Price, musicality, tweakable, mids and treble

Bass, soundstage.

This is a very musical cd player that is not fatiguing even with hours of listening. To improve the bass, i tried multiple interconnects, as i liked my amp (denon PMA2000r),speakers (castle avon),cables (Rhapsody-11) and did not wish to upgrade them.
I found that this player matches up well with Van den Hull the First IC's for classical music, vocals and jazz.
Cardas Cross IC's were a close second and was better for Rock music.
While this cd player(all options with amperex tubes), is a good value for the money and could compete in the $1000 range,there seems to be some hype involved in reviews that compare it to the Wadia's and Meridions.
The Z3 can't be a 911!
Kevin @ upscaleaudio is very helpfull without being pushy.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Arcam, Meridion, Wadia (auditioned)

Great sound

uhhhh

Since there are so many very long reviews, I will be brief! I must have owned the worst sounding CD player made (5 disc changer, JVC) before I replaced it with the Ah Tjoeb! Needless to say I am stunned at the improvement in sound. Music has come alive and everything I listen to sounds so much better. I highly recommend it!

Similar Products Used:

none

Extreme Music rivaling my analogue

None -I am so thrilled at the price

I have Magnepan 3.6, Audio Reserach VT100MKII, a CAT preamp, and a VPI front end. So why such a cheap CD player? Not my priority. I have an extensive colletion of classical on the best vinyl. But I do have a CD collection too.

I tried the Jolida which had an open sound but a bass that was weird...and the finish including the cruddy lettering on the front made it appear to be what I suppose it is....made in a China. The Cambridge seemed better but mistracked on several CD's. I exchanged the unit and it appears to not do well with some of my collection (I play them in my car most of the time so they may have some surface flaws). So it is a no go since two of them did not fair well.

I visited a speaker designer who had built some products for me some time ago(and has a reputation for knowing his stuff). He has the Tjoeb in his system. I thought it was just a regular player, until he showed me what it really is. I had not heard of it before. But I am into more expensive stuff and after the Jolida and Cambridge experience was not to easy to persuade. But then I pried his from his system and played it with my Maggies.

Wonderful! It plays all my CDs...and what's most important is the sound. It has better resolution than the Cambridge. This is a difficult balance...too much and you get brightness...not enough and it sounds lifeless...the Tjoeb gets it just right. And my Maggies will show you every bit of it.

I bought mine from www.upscaleaudio.com They were very nice to deal with and no pressure at all. This also led me to find they are tube experts so I plan to do some upgrades to my CAT tubes soon. Kevin, who I would guess is the manager or owner.... spent plenty of time with me, considering I was buying something that they cannot be making a lot of money on. I would like to thank him.

If you get a chance, you should look inside one. I bought a bit set (you need a T10 bit to get the cover off) and I was very impressed with the construction. I have spent many dollars over the years. Usually good, sometimes OK. It makes me feel like I got my moneys worth on this one.

I have gotten so excited that CD can sound this good that I may explore even higher end players. I am happy for now that my CDs are not just playable, but enjoyable

Similar Products Used:

Audio Note CD2, Jolida 603, Cambridge D500

Very high quality detail sound; Nice lite remote control with volume control; Able to drive amps directly without preamp.

Flimsey case;

This review might sound like a review of the SE-811 monoblock amps by Audio Electronic Supply (AES) instead of the Ah-Tjoeb '99 CD Player, but I can't describe the CD player without mentioning my current set up and audio direction. My last venture into mid hi-fi was using Adcom Amp and Pre-Amp with a Mission CD player driving a pair of Kef 104/2 speakers. Through the years of dealing with job and family, my equipment was put aside for the home theater stuff with remote controls.

I have always been interested in tube audio equipment but have never pursued it until a stranger stopped by my garage because he saw my ham radio tower and equipment. He was looking for 807s and I inquired why. He has some VTL amps running 807 tubes into some home made speakers. I was invited over for a listen and that's what all it took for me to want my own tube audio equipment. I didn't want to buy used gear and could not afford new gear so he recommended a few tube magazines. He knew I like to build and had heard good things about AES kits. So I started there.

I purchased a pair of SE-811 monoblocks kits from AES which took a couple of weeks to build. After getting the SE-811 amps built, I used the Mission PCM-7000 CD player I had stuffed in the closet along with the Kef 104/2 speakers. I tried to use the Adcom Pre-amp with this setup but with poor results. The Adcom apparently did not have the right impedence and gain. It also created more hum. The set up sounded better with the CD player directly driving the amps.

About this same time while surfing the net, I came across Kevin Deals "UpScale Audio website" which contained the Ah Tjoeb '99 CD player. At this point I was wanting to upgrade to a CD player which had a tube line output. The price of the Tjoeb '99 CD player was about half of what I had in the old Mission CD player. At the very least I figured if the Ah Tjoeb '99 CD player didn't work out, I could use it in another room of the house.

I gave UpScale Audio a call to order one of the Ah Tjoeb '99 CD players after reading about them on their website for the hundredth time. The lady that answered the phone informed me Kevin was unavailable and would have to call me back. I gave her my home number and figured I would be the one calling back. To my surprise Kevin called that evening and I ordered the Ah Tjoeb '99 CD player plus all the options along with a matched set of JAN 7308 Amperex Tubes. Kevin informed me the units were waiting to be released from Customs and would be shipped the following week and would give me a call to let me know they were on their way. Again, I thought this might end up in a wild goose chase, however, the following week he called and I received the unit two days later via FedEx. When I looked at the box, I wished they had double boxed the unit and when I opened it, one of the styrofoam spacers was busted from rough handling. I'm not sure this was done by FedEx or from being shipped from overseas. After careful inspection of the unit, everything seemed to be OK.

I also took Kevin's advice and looked inside the unit before firing it up. I was really shocked at the simplicity of modifying the unit for tubes and the quality of the parts used for a $500 CD player. The contruction of the Tjoeb '99 is as good if not better than my Mission 7000 player that I payed double for over a decade ago. I decided to burn the unit in using the 6922 tubes that came with the unit. I fired the unit up from a cold start and started listening without any warm up. I was totally shocked at the detail the unit produced right out of the box and thought if things get better after it warms up, I'm REALLY going to like this unit.

Up to this point, I was never able to detect sound difference in "break-in of equipment". However for the first 20 minutes, the Tjoeb, though very detailed was a little rough around the gills. After 20 minutes of breakin, I never though of putting the Mission back in line. Stero separation is fantastic, no hum, image is very good. It also has a lot more output drive than the old player and even though I'm driving direct right now, I plan on adding a tube pre-amp very shortly so I can use my VCR with my Hi-Fi set up.

On Patricia Barber's Companion CD I was never noticed the the background noises and the glass that fell over at the end of one of hear songs with the Mission player, but I felt like I was there with the Ah! Tjoeb'99. One nght I dosed off while playing some live recordings and there was some clapping at the end of a track. I woke up and looked around for people clapping in the room before I realized what was going on. This has never happened before with any equipment I've listened to.

Before installing the JAN 7308 tubes in the Ah! player, Kirk at AES metioned I could gain some performance in my amps by changing out the 6CA7's and SE-811-3's to a KT-88's and SE-572-3's respectively. I wanted to try a set of the new KT-88s produced by Svetlana, which at the time could not be had anywhere. I had a horrible experience trying to get a set from Antique Electronic Supply (not to be confused with Audio Electronic Supply). After shipping my order back to Antique, I gave Kevin a buzz on the phone. I wish I had thought of trying him first! He said he had a few left, but a big shipment of them coming in soon. I told him no hurry, but I would take a matched pair when he received his shipment.

At the same time, I ordered a pair of DH Labs Silver Sonic Interconnects recommended by Kevin. In a week my order arrived with the new Svetlana KT-88's. I replaced the 6CA7's with the KT-88's and replaced the SE-811-3s with the SE-572-3's and then listened to the set up for a week and then installed the DH Labs Silver Interconnect cables and finally a few days later installed the JAN 7308 tubes in the Ah Tjoeb '99 CD player. Improvement with the 7308's was noticeable and they seem to be less microphonic than the 6922's. With each change, I could hear a significant difference, which I didn't think was possible, because the set up was sounding better than anything I had ever owned or heard. In fact, I never thought a person could hear a difference in interconnect cable unless there was a problem with the old cable being used.

I think I'm at the limits of what I can do with the current set up except with tweaking room accoustics. Boy! have I learned a lot in the last few months. I am having more fun with my low budget Hi-Fi kits along with Ah Tjoeb '99 CD player than I ever thought possible. Even though Kevin Deal sells very high end equipment he can deal sensibly with those of us who have champane taste but beer budgets. I highly recomment UpScale Audio, Kevin Deal and the Ah Tjoeb '99 CD player!

Similar Products Used:

Mission PCM 7000; Adcom 555 Amp and Pre-Amp; AES SE-811 monoblock amps.

VOLUME CONTROL, TUBE PREOUTS, UPGRADED AC FILTER.

THE TUBES ARE COVERED UP!!!!

TO START OFF, MY SPEAKERS WHICH ARE MORDAUNT SHORTS 3.5 HAVE TOTALLY DISAPEARED. I DO NOT LISTEN TO MY SYSTEM ANYMORE, RATHER I ENJOY THE BAND PLAYING THE MUSIC.

I DO ALOT OF RESEARCH ON AUDIO EQUIPMENT BEFORE I BUY IT, I FOUND THAT A LOT OF WOMEN WERE ENJOYING THIS CD PLAYER WITH THEIR HUSBANDS- BOYFRIENDS. THE LAST TIME I READ REVIEWS LIKE THESE WERE ON A DECWARE ZEN TUBE AMP. THEY BOTH WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER. I ANYONE WANTS TO HEAR DAVE MATTHEWS OR JONNY HORTON, GIVE THIS PUPPY A TRY. DID I SAY JONNY HORTON? OH, HE COMES BY ALL THE TIME. ANYWAYS THATS THE WAY I HEAR MY MUSIC NOW. A DIFFERENT CONCERT EVERY NIGHT.

Similar Products Used:

AUDIO RESEARCH, SONY, TECHNICS, ROTEL.

I have had this product for a little over a month and am happy so far. I have it connected to a Acurus ACT3 processor and have compared it through that to my Sony 7000. Even though the Ah! is going through a A/D/A conversion in the ACT3, it has greater body and weight to the music as compared to the Sony connected via Coax. My next stop is to upgrade my amp and perhaps the processor for one with an true analog bypass mode. As for that click everyone keeps commenting on, the simple fact is that electro-mechanical relays make a click when they switch states. The advantage is that they have an infinite resistance across the contacts when open. Transistors by comparison "leak" current even in the off state. So you have to put up with a slight click in order to have a much better S/N ratio. Big deal.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-7000, Poineer CD etc.

very enjoyable sound, soundwise=VALUE for money, adjustable volume.

Cheapo made casing/front. clicking sound between numbers

Got the Tjoeb on loan from a non aydiophile friend of mine.
Well, it struck me as so very enjoyable to listen to,it doesnt have the slightest listening fatigue or harshness.
for the money, sure this player gives you a good feeling !
I like it very much !. that said, and reading all the stellar reviews here, I want to ventilate some thoughts.
Of course, most of us audiophiles are not in the circumstance [read-on budget] to enjoy an $5000+ CD player.
Let alone listen to it in their rig for a longer period..
So, making comparisons and verdicts opposed to high-end CD players is very tempting, thats why i find people saying
that the AH tjoeb sounds likely the SAME as a WADIA 860..
This my friends is NOT the case.
The Tjoeb does not even come close to say a 850/860 or
even an 830.
What i also noticed, is people saying [in their enthusiasm]
that the Tjoeb sounds "like Analog"..
Well there is also some nuance here, what is exactly an 'analog' sounding device ? does analog sound 'warm'?
Do tube amplifiers sound warm ?
You know the answer.. IF you have heard a good well tuned
turntable and/or tubeamp.. and then maybe you just happen to
LIKE a particular 'warm' sounding tubeamp !

The Tjoeb.. When compared to my turntable [Verdier La-Platine,Benesch ACT one, VdH Grasshopper 3] the Tjoeb is
just plain colored. it indeed has a sirupy sound, and it is enjoyable compared with what weve been used to.[harsh CD sound] the analog setup has a true soundstage,more detail,
better decay, and most noticeable no coloring at all as
opposed to the Tjoeb.
This Cd player sounds pleasant,and you may like it !
[I like it!] but pls dont say it "sounds like Analog" or "it sounds like tubes"
It just has a very pleasant,and warm coloration, and that is what i hear. Recommended though !

outstanding sound/value

still a cheap Marantz

Ok, let's start on earth. First, you pay $500.00 US, in Audiophile land that is a penny. You get a cheap, flimsy Marantz. The player is so light when you touch the unit controls it moves. When you hit play it seems to cut off the first second of the track. The power cord is captive and all your audiophile buddies are going to wonder what is that "Marantz" doing in your system. A Marantz is a Sony is a Denon is a Pioneer,is a what ever the East deems the current low fi rip off...or is it? Next,I am a record guy. I think cds are junk and no matter what the new technology, it will never come close to my Simon Yorke/Vibraplane/Miyabi/Kondo system. So,where's the AH in AH? Well,plane and simple,it is in the listening. I haven't felt the need to go through the Audiophile trick check list,compare it to everything else ever made or climb to the top of the highest moutain and sing exalted praises. I just sit back, put music on,listen and enjoy. I think everyone without an analogue front end should dump their fancy cd rig, buy a turntable and an AH! Tjoeb and learn once again what it is to just listen and enjoy music. No ego and no tricks, just music. Thank Kevin at Upsscale Audio for importing the Ah!Tjoeb and thank the people in Holland who make the AH!. In creating such a simple and affordable cd player, those silly little silver discs contain some serious music and enjoyment.

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Meridian 508.20,Dodson217Mk11/CECTL1x,EMC1

Price, warm mids, very musical.

CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP box (but what do want for $400)
Undefined and "fuzzy" bottom end.

I received this as a gift from my rommate after I went on and on about all the great reviwes on this site and because I was always saying we should give it a try.

Well, I was thrilled with the gift and I guess my expectations were too high becasue although this is a wonderful product considering the price, it's really not a 5-star pefromer in my opinion.

This is not to say the Tjoeb isn't a great value--it surely is--and it is also very musical--I especially love it for string quartets and small combo jazz, but things really fall apart with full symphponic music-- the low end if very "fuzzy" and poorly defined.

But, FOR THE MONEY, this is the best CD player in the world.

Five stars for value, three for performance.

Similar Products Used:

CAL 15 (The Tjoeb replaced this)

the numbers don't lie. this is a great sounding cd player through red dawn nordest flatline the volcals are sharp as razors the horns are realistic [flute on henry thomas' "bulldoze blues"}it does require break-in per instructions.

resonate cabinet

be patient with kevin deal at www.upscaleaudio.com he's a very busy guy. Have your questions written down and in hand.

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audio technica