General Asylum: REVIEW: Melody CD-M10 CD Player/Recorder by B Poole General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

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Model:	CD-M10
Category:	CD Player/Recorder
Suggested Retail Price:	$2500 USD
Description:	Vacuum tube CD Player
Manufacturer URL:	Melody
Model Picture:	View

Review by B Poole on May 28, 2007 at 19:11:03 IP Address: 68.254.218.105

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Melody CD-M10 vacuum tube CD player
Melody Valve Hi-Fi
By Brian Poole May 2007

In a relatively short period of time, Melody Valve has established a reputation as a manufacturer of tube based amplifiers offering tremendous value in today’s audio market. Their P1688 Signature tube preamp is regarded as one of the best sounding designs available, regardless of cost. In addition to utilizing top quality audiophile grade parts and short signal path circuit topology in his designs, Mr. Allen S.H. Wang wraps his creations in some of the most elegant casework to be found in the world of high-end audio. Quite simply, the aesthetic virtues of the Melody line are on par with components costing exponentially more than the models offered within the Australian-born company’s product line. Therein, of course, lies the rub. Skepticism borne of high visual appeal vs. relatively inexpensive retail pricing is a tough perception to overcome with audiophiles, who tend to equate the value of a product by how deeply into their pockets they are required to dig when making a purchase. Available previously only as Onix-badged valve amplifiers through internet-direct retailer AV123, the recent introduction of their newly updated line of products to the U.S. is affording the Melody brand an opportunity to make an impression upon audiophiles who previously were unable to audition the full product line without taking a risk on grey market goods.
The topic of this review is not one of Melody’s elegant tube amplifiers or preamps, but rather their lone source component in the product mix, the CD-M10 tube compact disc player. The CD-M10 solves the dilemma for those needing a source component to complete an all-Melody front end. Taking an approach that deviates from the standard tube disc player blueprint, the CD-M10 is a rarity in that it uses tube rectification as well as shaping its’ sonics with the much-adored 6SN7 dual triode, which although quite common in tube amps and preamps, does not show up often in compact disc player designs.
Upon initial viewing, the CD-M10 strikes an intimidating profile. At fifteen inches deep and six inches high, weighing in at an impressive seventy-five pounds, it is one big boy. Most CD changers are featherweights by comparison. Not unlike the cost-no-object reference laserdisc players built only for Japan by Pioneer during the halcyon days of that format, the CD-M10 is a visual as well as a technological statement. Despite those who have been eager to dismiss the Redbook CD format as obsolete and inferior technology, the CD-M10 was created to extract every last drop of performance from the ‘dated’, albeit still vital format.
Built on a framework consisting of seven-millimeter thick aluminum bottom and back panels, extruded side pieces, and a 1” thick contoured CNC-machined top plate tied all together in a clamshell structural design, the CD-M10 is an example of how a rigid case can combine resonance control and aesthetics under the same roof. Structural beauty, as it were. Color choices include silver and black, both of the matte variety.
Placed atop the unit, in the center, is the vacuum tube cavity where a 5AR4 rectifier tube and two 6SN7 twin-triode tubes reside. Accessible beneath a removable cut-glass cover, the tubes are arranged horizontally in a Y-configuration and changing them requires only the removal of the glass cover and an aluminum trim ring. Consequently, the CD-M10 is a front loading unit with a transport sourced from Sony.
As is the case with their tube amplifiers and preamp, the CD-M10 has been assembled with a number of audiophile quality parts befitting the level of performance associated with a high-end source component. D/A conversion duties are handled by the reference grade Burr-Brown PCM-1792 24 bit / 192 kHz differential DAC chip, which has been a popular choice in recent years among high-end digital designs due to its exceptional dynamic range (typically 127dB-132dB depending upon application), low distortion (0.0004%), balanced current output, and configuration options regarding Digital Filter implementation. The CD-M10 does not feature HDCD decoding.
The CD-M10 separates itself from the competition among CD players by virtue of its' two massive potted transformers, one each for the digital and analog sections of the unit. Hand wound in the Melody manufacturing plant in Shenzhen, China, each double C-core transformer takes four hours to wind. In operation, these transformers are typically dead-quiet and capable of enormous current delivery - more than enough for the requirements of the digital signal processing and analog output stages of the player. Needless to say, they are responsible for a significant portion of the unit's massive weight.
Output capacitors on the CD-M10 appear to vary depending on the intended market. European versions of the player have used Jensen paper-in-oil caps of the copper foil variety. The US model that I have and which is being reviewed here comes with Mundorf Supreme Silver and Gold capacitors of the same values as the Jensens. Op amps utilized in the analog stage include two Burr-Brown OPA627A and two Analog Devices AD827JN. The OPA627 in particular has acquired a reputation in audiophile circles as an excellent performer in well-designed output stages. The two 6SN7 vacuum tubes are utilized in the buffer stage of the CD-M10's output.
Connectivity options include both single-ended as well as balanced outputs, along with digital coaxial and optical ports. RCA connectors are of the solidly constructed WBT variety, and the IEC power inlet allows the use of boutique power cables for those so inclined.
A metal remote made of brushed steel is included, and it is a quality unit with a good tactile feel and logical button layout. There is no power on/off or volume control offered among its' features. However, that is in keeping with the overall minimalist-purist perspective offered by the design of this player. Some may be put off by the lack of program or random play on the CD-M10, as it offers only single or disc repeat, as well as A-B repeat (curiously) among its' capabilities. Further, the front panel display is best described as spartan, as it is quite limited in its' delivery of basic information. Track number and elapsed time are all that you are privy to whilst a disc is spinning, and total track time is the only other display offered upon insertion of a fresh disc. Those looking for track or disc remaining time information need to look elsewhere. The lack of a display or dimmer button on the remote control should have been my first clue that the player was not designed for those who constantly need to monitor their player's vital playback statistics. In practical use, only the lack of control over display intensity or defeat proved to be a mild disappointment.
In use, the CD-M10 loads discs and retrieves TOC information in very quick fashion. The transport drawer mechanism is solid and quiet, with none of the idiosyncratic behavior that I've witnessed with CD players I've encountered previously. Upon beginning playback of a track, the CD-M10 emits a faint clicking sound prior to outputting a signal. This is apparently the switching of an output muting relay, but it is audible and for those unaccustomed to such behavior, will take getting used to.
For the purpose of evaluating the Melody CD player, I chose not to form any critical impressions as to its’ sonic capabilities until it had been allowed sufficient time to open up. To do so would have been a mistake, as this player rewards the patient audiophile. As the transformers in the CD-M10 are similar to those utilized by Melody in their amplifiers, they exhibit the same improvements in performance gained when given a 200-300 hour burn-in timeframe. Additionally, the Mundorf Silver and Gold capacitors used in the output stage benefit from this period as their characteristic sound becomes smoother and less etched in the upper frequencies than when new.
After all the preliminaries are dispensed with, the question that begs to be answered is - how does this thing sound?
Starting out with intimate jazz recordings to evaluate microdynamics and detail retrieval, I listened to two XRCD recordings ideal for such purposes. I began with New York Uncovered by Hiroko Kokubu, a spectacular recording that is blessed with superb instrumentation and a startling sense of intimacy. Each performer’s contributions are captured with such clarity that all details (good or bad) are illuminated. Fortunately this disc is loaded with stellar performances which were reproduced to great effect on the Melody player. The CD-M10 took the acoustic bass solo of Christian McBride on Kokubu’s “Key Largo” and rendered it in all of its' glorious emotion, as you could feel each pluck and caress of the strings as it unfolded. Neither coloring nor subduing the performance, the Melody player preserved the drama and dynamics of the music, allowing it to reach the listener in convincing fashion.
Fairy Tale, from Japanese pianist Yoshiko Kishino, is a wonderful jazz disc from 1995 available on XRCD in a lovingly crafted audiophile grade recording. Featuring supporting players formerly associated with Bill Evans, this is an example of a superior recording showcasing the talents of some of the finest instrumentalists the jazz world has to offer. The opening track "Beautiful Love" really starts things off in terrific style with Eddie Gomez' bass and Lewis Nash' percussion providing a foundation that swings beautifully in counterpoint to Yoshiko's lively piano stylings. The Melody CD-M10 brought this performance into the room with excellent rhythm and pace, and the imaging and focus of each instrument was finely delineated, with accurate timbre and tonality from the accoustic bass and the Bosendorfer piano in particular. The brush solo from Lewis Nash was preserved without the metallic haze of low resolution reproduction, and it was easy to pick out the sounds of the brushes as they generated their textured beats with great attack and decay. While audiophile grade recordings generally produce excellent sound on most quality components, it is with true high-end gear that the benefits of painstakingly recorded music become most evident. In this case, the Melody CD-M10 acquitted itself quite nicely.
John Coltrane's landmark Blue Train on hybrid SACD gave me a chance to compare performance between the SACD layer and the Redbook layer using the CD-M10 and the Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi, a very solid if not quite reference-grade universal player. "Locomotion" is a track where Trane's sharp tenor sax is white hot against a frenetically driven rhythmic-base. Lee Morgan's trumpet is also pushed into overdrive on this standout piece. On many players their leads can be harsh or brittle at times, creating listening fatique at worst or the desire to reduce playback volume at best. The SACD layer does a good job of delivering the dynamics of the track, while smoothing out the edginess inherent in the recording. However, the Melody player seemingly captured the best of both worlds, delivering the instrumental fireworks with great energy and tempo without the slight roll off to the top end as was apparent with the SACD layer on the Pioneer player.
"Here's to Life", the haunting bonus track from Jacintha's Autumn Leaves, a tribute to the songs of Johnny Mercer, is the only non-Mercer track on that disc. Although the Mercer selections are very good, this is my favorite track on the disc, as the other songs suggest previous renditions by other artists with more feeling and emotion than the frequently laid-back sounding chanteuse. Once again, the version of "Here's to Life" from the Redbook layer of the SACD outperformed the SACD counterpart played back from the DV-59AVi. The CD-M10 not only placed the instruments better and recreated their textures and harmonics in splendid fashion against the song's quiet backdrop, it took Jacintha's breathy, ethereal voice and placed it directly in front of the listener with palpable immediacy. Gooseflesh city, without question - excellent!
The time-tested blues classic Folk Singer by Muddy Waters gave the Melody player another chance to shine as it brought to life the vibrant, rich baritone of the blues legend with each track that was played. I found myself forgetting about the evaluation task at hand and just sat back and reveled in the marvelous ambience of this stripped down acoustic affair from 1963 featuring Muddy's bottleneck guitar, accompanied by Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon and Clifton James in an inspired session recorded as cleanly as anything available today. Even the empty spaces between Muddy's resonant shouts and chants are charged with emotion as the raw energy in the recording is brought to the fore in a way that surpasses previous players through which I have played this disc. Tracks like "My Captain" and "Cold Weather Blues" have never sounded more heartbreaking than on this occasion.
One area where the CD-M10 really separated itself from other players that I've auditioned in recent memory was with deep bass content. Nowhere was it more apparent than when I switched gears (or genres, if you will) for the purpose of evaluating the player's dynamic bass capabilites. Year Zero is the latest release from Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails, and as is the case with all that is NIN, it is a potent package of industrial grit and pulsating beats. In other words, perfect test material for bass reproduction. Tracks like "The Good Soldier", "Capital G", and "The Great Destroyer" were given loving treatment by the CD-M10 as it delivered densely textured and clean extended low frequency slam.
Raising the bass level even higher, Vegas, the first disc from beat-masters Crystal Method, is a genre favorite and a personal favorite of mine for auditioning low frequency dynamics in audio gear in general and speakers in particular. The CD-M10 did not sound like a tube based player with this disc, as I feared it would. Rather, it gave this disc a musicality that I did not know it possessed, and of all the discs I utilized in the evaluation this one was the most surprising. It preserved the bombastic flash of the driving beats with impressive control while delivering the ambience and dreamy imaging inherent in the synthesized melodies of tracks like "Comin' Back" and "Bad Stone". It was with this type of content that I felt I understood why the decision was made to fit the CD-M10 with the two massive transformers. At no point did the player feel as though it lacked for current to deliver the driving energy of the musical content.
With well-recorded content, the CD-M10 gave a clean, rhythmic presentation that suggested its' tube components did little in the way of coloring the sonic balance of the player. In fact, although the presence of the tubes allows for rolling vintage glass for the purpose of tailoring the sound to suit ones' tastes, the actual practice of swapping tubes on this player produced less in the way of notable changes than one might expect. This should not be regarded as bad news, however. As the sound of the CD-M10 with the stock tubes is exceptional, one would be better served to roll tubes elsewhere in a tube based system such as a preamp or integrated amp, where tube changes quite often produce dramatic changes in the sonics of a component. If nothing else, one could utilize vintage 6SN7 driver tubes known for their warmth such as the grey glass RCA VT-231 for recordings that suffer from poor mastering or sound thin and lacking in harmonic richness. Many CD's from the late 80's to early 90's suffer from these problems as the art of the well-recorded CD was still in its' relative infancy. And while the Melody player cannot turn water into wine as far as transforming poor disc content into sonic nirvana, the availability of the 6SN7 buffer tubes offers the audiophile the opportunity to refine the base signature of the player, if only in small shadings rather than large brushstrokes. For some, that may be a key feature in a component with which one plans to spend hours in listening enjoyment.
By now it should be obvious that I am impressed with this player. For its' $2500.00 US retail price, it does so many things well and has no glaring weakness. The build quality of this Melody unit is on par with the rest of the company's product line, which is to say that it is a true statement product. The fit and finish is impeccable and unlike many CD players on the market at this price point, the aesthetics and sonics are both at an extremely high level. The lack of a few basic features (display information and dimming) may deter the buyer who places a high value on the feature set of a source component. On the other hand, the sound produced by the CD-M10 places it in the company of models that sell for twice it's cost. It has the ability to seduce the listener into extended sessions deep into the night and forgive the player for its' ergonomic minimalism. At the end of the day, isn't that what we who call ourselves audiophiles are looking for?
A great value and highly recommended.


Associated Components:
Melody I880 integrated amplifier
PS Audio GCC-100 Control Amplifier
Melody SP7 integrated amplifier
Melody CD-M10 vacuum tube CD player
Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi Universal player
Original CD-A8T CD Player (highly modified)
Pro-Ject Xpression II turntable
Audio Technica 440MLa cartridge
Channel Islands VPP-1 Phono Preamp
Channel Islands VAC-1 Power Supply
Channel Islands VDA-2 DAC
Pro-Ject Speed Box II
Onix Strata Mini hybrid four-way loudspeaker
Aurum Cantus Leisure 2SE two-way loudspeaker
PS Audio xStream Resolution Reference Speaker Cable
Signal Cable Silver Resolution Reference interconnects
Shunyata Venom PC (digital source connect)
PS Audio Prelude PC (power amp connect)
Isolpads

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Product Weakness:	See body of review
Product Strengths:	See body of review

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Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier:	Melody I880, PS Audio GCC-100
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	none
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Melody CD-M10
Speakers:	Onix Strata Mini, Quad 21L, Aurum Cantus Leisure 2SE
Cables/Interconnects:	PS Audio Resolution Reference, Signal Cable Silver Resolution Reference
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Jazz, Blues, Standards, Rock
Room Size (LxWxH):	16 x 12 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	Corner/Ceiling Bass traps, wall treatments at reflection points
Time Period/Length of Audition:	4 months
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

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