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Audio
Accessory
CD Listening Test, 1983
Here
is part of a very interesting march 1983 test of CD players: a match
between critical listeners !
Mr Saito and Mr
Kanzaki reviewed the same players and noted their abilities
regarding frequency response, dynamic range and resolution on separate
graphs.
If the differences between graphs show that nobody has the same
pair of ears, for the sake of concision and a more simple comparison
between first generation Compact Disc players, I will however only
post here Mr Kanzaki's graphs. Still, I added the Saitoh vs. Kanzaki
graphs for the Yamaha
CD-1 just to prove that two subjective listening tests can be
quite objective... in their differences :) In the picture above,
Mr Kanzaki is at the front and Mr
Saito fiddles with a CD-803.
The
listening system consisted of various amplifiers, accessories and
loudspeakers but it seems the one used as "reference",
shown here to the right, consisted of Technics'
SB-2MS, Sony's ESPRIT
TA-E901 and a power amplifier I can't identify.
Best linearity / amplitudes / price ratio was undoubtedly the Sony
CDP-101 while the obvious winner -price notwithstanding and
for both listeners- was the NEC CD-803,
the Kenwood
L-03DP being a very close second. Pity the Sony
CDP-701ES, Aiwa
dX-1000 or Technics
SL-P10 weren't tested along !
I
certainly wish I could do a test like this today - because it would
mean I'd have found a complete set of 1st generation CDPs, all new
and all in never opened boxes ;-)
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