One of the most "natural" sounding cd player I ever heard...

After having first recommended the Tjoeb '98 & '99 to a lot of friends, I've decided to acquire the Njoe Tjoeb 4000, only for the pleasure of my ears. I'm considering that the quality and the tons of remarkable ad easily "tweakable" improvements that are given for this price are really unbelievable.

After having replaced the original tubes by a pair of NOS Telefunken E88CC (gold pin) I was the happy owner, I installed the TjoebSjoes (nice "shoes") in place of the Marantz CD 4000 feet and then connected the CD player directly on my power amplifier, thanks to the useful volume control included on the remote control.

My Tjoeb 4000 is now playing since a few hours only and while the burn in process begins only, the sound is already so clear, neutral and natural... A real MIRACLE, an essential audiophile discovery.

I've to admire also the transparency and the lot of informations of the Tjoeb creators site: www.hifi-notes.com/ahnjoetjoeb4000home-en.htm. Many - many - thanks to them...

Don't hesitate to try the new Tjoeb 4000; I think you'll adopt it immediately...

Michel
Belgian audiophile School (belgaudio.com)

smooth sound, large soundstage

flimsy cabinet and power cord

I begin this review by stating that I am not an audiophile. I am a
musician and over the last 30 years have spend many of my spare dollars
on guitars and quality tube equipment for my guitar rig, neglecting my
home audio system. Recently, I began upgrading my home system and
entered what I suppose is called the "mid-fi" bracket. No more shopping
at Circuit City for components and Radio Shack for connectors and cable!

After a few short weeks, and much surfing on the internet, I began my
quest. I used audioreview.com extensively, combing through reviews to
find items which would fit into my modest budget. I learned what a
soundstage was. In the end, I wound up with a Parasound P/HP-850
preamp, a Carver TFM-35x power amplifier, DH Labs T-14 Silver Sonic
speaker cables, DH Labs BL-1 Series II interconnects and DH Labs
Subsonic subwoofer cable. These drive my beloved pair of often maligned
Bose 901 Series VI with Lovan Jazz 18" stands and a Klipsh KSW-12
subwoofer. I keep the front end cabinet in a seperate room to minimize
vibrations.

With my new system starting to take shape, I noticed my well worn early
90's Sony carousel cd player revealing it's true characteristics; a
shrill high end, smeared mids and boomy lows. With a collection of
close to 500 cd's (mostly metal, classic rock, jazz, and blues) I
decided to upgrade my cd player to protect this investment. After
reading the glowing (pardon the pun) reviews I set my sights on an Ah!
Tjeob '99 and contacted Kevin Deal at Upscale audio. Kevin was
professional and apologetic, and informed me that he was currently out
of stock, expecting some units in a couple of weeks. Being the
impatient person that I am, I surfed and found your site the day after
you posted the pages on the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000, and eagerly placed my
order.

Here are my novice observations after the first 24 hours of use:

The unit, although opened by customs, arrived in pristine shape,
double-boxed and very well packed. Having seen pictures of the '99
player, the 4000 is a much better looking unit, having a quality look
belying it's meager price. The 4000 includes a small remote which fits
nicely in the palm of my hand. Removing (thanks for the torx driver!)
the case reveals a quality build with neat and tidy wiring and very
clean soldering.

Upon first turning the unit on and letting the tubes warm up for about
10 minutes, I inserted my first cd and settled in to listen. I expected
things to sound narrow, having learned about break-in with the Parasound
and DH Labs products. The Ah! sounded a bit shrill on the top and very
loose in the bottom. However, I immediately noticed a dramatic
deepening of the soundstage and smoothing of the mids. After a few
hours of continuous play the bass began to deepen and tighten, the highs
smoothed and the soundstage deepened even more! I am hearing things on
my cd's that I have never heard before. Music seems to source from
beyond the speakers. Smooth, yet detailed and revealing. I hate to use
this overused adjective, but your product is simply "musical". Piano,
acoustic and electric guitar and female vocals sound especially tasty.
Cymbals are no longer harsh sounding. They now "bloom". The hi-hat
sizzles without being harsh. Bass is firm and flowing. This player
does not have the "immediate" and up-front sound of my old player,
however, it is very detailed and open, which is due to the tubes and
beefy power supply, I am certain. My system now sounds punchy without
being harsh. The 4000 simply makes music easier to listen to. The warm
sound is much less fatiguing on the ears. This is very similar to
differences in using tube vs. solid-state with guitar amplification.
For instance, I have yet to find a solid-state overdrive that sounds, in
my ears, as good as a tube overdrive. The 4000 makes me want to hear
every cd in my collection again. My girlfriend actually asked me to
turn my system up for a change. Needless to say, I am thrilled that the
digital sheen has now vanished thanks to the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000, even
after 24 hours! The great thing is that I know that it will only sound
better as time goes by and as I begin to experiment with different
tubes.

The only faults I observe (considering the low price, they are
negligible) with the player are a flimsy cabinet and power cord. I look
forward to your coming advances with these faults. I will miss having
direct access to cd tracks without the remote, but given the great sound
of this player, I'll get over it. When I am not listening to music, I
am using the XLO Burn-in cd and I am leaving the player on until after
break in.

Similar Products Used:

Sony carousel

Natural souding instruments and voices

At this ridiculous low price, none

When I first listened to the Tjoeb 4000 with the standard tube, I was completely surprised. What would it do with the Amperex tube upgrade? It sounds even better! Never heard this performance from a player at this price! I am looking forward to upgrade with even better tubes!

What it really does so well, is playing music in a way, that is was meant to be. Bass is clean and dry, mid and treble are superb. At this price point there are no weaknesses whatsoever. If you compare it to more expensive units, you ask yourself; are THEY worth their money? I think people are really nuts if they spend more money on a more expensive c.d. player than this one. The designers of the Tjoeb 4000 are showing manufacturers around the world, how to reproduce music!

I listened, when auditioning this unit to a dozen good recordings and they sound so well. Cassandra Wilson and Rickie Lee Jones are not performing in your speakers, no they are standing in front of you, and you are sitting in the front row. Most remarkable is that even my wife is playing more music than ever, and even she is listening how the Tjoeb is painting difficult soundstages. It does not matter what music you like, the Tjoeb is performing well with all kinds of music.

Be sure to listen to this c.d. player when you are thinking of buying a new one. It will not dissapoint you!

Similar Products Used:

Marantz cd 72 mk ll

None

I am using the unit with an Adcom GFA-5400 and a pair Rogers LS35a's. When I first listened, I must say I was disappointed, to harsh and kinda bright. I called Kevin to return it. He advised that a burn in period of one week was required. I agreed to give it a chance. Well let me tell you this thing after break-in came to life!! It totally blows away the NAD 514. I always enjoyed the NAD, but now it's back in the box. With the Njoe Tjoeb 4000 all the music is there. The low end incredibly natural without the digital thump. Vocals both male and female just beautiful. Piano was in the room. All aspects of this CD player have given my system a new life. Depth, sound stage, an imaging have all improved. My LS35a's have always demonstrated a kind of magical quality, but now they are pure Hudini's.

I am not utilizing a pre-amp. Going directly into the amp works quite well, although there are times when I would like to set the gain between the stepped levels. Soon I will be adding an Audio Researce SP-6 pre-amp into the signal path. I'll let you all know how it works out. Thanks to Kevin for his professionalism and for explaining the importance the burn in period. I have had the unit on now for about four weeks streight. I recommend three weeks burn in time. Pure magic, especially at this price.

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NAD 514

The remote only turns player off, why not on??

I just got it this week, definitely worth the wait!

When I first fired it up, I thought, hey, my DVD player sounds just as good (of course I knew the best was yet to come). So I just let it run - three days straight.

The sound gets better each time I listen. I put a CD into the DVD player and can't bear to listen to it anymore. The imaging is nice, the bass is full and tight. It just sounds smooth, detailed and airy. I can't wait until it's fully broken in.

This really is a cheapskate audio enthusiast's dream come true. Of course it doesn't look like a high end marvel, it's not supposed to. I like the stealth aspect. I continue to amaze people who have no idea what's in the box. A real sleeper. Most people who buy something like this are tweakers and DYI types I'm sure and get a similar satisfaction.

I'm sure there is better out there and I'm sure some will criticize, but in my system and with my audio budget I'm extremely happy with it.

Thanks to Kevin for bringing this product over and for the goody package!

Has anyone bought the shoes? Any recommendations on the spare ribs, I just put on two per tube for now. More than the unit itself, I love that you can tweak and play with it - COOL! i'm sure you'd think twice about screwing with a $5000 CD player.

My System:
Nakamichi IA-1z
Monitor Audio Silver 5i ( + home theater)
Kimber and XLO cables
Ah! tjoeb 4000
Toshiba 3109 DVD (movies only from now on!)

Amazing value and a piece of "High End" magic for cheap.

At this price none really but the enclosue is flimsy.

I gave the Njoe Tjoeb 200 hours to break in and sat down for a listen and was literally stunned by what my few hundred dollars had bought. This is the best deal in digital and there is simply nothing anywhere near it's price that comes close.

I compared the Tjoeb to a Cyrus CDP with external power supply and the Tjoeb rendered a more realistic sound and sense of the original recording space. The Tjoeb just has a "rightness" to it's sound that is very easy to take.

When compared to the Meridian 508 the Tjoeb shows it's limitations and there better be a difference considering the price of the Meridian.

Bottom line is that the Tjoeb owns the low to middle priced CDP market at this time.

Clarity and warmth

none so far

I am not an audiophile but I know what I like. I have a parasound 850 preamp a parasound hca 1500 amp and mission 774 speakers.
I have used the cd player for over 40 hours now and it just seems to keep playing a little better.The sound really jumps out of the speakers. It has a nice clean sound and really compliments my speakers which tend to be a little on the bright side.
I think I like it best on jazz cds as it sounds as if the band is in the room with you.If you close your eyes you can actually position the instruments in the room.
It is a nice solid unit and the volume control on the remote
really comes in handy.
Kevin was a pleasure to deal with and I would not hesitate to deal with him in the future.
The one thing negative was that it did not come with cables to connect, I am using my old ones. If new cables will improve sound even more I will purchase them. If anyone has any thoughts on this do not hesitate to e-mail me.

Similar Products Used:

nad...model so old I forgot which one

soundstage imaging price

absolutely none

First of all, let me say this review is for the average audio listner, no amps preamps transports outboard dacs, just a marantz sr8000 av receiver.

This unit was purchased with the optional feet and tube upgrade and also, the nordost blue heaven interconnects ( a perfect match ) The match was so good that I ordered the blue heaven speaker cable to replace my xlo cable, ( not here yet ).

After a five day burn-in I can say that Im hearing quality music unheard of at double or triple the price. The soundstage is large and open with the vocals perfect, not laid back or to far forward. Im listening to cds now and hearing things I never heard before. I guess the best way to sum it up is, I just hear the music, the speakers that use to be there are now gone.

My advice to anyone looking for a cd player should jump at the opportunity to purchase this unit and save the thousand or so $$$ it would take to try and match the quality.

Similar Products Used:

various

Incredibly musical and dynamic. Incredible sound for the price. Demands "listen to me!". Extremely wide stage.

Slightly confused center. Lightweight constuction.

I must admit I bought one without listening first. Usually a bad idea but I had to take the risk.

Out of the box it extremely boomey, especially for the first couple of hours of break in. I have listened to them for about 2 weeks and have made a pair of speakers I have listened to for years come alive. I currently have it attached to a 1963 Fisher 500c. This cd player demands attention. It lures you in without the incredibly overstimulation that can be felt with the SACD.

I recommend this to anyone. Extremely fllexible and guaranteed to please.

Similar Products Used:

Sony SACD, Jolida, Denon, Krell

Best value received for money spent. Awsome tube reproduction of sound.

None

When you think nothing could sound better, Here comes this player. If your a tube fan you must hear this one! The sound got better after every day of playing. This player has accomplished the true reproduction a sound. You know, when you close your eyes and you think the band or singer is setting with you or all around you. The music is full, and very much detailed and ALIVE! Good seperation and clear mid and low rages. Upscale Audio was very good to do business with. They answered all of my questions and seemed to really care about me as a customer. Try playing a 24 bit remastered cd on this player. The reproduction of the true sound will blow you away!!

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Rotel, Cal.Audio Lab