Review: 3 Superb CD players Revox C221, Pioneer PD-T07A, Primare D20 and the AKM4324

Review: 3 Superb CD players
Talk Digital: Older, but better

I am in the process of setting up multiple stations in my room, and take the opportunity to run my large collection of idling CD players a little, or else they will go bust in the humidity here (I learned from mistakes!). For my last LFD exercise I tried out these three and found none wanting.

Revox/Studer C221 (1991)
This has been a long-term reference, not necessarily because it has the "best" sound (what does!) but because of its neutral balance, as befits a studio quality product that carries the Revox name! The Swiss counterpart of Revox has the exact same player as Studer C221. Unlike earlier Revox, and like Studer, the C221 has fully balanced circuitry and output. Digital out is RCA only.

Unlike the legendary Revox 225 and various iterations of the 226 (Studer 725, 727), the later Revox/Studer C221, circa 1991, is much less known. There is surprisingly little info on the net (this Polish site with internal views). Laser is CDM4, DAC is supposedly Philips Bitstream, probably the SAA7321 or 7323 (but various sites also mention SAA7310, 7320 or 7350). On my unit, I cannot see the chip on the circuit board; perhaps it is underneath, so I cannot confirm.

According to the info I gleamed from this Taiwanese Blog in Chinese 音響白痴小痞, supposedly some Revox C221 were made in Germany and some in Switzerland. Aside from minor differences in the circuit boards, one can tell it is from Germany (most of them I think) by the following: 1) the Revox logo has a slightly protruding 3-dimensional tactility; 2) there is a transport lock underneath; 3) the transport motor is brushless and mechanism is CDM4-Pro. As my unit is made in Germany, I can attest that points 1) and 2) are true in my case, but when it comes to 3) my unit is fitted with a generic CDM4. Mine came from a TV studio, and was defunct when I received it. It was determined the laser had died, and I sourced a used CDM-4/(19 I think) as replacement. It was resurrected and had operated flawlessly ever since.

The C221 is a wonder to look at. If you ask me, it is even better looking than the C225 and C226, and approaches the coolness of the superb EMT 981. Using this studio player is a little inconvenient. One has to turn on a switch in the back and turn off the bottom-row buttons (otherwise it will only play 1 track). I was told that the laser in this kind of professional player is always on, and I suspect that is the truth as it plays a disc instantly. And so, as a caution, I always turn it off after use, which means it will take some time to warm up next round (note: see reader's comment below on how to circumvent this). Of course, there is no remote.

The sound is wonderful. It is quite detailed, smoother and just slightly on the light side if compared to better true multi-bit players, a refreshing change and improvement from the usual bloat (mostly due to unresolved bass) of Bitstream player. Its even-handedness is such that it gives pleasure when inserted into any system. If you ask me, sound through the XLR is a little better than through the RCA.

Personally, I think this player is even better than the LHH statement products of Philips that used the supposedly more advanced one-bit chip TDA1547, a little more musical than DPA (also using TDA1547), and on par with the best from Micromega. In sum, one of the best Bitstream players.

Pioneer PD-T07A/PD-77 (1992)
The original T07 was second-from-top in a series (others are T05 and T06; top model is the magnificent T09, the US version being PD-95). It looks almost identical to its descendants, but used Philips bitstream conversion.

The PD-T07A (and its even rarer variants S, U, and HS) sports the same legendary Stable Platter mechanism as the previous series, but the DAC section was designed in-house from scratch and a full assault on state-of-the-art. Pioneers developed their own DAC (I think it was 20-bit). The unit features balanced analogue outputs. There is precious little info on the internet on the PD-T07A per se (an English "translation" of a Japanese site here). Web info has it that the alleged US equivalent PD-77 is the same machine, but if you browse the pics available (few) the PD-77 seems to have a flat back and no balanced output, whereas the PD-T07A has the balanced output coming out of a sizable protrusion in the center of the back (as do the other variants and the earlier T07 and T09; see link above).

The sound through either RCA or XLR out is excellent. The player is highly resolving, but everything is delivered in a warm, bold and rich manner. Sound is a little more upfront than most players, and soundstage is perhaps not as deep as the best, but there is nothing unbalanced, as evidenced by the fact that its replay of classicals is every bit as sophisticated as jazz.

As a transport, to be frank, it is superior to most of today's megabucks stuff. The same warm, big and bold sound lends gravitas to even the thinnest sounding DACS.

This is a masterpiece. In my house, it has received praise as much as the Revox.

click pics to enlarge

Primare D20 (MkI; 1999)
And now for the dark horse. Not to mince words, I feel exactly like what the reviewer said in Soundstage: "I feel like I have discovered a rare jewel of a player."

The funny thing is, I didn't even buy this CDP. Captain Lo, my old friend took it to me unannounced when he last visited. The unit belonged to a friend of his who was not in a hurry to sell. Well, as if my place needs more stuff...

While the player was superbly built and above average in physical stability, there was not much inside. It bothered me that the transport mechanism used is the notorious Philips CDM 12.4, which received no special reinforcement here. On the other hand, I was much captivated and intriqued by the very small DAC and output board (the small board with the close-up). Amid the SM components I was excited to see the AKM4324 DAC chip.

While AKM is a reputable chip maker, in audiophile equipment their DAC chips are only rarely sighted (Rotel, Gryphon). This is because they are much more often seen in things like soundcards and Pro Audio (think Behringer).

Although the D20 is just a red-book CD player, the AKM4324 chip is 24/96 capable. Later, AKM would become more known for their so-called Miracle DAC, the AK4396, a true 192kHz 24-bit 2-channel DSD-capable DAC used in the SlimDevices/Logitech Transporter. Current Primare CDPs though do not use AKM chips, instead the more ubiquitous Burr Brown's.

All it took was just one cut and I was hooked. The incredible air and purity of the treble have to be heard to be believed. I believe in terms of treble this is the best player I have heard, true transparency without any stridency, the Kondo of CDP if you will. The midrange is see-through and the bass well delineated. Dynamically, it is no slouch, able to scale above average, though not perhaps equal to the best here. This entry-level Primare IMHO beats out many much costlier rivals.
There is some confusion on the internet regarding this player. I think the unit I have, with Philips CDM 12.4 transport (and obviously Philips servo, including display, as in this pic)), is the so-called MkI. Very soon, Primare changed to a Sony mechanism (note the official manual pdf file shows the Sony, as well as Sony style display), and that became the so-called MkII. The DAC remained the AKM4324. It is likely Primare ran into the same problems with CDM12.4 as Micromega did with their Stage series, which in effect bankrupted one of the best digital companies in my book.

Conclusions
Excellence does not get out-dated. Things become different, but not always (if ever) better. Witness these 3 players. Each still sound thoroughly enticing, and should beat the hell out of many modern players, not to mention over-rated CAS.