Strengths : definitely one of the 2 best reader in the world when using the optical output connected to a DAC. I have connected to a McIntosh D150 the sound is amazing especially when compared with Vinyl quality. On most of the remastered CD version the result is the same. Incredible!

The Analog output needs to be upgraded otherwise this is too cold and chirurgical...Better to be used in conjunction with a DAC.

Timing, detail particularly in the bass region, dynamic with a very open sound stage and build quality.

Fussy about some minor scratches on discs, some players image a little better.

I found the Teac VRDS 25 provided the most accurate musical timing of all the cd players, which I have listened to. The player also provides excellent levels of detail, this is particularly obvious in the bass regions of complex passages on classical music recordings. The VRDS 25 I found to perform better using the XLR analogue outputs rather than its RCA analogue outputs. When using the XLR analogue outputs the sound stage opens out to encompass a much bigger area.

Using the VRDS 25 as a transport only, feeding electrical digital signal in to D/A converters costing twice as much as the VRDS 25 did, produced results which only one of the other players which I listened to could come close to and again it was in the bass region where I detected the greater difference. This became a selling point to me as it enabled various upgrade paths in the future.

Few cd players are constructed in the manner of this Teac, it could be considered overkill by some people. I choose the dark finish over the gold for personal reasons though my decision to buy this player was made entirely on its sound quality, it plays all music well but excels at playing close miked rhythm driven acoustic music accompanied by vocals. For me the quality of the digital output was a plus in my finial decision. All the cd players that I lstened to cost approximately the same +/- 20%, +/- haggling.

Similar Products Used:

Meridian, Linn, Copland, Niam, Primare, Arcam.

Sound, build quality

I bought the TEAX VRDS 25X 4 month ago. The sound of this player is outstanding: very dynamic, very high resolution, very natural. It is build like a tank: very solid in every detail. For users with other digital equipment it may be useful that it also has digital inputs so that you can use it as a DAC.
I audited it against all the other players mentioned under "similar products used" and for me it was the best.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo 7911, Sony CDP XA 50 ES, Marantz CD 17, Cambridge CD 6, Rotel 991 AE

teac have certainly come a long way from the 60s. now 1999 they have comewith this fantastic product for a budget price.i thought its just another
mid product,hey ,i was infact wrong.this 11kg steel chasis comes with the
incerdible cmk 3.2 v.r.d.s.cd drive,digital servo ratio loop (d.s.r.l.l)
that really reduce any jitter 1/100th,distortion shaping zd-11 circuit,
20 -bit with 1/16 shift operation,high rigidity chassis.i certainly recommend
this set as it outbeat any high pricing cd player.spend just only sid2800
or usd1647 n u can get into shangrila,match superbly with my jadis jpl2
preamplifier,ja 30 and mit mh850 speaker cables,mit 350cvt reference
interconnects and avalon speakers.you must not miss this set.thumbs up

rock solid. beautiful gold finish. super quite transport. lush. detailed remote control

no head phone out out. sound dimmer on remote only drops sound 20 db. Can not hook player directly to a power amp w/o being way too loud. unit is sensitive to minor scraches on cds.

I bought this on ubid. I've s wanted a high end player for a long time now and I was excited to see this on the auction bloack. the unit was new but it was dated 1997 on the back label. Nevertheless it sounded wonderful. the stereo imaging was very precise. This thing weighs about 30 lbs and has seaprate cone isolation feet. It's built like a tank. At first i was worried that I was spending too much for a cd player but when I got it ups, all doubts disappeared. Highly recommended! I wish it had a set of separate variable outputs os i could hook it directly to my amp.

Similar Products Used:

onkyo integra cd player, carver t -2000 cd player, cheapo sony cd player