ZENCDUSER
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I’ve had the ZCD for approximately three weeks now, and feel it’s finally time for a review (since so many people are waiting for reviews!) In summary, buy it! The End. Period. Nothing else to say! A little background to put things in context. I’ve had two CD players since 1994: A Carver mult-idisc player from 1994-1999, and a Jolida 601 tubed output player from May 1999 to the present. The Carver wasn’t bad. The Jolida, while a touch warm, was the best value I purchased, prior to the ZCD. As a $349.00 demo from Sound Factor that lasted nine years (and is actually a 10 year old player), the 601 has been through every variety of equipment/room change. It’s played with a CJ MV75/PV-5/Spendor combo, a Select/Klipsch Forte combo, a Cayin TA-30/HornShoppe combo, and a Transcendent Sound SEOTL/GG/Horn Shoppe combo. I can’t remember all the interconnect/cable combos, which included second-hand and/or mid-level Monster, DH Labs, Tara Labs. I’ve settled with the TS equipment and Anti-cables. Stunning clarity and, with the power of Audiogon prices, ridiculously affordable for the performance. Ed’s Horns are a no-brainer. Despite the utterly cheap build quality of the Jolida 601, and being so far removed from it’s successors (the 602, 603 and the now six-year old JD-100), it continued to be the one thing I didn’t want to change through all the combinations. Go figure. But age has finally caught up with it, and the skips and stutters have increased to the annoyance point. Naturally, I contemplated the JD-100 as a replacement, which I could get new for $850.00, but when Steve came out with the ZCD, I decided to apply funds there. The day the ZCD arrived I listened to some of my favorite discs and tracks for approximately 2 hours. I ordered it with the IEC option but it didnt come with a cord. No problem I used a common power cord then order the $49.00 Source power cord from MAC Audio. The ZCD sounded alright, bit did not sound much different from the 601 (to which I applied Dynamat about a year ago, switched from a variety of 12AX7’s to Mullard 12AU7/CV4003’s from Upscale Audio). There was a bit more clarity, but the emphasis seemed to be towards the upper end, making the mid range seem a bit recessed. There was a tad more bass, but it sounded a bit muddied. The soundstage seem alright, but not strikingly so. I wasnt disappointed because as a previous Select owner and a owner of Ed's Horns, I know the power of break-in time. I figured I'd turn on the ESP Shock protection for comparison. Things cleared up a lot. I went back and spent about 30 minutes listening to individual favorite tracks, and found more sound staging and clarity in each one. I dont know if there is a technical reason for it, but thats what I heard. In looking into the manual (finally) I discovered I actually turned the ESP OFF, since ON is the default mode. After the initial listening session I devoted about 50 hours to the ZCD with my Isotek burn-in CD, swapped out the JJ with one of my well broken-in Mullard (I've always been biased against all JJs), and the transformation was stunning! I had a new system! More accurately, I finally began hearing the net sum of my system: Lush, rich mids; airy, sparkling highs without edge; deep, solid, rich, bass. Everything sounds tone perfect. I think CJ said it a long time ago: It just sounds right. I keep hearing a richness to the sound. Some call it "organic." All the things that I thought were exclusive of each other are present in harmony. Bass but not muddiness or boominess; rich, lush mids (when present) without cloudiness or honey-coated distortion; Clear, extended, toneful (who would have thunk!) highs without etch or that slightly warm but barely noticeable razor-sharp pain in my ears. But what I still can’t get over, and am baffled by, is the depth and width of the sound stage and the placement of instruments and sounds within it. Ed’s Horns were always reviewed as masters of this, and while I occasionally heard it in the past, the ZCD allows the Horns to image in full glory. Descriptions of bass, mids, and highs are almost meaningless until you place them in context with sound staging. I’m not talking about cheap, hyper-exaggeration of a sound stage, but one that simultaneously sounds solid and real and still spreads the entire width of the wall and, on many recordings, extends 10 feet forward and backwards. When I mention sounds within the sound stage I'm talking about Oscar Peterson leaning on the bench (the direction of lean is clear!) and Abdullah Ibrahim softly humming along as he plays. Now, does this mean the ZCD betters players 2-3 times its cost? I have actually no ideal, and don’t care. My comparison is to the Jolida. Within the context of my experience, my system, my room, and my music, it supplants the Jolida as the best value component I purchased. One could argue I simply removed a glaring weak point and finally achieved system synergy with my other components. That may be true, being that I know my other components are no slouches. I listen to a lot of vinyl, and had a policy of seeking out CDs only when I could not find the record at a reasonable price. The ZCD has changed that. Actually the ZCD may endanger my whole vinyl mindset. Regardless, price alone, when compared with other tube players, makes the ZCD a bargain. How it fits in your system may vary But I seriously doubt it will detract from anything you have. Side note- The MAC Source+ power cord is the business! Icing on the cake.
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