Esoteric SACD digital playback systems

[Rubicon15]

This is the advice I was looking for and appreciate. Unfortunately, general parts are no longer available for this unit. CJ will no longer service this player. I can handle changing the belt but not the optical drive etc. I will definitely take it to a qualified expert for service and parts if the unit can be repaired.

[roberto]

Hola,
I remember that CJ CDs were Philips made. CJ modified the audio and the power supply. So, Philips parts might be still available. Try Ebay...you could be lucky finding parts for it.

Happy listening!

[Big Dog RJ]

Yes, correct Robbo.

When we last did a service on my DV2B, if I recall correctly... it had something Phillips, transport mechanism I think, Sony Laser unit and Toshiba Dac chip set. Power supply and the rest of it was all CJD and a very good transformer. EI Core type old school.

Sound wise, top notch! Obviously not comparable with today's latest offerings but very musical and a legendary sound. It was an absolute pleasure to load a disc each time, watch the red display light up and hit play and those fine tunes begin!

Good stuff! Hope it can be sorted out with either original parts or at least something equivalent.
Best, RJ

[roberto]

From another wolf to you RJ,

Also I remember that the audio analogue part was all discreet. A nice Printed Circuit Board with the CJ signature...that was why the machine sounded so good...it's a shame that CJ did not continue doing this.

Woof, Woof,
Bobby.

[Big Dog RJ]

Just bought this regular CD from a record store from the inner fancy location of Collins St in Melbourne's cbd area this arvo. Nothing fancy, no sacd nor dsd or anything, just a regular label from Decca. One word, superb!

Melody Gardot really hits the mark with this one, and the accompanying orchestra is mighty fine! A really top notch recording. This is her latest album, very nicely done by Bernie Grundman and the team at Capitol LA.

Gave the unit plenty of warm up time and did some precise selections on those digital filters and playback modes... they make subtle variations and it really helps to create a finer balance. Marvellous recording, probably one of her best by far! And she includes a duet with Sting! Absolutely brilliant!

Cheers, and enjoy those fine tunes!
WOOF! RJ

[admin]

Just listened to this album last night due to your recommendation. Very nice and great acoustics. Just a really relaxing experience and her voice is amazing. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Big Dog RJ]

Most welcome Admin.

Apart from this particular album of Melody Gardot, which is her latest one, there's another that was highly praised by audiophile recordings. 'Called Curreny Of Man' both available on LP and CD. I have the LP version and my other CLX guru has the CD version. Play back on his highly praised T+A digital gear is one fine experience, according to him, and i just enjoy the LP equally outstanding.

This time though I wasn't sure if her latest album was released on vinyl, so I didn't wait, I just grabbed it since it was the very last one in the store. I'm truly pleased with the quality recording and I guess the Esoteric player also contributes to this level of high quality playback.

The accompanying arrangements on her album, Currency of Man, is superb and the acoustics and presentation is top notch. I think it will sound fantastic going through your ART amplifiers and Maggie's. There's something so real and open, as if you can see into Melody Gardot's soul when she sings, her voice is utterly transparent in nature, and when a high quality system gets it right, the soundstage and resolution is in a class of its own!

I've got every album of hers but the earlier ones aren't of such high quality as compared to her later albums. So that's a good thing I guess.

Cheers Admin mate, and enjoy those fine tunes !
RJ

[roberto]

Yup,
Her musicians group is very good. I also have My Only And Only Thrill (Non-Eu Version) and Live in Europe. Also these Albums have very nice tracks too. The strings arranges are very good. Also the bass player uses a non common bass lines, the guitar player is also very good. In other words, great musicians, great voice and great arranges...

[admin]

I streamed her music with Amazon Music HD. There was a "Deluxe version" of the album available with many (but not all) of the tracks in high res format. I'll have to check out some of her other albums as well. Would be fun to compare streaming vs CD vs LP versions.

[roberto]

I forgot to mention that she plays electric guitar, and she is good too.

[roberto]

My Gosh,
Reading a little bit more about her, I must say that she is a truly winner:

Born: 1985 in Nj
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Vocal Jazz, Vocal
Instruments: Piano, Vocals

The story of vocalist Melody Gardot is as remarkable as any who perseveres against abject adversity. Born in New Jersey in 1985, she took up piano and played as a youngster on the nightclub scene of Philadelphia, influenced by jazz, folk, rock and pop musics. At age 19 she was a fashion student at the Community College of Philadelphia. But, on a fateful day, while riding her bicycle, the driver of a Jeep made an illegal turn, hurdling into Gardot and leaving her in the street for dead. Hospitalized for months with multiple head injuries and pelvic fractures, her love for music was the best therapy she could receive. While in her hospital bed, she wrote and recorded songs that would become the EP Some Lessons. Upon her eventual release from intensive care, Gardot found the strength and determination to further her career as an artist. Blessed with a beautiful voice and grand insight as a songwriter, her cognitive powers slowly but surely became pronounced, leading to the independent recording and release of her debut CD, Worrisome Heart, which was reissued in 2007 by Verve records. Her music could be described as a cross between Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Eva Cassidy, and Shania Twain, but goes deeper than mere pop convention. Gardot is hypersensitive to light and noise, thus she wears dark glasses, and uses a cane to walk. On-stage she requires a special seating unit, and wears a Transcutaneous Electro-Nerve Stimulator, a TENS device, to assist in alleviating her neuralgic muscle pain. As amazing as her story is, what is more evident is that she possesses a blue style and persona that reflects not only her afflictions, but conversely the hope and joy of making personalized music that marks her as an individual and original. Though touring is difficult, she has been performing in major cities on the East Coast to support her recordings. In 2009, working with producer Larry Klein and arranger Vince Mendoza - both known for their work with Joni Mitchell - Gardot followed up her Verve debut with My One and Only Thrill.

[admin]

I was reading about her last night as well and apparently she went into the style of music she sings now as other forms of music (ie louder music) were difficult/painful for her listen to due to her injury. Great story about overcoming adversities.

[Big Dog RJ]

Yep, that's Melody Gardot for you. A true legend in the making. Her music is stunning, and her voice is something else. Listening to her through our passionate CJ gear brings us a step closer to her soul... some of her tracks I actually use for home demos, and within the first note they're all convinced!

You can equally enjoy others in this particular genre, such as Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Karin Allyson, Anne Bisson, Madeline Peroux, Lizz Wright, Cassandra Wilson (one of my all time favourites) and so on but M Gardot's story is truly special and that's what makes her even more unique! Outstanding work and whenever I listen to her tracks, I listen to the full album from start to finish. Every track is outstanding.

Cheers maties, and enjoy those very fine tunes!
Woof!!! RJ

[Big Dog RJ]

G'day maties,

I juse took delivery of three SACD's, one a multi layer, multi channel SACD from Venus, and the other two SACDs from Impex. Quite different in sound reproduction and output, which I will address in point form. The Eso K07-XS has no issues playing various formats with multi-layers, though quite different payback levels.

1. The Venus sacd of Bill Charlap is loud! Powerful from level settings only set at 20 on the CT5.
2. The Impex ones by Patricia Barber are too soft at 20, so I would have to increase levels to around 40 to get that perfect realism. Each step on the level settings are 0.7dB, that's quite a significant margin...
3. There's another CD that I have by Venus label, called Gentle Blues- Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio, again very high levels on playback. Noticed both Venus are made in Japan.

The question is, why such variations in playback levels, especially SACD's? I thought SACD/ DSD formats were set on high standards and had to meet specific requirements in order to achieve SACD status. I was under the impression that was the standard and that there shouldn't be any variations as compared to standard CD quality.

Maybe I've missed something here, anyone else experienced such variations in SACD playback?
Would be interesting to learn how you found it, and how it affected level settings.

At the end of the day, whichever levels I finally managed to focus on, just with the right scale and image, like a camera lense, everything fits in perfectly. I must say the playback experience was superb! Cheers to Patricia Barber and Bill Charlap, very nicely done.

Best, RJ

[admin]

Nice additions to the collection. I've found that my SACD's do vary slight with average volume levels but typically less than concurrent CD to CD comparison. I'm not sure if there is a standard average amplitude for the standard.

One thing you can do is see if the albums are listed on: https://dr.loudness-war.info

It gives an objective measurement of dynamic range but also of volume measurement readings.

[Big Dog RJ]

Thanks for that Admin, will look into it.

I was told that it has not much to with the format, rather it's the mastering process... those Venus engineers in Japan must have been drinking couple cans of RedBull or V, simply due to the higher output levels.

I checked the label and info on the inside cover, says it was mastered using 24bit Hyper Magnum Sound... anyone know what that is? Been trying to read up on HMS still searching.
Thus digital high tech stuff is great and always a learning curve for me.

The other two sacds are superb, not too high or low, just perfect. I guess it's all in the mastering skills of that engineer. Cheers,
RJ

[roberto]

RJ, I found this about it:Mr. Hara also cares about sound quality. Although there is some controversy surrounding the "loudness" of CDs, his signature 24-bit mastering process, dubbed "Hyper Magnum Sound," produces very powerful sound with strong presence, which is adored by many audiophiles. Under the vision of the strong-willed producer, Venus Records has, after 15 years, become one of the most popular and respected jazz labels in Japan.

And another person wrote this:I have a couple of Venus CDs and SACDs, and I think the sound is unnecessarily fat and bloated, laking refinement. Not bad, but not audiophile either.

Maybe it's an attempt to emulate the old Blue Note sound.

[admin]

The problem with "loud" recordings is not the overall amplitude as you can always turn down the volume to compensate. The problem is that the dynamic range is often compressed. So everything is loud and it's the limited dynamic range which makes it a "bad recording." There can also be clipping which is terrible.

At the website I linked above, you can download software that will analyze the dynamic range of the tracks and give you an objective measure of whether it is a "good or bad" recording. Not sure if it worth the effort but it can at least give you some idea of where it stands.

[roberto]

Right on Admin,

How horrible is to have a listen to a compressed dynamics cd. And there is nothing that we can do to solve that problem, unless to find the same disc uncompressed.

Me too have this problem on some recordings, and the truth is, our ears can detect this easily. Bad recordings...I truly hate them.

Happy listening!

[SteveFord]

Boy, you don't fool around, do you?
Congratulations!