General Asylum: REVIEW: AH! Tjoeb 99 CD Player/Recorder by samoore

This is my system:

Arcam alpha 8 CDP
Electronic Tonalities Foreplay tube preamp, with anticipation upgrade.
B&K EX4420 balances stereo amp 200W/channel
Magnapan MMGs and REL Q100E sub
Nordost ICs and speaker cables

I have been heavily into this audiophile business for about a year, in which I have assembled my modest system. I was very interested to learn that the AH! had a tube output stage. One thing thatI have learned is that I have a preference for the tube sound. Adding the tube preamp to my system
is by far the best upgrade I have ever made. All of the digital harshness just melted away, or so I thought. Eventually I started to notice it was still there, although at much lower levels. I determined that it was probably due to my CD player. After an extended search for a CD player that included all of the brands listed above, I stumbled across a few reviews of the Ah! Tjoeb 99. As you have probably read already the reviews are quit impressive, so I decided to give one a try. I called Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio and ordered one with all the option(super crystal, AC filter, digital out, and NOS amperex tubes), total approx $675. I was told that they had a one week return policy on the unit. It arrived within a week of my order and I immediately put a disk on repeat to begin the burn-in process, as I had heard that it needs around 50hrs to sound its best. The first comparison was with the Arcam alpha 8 I had in my system. Well, after 15 minutes of critical listening the Arcam was disconnected, it wasn't even a contest. The AH! was smoother in the midrange and highes, the overall tonality of acoustic instruments and voice were worlds better, the soundstage was wide and twice as deep, and the base reproduction was tight and substantial. Imaging was also improved, butjust slightly.

The next comparison would be with the Arcam alpha 9. I was considering this unit because of the upgrade capability of the Arcam alpha 8 that I owned. It would cost me $600 to upgrade to the 9, if the 9 was subtantially better than the AH! would probably be sent back. My friend and I, who is also into this audiophile stuff, had an extended listening session with the alpha 9 and the AH! We were both expecting the 9 to blow the AH! away, but we were surprised to find the players very comparable. We found that the vocals from the 9 were just as smooth as the AH!, but they were more forward in the soundstage. This is neither good or bad, just different. The AH! had substantially better bass reproduction. It was not only tighter, but more colorfull, more musical. Soundstage size, imaging, and detail were very similar, however the AH! was much more dynamic than the 9. In the end I found that the alpha 9 does very little wrong, however it wasn't nearly as musical or dynamic as the AH! After our conclusions had been made we asked his wife to sit down for a little single blind test. We had her listen to several tracks ranging from rock to jazz to classical. She consistently prefered the AH!, saying that the tonal quality of the instruments was more lifelike(she plays trumpet). She also stated that the AH! was more involving to her, probably due to better dynamics and bass reproduction. She was shocked to find out the the alpha 9 costs $1600,
while the AH! that she prefered costs $675 fully loaded. Well after our conclusions were supported by her unbiased opinion, my decision was easy to make. I sold the arcam alpha 8 and I am using the money to put into upgrading my tube preamp.

This player is highly recomended for the price. It isn't the last word in CD playback, but it will hold its own with some of the more expensive models. If you crave the finer pieces of gear, but lack the funding as I do, I strongly suggest you try one of the AH! Tjoeb 99's out for yourself. I would be very surprised if you can find a player at it's price point(or a few higher for that matter) that sounds significantly better. If you do, let me know so I can audition one myself.

Happy Listening,

Steve Moore

REVIEW: AH! Tjoeb 99 CD Player/Recorder Review by samoore at Audio Asylum