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Balanced Audio Technology VK-D5 CD player |
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Tiger Okoshi's Echoes of a Note: A Tribute to Louis "Pops" Armstrong is one of those great Taguchi-produced
JVC XRCDs (JVCXRC-0030-2) ... My notes: "Completely effortless, incredibly airy, with space and bloom.
Low-level dynamics are superb. Tiger's horn is razor-sharp, with not a hint of hardness or grain. Transparency is of
a very high order; the Radians truly disappeared. Timing is everything on "St. James Infirmary' and here the mesh is
perfect."
Bill Holman's Brilliant Corners: Music ofThelonius Monk is another Taguchi JVC XRCD production (JVCXR-0028-2). Listening to "Round Midnight," I became incredulous. The soundstage was enormous and enveloping – Bob Efford's bass clarinet sounded like sex on wheels. When the band picks up and lifts the music on a rising scrim of sound and power, Efford's clarinet soars to match. It was very moving. Notes: "The acoustic bass solo the VK-D5 delivers is all about articulation and luscious midrange madness. The swing is profound but restrained, pace and timing are spot on. If it's possible to take a bath in soundwaves, this is it!"
So how does the VK-D5 stack up? ... The VK-D5 is more emotional, immediate and lively, retaining the exquisite
palpability and dynamic capability of an unfettered, well-turned-out tube circuit. BAT has done it again.
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| -Jonathan Scull |