Thule Audio Spirit 150 B Digit CD Players
Thule Audio Spirit 150 B Digit CD Players
USER REVIEWS
[Feb 06, 2003]
skrats31
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Sound, build quality, balanced output, looks, did I mention sound?
Weakness:
None found. This review is for the new CD-150B Digit 2 which was released late last year. The new Digit 2 board upsamples to 192 kHz. This CD player puts out an amazing sound - from the super deep, tight bass to the highly extended yet sweet treble. Never before have I heard such delicate and extended high frequencies from digital. Soundstage is huge, excellent rhythm and pace, air, bloom, etc, actually sounds like incredible analog playback. I compared this player side by side to the regular CD-150B, which itself was no slouch, but the difference was jaw-dropping. I've lost a lot of sleep since using this player - it makes you want to listen to every CD you own to hear what you've been missing. Similar Products Used: Arcam Alpha 8 & 9, various Rotels, Ah Tjoeb, Linn. |
[Feb 06, 2003]
Bill
AudioPhile
Strength:
Resolution, detailed treble and articulate and driving bass are nicely balanced.
Weakness:
The remote -- wish it had a number pad for direct track access. Excellent CD player, high resolution and driving bass. Sonically compares favorably to the best Canadian products from Sim Audio and Classe. Detailed yet not fatiguing. |
[Jan 16, 2003]
Bill
AudioPhile
Strength:
Listenability and the midrange, bass. Images come from a black background. Very smooth sounding CD player -- has a very analogue feel. Great bass slam and pitch definition. Easily a player that you can spend hours with and draws the listener into the music. Nice midrange articulation. Sounds excellent when the volume is cranked. This player takes some time to appreciate. It's not for someone who will listen for 5 minutes just looking for sonic thrills. Similar Products Used: Krell 300, Classe 0.5, CAL Lab's |
[Nov 30, 2001]
Peter Kruse
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Simple and nice looking design. After a few modifications, the sound it VERY detailed the bass is deep and tight. Treble is some of the best I have heard from a CD player. After about a year I upgraded from the basic Thule Spirit 150B to DIGIT. The sound did improve but not much. I read an interesting article about the influence on CD players from acustic resonance ie. when you play a CD the sound affects the CD player. I played a CD (LOUD) and put my hand on the player and I felt a lot of uncontroled vibrations. I then bought a square-meter BITUMEN, cut it into pieces and put them on the surfaces inside the player. I also replaced the feet under the player with a large piece of BITUMEN. I played the CD again and.....WOW!! The sound was PHANTASTIC!! You have do this yourself before you believe it. Anyway the sound went from 3 stars to 5 stars - and the BITUMEN costed 10$! Similar Products Used: NAD 501, NAD 514, Denon 1015, Rega Planet, Marantz CD 67, Denon DCD 10 MkII, Marantz CD 17 KI Signature |
[Aug 02, 1999]
Peter
an Audio Enthusiast
This CD player have the best sound i´ve ever heard. Everything comes easy and is very musical and at this price it is a bargain! |
[Nov 22, 1999]
Petter Abrahamsen
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Beautiful design
Weakness:
Sound I compard the Thule CD150B + DIGIT to NAD S500 and Rotel RCD 991 using my Thule IA150B amp and B&W speakers. The price is similar to the Rotel in Norway with the NAD slightly cheaper. Sorry to say the NAD and Rotel sounded nicer and more detailed. The beautiful design of the Thule and the easy to use remote (also used for the amp) can not compensate for the lack of detail. Although the DIGIT dac (4x Burr Brown 1702 ?) is a fairly expensive upgrade of the basic model it seems that either the potential of the dac's aren't fully used or the digital filter is not as good as it should be. Similar Products Used: NAD S500, Rotel RCD 991 |