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The Optimus CD-3400's maximum output voltage from its line outputs was very low, measuring just 720mV when reproducing a full-scale, 1kHz sinewave. This is nearly 9dB lower than the standard 2V output level, and, coupled with a measured output impedance of 1370 ohms across the band, suggests that the CD-3400 should not be used with a passive level control. The output impedance from the headphone jack was a much lower 15 ohms, but the maximum level (defined as 1% THD+noise) was still low at 900mV into 150 ohms.

Channel balance was an acceptable 0.11dB at…

I measured the effects of three jitter-reduction devices on a digital processor with the Meitner LIM Detector (see Vol.16 No.1, p.114), which looks at the jitter on the word clock driving the D/A converter chip—the point where jitter degrades sound quality. In previous measurements, I've found that the greater the S/PDIF jitter, the greater the word-clock jitter. Although using the LIM Detector to measure the effects of S/PDIF jitter-reduction devices appears to be a step removed from measuring the actual device, it may…

The solid trace in fig.10 is a high-resolution spectrum of the CD-3400's analog output made with the Miller Audio Research Jitter Analyzer several years after the Stereophile review was published. The player was decoding data representing a high-level 11.025kHz tone over which has been overlaid a low-frequency squarewave at the LSB level. The drive ran quite a bit slow, the absolute pitch being off by -651ppm, which explains Robert Harley's 1994 experience that the Audio Alchemy DTI•Pro was unable to lock to the CD-3400's S/PDIF signal.

Can you hear me knocking?

Editor: It blows my mind that all of you talented people missed a major screw-up on the Radio Shack CD-3400 CD player.

If you play it through the headphone jack, you will notice a double clicking sound in the right channel during quiet passages. I would have let this go, attributing the fault to my falling asleep with the $9 "special" Radio Shack headphones in my ears and pulling the damn machine off my nightstand about a dozen times. Lo and behold, my buddy, (world-, or at least Bay Area-,…

Optimizing
Getting the best sound out of the Ayre D-1x meant dealing with…

The D-1x's strongest tonal suit was its exceptionally detailed and transparent midrange. Sinfonia Antartica features a multitude of woodwinds in the "Penguin" section of the second movement. The D-1x cleanly differentiated all of the instrumental colors, free of smearing or the sort of timbral indecision that some CD players exhibit with…

Description: Solid-state DVD-Video/CD player. Frequency response: DC-20kHz, ±0.25dB. S/N Ratio: 113dB (unweighted). Dynamic range: 98dB (unweighted with 16-bit source), 113dB (unweighted with 24-bit source).
Dimensions: Player: 18" W by 5 1/2" H by 11" D. Weight: 25 lbs. Power supply: 13" W by 3" H by 8" D. Weight: 15 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 5K0003P.
Price: $8000 as reviewed (see text). Approximate number of dealers: 30.
Manufacturer: Ayre Acoustics, 2300-B Central Ave., Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: (303) 442-7300. Fax: (303) 442-7301. Web:…

Digital sources: Classé Omega SACD/CD player, Krell KPS-28c CD player.
Preamplification: Manley Labs Steelhead, Boulder 2008, Jeff Rowland Design Group Cadence phono stages; Krell KCT, Jeff Rowland Design Group Synergy IIi line stages; Ayre K-1x preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: Halcro dm58, Lamm M2.1, Manley Labs 250 Neo-Classic.
Loudspeakers: EgglestonWorks Andra II, Calix Phoenix Grand Signature, Apogee Duetta Signature.
Cables: Interconnect: Nordost Valhalla; Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II, Matrix Reference II; Wireworld Gold Eclipse 3+;…