CD PLAYER

EDGAR
CD1

WOJCIECH PACUŁA







The Slovak company Edgar is a good example how to create a brand name, slowly, but consistently. Just a few years ago, an almost unknown company, manufacturing components for Pavel Dudek amplifiers (DPA), a headphone amplifier for Vincent (test HERE ), and the whole electronics for Pro-Ject , became known almost in the whole world (at least in the circle of tube maniacs). Its devices, when you look closely at audio shop commercials in British, French or even Japanese press, are placed on the same shelves as products of very renowned, present on the market for long time, companies like Conrad-Johnson , BAT etc. And it is not about Edgar being a competition to those expensive brands - because it is not the case - but about telling, that a well done job brings fruit: ideas and manufacturing quality, supported by the personality of the man behind the promotional activities (in this role the invaluable Lubor Grigorescu, privately a tube freak) almost condemn it to success.

Until now we, at "HIGH Fidelity OnLine", tested almost everything from the current product line of the company (TP-101 MkII test HERE , TP-305 test HERE , SH-1 test HERE , prize of the year 2005 for the SH-1 HERE ), and the review of the TP-105 was found in "Audio" . Additionally, for long time, I was using the exceptionally well done, split amplifier of that company (no longer in production), so I think, that I've got the case solved. That what surprises in the products of Edgar, is the consistency in building coherent, and also very clear sound. Every subsequent product is better than it's predecessor, and for example the theoretically inferior, cheaper, amplifier TP-105VR is much better than the older TP-101 mkII, probably due to the use of full tube power supply. The CD 1 player is from a completely different story. Being the first one, in the company's history, the digital player is equipped in everything one could desire, right from the beginning, for example upsampling and a tube output stage, fed from a tube power supply. OK, let's start!

LISTENING EXPERIENCE

The manufacturers of digital equipment, and especially the CD players, acquired an incredible ability to combine that what is best technology wise with low, or at least, comparably low price. Maybe I am a little too fast on this, because only a few of them have entered the elite club, but the well built CD players, presented from time to time, amaze with complicated, multistage sound, which does not fully conform to the opinions about this medium. Yes, part of the limitations is written in the Red Book CD format, most of all a kind of sterility, the feeling of lack of air particles suspended between the performers - something, that even acceptably priced analog lp players can handle. However there are areas, in which the vinyl looks up helplessly to the escaping digital players, unless having an (at least) five digit price tag, namely the bass definition and macro dynamics.

One of the secrets of the digital "kitchen" of the early XXIst century, seems to be the attempt to combine newest digital processing technologies with the, somewhat aged, tube dream. Examples of the best devices of such make, like the CD players Ancient Audio, with the model Lektor Prime in front row (test HERE ), or the CD7 of Audio Research and others, show that, appropriate application of the digital part and well crafted analogue, tube output stage give more in effect than just a simple sum of those elements. They give Music, with a capital "M". On the other hand there are many devices, that are made according a similar recipe for success, that do not fulfill their promises. Some time ago I tested a few of them, and, simplifying a bit, all have failed me. Acting according to well tested schemes does not guarantee anything - a good example of this, is the sea of Chinese copies of brand products, from which only a few come as close as a long-bow shot to their archetypes. Because besides the technology you need also knowledge, and a touch of something, that poses the borderline between, a maybe incredibly capable, but only a - craftsman and a master. All the unfulfilled dreams were part of the medium price range, a range, where Edgar's player is placed.

The problem, I think, of most of the unsuccessful, or partially successful, designs of the "tube in the output stage" kind, is in the application of the tube. A lot of them is working just as an output buffer, many times having not much common with the circuit itself, with the function of "analogue-ing" the digital sound. And there is nothing worse than digital sound treated like that: in addition to the fact that it is not analog, it loses the advantages of the digital recording. On this background, the first player in the history of this Slovak company, with the unconstrained with imagination name CD 1, shines like a first league player. First, the tubes work in the filter section, in the output section, and even more - in the double tube diode EZ81 the current for all the hot wonders is being rectified. Solid enclosure, taken directly from the very demanding in that aspect amplifier TP-105 VR of the same company, a very good Philips drive, well thought choice of upsampler and converter made us receive a device, that reigns in the 2500 euro price range, and with some disks even in higher ranges.

The first two disks played almost deceived me. Playing "Innocence" of Luka Bloom (Skip Records, SKP 9055-2, CD, review HERE ), and later the even more beautiful disk of Solveig Slettahjella "Good Rain" (ACT 9713, CD, review this month in section Music ) switching between my Lektor Prime and Edgar I grew stupid for a moment: the Slovak "something" played the music in a fuller, deeper way. The trick was uncovered after a few nervous disk changes, but it only made me appreciate more, what our brothers from behind the south border achieved. Small ensembles, in which both disks are engulfed, were shown in beautiful perspective, natural colors and deep timbres. There was no sign of sluggishness or veiling of the sound, even more: the high frequencies had more energy than with the Prime. Maybe not information, but exactly energy. The timbre of this range was similar on both devices. The trick that Edgar made splits in two parts. One concerns the bass and lower mid-range - these ranges are slightly stronger than usual (in comparison with the Prime, but also with the EMM Labs / ). This gives the mentioned fill and support. The most common mistake, namely thickening of the lower frequencies, was avoided. It is not such a cheap gimmick, it is not a juggler game, but just a trick. The reproduction is, at least compared to rhythmic players, slightly slower, but it can only be seen in direct comparison. Without such a reference point, Edgar will sound in a very neat, satisfactory way, pacing the rhythm, maybe not like an atomic clock, but well enough to take it for natural, without paying much attention to this aspect.

The sound of the CD 1 can even be called energetic - due to well conducted bass for one thing, and by a strong, vigorous treble for the second. The treble timbre never crosses the borders of good taste, even with recordings like "The Love of Hopeless Causes" New Model Army (Epic 473562, CD) or "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" The Cure (Fiction Records 832 130-2, CD), where, on players that emphasize this frequency range, the sibilance is exposed. Here it was very good - the heavy, on the border of shouting "Here Comes the War" NMA, or quite biting guitar playing by Robert Smith from The Cure sounded hard, fresh, but without overdraw. The insight into the recordings was surprisingly good, because, for example, elements opening one of the pieces, like slight touching of bass strings, or the timbre of the guitar, were in no way covered by the heavy accord on the keyboard. This element of the sound was heard earlier, because the piece opening the disk of Solveig "Where Do Soul Run To", beginning with acapella singing, had plenty of extra musical elements, like the vocalist breath, murmurs. And similar. It must be stated, that the conjunction of the energy of the high frequencies, their resolution, etc, without their sharpening was done with taste.

The Edgar can be listened to with full satisfaction. The brass is resonant, the voices are natural. The impression of female vocalists singing nasal, never appears, or that the instruments are larger than they should have been. The sound stage clearly laid out and spacey. Here the advantages of the tubes become audible, mainly through a projection, full of inner tension, with fluid between the players, which never turns into a syrup filling. You can even say, that in comparison with many other players with a classic output stage, Edgar will seem less "tubey" Mainly due to precise guidance of the sound, and sensitivity to fine detail.

The CD 1 ha s also it's weaker sides, maybe not in subjective way, because comparison with good devices from that price range shows, that everything is fine, but in a broader context they become visible. First of all Edgar seems to prefer smaller ensembles. Jazz and classical vocal music were played superbly, and all mentioned elements attributed to an extraordinary reproduction. But in case of larger performer groups, or when the sound structure was more complex, then the player lost some ground. I don't know how to explain this, but in spite of the, in absolute scale, emphasized mid- and upper bass, recordings like the mentioned New Model Army or "Kid A" of the band Radiohead (Parlophone/EMI 27753, CD) sounded a bit lighter than from Lektor Prime. Here it is not about resolution, but about tonal balance. The effect, when connected to an amplifier of the same or even higher price range, (CD 1 was tested with Edgar TP-105 VR, Leben CS-300 (test HERE and Model 5 Avantgarde Acoustic ) will not be particularly eminent, but will be heard not by the lack, but by the surplus - surplus of music, which will flow by disks like Katie Melua, Diana Krall, or Madeleine Peyroux. If we do listen to such recordings, or small classic ensembles, then the energy, the fullness of the player will appear in full strength. I do not want to scrap CD 1 as a rock demon, because this kind of music sounds also very competent, without brightening or sharpening, mainly due to the clean treble and nice bass. However in that case, the rest of the equipment must be picked very thoroughly, otherwise it may be the case that the sound is too light (meaning diminution of the lower mids).

THE MAKE

The Edgar player resembles the amplifier TP-105 VR of the same manufacturer, by size and shape, and looks best when paired with it. It shares something more with the amplifier: the steel chassis, very thick and sturdy also a thick front panel made of nice looking wood. The same finish was applied to the CD drawer, and the only elements standing out are the silver-satin button, controlling the mechanism, blue backlit logo, and the blue LCD display. This kind of display are quite rare, because the companies mostly apply standard displays they buy together with the drive unit. The one used in the CD 1 not only fits the design, but it also has big, well readable digits, visible from long distance, and is a nice change, compared to the mediocrity elsewhere. Going in the direction of the back plate, large slots in the top cover meet the eye, needed to cool the large amount of tubes "under the hood". And in the back almost classic: IEC power connection and outstanding, costly RCA connectors. Missing is the ... digital output. It is not due to cost savings, but rather prevention. It is no coincidence that Naim , a colossus from the digital world of high class audio does not use digital outputs in any of its CD players - they just worsen the sound. And besides this - Edgar has such advanced output circuitry, that its makers assumed, that for comparable money it will be difficult to find an external DAC sounding on comparable level. And digital copying? Don't make me laugh - everybody copies music on a PC using Nero or similar software.

The device is heavy, but to open it we have to put it upside down. On the underside nice looking, solid feet with glued rubber and felt are visible. It is the underside, that we can see the chassis coming from the amplifier, because the bottom cover is heavily ventilated with slots. The inside unveils some secrets. First, it is divided in two parts, the "dirty" and the "clean" part. The first one contains the very nice Philips drive VAM1202/12, placed on an additional metal element. Behind it a large toroidal transformer is placed, on its side a large (the largest here) power supply board. Seven supply lines are coming out of the transformer - one for each circuit stage. Most emotions are awaken by the last stage, the tubes, because it's voltage is stabilized by the tube EZ81 from the company JJ Electronic . The other power supply lines have classic rectifier bridges, the drive large discrete diodes. It is worth to mention, that near to the audio circuitry further filtration stages were applied. And to the output board lead two, quite long, balanced conductors. It became apparent, that under the mechanism, besides the standard servo board, also the converter and upsampler were placed (unfortunately I was unable to see what those were). The digital path was really reduced to minimum that way. But these interconnects... I am sure, this could be handled somewhat different (maybe it couldn't, and I am a megalomaniac? Everything is possible) Anyway, after conversion, the signal is guided in balanced version almost to the very end. First, in the current/voltage conversion four NE5534 chips were used (what field for tweakers opens here), after them, in the filters, two double tubes 12AX7EH Electro-Harmonics, and in the buffer two 6922EH of the same make. With the outside world the tubes are connected by means of large polypropylene capacitors of the French company SRC. Interestingly, between the separate tube stages no capacitors were used. The whole signal path is balanced, and the desymmetrization is done at the very end, in the last sections of the triodes. This gives a gain of dynamics of at least 3dB. Everything looks very well crafted and thought through, only the long interconnects and the mains wires, led under current to the mains switch in the front panel might irritate. And there is also an outstanding remote controller - metal case, with wood inserts... It also controls the volume in the Edgar amplifiers. A pity, that it does not allow to switch off the devices remotely.



TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (according to manufacturer):
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise 0,006 % / 1 kHz
Frequency range (+/- 0,5 dB) 20-20 000 Hz
Signal/noise ratio > 100 dB (20-20 000 Hz)
Output impedance < 200 Ohms
Power consumption (230V, 50 Hz ) 45 W
Dimensions (W, H, D) 435 x 122 x 350 mm
Weight (net) 9,6 kg


EDGAR
CD1

Price: 1550 Euro

Distributor: Audio Center

ul. Malborska 24
30-646 Kraków

tel./fax /012/ 425 64 43
tel. /012/ 265 02 85

e-mail: audiocenter@audiocenter.pl

Manufacturer web page: EDGAR



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