Background

All that I can write about this player's technical makeup has already
been written by others except that an export model (110-120 volts) is
available. As an option, for $25 more ($475 total) digital output can be
installed by the AH! folks. Because the CD 38 is Marantz's budget
player, you will not get such goodies as direct track access (a feature
I really miss) on the player itself. What you do get are such usual
features as shuffle, repeat track and disk, track times, and pause. The
remote has the same functions plus a scan, volume and digit keys for
selecting another track and selecting a track to start with. The player
has a peak search to set record level on tape recordings, a fader, and
program storage. See Marantz Europe's webpage for more information on
and specifications for the CD 38, which is not available in the United
States.

The warranty is 12 months through AH! and the dealer from which the unit
is purchased. Remember that it is a long and expensive trip back to the
motherland. My dealer assures me he will make parts available or make
repairs "easy" after that time. There are four dealers I know of
selling the Tjoeb at the time of this review.

I obtained my Tjoeb 99 directly from a dealer, Hifiwinkel, in
Einhoven, the Netherlands. My contact, Herman, went out of his way
to get the Tjoeb into my hands. Hifiwinkel gets 100 stars for customer
service. Be forewarned, however, that my experience indicates it is
quicker to send a certified check by USPS priority (5 days and $4.00)
than to wire the money. My wire took 3 weeks. I got my player 5
business days after it was shipped as promised. Hifiwinkel is very good
at providing tracking numbers. The price included expedited UPS and
duty.

Impressions

With all the hype that preceded this player I felt I was living "A Tale
of Two Players." It was either the worst of hoaxes or the best of
players. So I was either off to see the Wizard of AHs or to experience
CD Wars: The Phantom Player.

My impressions are not based upon comparisons with any other player
except the incumbent Philips CDC 975, a rather bright player and low end
by some pundits. I have no real experience with any other player except
for a Rega Plant which was gained during speaker auditions.

I gambled and bought the Tjoeb 99 solely on its own reported merits
because those reports indicated the player had the attributes I was
looking for. Those were excellent tone over the audio spectrum,
superior soundstage, exact imaging, glorious detail and dynamics, an
uncolored presentation, superior classical/acoustical and vocal/choral
reproduction, reliability, and convenient operation. In other words,
the perfect player at the lowest price. The old saying "If it's too
good to be true...." kept running through my head.

Because many reviewers had advised a long break in time I started right
way at breaking in the Tjoeb. At first the player sounded quite
ordinary, as noted by another reviewer. I expected this; afterall it is
a tube based player.

The first change in my system I noted was the power output indications.
My Luxman R-1050 is equipped with LED output indicators which are
superior to the VU meters many amps have. The visual change
was that the output in each channel was remarkably different and
variable from the other. This was more like the response
one would expect at a live performance where the orchestra's dynamics
change continuously. Unlike the readings with the other player which
were essentially uniform unless there was a highly noticeable difference
in channel signal, the Tjoeb seemed to discretize the signal in a more
refined method. Perhaps it is the upgraded opamp configuration. Like
another reviewer I noticed a slight click when switching between tracks.
It is hardly noticeable and is easily diminished by enclosing the player
in a cabinet.

When after 8 hours of break in the cannon shots in Tchaikovsky's "1812
Overture" went off in dead center and then to the right and left of the
soundstage as well as behind it and almost seemed to be pointed at me, I
knew something special was in my cabinet. I was looking forward to full
break in with abandon.

I came down the second morning after receiving the player with about 40
hours on the player. The Tjoeb was just starting to hit stride. The
detail was quite stunning, picking up nuances in orchestral works I had
only had hints of before. The soundstage was becoming immense. Is this
real or imagined? The weak bass in my Mission 772s was no longer weak
but really full. Those Sousa marches were like they should be. The
snare drums crescendoed at the correct time. I think I am falling in
love.

At 50 hours, I hit it with everything I could. Andean folk music was
rendered as though the band was right in the room. The Pan flutes and
guitars seemed to mix as well as in a live performance. The much
heralded recording of Sergei Rachmaninoff's solo works from piano rolls
was produced with the sense of not being in the audience but being at
the keyboard. Absolutely remarkable. The subtle delicacies of
Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto were reproduced with absolute perfection.
Baroque, organ, bagpipes, vocal/chorale, bluegrass, nothing seemed to
stand in the Tjoeb's way. Finally, Holst's "The Planets" presented the
great challenge. If you have ever wanted to feel the musical presence
of armies marching through your listening room, listen to "Mars" with a
Tjoeb.

At 70 hours I did a 60's revival - Beatles, CCR, PPM, Dylan, and more.
My equipment has never before been able to pick up the nuances and
intonations that folks talked about hearing at live performances of
these folks but which my equipment never reproduced. That is until now.
If the Tjoeb 99 is still breaking in, I am a dead man before dawn.

The claim by some reviewers is that this player is the closest thing to
vinyl. To examine this claim, I A/B'd a number of recordings I have
both vinyl and CD versions of. These include Alan Parsons Project
"Eve", Gordon Lightfoot "Gord's Gold, and The Moody Blues "Seventh
Sojourn." I found that the Tjoeb was more dynamic with better
soundstage. This may be more the factor of my turntable and cartridge
which are definitely low fi. Tonally they were very similar in most
cases except for some of Gordon Lightfoot's pieces where the vinyl
appeared to have a darker tone.

This is one hot machine, and I mean that literally. The tubes give off
more heat than solid state devices, and the cabinet becomes somewhat
warm, a concern I voiced to the dealer. He assured me that no problem
had been encountered. However, I would advise placing the machine in a
well ventilated area.

For those who care and need such information the speakers are Mission
772s, the speaker cables are Tara Labs Prism Bi-wire, the receiver is a
Luxman R-1050, and the interconnects are QED Qnect 2. The turntable is
a Marantz 6150 with a Shure RXT6.

Conclusions

The Tjoeb 99 is for real and is absolutely unreal. The hype that
surrounds it is well justified. This player is no Phantom Player but
rather is the real McCoy. The proof is in the pudding. This pudding is
rich in tone, sweet in detail, and thick with music with just the right
balance of dynamics and warmth. Much about the player's performance has
been written by those much more qualified than I to render an opinion,
and I concur with the vast majority of those comments.

I must warn you that this player is not for background music. You will
become mesmerized by this electronic Siren's voice and want to be
embraced by its loving arms. Perhaps Odysseus was hearing a Tjoeb 99.

Sound wise this player is a 5 speaker and then some. It met (4 speaker
level) or exceeded (5 speaker level) my expectations in every criterion
I was evaluating it on except two - operation and service conveniences.
I miss some of the operation conveniences, and the click is a minor
annoyance. Reliability cannot be judged at this time, but Marantz has a
good reputation in that area. Service convenience has to be rated low
because of the potential need to ship to the Netherlands for repair
although I suspect the response would be excellent.

I am giving this baby a 4.6 rounded up to 5 speakers with point
reductions coming for reasons mentioned above. Those reasons are
somewhat picky and subjective I will confess.

At $450 I honestly believe you would be very hard pressed to find a
player in the same price range that would come any where close to
keeping up with the Tjoeb 99. Those other players include the much
heralded Cambridge Audio CD4se, Rotel 951, and the Harman Kardon FL
8550. Perhaps as many other reviewers have said the Tjoeb is equal to
or better than players costing up to $2000. I am not experienced with
those players so I cannot comment. However, if the statements are true,
you'd better order now before the Dutch come to their senses. I just
know that for $475 I got myself one wonderful piece of equipment that
makes listening to music an emotionally satisfying and fulfilling
experience. Folks, that is what it is all about.

Oh, I am off to hear the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of AHs.

For your information: As the author of this article -still !- has no e-mail, this '99 update on his earlie '98 review was sent in by one of his friends -Paul de Ruiter, also an enthousiastic Tjoeb '99 owner-. His father, yes also an enthousiastic Tjoeb '99 (even if he doesn't know that; Paul just had Pa's Tjoeb '98 updated as a father-day present during his holiday) owner seems to be working on a consumerreview too. We'll see!
Improving the breed: Tjoeb' new 1999 CD-player

By - Kees van de Wiel -

In the fall of 1999 the by now famous Dutch CD-tweaking company AH! Tjoeb landed a downright sensation with the launch of their Tjoeb "98" CD-machine. The "98" comfortably outperformed numbercrunchers costing four to six times the Tjoeb's $ 400 sticker price. The most significant feature of that heavily tuned Marantz CD 38 was its tubed output stage, a rather outrageous feature in this price bracket. And now the Dutch tweakers are ready to shake up the CD-player status quo once again. With their latest upgrade of that bargain basement CD 38. Voilà: Tjoeb "99".

To my knowledge the Tjoeb-boys from Holland were the first to implement tubes in entry-level CD-playback gear beyond the 500 dollar frontier. Before, if you longed for that lush, unrestricted and analog-sounding digital playback you had to shell out somewhere between three to six grand. After all, this was Conrad-Johnson, Sonic Frontiers, Jadis territory. But the humble Tjoeb changed all that. For a laughable 400 bucks you were now armed with bottles! Suddenly you had access to the sonic virtues that are the domain of double triodes: thruth of timbre, 3D-soundstaging, unrestricted dynamics, analog nursing of digital nasties.

Common sense

So, if the "98" already treated you to such niceties, how could the "99" hope to improve on that? Well, the tweakteam just took a second and somewhat harder look at what was there in the first place and found a way to better performance with the same "98" motto in mind: a significant step forward without breaking the bank. In other words: upgrading through common sense. Here's what's new:

1. Relay-muting in the tube output stage. According to tweakteam member Frank van Duyvenvoorde, by using relays instead of mutingtransistors during playback the signal is direct-coupled to the anode of the tube. This way you get rid of the parasitic capacity that such a transistor has on sound quality.

2. When you press the on/off button the tubecircuit is now switched off together with the rest of the player, thus extending tubelife.

3. The "99" has two extra PCB'S: the first one facilitates a more uniform voltage distribution to the various circuits while the second one contains the muting relays and output capacitors.

And the price for all this? Not even half a grand. Say what? $ 450 to be precise. That is if you don't already own a "98". Tjoeb "98" owners can upgrade for a mere 75 dollars. I told you: common sense!

How does it sound?

Unsurprisingly the "99" sounds a lot like its predecessor. Only better. A lot better actually. The first thing I noticed about the "99" compared to the "98" was that the noise floor had dropped by a not inconsiderable margin enabling me to listen further into the soundstage of certain recordings. Horowitz in Moscow (DG 419 499-2) for instance revealed this quite clearly. The famous 1986 account of the maestro's emotional return to the Russian stage after an absence of more than sixty years. At the opening of this unforgettable recital, in the beginning of the Scarlatti sonata, I can now hear more of what is going on in the background. The excitement, nervous tension and anticipation in the audience; the rumble of the Moscow police trying (in vain) to remove students without tickets from the balcony of the conservatory. I can even sense people weeping by the time Horowitz reaches the music of the Russian composers Rachmaninov and Scriabin. There is an altogether greater measure of listener involvement during Horowitz's "pastel rainbows and crashing thunderstorms", as Charles Kuralt, the news correspondent for CBS, put it so aptly in his comment. Other well-produced discs benefited equally. "Rediscovered Memories" (MOO8A) a CD-sampler by California-based label M.A. Recordings for instance. Track 9, Bruce Stark's Dream Song, demonstrates overwhelmingly just how much low end and body resonance there is in a decently recorded piano; in this case a gorgeous Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand. The tracks are cut "live" in a superb concert hall ambiance (if only Horowitz in his time could've enjoyed such an uncompromising approach!). The recording is direct-to-DAT using a pair of Bruel & Kjaer 4006 omnidirectional microphones in an AB configuration. These mics truly have a reputation for their extremely linear frequency response. And boy does it show through the "99"! The Tjoeb fires off repeated bass notes with the kind of aplomb that suggests some four figure sticker price rather than three.

But the "99" really caught me by surprise when I returned home from work one day and Neil Young's Transformer Man was coming out of the speakers while I was still in the doorway - courtesy of C. It was Neil's '93 Unplugged version and I hadn't played it for I don't know how many months. That live MTV recording had always struck me as rather glassy and bass-light. Not so this time. The "99" provided a firm foundation with Tim Drummond's baselines now easily discernible as I sat down in front of the Quads. The glassiness in the upper octaves of the female backing vocals had now disappeared. Bravo Tjoeb! and another CD saved from oblivion. But other recordings too - from Jacques Brel to Leo Kottke - were shown in a cleaner, more uncluttered light by the "99". Compared to the "98" there's just less of that infamous digital haze which so often surrounds and obscures the music. An artefact that merely becomes obvious the moment it is no longer there.

I can nothing but assume that these sonic improvements are the result of the "99s" clever relay muting and PCB layout. Considering the only slight price-increase over- its predecessor I have to mark this as one hell of an achievement.

Associated equipment:

- Denon DP-100M reference turntable with Denon tonearm
- Shure V15VxMR phono cartridge
- Jadis JP 30 tubed preamp; fully hard-wired and equipped with Siemens mill-spec ECC 83 triodes in the linestage
- Papworth M100 tubed monoblock poweramps with Svetlana EL 34s and Jensen paper-in-oil coupling caps
- Quad ESL-63 speakers
- Siltech cable used throughout
- Nagra III mono open-reel recorder
- AVM power conditioning

Let me first start with the bad news:The reviewers Rob Wilms, Ferry Kremers and Marcel van Overbeek have a clear interest in selling the Tjoeb because they work for the shop. So they have to be removed from this list. If you also remove the two 'reviewers' that only request info, the average rating drops down to a more realistic 5.00!

And now for the good news:
Koos was so nice to install a demo Tjoeb'99 at my home, and after some fiddling with my speakers (and connecting the mains of the amp directly to the AC outlet in the wall) the show could begin. And what a convincing show it was; so I bought a new one.

After breaking in the player for some days (Zappa's 'Hot rats' on repeat) I found it 'mature' enough to do some serious listening. The Tjoeb presented such a detailed soundscape that it was very easy to follow the different instruments or voices.
I was stunned that there were so many details on my CD's. So I replayed them on my old player (Denon 910). If I listened closely I could faintly hear the details the Tjoeb showed me as a matter of fact.

The Tjoeb does wonders for well recorded music. The intimacy of Sylvia McNair singing Jerome Kern (Philips); the intricacy of Donald Fagan on 'The Nightfly'; the closely miked 'Tender as a rose' by Astrid Seriese ('Eclipse'; Brigadoon Chansons); the haunting 'Strange fruit' by Cassandra Wilson (Blue Note); the jungle sounds of Ana Caram on 'Amazonia' (Chesky Records); I could go on and on...: they were all presented with such an ease that it gave me a feeling of 'being there'.
Actually the Tjoeb has just moved the Concertgebouw Orchestra to my couch: they are sitting there playing Mahler's 5th symphony (Decca).

Listen, I have to stop: Glenn Gould is going to pay me a visit to play his 'Goldberg variations', and after that I am expecting Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Frank Zappa, Ry Cooder and Buenavista Social Club and many, many more; I have to buy more coffee and beer for all those guys!

One small point to nag about: the relay muting system switches on a split second too late, thus muting a little bit of the intro of each track.

Equipment:
Tjoeb '99; Neoprene interlinks to a Tube Line (pre)Amplifier by TSN (Dutch brand).
Pied Piper Active speakers (TSN, home made).

Well, this Tjoeb CD player is fan-tas-tic!I played it to all my girlfriends and friends and they were impressed. They couldn't believe their ears. What a spaceness and depth in the sound, what an air! And then the price. They couldn't believe at all that you could get so much sound for only Hfl 799.-! No matter if I played jazz or trash for them, classical or ambient, hardcore or choir: everything sounds so fan-tas-tic. I cannot imagine I'll ever buy myself another CD player. My Tjoeb and I fit together (and I do not even use a noise killer. Who knows how much the sound will improve in the future...).

I must admit that I was looking for a Duson CD-player (at least, I intended to go and save fl 3750.00 for that), because that was supposed to be the best machine under fl. 10,000.00. Then I read a remark on a website about the TJOEB.
I A/B-ed it with a player of fl. 2,500.00. And although rhythm & beat were cleary different, the sound of the Tjoeb 99 was absolutely warmer: real music.

At home I even became more enthousiastic. Demonic piano-play by Richter (recorded in 1962) suddenly appeared to differentiate. What's striking anyway, is that it seems you can hear the musician play.

'Live' rock-music is a pleasure to listen to. My Mission 760-s suddenly appear to be able to produce pure emotion. And although the output-voltage is a little high for my amplifier (Creek 4140; a shame that it isn't imported anymore in The Netherlands!), resulting in an always higher level of the music than before, I am more than satisfied with my new acquirement (and even more since the 'clicking' has become more quiet).

Tjoeb '99 compared to Marantz CD-11LE
Imaging as solid as a rock, positioning remains even with difficult passages. Very good bass, which I didn’t really expect, moreover the fact I was already used to the good fundament of the CD-11LE.

Sounds almost analogue, with excellent mid-range, certainly with acoustical work and voices!

The only CD-player (in fact for whatever price) which gives you the feeling that you listen to music, without drawing attention to high-/mid-/low-range!

For the first time I play my CD’s from the beginning till the end. I mean the CD player keeps me interested / gives involvement.

Are there any disadvantages: Yes!

1- You can hear the relay (too) well.

2- The transport as well (can’t really beat the transport of the CD-11LE)

3- The relais (sometimes) starts operating between silences of the numbers. This is especially the case with own-recorded CD’s.

4- It remains a CD player for music-lovers. I mean, don’t play any House-music on it, because that should sound mean.

5- This players suits valve-amplification best, I think.

Note: I listen with a 3.5 Watt valve-amplifier and a DIY Magnetostat.

I can only judge the player in my own hifi system, which means that I cannot get the best out of it (Tandberg 3012 versterker + Tandberg Monitor 3 way loudspeakers: twenty years old). Before, however, I had a Denon CD player costing around Hfl 2500.=. Compared to this unit I made a big step forward in every aspect: spaceness, definition, very good high/mid/low. Funny thing is that I hear now subtilities in CD's never heard before. Only now I realise how bad old CD recordings are, whilst recent recorded CD's are generally better. I never noticed this difference with my old CD player. I bought some "audiophile" CD's to see what the borders of my set were. In other words I regained joy in listening to music, the same music that bored me in the past. The next step is building a tube amplifier matching the Tjoeb '99. The value for money of this player is extremely well and that's for me without any discussion.

I would like to thank all who have taken the time to write more eloquent reviews than this one. I was in the market for buying a £1000'ish CD player (you always end up spending more than you intend), had the shortlist and just auditioned one. I had read the reviews on audioreview (as well as the usual magazines) for those I thought I wanted. For some reason I tried the hall of fame, expecting top price stuff. The AH TJOEB review was intriguing. All this for £300 and the comfort of knowing that there are valves somewhere inside. Wheres the catch ? Unless you live in Holland you cannot listen first. I took the risk, contacted the dealer, payed the money, burned it in, havent looked back. £700'ish left for beer, you always end up drinking more than you intend.
5 stars, no problem. Believe what you read.

Tjoeb '99 compared with the Tjoeb '98 is like the whipped cream on the already royal ice cream. Question: Is it not possible to exchange the current relay with a wet relay? It makes me think very much of the advertisement on TV of The Royal Mail. Day (click) and night (click). What was very obvious for me in comparison with the '98 model: when I walk into the direction of the loudspeakers, I really have the feeling that I walk into the music. This gives an enormous stage and depth on my listeningposition.

Well, looks like I am the first person from Russia to review the player. The outreach of this wonder-machine is widening, and why shouldn't it? Geography cannot be an obstacle for a real music lover in his inspiration to lay his hands on this astonishing player with its great "musicality".
I purchased the unit two weeks ago from a dealer in the Netherlands (my point of contact -- Herman van den Dungen, who's been so helpful that I can't help feeling that I know him personally. Thank you, Herman!!!). What can I say about the player that has not been said already? Probably not much. I came from the mid-fi world, and some hardcore audiophiles might not take my opinion seriously, but I know a good thing when I one. Musical. Alive. Breathtaking. Sensational! Well, it's a Magical Mystery Tour. In two weeks I have gotten so spoiled by this little wonder that I physically cannot bring myself to listening to my CD collection on anything else -- everything sounds so much better when you feed it to the AH! Tjoeb'99. I am listening to the CDs I had not listened to for years; I even started listening to classical music again!

I don't want to take a lot of everybody's valuable time by repeating what has been so well said by the previous reviewers. There are one thing, though, that was part of my personal experience and that I want to share with you. Service at AH! deserves 10 speakers easily. I have mentioned Herman as my point of contact. He not only provided me with the player being extremely helpful through the whole transaction, but he also custom-made a dual-voltage (110-120/220-240V) machine (I am going to use it both in the States where I live now and in Europe where I might want to live in the future) -- at no extra charge! Bravo, AH!

I am limited to those 5 little speakers, but I think this player is very special. Soundwise I have yet to hear a better one. Service is great. The price -- well, the price is rock bottom for such incredible quality.

So, get Tjoebed! Definitely 5 speakers.