warm and smooth

details,ambiance, depth of soundstage

nice cd player with warm sound, not so good in soundstaging as cd63'KI'. details and innerdetails are missing in comparison with cd63'KI' and less musical and transparent. excellent player for bright system. the clicks are very anoying in my opinion.

Similar Products Used:

marantz cd63mkII'KI'signature (mute transistors removed)

Price vs. sound

European screws, no direct track access from the front panel

Same as most of Tjoeb users. Want to mention I bought a pair of Amperex USA PQ NOS Gold Pins 1970 tubes from Tubeworld for fun and for spares. I got better base and tighter midrange.

DVD sounds amazing! I found an awesome place to buy dvd at http://consumer.20m.com

Like the rest, I took the plunge and ordered the unit sound unheard and hoped I wasn't throwing $75 out the window should I need to return it (the US distributor, Upscale Audio, charges a 15% restocking fee which IMO is only fair). After about a 50 hour break-in period, I gathered up my favorite cds and sat down to hear what all the fuss was about.

The first thing I noticed was the sheer dynamics that the cd allowed to come through. Lyle Lovett's "Joshua Judges Ruth" has a few excellent tracks to illustrate the subtle details of a recording and the Ah! Tjoeb does an oustanding job of bringing these forward in a way that really captures the listener's attention and involvement in the music. While I did like the Planet, I felt it contained a slight misty or foggy quality to its sound which I guess could be construed as warmth. The Arcam was very nice in this regard but the difference in cost between it and the Tjoeb was too much to warrant consideration given the minor differences between the two.

The other quality that I truly enjoyed was the way that the tube output allowed the highs to sound detailed but without any harsh stridency. I found that I could increase my volume level considerably with this player before hearing some of that upper-end stridency found in other players. The mids were equally smooth and detailed and contained that same dynamic sound that brought you into the music. Low end was good but I wouldn't consider it to be a product strength.

All in all a great product and one in which I believe is worth a $75 risk (albeit small due to this player's oustanding performance).

warm sounding

less features than on my Kenwood and Rotel

The sound of the Tjoeb is a little 'warmer' than my previous CD player. More 'turntable-sounding'. My previous CD-players were: Kenwoord DP 880 and a Rotel RCD 855.

Of course, this effect could be heard on every CD, but on CD's of good recording quality, this is noticed the easiest. Also a capella pieces sound more nice.

Because I appreciated user-friendliness (display information, fast forward and backward withouth losing sound etc.) of the Kenwood and Rotel, I give the Tjoeb 4.5 points.

In other words: Sound: 5 points and ease of use: 4 points.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood DP 880; Rotel RCD 855

Smooth tube sound

Lack of distinguishable strengths to warrant this amount of praise

I sold my Ah! Tjoeb 99 after finding its tube sound unspecific and lacking in the clarity I prefer. I bought the new Technics DVD-A player unit instead and have found it to be just amazing. The lively and life-like detail is so satisfying. I got it online for around $650 and have found it to be a vastly superior product on every level. Obviously you should do what you want but I would advise you not to believe the Ah! Tjoeb hype. There is a whole new level of technology available right now: 192kHz/24-bit audio D/A converter, Advanced Virtual Battery Operation,
Digital RE-MASTER processing, separate analog (R-Core) and digital power supplies, multi-layer vibration-damping base ...

Tube output stage and quality components

The cd player looks cheap, chassis is not well built. Remote has limited. functions

I sold my Sony CDP-779ES player which was 5 years old and brought the AH!. Initially it sounded very similar to the Sony but as time passed by I was very surprised by its musical qualities. Rich sounding cd player with very good dynamics. Highly recommended. Its still breaking in and the sound becomes sweeter every day I listen to it.
I have a Bright Star Little Rock over the player to damp the vibrations and BDR cones under the player. Makes a significant improvement.

I know this may be cliche at this point, but --- smooth, warm, sweet sound.

Build quality (does anybody listen to build quality?). Track selection is slow and goofy.

I bought the player on the basis of the cult-like reviews on this website. While I am not ready to become Ah! devout follower, the player sounds wonderful to me. A vast improvement over my mid-fi Sonys and Denons. I liked it enough to buy a second one. Replacing the feet with Vibrapods worked as a cheap/effective upgrade.

I originally placed my name on the Upscale Audio's list for the 2000 model but never heard from them. So much for the mythical Kevin.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Sony, Denon

Overall high-end sound quality, for a midfi price.

Build quality...obviously something has to give, at this price. The circuitry inside this box is amazing, but it still is an econobox. That said, to get the build quality of something like the Rega Planet, with this circuitry inside, they'd have to charge $2000.00, like everyone else.

Since we don't all hear the same, I'll confess my neurological biases at the start. I don't like most digital, nor most solid state. The two together are to me the most exquisite form of torture, next to television, and loud rap, known to man...especially when playing such monstrosities as Sony or Deutsch Gramophone classical CD's.
I tend to change CD players about 3 years, consequently, trying to find something that sucks a little less than the previous one. It was time...
So, out went the Rega Planet, in went the Ah! Tjoeb. At the start, I was unimpressed...sure, it was smooth sounding, like the Planet, but at the expense of liveliness and detail (like the Planet). Hint:Put it on repeat, don't even start listening to it for at least 72 hours. It gets a lot better. After 72 hours, the 1st thing I noticed was how much more nuanced a player this thing was than the Planet. Little inflections in bowing technique on the violin, or in female vocals, made it just a whole lot easier to "get" the music in a deeper way. I'll go further...this is the most INTENSELY MUSICAL one box CD player I've heard at ANY price.
The tubes, and intelligent engineering, no doubt...you'd have to spend some SERIOUS bucks to get this kind of musicality out of silicon. The other differences between this player and the Rega Planet pretty much line up along the lines of thermionic vs. silicon as well. The Ah! is more 3 dimensional, focussed, sweeter, more listenable than the Planet. The Planet, on the other hand, has deeper, tauter bass, and does the PRAT thing slightly better. My torture test for a component is to listen to it via the headphone jack of my Bryston B60. It's like putting the DUT under a magnifying glass-all flaws, be they analog or digital, are amplified. Under that test, the Ah! beats the Planet like a one legged stepchild. I can actually enjoy listening to CD's via headphones with this player; I never could with the Planet unless I interposed a tubed preamp in between. This is not meant to dump on the Planet...if you have one, and are inclined to pursue the outboard DAC upgrade approach, keep your Planet. It is a world beater as a transport. But for me, one box CDP's are the way I do it.
I'll go further...I'd rather hear this player thru good solid state like the Bryston, than a lesser player thru tubes. It just gives you more of what you buy tubed gear for-the musicality, the ease of listening, the joy. If you are suffering with a midfi player, and all solid state gear, and would like to hear what tubes can do for you, this is the very best place to start. Just get the stock one for $450.00-it'll still beat anything else out there for three times its price. Later, you can upgrade to the Amperex tubes, which do make a difference. While we're on that subject-Kevin Deal of Upscale Audio (www.upscaleaudio.com) is great to deal with. He'll definitely get repeat business from me. He can't be making any money on these things, but does it anyway. Thanks, Kevin!

Similar Products Used:

Stan Warren modified Rotel RCD 955, Rega Planet.

smooth musical sound from top to bottom

can't set up a program from the remote--(minor)

-- this is a great cdp for the price. Very smooth and analog sounding(like live music is). Bass and mids are very good and the highs shimmer like the real thing. No harshness. I can't comment on soundstage and imaging because of limited speaker placement options. IMHO it is better than the rega planet,the ultech 100, and the rotel 971. It almost reachs the level of the meridian 508.24,but loses to it on the last bit of detail presented. Thanks to Kevin at www.upscaleaudio.com for making this cdp available to us in the states. At this time i am using it with an acurus r11 preamp,electrocompaniet 180 monos,and chapman t7 speakers.

Similar Products Used:

rega planet,ultech 100,rotel 971,audio alchemy 3-piece,meridian 508.24

clarity, soundstaging, detail, MUSICAL

looks

I shall write a complete review about the AH! Tjoeb within 1 month. At this moment I try some isolators and interconnects.
One thing that I can say is, try 3 tennisballs. Put 2 balls at the back side of the player and one in the middel at the front side.
I have tried several isolators (Vibrapod, not bad), but the results with these tennisballs (costs $5 !!!)are .....amazing!!!!
Really the singers and instruments are playing in the middle of my room, clarity, separation of the instruments, timbre, etc, etc, Give these dumb tennisballs a try!!!
Good luck!!
Send me email with your experience!!
Thanks

Similar Products Used:

Cambridge Audio 4SE, Marantz CD17, MKII and KI, 63 KI Rega Planet,