Editor:

Thanks to Sam and the folks at Stereophile for a great review. There are bright, dark, and neutral products in both the solid-state and tube categories of preamps and power amps. Statistically, about half the customers who buy the Tjoeb have tubes somewhere in their system.

The Tjoeb can be fine-tuned to any system via tube-changes something I know that Sam likes to fiddle with. You can get a smoother or more extended top end, a rounder or more dynamic, taut bass. Up to you. After they have figured out their overall tonal balance, customers can upgrade the tubes later to any 6922/7308/6DJ8 type (most use new old stock from Amperex, Siemens, etc.) to help get that last 10% of the system just so. It's plug-and-play with no adjustments, and most find "tube rolling" is a hoot. If they need advice or tubes, they can contact us.

The faint mechanical click you hear is there by design, and, for clarity, does not come through the speakers. Most every CD player, with the exception of the most expensive models, will use a transistorised muting circuit. The problem is, they can degrade sound, as they are never really out of the signal path. That circuit is disabled on the Tjoeb and replaced with a relay, which is switched out of the circuit during music. More expensive to do, but worth it.

The drawer itself is indeed plastic. The drawer and the Philips CDM 12.3 transport (now replaced with the new Philips VAM series, which plays CDR's) is used in CD players that cost thousands. This workhorse is used in most high-end products and is easy to identify. The Tjoeb does not have a heavy case? Hey, it's $450. But we are happy to show the insides, and do so to let people know what they get for their money--and not many manufacturers want to "take their tops off" for under $500.

When we at Upscale Audio brought in the Tjoeb, we wanted to make it as affordable as possible. In Europe, it sells for about the same as products that, when imported to the US, sell for $800. Rather than mark it up and set up sales reps and dealers, we sell direct to make it affordable for more people and an easy buying decision. Given the choice of a higher price for all or a lower price with a restock fee (the refund period is 14 days, by the way), we opted for the latter. You can't have both, and we feel we made the right decision. It is something that we may revisit and change at some point. That info would be on our website.

Sam mentioned our ads stating that the Tjoeb is the best $1500 CD player. Perhaps a clarification is needed. The ad refers to statements to that effect made by another respected reviewer, and our ad is an invitation for a copy of that review. While we are proud of that, I don't say that any product is "the best," as everyone has different tastes and needs.

Thanks again for the great write-up and the job you folks do.

Kevin Deal Upscale Audio