Eversolo DMP-A8

Eversolo has become like a house hold brand for the audiophile or to most who wanted a streamer / player for music listening. Eversolo which is a sister company to the renowned Zidoo player that made high end media player for Home Theater. Android based media players has been the preferred O/S for quite a long time. The only limitation is the Android O/S will down sample the hi-res audio or limit it to 48khz. Eversolo has custom its Android to remove such limitation which make this player desirable among audio enthusiast. Practically anything coming out from the Eversolo is lossless and Hi-Res. 

On the front of the A8 vs A6 is pretty much no difference except for size difference on the chassis. As expected from the more premium player of A8, the chassis is well build and the weight is quite a bit for such small player. Looking into the belly of the beast will show why the bigger chassis and weight. 

Every single inch of space is fully utilized in the chassis. Is well arranged with circuitry separated with divider on each different section of power, digital and analog.  The power supply are divided into 2 stages for the digital circuitry and the other the audio circuitry. This is to ensure low noise and high quality audio. The DAC is the AKM Velvet Sound (Verita) DAC. It also features a full DSP Processor with individual configuration profiles for your source of choice (Internal Player, Bluetooth 5.0, USB, Optical 1 & 2, Coax 1 & 2, eARC/ARC).

Looking at the back shows quite a bit more connection compare to the previous A6. The last one there is only HDMI for audio. With the A8, there is HDMI ARC being added on which was something missing from the previous model. This is quite a welcoming feature especially for home user who will be using it with their TV which is quite common for many having the setup in living area. The other good thing to have is the RCA / XLR input as compare to just output on the previous model. This will allow to have audio pass through on the A8. When comes to digital input / output it has covered all basis with Coaxial, optical, HDMI, USB with support of external drive on the USB 3.0 port. Similar with previous model at the bottom of the A8 is able to install SSD drive as internal storage.

Additional look the A8 with graphic equalizer. The player is not just about feature and function but it does takes care of the look department. It does fit quite well especially if the unit is use in the living area. 

The Eversolo apps which is the main controller of the player is another key success for the player. The mirror function on the apps allow the user to remote control on the player as like the player is held on the hand of the user. What is done on the apps is exact mirror image on the player. The interactive apps is not just user friendly but is also very convenient without the needs of any remote control. Although a remote is still being provided as additional accessories. I guess physical feel of remote is something users always preferred. As an Apple music user, the A8 is a must have with its ability to have Apple music playback directly from its Android. This will means skipping Airplay which does not support Hi-Res. A big plus and there are only 1 other player which has the same capability which is the Fiio R7. 

This is another feature which is quite essential with the use of HDMI ARC for 2 channel movies. The A8 has the build in DSP to properly calibrate the necessary audio especially on movies. PEQ, High pass / Low pass filters, gain adjustment, etc. Is pretty much like a standard AVR will have for auto calibration of multi channel surround sound. Is quite a powerful tool to have even is just stereo. 

The Eversolo A8 is a piece of hardware to have and easily blend in as well. Even with my selection of theme on the home just fit in nicely. When it comes to the most intrigue part will what about the audio ? I will be thinking back on how the A6 perform compare to the A8. First of all the streaming part with Apple music just blow me away. Is so much smoother with almost no digital glare which was quite obvious in the previous A6. The listening experience is a lot more pleasant to the ears. The fatigue feeling is all gone. Is really nice to play music on it and go about your thing at home. Just perfect for the use and songs changes with just a simple press on the apps on your mobile phone. Definitely a big lifestyle piece. Hooking up the XLR / RCA directly to the amplifier to play back with its internal music player is another notch up from the A6. The sound stage has improve, sound separation is pretty clear, vocal is sharp as ever without the piercing high, even the bass extension is quite a punch on the Mission 700. By passing the internal DAC with USB output to the Leak 230 is not slouch either. The player continue to have the quality it carry from its internal DAC. Anything from FLAC to DSD just plays off nicely without effort. Songs just flows from the A8 as smooth as silk. I am impressed with big improvement from the A6 to the A8. Of course the price is almost 3x the price of A6. It will be the expected performance. 

What is the downside, the remote provided is a nice touch but pretty much not needed. With the apps makes the remote totally redundant. The Apple Music apps after being installed on the A8 could not show up on the mobile apps. Not sure the reason, could be a bug. The previous A6 has no such issue. The mobile apps still has the issue of not able to find the player once a while. NAS storage to be added to the player is a bit of a pain. It works sometimes and other it doesn’t work at all. Some files in the NAS for some reason cannot be access although in other player it was working fine.

With the personal experience on the A6 and now the A8, is definitely significant improvement for the Eversolo. Other than the hardware and some software upgrades. The most important of course is the audio quality improvement which a big portion of it. Pleasantly surprised by such a big change with the time difference of the A6 to A8. Have to flip my hat off to Eversolo

Hifi and interior design

The topic of audiophile is mainly about how good the sound and what kind of gear suite with the audio. List goes on for which ever rabbit hole it might lead. The thing is , people don't listen with their eyes close. The visual part of the listening area and anything that can be seen while listening is also important to be considered. A pleasing environment most certainly improve the listening experience. This is more so if the listening area is in the middle of the home. 

Having the hardware that can be like another piece of furniture or a decorative piece at home can be a daunting task. Need to take into consideration the home theme before going with the design and finally getting the pieces in place. The theme I am going for is more natural look with the main material of wood to have the feel. Having that in mind, the wall and flooring will be the next biggest piece for consideration. 

To match the walnut colour of the wood, the feature wall with blue is use to have the contrast with the feel of depth. Large piece of featured wall can be a little overwhelming. To soften things up, fluted panels are use on both side of the walls. Fluted panel is also good in absorption of sound rather than reflecting from the wall. 

With the background taken care of, next piece of furniture to consider is the console. The depth of console is quite important as amplifiers could be quite bulky in size. Also to consider how many pieces of equipment to be seating on the top of it. I have considered on custom made console or simply some cabinet could work. Scouring through internet for some ideas, I have notices quite a bit of IKEA furniture being tweak into a more elegant piece. Having that idea in mind, went to IKEA to pick some simple white cabinet (BESTA). The cabinet size is 180cm x 40cm x 35cm. The good thing about it is the door has plenty of options to choose from. With the wood them in mind, I went with the fluted door panel. This not only match the wood of other pieces but the fluted panel will be closely match up the wall too. Plenty of space in the cabinet as well to be storing of CD or LP. 

Originally, the cabinet top is plain white as the whole cabinet is white. IKEA do have long piece of top sold separately that could be install on top. I have a different thought of having live edge wood. Gotten a "belian" hardwood with live edge. Gotten the piece from a shop online. Quite a heavy piece of wood, weighting 20+ Kg. Good enough for even heavy piece of amplifier. Some what heavy wood is the preferred material for equipment rack. 

TV is another piece of hardware like a necessity for every home. The thing about TV is after turning them off is like another black box. Samsung Frame TV is the answer for having an art piece on the wall. With the interchangeable bezel, the TV itself looks identical to any other photo frame. The art feature of the TV is the 'magic'. With the art feature turn on, practically can leave the TV on 24 hours. To avoid too many colour mix, white is one of the choice or black can be another one. I prefer white to have less cluttered feel of things. Even the router I gotten a white one to blend in.

Coming into the audio hardware, walnut wood colour again is the theme. Having the Leak 230 and Mission 700 speakers are the match in heaven. Being an open space the pair do work well. The cool thing is both hardware pieces comes with walnut colour. The Leak 230 comes with Phono input for MM only. I have the Audio Technica LP2022 50th anniversary turntable hook up to it. Pretty neat as it is all transparent turntable that easily fit in to any type of deco or design. The blue carpet throw is another extra touch of more comfy feel to the room. Overall, I call this a success of blending in audio with cosy home setting. 

Insights from Mr. Shinji Tarutani, President, TAD

Posted by Tan, 

I count myself a TAD fan. TAD’s disc player and loudspeakers are permanent residents in my audio system since the day I got smitten by the TAD-CR1 loudspeakers. So, when AV Designs, TAD’s distributor in Malaysia, told me that TAD’s President Mr. Shinji Tarutani was coming to the KLIAVS 2023, I jumped at the opportunity to meet up with him. We sat down for a conversation on all things TAD. Here is a brief write-up (this is not a verbatim transcription, but rather I hope to convey the essence of our discussion).

Tan: About TAD’s motto we see on TAD’s website and in brochures – “The Artistic Intent, Intact”, can you share with us the thinking and the philosophy behind it?

Mr. Tarutani: That is the guiding principle for our designs. 

You see, the recordings we listen to is the product of multiple parties – the singer, musician, producer, recording engineer, mastering engineer etc., each one of them contributes his/her artistry and professionalism to the process. The final product is the culmination of every party’s expression, their artistic intent. Our aim is to respect this artistry and professionalism, as such, our role is to reproduce everything they put on the recording faithfully, for you, the listener, to experience every bit of it.  

The role of our electronics and loudspeakers is to retrieve all the details on every recording accurately, not adding, subtracting, or altering anything. We don’t want any coloration in our music reproduction.

Tan: Can you tell us a bit about your current product line-up?

Mr. Tarutani: Our home audio line-up is complete as of now with the latest additions of the TAD-GE1 (Grand Evolution) loudspeaker and the TAD-C1000 pre-amp in our Evolution Series.

We now have disc player/DAC, pre amp, power amp/monoblock and multiple loudspeaker models in both the Reference and Evolution Series. We are one of the very few HiFi brands in the world from which a user can assemble a complete system.

I wonder whether you have noticed something about our loudspeakers. Our loudspeaker designs come in pairs. Every floorstander model has a smaller brother in the form of a stand-mount/bookshelf, or, looking at it the other way round, every standmount/bookshelf model has a corresponding bigger floorstander version. 

In the Reference Series, we have the R1TX (Reference One) and CR1TX (Compact Reference One), you can see similar design language from the floorstanding R1TX distilled down to the standmount CR1TX. 

In the Evolution Series, we released the CE1TX (Compact Evolution One) first before its bigger brother, which is now being brought out as the GE1 (Grand Evolution One). The GE1 is the CE1TX extended to be a floorstander with an additional woofer. 

Further down the line, we have the E1TX (Evolution One) and ME1 (Micro Evolution One) pair, where we took the top half of the E1TX and made it the ME1. The enclosures, the finishes and the drivers are of the same design.  

There is an exception though. Our TAD-E2 (Evolution Two) floorstander is unique, in the sense that it will stand on its own without a smaller brother. The TAD-E2 serves the purpose for us to show that we can also do great loudspeakers apart from our normal design. The TAD-E2 2.5-way design is a departure from our usual 3-way design. The TAD-E2 does not use a coaxial driver for the tweeter and midrange, rather, the tweeter is set into a horn guide, which harks back to our early days of producing horn speakers, it is an expression of TAD’s early tradition. 

Tan: I see that for source equipment, TAD focuses on disc player (CD/SACD) and DAC but not a streamer. Will TAD consider releasing one? 

Mr. Tarutani: We currently have no plan to build a streamer. We see our music making role begin at the point where we receive the digital music signal. There are many excellent streamers available on the market now, our customers can choose one to match to our DAC and get great result. 

By the way, do you notice that our Reference TAD-D700 disc player/DAC does not have a USB input? The reason is to keep our reference disc player pure and avoid any possible source of noise pollution. If you prefer to stream using USB but want to get the best performance by using the converter inside the TAD-D700, the best way is to use our DA1000TX or D1000TX (which are also standalone DACs in their own right), to receive the USB signal, and let one of the DA1000/D1000’s digital outputs (S/PDIF or AES/EBU) feed the TAD-D700. This is what AV Designs’s demo system in this Show does, and that is the best way to do it. 

Tan: An interesting function on TAD’s stereo power amps is its ability to switch from stereo to bi-amping use. At the same time we also have the TAD-M700 monoblock. Comparing the bi-amp arrangement using two M700S to a pair of M700 monoblocks, which is better?  

Mr. Tarutani: That is an interesting question, I was asked this quite a few times. We don’t like to delve into which way sounds better as listening preference is subjective, suffice to say that no listener will be disappointed with either, though my engineer did mention that using a pair of monoblocks could be more powerful. Both approaches are equally valid, it boils down to personal preference at the end of the day.

On the other hand, I’d like to ask you this, you have heard the TAD-R1TX driven by just one M700S power amp, right? Did you even find the performance inadequate? 

Tan: No, I didn’t find anything amiss. I found the control, accuracy, speed, dynamics, scale etc. quite amazing even from just one M700S! I reckon using 1 stereo power amp, or biamp with 2, or using a monoblock pair is just a matter of how far you intend to push the performance envelope.

Tan: Some HiFi brands have regular product updates. Every 2-3 years they would come up with a mk2, mk3 etc.. However, TAD seems to have a very long product lifecycle, up to 10 years even. How do you decide that a model is due for an update? 

Mr. Tarutani: We want our customers to enjoy their investment in TAD HiFi equipment for the long term, so we don’t do regular model changes just for the sake of it. We usually do a model change when the parts used are no longer available. Since new parts are used, we need to give it a new designation. Design improvements may be made in the new models, and most likely there would be sound differences since the parts are different, but whether it sounds better or not, again, our view is that it is a subjective matter for the listener to judge for himself/herself.

Do you know that in our lab we still use the first-generation TAD-R1 loudspeakers as our reference? Our engineers do their listening tests on the same reference loudspeakers in order to ensure that we always achieve a consistent TAD sound quality.

Tan: How about your future product development plan? Will TAD release something cheaper than the TAD-ME1 loudspeaker? Or will you come up with a speaker model above your flagship TAD-R1TX?

Mr. Tarutani: No, we’ll not be bringing out a loudspeaker below the TAD-ME1, we can’t achieve TAD quality and performance at a lower cost unfortunately. 

On the other end of the scale, there are indeed some demand/queries for a bigger loudspeaker than the TAD-R1TX from some of our markets, such as China and Vietnam. We need to look into this further, we have not decided yet. 

Tan: TAD has a ‘Professional’ division that makes raw loudspeaker drivers, but I don’t see TAD using these drivers in your finished loudspeaker models. Is the Professional division totally separated from the Home Audio division? Will these professional drivers be used in TAD’s future loudspeaker projects? 

Mr. Tarutani: No, both are the same team. We have been making the Professional loudspeaker drivers since our early days, they are our important legacy and tradition. The professional loudspeaker units are currently not used in any of our finished home audio products, but I have a personal dream, my dream is to revive our horn loudspeaker designs from decades ago that use these drivers. Those loudspeakers were marketed under the Pioneer Exclusive name then, and they are still treasured by many enthusiasts till this day. However, nothing is concrete yet, but I hope I can realize this dream. 

Well, as a TAD user yourself, which one would you like to see TAD do? Should we extend our lineup to include a bigger loudspeaker than the R1TX, or consider reviving our horn loudspeaker design with our Professional drivers? 

Tan: Me? As a TAD fan I personally like to have a listen to TAD’s horn loudspeaker design. That will be a great audiophile experience as it is something hailing from TAD’s illustrious loudspeaker making tradition. Not that I don’t like to see a bigger TAD loudspeaker than the R1TX, but I believe the R1TX is already an awesome flagship loudspeaker in its own right.

Tan: What is TAD’s relationship with Pioneer? Is TAD a totally independent company now? 

Mr. Tarutani: Pioneer still owns 100% of TAD. On the design, engineering, and commercial side, TAD is operating entirely separately from Pioneer, since Pioneer is no longer involved in home audio (Pioneer now focuses on car audio and ICE (in-car entertainment)). 

In the last few years, we worked extensively to project TAD into the HiFi community. We participated in shows, we built up our distributor network, and I personally travelled to many places to gain greater exposure for TAD. We aim to build a greater awareness of the TAD brand as more and more audiophiles get to experience TAD’s performance and sound quality. 

Tan: Indeed, I now see more news and reporting on TAD. It is great to see TAD getting the exposure that it deserves. 

There were much about TAD that I would like to ask Mr. Tarutani, but time did not permit. Hope we’ll meet again in the future. I’d like to express my sincere thanks to Mr. Tarutani for his time and sharing. Looking forward to Mr. Tarutani’s future visits to KLIAVS and Malaysia.

Revelation Audio Labs Passage CryoSilver Reference DualConduit DB25 Umbilical Cord Upgrade for Pass Labs Preamp

 Posted by Tan

I was thinking about what I could do to improve my system further short of upgrading any of the main components and without a major financial outlay. My mind turned to cable. As I had been pretty happy with the cable combination I was using, from power cords to interconnects to speaker cables, I thought of one cable in my system that I had not done anything with, which was the umbilical cord that went between the 2-chassis Pass Labs XP20 preamp that connect the separate power supply to the main body. 

I had been using the umbilical cord supplied by Pass Labs with the XP20, a DB-25 cable similar to the parallel cable used to connect to our computer to a printer before USB connection became ubiquitous. Just that Pass Labs' version looks chunkier, felt heavier and is of a better build quality than the printer type. 

I googled to see whether there were any 'audiophile' DB-25 cables out there, the picking was indeed slim, I came up with just a couple, which was not surprising as the market for such cables must be very small. 

I chose to go with Revelation Audio Labs from the US (http://www.revelationaudiolabs.com/cables-power/index.htm, they make power cords, interconnects and speaker cables in addition to a few types of umbilical cords used in various manufacturers' products) as their version looked particularly well made, but of course I was purchasing on faith and luck as I had no means of testing it beforehand, being thousands of miles away.

Purchases with Revelation Audio Labs can be made via their website or ebay, shipping is free worldwide. The standard 0.75m length for the DB-25 cable costs USD999 and add US189 for every additional 0.25m. I made my enquiries and duly placed my order. During the (anxious) 2-month wait for the cable to arrive, my queries on the ship out status was promptly replied by Revelation Audio Labs, and there was no hiccup in the final delivery. 

Indeed, when I finally had the cable in hand, I was impressed with the build quality. The cable is made up of 2 separate cables intertwined into one. It has a wider girth than the Pass Labs' version. Revelation Audio Labs says that the analog power supply voltages is separated in a dedicated discreet conduit from the digital control signals within the cable. The connectors at both ends are mil. spec. Amphenol male-to-female DB-25 connectors and solid cast metal shielded shells. 

The cable is somewhat stiff but as my preamp's 2 chassis are placed closed together I had no problem in connecting them.

I thought I had to let the cable run in for a while before I could discern any significant changes but I didn't really have to. After I swapped in the new cable and pressed play on my cdp, I could hear clear changes, nay, improvements in my system's performance immediately (Revelation Audio Labs says that they run-in their cables before shipping). These improvements were consistently heard over the next days and weeks.

The immediate sensation I had was that the noise floor was lowered. The vocal and musical instruments were now playing on a darker background, the body of each became a tad cleaner and clearer, but the air around each, and also of the recording venue, was not diminished. In fact the ambiance in the recordings was further enhanced and easier to discern. Additionally, the little edginess in the highs in some recordings that I thought was from the recordings themselves was either diminished or eradicated entirely, the highs became just that bit smoother and silkier. 

With this, many low level details became more apparent, it was like turning the focus ring on a camera lens just so slightly to improve on an already good focus. What I thought was extraneous noise on some recordings before was actually little details captured, such as an unintentional touch of the finger on a string, or a soft smacking of the lips by the singer. Nuances and vocal inflections in the artists' performance were also better resolved, heightening my listening enjoyment. 

One improvement area that I thought was worth the entire upgrade cost alone was the bass. Bass became more impactful and better controlled. Bass notes were also better defined. On plucked double bass for example, the body of each note was better delineated, and I could hear the start and decay of each note more clearly. 

I am really impressed with the Revelation Audio Labs' DB-25 umbilical cord. It is a significant improvement relative to the outlay. If you have a Pass Labs preamp with external power supply, you owe it to yourself to try out this umbilical cord upgrade. This is a great product, highly recommended! 

A Post Modernist? Kenwood KX-5010 Cassette Deck

The Kenwood KX-5010 with it's accompanying original remote at press photo

What does one do after making possibly the best sounding product of an era? Well, Kenwood like so many other companies, started introducing convenience features. You see, the Kenwood KX-880G and all it's others in the series managed to stay in production from 1982 to 1989, in any industry especially consumer products, 7 years product life span is a mighty long............ time. In 1990, a new decade, Kenwood introduced the new generation of KX series cassette decks, now modelled as 5010 & 9010.

Both KX-5010(a 2 head, single capstan transport) and it's top of the line model, the KX-9010(3 head, dual capstan transport), now comes with remote control, a large horizontal FL display, neatly integrating the tape counter, tape type & L/R peak level meters, in an attractive yet easy to read from a far design. Styling wise, this is the biggest improvement over the KX-880 & 1100 series design, while novelty was nice when it lasted, now seems so very dated, especially that vertical L/R peak level meter in which the fonts used were too small to be seen from a far. Most transport control buttons were carried over to save cost as by the 1990's CD players have began to dominate the music format as source & cassette starts to lose it's dominance. So new models with carry over parts bin was a logical and clever move, costing wise when launching a new product. Car manufacturers do it all the time!

The back panel also has system remote trigger jacks, if you're into an all singing & dancing Kenwood stack system

Extra features are always welcomed, and that includes the ability to make a one touch test recording of about 30 seconds after blank tape is inserted, then automatically rewinds and playback the result for your sound quality evaluation. one can repeat the process several times at a touch of the "Record" button, until satisfactory sound recording setting is achieved, before goin for the full tape recording. It's like having a 3 head tape deck feature with 2 heads only! Another feature which I absolutely love about the Kenwood KX-5010 is the Direct Drive transport, despite being a single capstan transport design, wow & flutter spec is only 0.25% low, which many dual capstan design transport probably also cannot match. I now find Direct Drive transport very good with pulling power, especially during playback of old and sometimes slightly sticky tapes. When other decks are struggling, the Kenwood continue to play with stable speed. By the way, the Direct Drive feature is not new, but carried over from the previous KX-880 series.

I think Kenwood KX-5010 had a strong foundation to build upon, being based loosely around it's very capable predecessor of KX-880HX. Will it sound as good, with added features?

The internals also looking very similar to the older KX-880G!

Opening the cassette door reveals the single capstan, 2 head transport

Let's find out! From the first tape playback, the performance similarity to it's predecessor, the KX-880G is obvious. Crystalline clear tonality, speed stability, punchy bass and highly extended treble all shines through. However, I have 2 doubts started developing after a few tape playback. First was bandwidth, with familiarity, I just felt that perhaps the band width of the KX-880 series was still better in the regards, because the highs were more liquid, had less white noise. Next, another area the predecessor also did better in terms of micro dynamics, especially in tracks where double bass, or bass guitar plucks & piano pings were prominent, the older model certainly offered much more clarity on the proceedings.  In other areas of the performance of the KX-5010, the sound was clearly cut from the same cloth as the KX-880 series, just with a few more rough edges only. Both shared a similar tonal quality, stable speed & dynamic overall sound. Maybe in some cases, if remote control, post modern styling & recording feature is your thing, then the Kenwood KX-5010 cassette deck is up your alley. 

This Kenwood KX-5010 unit is in great cosmetic condition and comes with per-programed after market remote, supplied by mu buddy, Oh. Please contact him if one is interested in purchase of this deck. His asking price is not high, for a fully reconditioned unit which looks & sounds good!

However, if one priorities cassette playback sound above all else, then the KX-880G in which I previously reviewed, is the much better defacto choice of the two. I have made my choice the moment I heard the KX-1100G, in which playback sound performance wise, opens up a whole new level of performance over both the KX-5010 or KX-880G. The 3 head machine just cost much more, that's all!

I am now really starting to believe a folklore amongst cassette deck communities, that the best golden age for really great sounding decks were made from 1978-1982!  This due to the fact that as I narrow down my to keep cassette decks to last 5 surviving, despite the many I have written about here, I just realized 2 out of 5 in my collection are from the 1982 year,  That's kinda significant. Don't you agree?

Old Gold! Denon DCD-3500RG CD Player

The official release photo of Denon DCD-3500RG CD player back in 1989, that's 34 years ago!

As you keen followers have noticed, I have gone in to reverse gear when it comes to hifi since the last couple of years. I usually do not go too far back, but have stuck to the time line of 80's & 90's classics, that's like 30 or 40 years ago, which I felt hifi was at it's last golden age. This Denon DCD-3500RG CD player is probably one of the flagships made by the company over the years. I've had various Denon products over the years, and they are always technically correct in sound, but just never really hit my heart strings. However, this Denon CD player promises to be something different, and I've been waiting for my chance to find out since like 25 years ago. I was always eyeing for a good condition pre-owned unit for sale, but either I was always too late or just got distracted when one became available.

This unit belongs to a friend and as he was getting bored with it, fancied my proposal for a swap with my Teac VRDS-20 CD player, he wanted a small top up but that's fine, since I was bored with the Teac too. For me after a while the Teac with it's VRDS transport should have shined, but never got me emotionally wowed with music. Maybe it wasn't meant to be for me..........   

The CD loading tray come with built in suspension! A feature that is deemed redundant by now.

The Denon DCD-3500RG was launched in 1989, just towards the start of 2nd generation of CD players and it still have many features from the first generation machines deemed un-necessary today, like the suspended CD loading tray, the top Sony KSS-151A CD transport with magnetic rails, track programing calendar and best of all not only wooden cheeks, but the whole top & side panels are real wood finished in dark tone Urushi lacquer, which is very classy. Now a days, if you want your hifi equipment to come with that Urushi lacquer, be prepared to spend at least 6 figures or more! However, for the unit that came to me, that Urushi wood panels were termite infested and I had to sadly remove, throw away, and make new Nyatoh hard wood panels for it! The results, while not glossy like the original Urushi lacquer, came with it's own unique hard wood surface texture charm which is still nice. I can't get anyone to do Urushi lacquer restoration for me locally. Lastly this Denon uses a theoretical 18 bit decoding, courtesy of 4 units Burr Brown PCM58P-K, 2 per channel for balanced circuitry linearity. 

The Denon is another satin gold(not Champaign gold, as the tone is less rich, and a bit pale in comparison), battleship build quality CD player that weights in at 22kgs, came with all round copper coated 2 compartment chassis, which on the left was 2 power supply transformers(1 for audio & 1 for digital, so it says) at the back and the Sony KSS-151A transport in front, with the right compartment holding the dual mono audio PCBs. Very nicely organized. The front fascia is relatively clean with just a few buttons flanking the big CD tray & FL display, all other lesser used buttons are buried inside a flap below.  The back panel has the usual digital output, RCA & XLR audio outs.

The insides of the Denon DCD-3500RG CD player. Nice, right?

 

To reduce fascia design clutter, only the most frequently used buttons are left on the outside, all other buttons are hidden behind a drop down flap below. 

The back panel outputs.

My Denon DCD-3500RG after the wood panel changed, looks quite different doesn't it? Some may say the different wood panels will color the sound differently, but I didn't really heard that.

So far so good, however for a Denon, this CD player is really sounding something else! From the first CD play, I was transfixed by the sound. The bass was strong, bold and tuneful. The mids are slightly recessed, a little laid back but still very engaging. The highs are super refined, very airy but will bite if the music calls for it. The sound stage is big, but very laid back. Overall this CD player certainly has the PRAT factor, which make music very enjoyable. So far all is good, but comparing to my stable of CD players, this Denon does not sound as dark in tonality vs the Sony CDP-X7 ESD, it self a 1988 product. Then comparing to the Accuphase DP-70V which is a more aspirational product and priced(at least double?) to match in 1992, the Accupahse offers slightly more clarity, less digital haze(compared to both Sony & Denon), gives better mid range texture and just maybe slightly better micro dynamics and transient. If there's any comparison I would say both the half priced Sony & Denon offered possibility 85-90% of what the Accuphase can do. However, with most pop & rock recordings it's not easy to tell them apart. Only certain high quality recordings that truly allows the Accuphase to shine, put it on the pedestal, so to speak!

An area I do not like about the Denon is that it doesn't play CD-Rs & scratched disc too well. Only well kept original CDs will do here. But for me, this is no limitation, as I have the other 2 CD players in my stables that will play any disc any condition, especially the Accuphase. I strongly suspect the Sony KSS-151A transport laser in the Denon to be in it's last legs(since 1989!) and it will be a costly affair to source for replacement once dead. However, I feel this Denon is worth saving and to keep it going if the worst should happen. 

Even then, the Denon DCD-3500RG has been in my stables for over a year, and I must say that I've totally enjoyed it's musical company so far, and will be in my stables for a long time to come.

The Last Of A Kind, Teac V-7010 Cassette Deck

The Teac V-7010 finished in Champaign gold, and dark colored wood cheeks, tape counter window & transport buttons on the left, peak level meter display with recording level knobs and selector on the right! The whole fascia design is very elegant with this nice Champaign finish.

Teac was probably the last of the cassette deck manufacturers to issue Dolby S noise reduction system in their product line up, by 1993 in the V-8000 series. That makes the 1992 Teac V-7010 the last of the Dolby C equipped TOTL deck by then, which itself is a facelifted model of the V-7000 series launched in 1990. By the time of the Teac V-7010, ten years has passed since the Kenwood KX-1100G that I last reviewed. The newer Teac has broadly similar specs to the Kenwood, except for the motorized tape well door & remote control capabilities. By this time in 1992, the CD format already reigns supreme at home hifi front, but in the car audio world, CD players were still a novelty, as manufacturers were finding ways to isolate the CD transport from the car's suspension movements which adversely affected the playback smoothness of the CD transport. CD players in cars would only start become the mainstream just before year 2000. Hence the market for cassette deck at this stage, was shrinking fast.

  

The Teac V-7010 is a nice weighty machine at almost 10kg, thanks to it's real wood cheeks & multi compartment for rigidity chassis, which is distinctively divided in to 3 unequal areas, on the left is power supply & regulation board, the front middle section is where the 3 head, dual capstan, direct drive transport remains isolated in it's own compartment, and the rest of the area behind the transport compartment & right side of box is dedicated to audio recording & playback circuitry. While some people may comment that the Teac V=7010 looks very spartan inside, I think that was possibly in the design brief to make things as simple as possible for shorter audio signal path to good sound.   

Inside the copper shielded chassis, the Teac V-7010 was the last to get this premium treatment, as the Dolby S equipped V-8000 series released in 1993 no longer have this treatment. 

As I have just taken delivery of the Kenwood KX-1100G about 2 months ago, along came this Teac V-7010 in which I was offered first right of refusal by a buddy who no longer sees the need for it. It was a hard decision for me as I am still warming up to my new toy, and I had secretly harbored to someday get a Teac V-970X which is another TOTL cassette deck from another by gone era. So the Teac V-7010 didn't exactly fit in to my plans, but I went to see it any way, how could I not?

At first glance, I have fallen head over heels for the Teac V-7010, this example in mint condition, finished Champaign gold, dark wood cheeks & a look behind the back panel which still has the importer(Auvi Malaysia Sdn Bhd) warrantee sticker on it, really just blew my mind! I could remember I was just a young adult at the time, just starting my first job, marveling at what was possibly this very unit on display at Auvi's showroom in SS2(which later became the iconic Mungo Jerry BKT shop), which I could not afford it's grand asking price back then. The icing on cake was that my buddy said, "this unit just came back from service by Mr Oh!" and that statement, sealed my fate! I was a happy dandy walking out from my buddy's house, with the Teac V-7010 in my arms.

This remote is from the same vintage but made for the model Teac V-5000, which has a belt driven 4 DC motor transport supplied by Sankyo.  The V-7000 is a direct drive transport supplied by the same manufacturer.

I went straight home, unplugged the Kenwood from my system, swapped the Teac in with high anticipation, and from the first time I pressed the play button, heavenly sound was coming from the tape format. Coming from the Kenwood, The Teac immediately impressed with it's quiet transport, no clunky noise here or there. Next the high frequencies were well extended with good refinement, the mid range has a lower bloom, which makes vocals sound like it has more meat compared to the Kenwood, and the bass is as solid & as tuneful as the Kenwood. Speed stability is impressive as well , just like the Kenwood, is direct driven. I am beginning to see that direct drive transport designs do have their advantages over belt drive designs. Being direct drive doesn't mean there are no pesky transport rubber belts to deal with, but just lesser only.  However, in terms of sound stage, the Kenwood does throw a wider & deeper, plus more layered picture. For the Teac, this was was a slight downer, but it's OK, the V-7010 still sounds very good by the way.

An official photo release of the Teac V-7010 cassette deck. 

Due to the unit didn't come with the originally issued remote control as my buddy had lost it during his last home move, I felt the unit was some how incomplete. So I scour the www in search of hopping to find one for sale, and after 2 weeks, found at remote specimen for sale at Yahoo Auction Japan. While this was not the exact original, which has a few more buttons, it was close enough and the asking price was sensible, unlike those Sony ES series remotes. About a month later the remote arrived and works! I later found out the remote unit I bought was for the Teac V-5000/5010 was has the missing open/close function for the tape well.

In a way, getting this Teac V-7010 cassette deck made me forget about the Teac V-970X as an idea, as I am blissfully enjoying what I got now. Some times, I guess fate does not give you what you wanted, but even then when you've being given something else, you'd be thankful with the end result. For me, I am enjoying my cassette deck collection journey to the max now!

Glorious Past! Kenwood KX-1100G Cassette Deck

Kenwood KX-1100G is sold from 1982 till 1989 in various guises, last being KX-1100HX, which includes Dolby HX Pro for recording from radio, as per KX-880D and all the other guises

This was the cassette deck that virtually made the name for Kenwood back then in 1982, that's exactly 41 years ago, along with it's lower model, the KX-880G which I toyed with last year. It sounded so good that I was considering to buy the review sample, but I decided to hold out the purchase, in hope that one day, the top line KX-1100G would become available. Just my collection habit, that I will only keep 3 head decks.

Finally, more than a year later, Mr Oh, my trusted hifi repair guy and cassette aficionado, had restore 2 units of the KX-1100G and asked if I wanna toy with it? Hell yeah! A bit more about the Kenwood KX-1100G. It's a 3 head, direct drive, dual capstan, 3 motor Sankyo tape transport design, used in much like the high end Nakamichi's of the days gone by. Tape loading cover opens manually, via a push button on top of the power ON button on the left side of the fascia. The cassette well is biased towards the left, as per typical design of the time, followed by that distinctive dual fluorescent display, one horizontal to indicate tape type, Dolby and timer, pluas another vertical, to indicate peak level meters for L&R channels. Transport controls are located just below the horizontal display and towards the right side is the recording level setting knobs. The whole unit weights just 6.2kgs finished in satin black with faux audiophile feet, which looks nice. Build quality is not the best, due to it's medium weight design intentions, but everything works nicely, even if the tape transport is slightly clunky when being engaged & disengaged.  

Overall, the design is exactly the same as the KX-880G, except for that audiophile feet, and the "Amorphous Alloy Combination 3 Head" description printed on the cassette cover.

The back panel is generic cassette deck layout, with RCA input & output, and power cord on the other side of the case

Only this description and that big audiophile feet separates the KX-1100G from the KX-880G, the lesser sigbling!

From the very first tape I played with this Kenwood, I was totally smitten by the sound, which was tight, clean, fast & very powerful. It does really remind me that I am listening to CD like quality sound, but from a cassette source! Tape speed stability is first rate, which comparing to some of my higher end decks, which should be better, but not! Tape pulling power is exceptional, due to it's direct drive mechanism as some of my older tapes tended to be a bit sticky, and the Yamaha K-1X can occasionally give up half way, and stop playing, but not the Kenwood, which will continue to play to the end.

Due to that speed stability, bass notes are ultra clean and very punchy, not even the slightest hint of muddiness. The mid range is crystal clear, making the vocals & diction very easy to follow. If I could want more, I would like a bit more meat in that area, but then I am already nit picking. Highs are truly extended with the slightest of hiss, depending on the tape used. Overall, this deck has the musical chops of a digital medium. I must also point out that not many cassette decks have the capability to throw a sound stage quite like this Kenwood, which is wide and deep, and clear vocal projection in the middle. Not even some of the more expensive decks can do that!

AS I only used my decks for play back, I can't comment on the recording capabilities, but if you do Google a bit and ask folks on the cassette forums, They would rate this Kenwood somewhere between a Nakamichi CR-3 or CR-5. Considering the huge price difference between this Kenwood vs those Nakamichi, I can only shower praises on the Kenwood! Perhaps a poorman's Nakamichi it could be? Only you'll know once you've used it.  

Great with pre-recorded tapes too! Seen here playing the Footloose OST with excellent sound quality

While most 3 head cassette decks can give good sound with excellent chrome or metal tapes, not many deck will sound good playing pre-recorded tapes. And this area is where the Kenwood is KING! The difference in sound quality between those pre-recorded tapes vs those self recorded chrome or metal tapes has being narrowed considerably with the Kenwood. Most high end cassette decks will play chrome & metal tapes well, but ruthlessly expose the short comings in sound quality of the pre-recorded tape. With the Kenwood, 9 out of 10 ten pre-recorded tapes will sound very good still, maybe with or or two playing slightly blur. As I have quite a few of those pre-recorded tapes, being able to play them well certainly works in the Kenwood's favor.

I bought & paid for unit just 2 days after first listen, and I think that says a lot about the sound qualities of the Kenwood. I never really believed when someone told me the cassette deck golden years were between 1978 - 1982, with this Kenwood KX-1100G plus my Yamaha K-1X experience, I am starting to see maybe there's some truth to it after all?  

By the way, I think Mr Oh still have one or 2 more Kenwood KX-1100G under restoration, just in case you're keen, do contact him a.s.a.p.

Eversolo DMP

The name Eversolo sounds like this is the one. Its a good name for Android media player. That is right, this is an Android media player by the famous Zidoo (China) in some of the highest end Android player today which cost over RM10,000 being the top of the line (Zidoo Alpha) which is well known in the home theater world. With success of Zidoo in the home theater segment, the company is venturing into the stereo world. Eversolo is not new in the line of Zidoo's product line up. It started of with the Eversolo Z6 and Z8 DAC which is quite a hit in the market. With the success of their DAC, it comes with the latest product of DMP A6 which is a streamer and media player (audio only). 

It comes with 2 different edition or models. The standard edition and the master edition.

Standard Edition

                                                                           Master Edition

The difference of the unit other than the gold batch in front of the master edition, is the internal clock of master edition is upgraded version . Two accusilicon femtosecond oscillator. The op amps is also upgraded to OPA1612. In simple summary the upgrade reduce noise and with low distortion. 

The video of unboxing is the standard edition. In terms of packaging, both standard and master have the same boxing. The box itself is pretty good looking. Inside of the box packing is definitely top notch and the player itself wrap within a beg. Out of the beg the unit itself is aluminium chassis. Well build of the casing, pretty solid and quite weighty of 3kg for such a small unit 187mm x 270mm x 90mm. 

Looking at the back of the unit, this one media player that covers all kinds of connection you can think of. There are 3 antenna on this unit for wifi and also bluetooth. It can support ethernet as well. The HDMI is has the ARC feature will be useful for connecting to TV. 2 x USB3.0 for external storage connection and also output to external DAC. It has digital input as well if someone will like to use it as a DAC. Optical, coaxial and USB C input can be use to connect computer or any other external player to the Eversolo. The player also support optical and coaxial output. Finally the analog output has the RCA and XLR. The only connection not available on this unit is AES. 

The front LCD touch screen is really a good size (3 inch) which is good to enough to see the wordings from about 3 feet away. As per picture above the lay out is good enough and not too pack. The meta data is download from internet as soon as the music starts playing. 

At the home display of the LCD panel is pretty standard look of an Android. I will describe it similar to a mobile phone (Android). Additional apps can be installed into the player like any other Android system. Anyone familiar with Android will be easily navigate around. At least it doesn't take any kind of computer know how to get it working.  The Eversolo apps can also be download into mobile for Apple or Android for remote control.

The apps is quite user friendly. Simple layout, which is pretty much the same kind of standard Android type of user interface. Streaming or playing directly from player and pretty much any kind of configuration can be done from the apps itself. This is pretty useful while seating some distance away and able to control the entire unit. Having said that, this unit does not comes with remote control like a traditional player. With this interactive remote apps, really do not need anything else. The unit can also be access remotely from web browser by accessing the IP address.

Now is time to give the unit a go. First try out with the USB connected to external drive. The playback is pretty straight forward after the files are display in the screen and playing it back. The downside here is the time it takes for the unit to build the list (depend on storage size) can be quiet long. First song tried out on Ed Sheeran  "How Would You Feel". Its a FLAC file being use. The vocal is pretty sharp but I will say is a little over the top. The lower end is pretty solid but a little boomy. Sound stage is pretty good overall in covering the listening area of 200 sq feet room. Definitely can feel the energy of the song. Next tried out with Eagles "Hotel California". Definitely the bass is pronounced and tight but still a bit boomy. A little bit lacking on the mid bass. The electric guitar play back is like the vocal, sounded sharp and a little over the top. The overall DSD compare to FLAC playback is a little smoother and more musical. 

One plus point on the player, is the display can be turn on with VU meters. During playback is quite nice to watch one. Pretty cool. Definitely makes me thinking of HIFI ROSE minus the high price tag. 

The streaming apps support Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music. Pretty meet all the needs of most users at least here in Malaysia. The apps can be install at the main menu and after installation is done just have to sign in with your account and ready to play. Only able to test it with Apple Music which I have subscripted. The sound quality of streaming is pretty average. Nothing to shout about but is definitely convenient to let it play especially if the unit is at living room or bedroom for casual listening. If you have an external USB drive, can be connected to it and be use like any CD player with direct playback. This is another useful feature to save some cost. All in all this unit is feature pack, has all kind of connection and pretty plays almost anything from streaming to files playback. For anyone who is about to get into Hifi digital world, I will think this a great choice to choose from. 

 

TAD Technical Audio Devices and Innuos Launch Event at AV Designs

Posted by Tan 

AV Designs recently held a launch event for new products from TAD and Innuos.

For TAD, the primary focus was on its flagship loudspeaker, the TAD-R1TX, which was the first pair AV Designs brought into Malaysia. The TAD flagship loudspeakers are now in their third iteration, from the first-generation TAD-R1 to TAD-R1mk2 and now the TAD-R1TX. The TAD-R1TX largely retained the key design features of the series, being a 3-way design using a concentric mid-tweeter driver made of Beryllium and dual 10-in woofers, but also went through internal design improvements and subtle changes to its look.

The woodwork of the TAD-R1TX enclosure, which feels luxurious and looks excellent even on very close inspection, is now a collaboration with Tendo Mokko, a renown Japanese furniture maker, who on its website says that “when we at Tendo consider excellence in furniture, we imagine family assets original owners can hand down to the next generation. Tendo delivers furniture that parents will want to pass on to their children, who will in turn leave it to their own children”. So now TAD loudspeakers can also be considered heirloom.

In the case of Innuos, a digital music server and streamer brand from Portugal that AV Designs took on as distributor, we saw the introduction of its top-of-the-line Statement music server. AV Designs also put some of its entry level models on display. The Statement is a beautifully made 2-piece machine, consisting of the streaming electronics in one chassis and the power supply in another. The Statement is idiosyncratic as it is an all-USB affair, it does not provide RCA or XLR input or output.

The supporting cast of the demo system was no less impressive. It consisted of the TAD-D1000TX DAC, TAD-D700 CDP, TAD-C600 pre amp and TAD-M700S power amp, wired throughout with Wywires Diamond series cables. The TAD-M700s power amplifier was perched on a massive hifi stand from made by Bassocontinuo of Italy, called Gargantua. I believe we’ll hear more about the Bassocontinuo line when the full range arrived in the near future.

Joki leading the attendees through the varied music selection in the demo session

This listening session confirmed with no doubt for me that moving up TAD’s product hierarchy consistently brought added sonic improvements. You can name any hifi performance parameter, such as details and resolution, frequency extension, dynamic range, soundstage size, loudness capability etc. the higher in the range you go, the more you’ll get. The performance envelope simply expands in all directions.

At the end of the listening session that saw music of multiple genres played, I was left with one simple word in my head. That word was ‘COMPLETE’. The music I heard from this system did not require my brain to have to work to fill in any blanks, nor the sound I heard needed me to, consciously or subconsciously, interpret as to what it is. I enjoyed the musical presentation tremendously at the same time. This was a realization that I hardly ever had in any listening session with any other systems in the past. Absolutely impressive!

Innuos Pulse and Zen Series on display

TAD Evolution Series on display

Sharing a couple of video clips from the demo session (videos taken on an iPhone SE):

Nicki Parrott's "Fever" 

Jeff Beck's "Space for The Papa"

Call AV Designs James Tan at +603 62411237 to arrange a listening session.