This creates more depth to the music and the lack of depth was something I always hated about my previous digital set-ups. Separation! The instruments don't interfere with each other - they remain completely separate. Open/Close, Play/Pause, Stop, Memory, Skip-, Skip+, Search-, Search+, Time, Repeat, Random, and Intro. This includes a continuous repeat option for the initial burn-in process.Īs well as the number buttons, the functions are: The remote itself has all the functions that you would expect. There are no controls on the front - you have to rely on the remote for all functions. The front of the unit has the CD drawer and the display (very nice it is too). The back of the unit has mains input, mains switch, coax output, and 2 'emergency' buttons (eject and play). Even the protective strip was intact on the display. The unit came in the correct box with no additional tape around it, the unit was clean as a whistle in its own plastic sealed bag, with brand new remote, remote batteries, and power cord. Normally, you would allow 300-800 hours for BG burn-in (that's around 12.5-34 days continuous use).Īn ex-demo model - I wonder. The CDT-One contains Black Gate capacitors so I was expecting a long burn-in period (but with it being an ex-demo model, would this be so?). So, I ended up contacting Peter Q at the factory (I had got the DAC kit from him previously and what a nice, down-to-earth guy he is too) - he had some CDT-Ones in stock so I ordered one (actually ended up with an ex-demo model that he also had - for a very nice price too). I certainly had a hard time trying to buy one (I live in the UK and believe me it's hard to find AudioNote equipment here in the shops). So, impressed by the humble AN DAC kit and by their philosophies, I decided to try one of Audio Note's transports. I therefore decided to try a dedicated transport. The limitations here are due to this generation of DVD hardware & power supply arrangements." This surprised me because of all the posts on various audio forum sites seemed to contradict this and they didn't try to sell me anything either. At first, I thought I would go for a clock and PSU upgrade on the Sony so I contacted Audiocom but was surprisingly informed that modifying this unit is a waist of time - quote: "Having used this machine previously as a transport I am well aware of its limitations. Whereas previously the Sony was the clear winner using the DAC, the MicroMega was now the winner, providing a huge amount of bass extension (but still intermittently faulty as a player). The Marantz was still rubbish but there was a huge difference between the Sony and the MicroMega. I wasn't really expecting much difference between them - but I was very wrong in this assumption. I then experimented with my 3 CD players - using them as transports. This made an immediate and dramatic improvement, especially to the treble content, which became much smoother - without losing detail. I then decided to experiment with an external DAC and bought an Audio Note DAC 1.1 kit. transistors) and unnecessary circuitry to make them work correctly is what happened - transistors won because they were cheap and small. After all, 20+ years of audio R&D into producing single linear devices for audio reproduction, replaced by arrays of non-linear switches (i.e. By the way, for those unfamiliar with valve amps, a good one doesn't sound 'warm', 'woolly', 'distorted', 'hummy' (as many would have you believe) - it just simply sounds more real. The new amp opened up the music so much - but I still had the digital nasties and my record deck had found its way into a cupboard. Then suddenly, I got the bug again tired of the sterile sound from my Linn amplifier, I bought an Audion Silver Night 300B Integrated valve amp - I was hooked again. My hi-fi endeavours ceased for about 8 years (expensive kiddies appeared). The MicroMega started playing up so I began using my Sony DVP-7700 DVD player - and got a surprising improvement. I then moved on to a MicroMega Stage 1 this was a big improvement on the Marantz. I began my digital phase with a Marantz CD873 Special Edition, this sounded OK at the time but lacked many things that my record deck possessed - especially bass extension and treble smoothness (it's funny thinking back how we were so easily influenced by those silver discs thinking that they must sound better - it was just that you hadn't got the right player yet). Please note that this review refers to the original CDT-One mark 1 - not the recently released mark 2 model. So here it is on my website somewhat late. However, I never actually got around to posting it. I began writing the following review on 16th January 2004 with the intention of posting it in the reviews section of the Audio Asylum.
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