam Alpha 9

Solid, powerfull bass, very open mid and detailed high: Exciting and 'smooth' at the same time.

Sometimes I miss 'direct access'. That's all!!

I live in the USA, but originally I'm coming from the Netherlands. I was not intend to buy a new CD player, because I still was quite happy with my 'old' one. But I couldn't resist the temptation to order an AH! Tjoeb when visiting my mothers birthday in the Netherlands the first weekend in October 2000. That time the old Tjoeb '99 was running out of stock and the new Tjoeb was not released yet. Fortunatelly I could purchase a 'beta release' of the Njoe Tjoeb 4000 (with Tjoeb sjoes) and guard it through customs. Herman from De Hifiwinkel in the Netherlands is a great guy to deal with and 'my' Tjoeb was rebuild for the USA just in time.

I'm very impressed with the performace of the Njoe Tjoeb 4000. In my modest system (NAD 314, Pinnacle gold ref., Nakamichi 480 tape deck, DH labs T-14 Silver Sonic speaker cables, DH Labs BL-1 series II interconnects) the sound is amazing. Bass is firm and deep, mid is very detailed and open and the high end is detailed and never agressive or grainy: It sounds exciting and refined at the same time.

Also the player is quite solid build (exterior and interior) and surprisingly shock resistant (better than any player I had the last 12 years): I suppose that the Tjoeb Sjoes helps the shock resistancy and facilitates the firm bass. Also damaged CD's are played without any problems.
As many reviewers mentioned before, burning in can make a lot difference, but because my player was a 'beta release' not much burn in was needed and I loved the player right out of the box. The DH Labs cables (specially the interconnects) are a perfect match with my NAD and the Tjoeb: I noticed that cables really do make a difference.

Negatives? 'direct access' to a particular number on the CD would be fine, but that is the only 'weakness'. The 'click' between numbers only can be heard when manually 'skipping' numbers and is never audible when normal, sequential playing a CD.

I'm proud of such a great product from my native country. Buy your Tjoeb with confidence from De Hifiwinkel (in the Netherlands) or Upscale Audio (in the USA): you will not be disappointed!

Similar Products Used:

Sony CDP-XE500, Several Philips players