Balance, musicality, excellent value

None so far

Out of the box the Tjoeb sounded good, if a little thin and brittle.

After ~50 hours the unit is much more fluid, smooth and exceptionally well balanced.
It's musical and not at all tiring to listen for extended periods. The player just disappears, leaving the listener to either enjoy the music or look for some other component to start fiddling with!

The controls and remote are intuitive and arranged well.


In my system the midrange seems slightly recessed.
I'm not sure if this could be a characteristic of the CD player or of one of the other components. Perhaps a tube change(I'm still using the 'stock' JAN 6922, but have a set of Amperex Bugle Boys to try) will provide an answer.

Kevin Deal of Upscale Audio was a huge help in setting up the new system with the Ah Tjoeb as well as interconnects, speaker cables, and replacement power amp tubes. Very kind and patient. Thanks again, Kevin! Even though I dwell nearly a full continent away from his shop, he's still the first guy I'll call when I need anything audio.

This player amazes me for it's smoothness, the transparent, liquid impression it gives, and for its surprizingly low price.(it costs about $150 more than my first CD player- a NAD single disc unit without a remote or any programable features and a solid state DAC, purchased 15 years ago!).

Is this the best player possible?

Of course not.(one could do considerably better in the presence/transparency department if one had a few thousand $$ to throw at the task, and the law of diminishing returns is VERY much in evidence in this particular arena).

Is this the best CD player for ~$500.

For me it is.

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NAD

It just sounds wonderful.

None for me. I'm not the least bit concerned about the Marantz face plate not the lightness nor the intertrack click. These mean nothing to me. Just the sound.

Okay. Let's get the homage for the North American dealer out of the way, first. The folks who've written below are right. Upscale Audio is terrific and in particular Kevin Deal is a treat to work with. I think he was a vacuum tube in a previous life, and Kevin, I mean that in the nicest way.

I got my Ah! Tjoeb in the winter and loved it. But there was something always nagging me. It sounded great. The Amperex upgrade was wonderful (but then I'm fibbing a bit because I've never tried the base 6922's that come with the unit from Holland). I could go on like those below me in glowing terms be they tempered or raving. But still there was something wrong.

Then it hit me. Heck, I only have one Ah! Tjoeb and its lonely! So I called Kevin and ordered another one. He said I was the sixth person to do so. Got it in Canada in two days flat.

Now all is well in Tjoeb-land. The twins purr on their respective floors and so does the owner, big time.

I really appreciate "AudioReview.com". It introduced me to Ah! Tjoeb and also to Don Morrison's fantabulous (new word?) ELAD preamp (www.donmorrisonaudio.com). When these two get together, look out!!

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Denon DCD 2560 with Link DAC III and Assemblage Jitterbug

It's musicality belies it's price.

Uh-----hummm---bear with me here, I'm still thinking. UH-------. Nope, can't think of any right now.

Well,I've been putting this off for a while now as I'm not any sort of expert on these things, but since this forum is what finally convinced me to buy one of these things sight unseen (or should I say unheard), here goes. I phoned Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio in Upland California and told him I was ready to go for it. It only took me about six months of reading reviews and looking at Upscale's adds in Stereophile Magazine before I said to myself "let's do this". My unit #VE039928046067:$450.00 was ordered with the "supercrystal" upgrade:$50.00 (a very precise oscillator to lower jitter) an AC "noise killer":$20.00(a device in a small plastic box mounted inside the CD player that filters AC noise coming from the power lines)and a digital output:$20.00 (high quality I might add)to use in the event I want to hook up a CD recorder or an external DAC. I plugged it in put in the CD from the movie "The Red Violin (an incredible CD with extreme frequecy and dynamic range, and beautiful music!)hit repeat play and let her go for about thirty hours. I checked on it every now and again, listening for changes. It's difficult for me to discribe the changes except to say that it was becoming "sweeter", more pure with less hardness or edge. I then switched CDs to a "test disc" from Sheffield the A2TB. This disc has frequency sweeps from 10hz to 20khz, reference music with broad dynamic range, pink noise, etc. to really give the player a workout. I ran this disc another thirty or so hours. The musical portions of this CD really were becoming more "lifelike", it's the only way I know to describe it. When comparing two CDs "The Red Violin" (I got a second one for my car)by A-B comparison with my DVD player (Sony DVPS550) I noticed the bass while no deeper was more musical rather than just low and also the "AH" Tjoeb player reproduced the highs in way that seemed more natural (open?). I would say though that the mids seem more recessed in the "AH" player (less punch!) however this can be changed with different tubes. At around eighty hours or so this thing just sort of came in to it's own and it's been getting better all the time! My wife says she can't here any difference, but she's never been able to just sit and listen to a whole CD before now! I believe that the distortion is much less because of the improved analog output stage and what there is is less fatiguing because as I understand it tube distortion is "euphonic" or pleasant to the ear. A very nice CD player!! This is review number 90 or so and I believe only two people had anything negative to say about this machine, and they didn't own one so weren't able to just listen to the music it makes! Buy it. You'll enjoy your CD collection all over again! Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio seems life a straight up guy, he actually suggested I put off the expensive tubes until I listened to the original JAN's (6922 Sylvania Joint Army Navy, I beleive 60's vintage) for a while as I might not even want to change. His web address is:www.upscaleaudio.com and you can E-MAIL him at kevin@upscaleaudio.com I can tell you from experience that he'll get right back to with answers to your questions and he was actually the one who picked up the phone when I called him. As a side note, I took my 'AH" tjoeb to a very well regarded tech today as I am going to put an IEC connector on it so I can more easily upgrade the power cord. He looked inside and remarked that this player was "really nicely done with some topnotch parts!" This gentleman works for a "high end" audio store and works on megabuck equipment, made me feel even better! The only things he said I might do would be to upgrade the CDM 12.3 drive section to a newer version which is more robust, but ONLY if it gives any trouble. The RCA jacks also are normal fare (the same as in almost all CD players) and can be upgraded to individually soldered screw in types which will improve the grounding. Otherwise he said he wouldn't change anything! I have added though some dampimg material to the inside of the cover and bottom underside, removed the feet and am using "norsonex" balls for feet (you can get these from Edmond SCientific they come in package called "happy and unhappy balls") they come one of each in a bag. You use the unhappy ones! I set them on top of a 5/16 brass finishing washer. I got This tip from an Italian web site that has all sorts of info on tweeking. I'm sorry I can't remember the address. I give the "AH" Tjoeb all the stars.

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Mostly different incarntions of the Kenwood brand. Where I work there are several mid to hi fi brands that are sold(not Kenwood, nor AH! of course since Keven Deal is the only distributor of the "AH" Tjoeb in the U.S. I know of)that I've had the privilige to listen to. I also own a Sony DVD player which of course plays CDs and a Denon player.

Audiophile quality sound on a beer drinker's budget..

Chasis is flimsy, the click (not bad though)

Aloha,

I'm not really an audiophile. The Tjeob (super crystal, ac noise killer, dig outs, stock tubes) is the first "audiophile" level player that I've heard or used, so my perspective has to be taken with a grain of salt. It's like I've heard all the super expensive CDP's and can make a rational comparison. I'm using a Yamaha RX-V493 receiver and some NHT SuperOne speakers. But the sound from the Tjeob is leading me in the direction of upgrading the rest of my system.

My initial test CD for the TJeob is Michael Hedges' "Oracle". One of my favorite CD's, but it really sounds like a different CD than I heard before, there's just *alot* more music there than before. I can hear the very texture of the guitar strings, and there are background aspects of the music, little bells, wind chimes etc, that were not nearly as clear as before. It really is stunning the difference between my non-tube CD player and this tubed one. No comparison. The more the Tjeob plays the more the tubes seem to open up, the wider the soundstage becomes.

This really is the CD player for anyone who gives a hoot about the soul of music. There's just a lot more soul to the Wizard's output than the solid state CD players I've heard. It's almost like there's a depth to the music that wasn't there before, almost *feels* 3D. On my solid state player, in comparison, the soundstage was flat, kind of two dimensional. With the Wizard there's a very tangible depth.

On further listening I've found the over-all sound in every way to be improved with the Tjeob. That's not to say another person would have the same experience, just sharing mine.

The Tjeob seems to be well built on the inside, but the outer chasis is a bit flimsy, especially compared to my pro line HHB CD recorder/player. It just needs TLC and it should be fine for years to come. The HHB is built like a tank in comparison. That's really the only knock I have about it. The "click" is a mechanical one on the player itself, not through the speakers, and occurs when moving from one track to the next. I've only noticed it really when playing very quiet and subtle classical music. I'd rather it not be there at all, but it's not bad and the more I listen to the great sounds coming from the player itself, the less I notice the click. Kevin Deal explained that Ah! removed the circuitry that muted the click in order to improve the over-all sound quality.

Kevin Deal at www.upscaleaudio.com was very helpful and prompt with his service, got the player in the mail w/in a couple of hours of placing the order. The player arrived double boxed and in perfect shape, no problems whatsoever.

For the $, I don't think the Ah! Tjeob can be beat.

John

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With the Philips E288CC SQ gold pins, it is the ultimate musical cd-player!

Musically, none!

Okay,okay, the Tjoeb 99 is not an audiophile cdplayer. (for example: if you put your ears close to the cdplayer, you can hear the cd spinning around.)
But when it comes to music, soundstage, highs, mids, bass, depth, attack, dynamic, contrast, rhythm and pace, you name it, no other cdplayer can blow the Tjoeb 99 away. I'm sorry, not the ordinary Tjoeb 99. I'm talking about the Tjoeb 99 with the ultimate upgrade. What is that?
Well, that is a dual triode: Philips E288CC SQ (Special Quality) Gold pins! (200 US$/pair)
The Story.
Two weeks ago Herman(www.hifi-notes.com) has anounced that he has 40 brandnew tubes (Philips E288CC SQ Gold pins). So I was lucky to order a pair of them. This dual triode is 1/4 inch longer than the standard triode E88CC (6922). So you can't close the cover of the cdplayer.(You have to make holes in the cover). After 48 hours of burning in, I started to audition.
Boy oh boy! I was nailed to my chair! This is MUSIC NIRVANA! I have my Tjoeb 99 almost six months. I upgrade it once with the amperex tubes. But this is THE ULTIMATE UPGRADE.
I went to my neighbours with the Tjoeb 99. They have a Wadia 860x cdplayer. It was a close match. My neighbours were flabbergasted.
Now I am playing MUSIC! Thank you Herman!

The sad side of this story is that not every Tjoeb 99 owner can experience the Tjoeb 99 with these tubes, because they are very rare tubes. So keep on searching for these tubes.
Good luck!

....and on the third day God create Herman.....
THANK YOU GOD!

Clarity and detail

Nothing at this price!

I sold my Marantz CD10 (1200 USD) to buy the AH Tjoeb '99.
I can tell you that I'm not disappointed. It's great value!!
Use it with Mullard Gold Pins!

none

cheap design, poor build quality and terrible sound not even a programable remote

This thing has cult stature like the rega planet. Really flimsy design and the sound was blurred garble and just terrible. Yes folks I did break it in by continuous burn and break in cd.

A jolida 603 just kicks it a__! Even the Cec and Rega sound better, get a jolida better quality and oh again that 15% restocking fee. What a rip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Open your ears and say AH!

None that I can find

If I could write reviews, I'd write books. Suffice it to say that in 47 years of living, there are two events that improved life exponentially. First, the undersea world from a snorkeler's perspective and secondly, the Tjoeb. Don't mess with heaven. Buy it and never look back.



System:
AH! Tjoeb99
Sennheiser HD 600 headphones
Creek OBH-11SE headphone amp

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Started with the best

Smooth,flat frequency response, minimal cd/solid state glare. Easy to listen to. Good with choral music.

None at this price

This is the best I've heard below $2000. Smoother in my system than the much-touted Arcam. Only something like the NAIM pulls ahead a little (but at $3000 it should).
Quality of build INSIDE is essentially the same as most players below $2500 but the added power supply and DAC are better. Realize that most players in the $1500 to $3000 range are similar in that they use a basic transport with upgrades in the power supply and DAC. In this one you aren't paying for fancy casework.
If you are looking for a player $2000 or less or just a different 'flavor' or for a killer budget second system this is the one!!!!
Did I mention the excellent help from Upscale Audio??
They are very helpful, we are lucky to have someone distribute and support this product inthe USA. If you note the other brands Upscale Audio specializes in it says alot about this player.....it fits with $3000 preamps and $4000 tube amps...
Just buy one!!

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Everything as far as i can tell

What????

Hmmmm! Where to start?
Our system:
CDP:Tjoeb 99 whithout any extras (so far)
Pre/Amp:Quad 33/303
Tuner:FM3
Speakers:B&W601S2
I/C Nordost Black Knight
Sp.Cable QED silver special 25th anneversary edition biwired.(phew)
Stands:Gale 60

A while back our old cdp (Philips CD 692) started to skip and jump so we started to look (listen) for a new one)
We had all the above mentioned home to use in our system rather than in the stores. (after bribes, threats and sweettalking, not all were wery helpful)

Sure they were better, but no one gave us the WOW feeling that we wanted/were expecting.
I stumbled on the audioreview page about 6 months ago and read about the tjoeb, Impressive-maybe TOO impresive i thought to myself. Owners i e-mailed said, never mind that you can't udition it-just buy it. But we've got this aversion to buying the pig in the sack, and $440 (£315) might not be a lot of money for what you get but it si still a lot of money for us.
I sent a few e-mails to Herman van den Dungen of HIFI-Notes (Yes THE maker of the tjoeb) telling him about our 'problems'.
LO AND BEHOLD!!!!! He got me in contact with a friend of his (SUPER Shaun, Thaaaaaaanks!) Whom without any further ado sent me a spare tjoeb he had for us to listen to for a week. No deposit No telephone calls, 'just give me your adress and i'll send it to you'
In todays world we'd rate that as Amazing!!!
It arrived via courier, unpacked, burnt in for 48h as recomended and then we sat down one evening.
I can tell you that i've had a slight smile on my face when i've been reading reviewers ranting on about soundstaging, air, imageing hearing pages being turned and people cough in the audience, Yeah Yeah i thought to myself.
I STAND (kneel) CORRECTED!!!!!!
We sit almost every night to listen to all the 'new' things we can hear on the different cd's. It's bloody amazing.
Clear clear sound
smoooth
Sweeet
Tight
Separation (Yes)
Air (yes)
It's like every instrument has its own speaker
Our listening hours have gone up by at least 300% and enjoyment 500%
IMPROVEMENTS: Everything

All we need to do now is to save a bit of money to buy the supercrystal and the filter, just to give it a try :-))

THANK YOU HERMAN THANK YOU SHAUN :-))))))))))))))))))))

The klicking; so what?
And no! I have never listened to the Wadia so i wouldn't know, but i know i could never afford it so i don't care.

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