Consonance Linear CD Players
What are "Linear" CD players?, using non-oversampling , filterless dac design as used by Zanden, Audionote, and 47 labs to name a few, a higher degree of transparency is achieved, coupled with a more musical approach with less smearing that gives digital a more natural feeling than other technologies can,to give digital sources a much needed relaxed delivery overall.
Please click HERE for more info on this subject.
 Review from Hi-Fi Choice, August 2009
Full review from Hi-Fi Choice, August 2009[PDF]
Review from Adventuresinhifi.com
 The latest player to join the Linear range is the Mini-Droplet CDP 3.1 Linear, utilising an E88CC triode output ,and a top loading mechanism with wood, aluminium and ceramic sandwich chassis construction.
Also fitted with a new specially made super-clock for even lower levels of jitter.
Employing our preferred method of 16 BIT filterless dac design with a choice of over sampling at (FS 88.2KHz,FS 176.4KHz)
or non-oversampling which can be selected at the push of a button on the remote.
These 3 choices allow you to select the sound you find most personally satisfying.
An SPDIF Digital input function allows you to use multiple input
devices such as a computer or music server (such as a Squeezebox) or the use of another existing CD player as a transport.
Specification :
DAC resolution TDA1543x4 pcs.
0dBFS signal output: 2.5V RMS
Output Terminals: Gold plated Tube RCA unbalanced
Frequency response: Less than +/- 0.5 dB deviation 20Hz-15kHz FS:44.1KHz
Less than +/- 0.5 dB deviation 20Hz-20kHz FS:88.2KHz
Less than +/- 0.5 dB deviation 20Hz-20kHz FS:176.4KHz
Signal-to-noise ratio More than 100dB
Distortion (RCA) Less than 0.21 % 1KHz FS:44.1KHz
Less than 0.14 % 1KHz FS:88.2KHz
Less than 0.14 % 1KHz FS:176.4KHz
Remote Control Philips RC-5 compatible IR system 36kHz modulation frequency
Vacuum tube E88CC/6922 x1
This player has proved to be our top selling item over the past few years, putting more expensive and so-called high technology players to shame, the sheer musicality that flows from this player has to be heard to be believed, and has to be placed at the top of anybody's wish list, especially recommended for analogue lovers!!
The CD player for those that don't like CD's!!
NOW fitted with a digital input!
 Review from Stereo Times
Review from 6 moons.com
Review from Hi-Fi+ issue 46 pdf
Review from Hi-Fi Choice
FEATURES: Non-Oversampling, No digital filter J-FET/ Transistor analog filter, no op-amps,
6H30 TriodeTube output.
Sampling frequency: 44.1kHz/88.2kHz/176.4kHz [selected from the remote control]
2.35V Digital output:Unbalanced16bit/44.1kHz .
SPECIFICATION:
DAC resolution : 16bit Philips TDA1543 X4
0dBFS signal output : 2.35V RMS
Output Terminals : Gold plated Tube RCA unbalanced
Freq' response : Less than +/- 0.5 dB deviation 20Hz-20kHz
Phase response : Less than 5 degrees deviation 20Hz-20kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio : More than 100dB
Crosstalk : Less than -100dB
Distortion (RCA) : Less than 0.12 %
Remote Control : Philips RC-5 IR system 36kHz mod' freq'
Vacuum tube : Sovtek 6H30 x1
Dimensions / Weight : 21cm x 43cm x 33cm(HxWxD)/16kg(wood top)
Dimensions / Weight : 21cm x 43cm x 33cm(HxWxD)/18kg(Metal top)
 NEW!!!
All-black finish
Review from Hi-Fi+ magazine[pdf]
Review from Star-Online
Review from Stereo Times.com
Review from Hi-Fi+[Issue 44 pdf]
Review from tnt audio.com
Review from Audiogon
Review from Audiokarma
Reviewed in Hi-Fi World August 2007
Non-Oversampling, No digital filter,no op-amps, J-FET/Transistor analogue filter,using a short signal pass with a minimal number of parts used in the analogue section
Sampling frequency: 44.1kH/88.2kH (selected via the remote)
Output voltage: 2.35V Digital output: RCA Phono
 DAC resolution : 16bit TDA1543 X 2
0dBFS signal output : 2.35V RMS
Output Terminals : Gold plated RCA unbalanced
Frequency response: Less than /- 0.5 dB deviation 20Hz-20kHz
Phase response : Less than 5 degrees deviation 20Hz-20khz
Signal-to-noise ratio : More than 100dB
Crosstalk : Less than -100dB
Distortion (RCA) : Less than 0.12 %
Remote Control : Philips RC-5 compatible IR system 36kHz freq'
Dimensions 8.5cm x 43cm x 32cm (HxWxD) Weight 10kg
 Review from Hi-Fi+ issue 55[PDF]
Review from AudioEnz
Review from Hi-Fi+ weblink
Shown here in the Titanium Silver finish with the matching Tristan Integrated amplifier [above].
This upgraded version of the CD120 linear, using advanced Linear technology with carefully selected components, utilising dual differential dacs as used in the Ref CD2.2L, and with larger power supplies.
DAC resolution 16bit TDA1543X4
0dBFS signal output 2.35V RMS
Output Terminals =Gold plated RCA unbalanced
Frequency response Less than +/- 0.5 dB deviation 20Hz-20kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio More than 100dB
Crosstalk Less than -100dB
Distortion (RCA) Less than 0.12 %
Remote Control Philips RC-5 compatible IR system 36kHz modulation frequency
Dimensions 11cm x 45cm x 39cm (HxWxD) Weight 18kg
Solid State vs Valve, Digital vs Analogue, SACD vs DVD-A, the arguments rage on, with one persons point of view seemingly contradicting anothers, which is right?, which is wrong?, are there any winners, and losers ?, or is it down to personal tastes at the end of the day ?, now we have opposing technologies in the digital world, Digital Filters vs Filterless Dac's, Upsampling vs No upsampling, Oversampling vs no Oversampling, how are we supposed to make a decision with so many opposing viewpoints??
There seems to be only one way to decide, and that is with your ears, if you like the sound of the latest technology with 24/192 upsampling[or more], with brick-wall fliters to block unwanted spurious noise, and beleive that the measured signal is of utmost importance, then that is what you are looking for, if on the other hand you trust your ears to make a buying decision , then the alternative "Simple" approach is worth looking out for,
Is 16 bit/44.1 enough? Clearly not!!, but we are stuck with it for now, SACD/DVD-A are currently not taking the world by storm, so we have to make the best of 16/44.1,
This is an exerpt from the thoughts of Ryohei Kusunoki --- The choice of Philips's TDA-1543 to the non-oversampling DACs published on MJ was a pure coincidence, but anyhow the DAC chip had one unique quality: a very high output. This helped to use discrete passive I/V conversion circuit rather than IC chips. The discrete I/V circuit sounds much better than the ICs. The non-oversampling DACs have distinctive tonal quality, but I couldn't figure out the reasons in the early stages. I found the answer after listening to a DAC using eight DAC ICs to bring about 8-times oversampling without a digital filter. The DAC's sound clearly indicated that oversampling was not the culprit of sound degrading, but the real offender was the digital filter. Digital filters cut off signals beyond 20kHz with a very steep curve, but needs around 2msec of time to calculate the enormous data. I think this is the reason of "diffusion of sound coherence", [AKA Smearing]the characteristic tonal quality of the oversampling DAC. The new technologies are welcome and I'm quite interested in them. But if the reasons to alter the original CD format are to expand frequency range and dynamic range, I must say, they are barking up the wrong tree. This is why the new technologies can provide just a tiny improvement to the sound quality compared to using better quality capacitors and resistors.
For the full text please click here!
Zanden 5000 Dac review from 6moons.com
Zanden 5000 dac review from Soundstage.com
| 
