AstinTrew Highly Musical CD Players True To The Source
Over
the years we seen CD players getting better and better as huge advancements
have been made in this area of audio reproduction.
Many audiophiles complained about the sound quality CD players produced and preferred to stick to listening to vinyl claiming the sound was warmer and more natural to listen to. Many audiophiles found the sound of CD players to sound sterile, glassy and cold and lacking in emotion, they failed to connect to the music.
Luckily in recent years that balance has been readdressed as the technology that went into making CD players steadily improved. Finally after many years CD can really be rather good to listen too, and one particular small British manufacture of CD players manage to make quite a large impact on the CD player scene even at their first attempt!
Are you sitting comfortably? Then pease read on as we take a closer look at the AstinTrew CD players offerings. If you have any further questions regarding AstinTrew products please do not hesitate in contacting Eden Audio, we are here to help you.
Astin Trew AT3000
The
AstinTrew AT3000 is the entry level CD player from Astin
Trew, even though its the company basic model it certainly doesn't
sound basic once you listen to its sonic charm. The At3000 technically
is a real tour de force also it features an upsampling function and
linear valve buffer output. The AT3000 CD Player offers high quality
sound matched to a superb build quality. The AT3000 will make a wonderful
addition to any audiophiles rack.
For a CD player at this price point the AT3000 is something just that little bit more special. Finally it shows the sounds produced by a modern CD player has come of age, by listening to the AstinTrew you'll find this player can handle any type of music thrown at it aplomb, be it Rock, pop, classic or folk the AstinTrew will enjoy playing it back to you in all its fidelity and glory.
AstinTrew AT3500
If your looking for a Cd player that is going to add a little spice to your life then look no further than the AstinTrew AT3500. To set the cat among the pigeons this player is capable of scaring the big boys with price tags that are much higher than that of this AstinTrew.
In fact if you didn't know the price beforehand you would think that you was listening to something far higher priced that what its modest price would suggest. If you thought the AT3000 was good then this player is in another league altogether.
The At3500 takes the allready excellent incredients of its little brother and gets some vital ingredients to spice it up even further.
If you was to place to two player side by side they look identical as well as feature wise it's under the hood where the AT3500 has had the magic spices added. Internally then it's a completely different beast. The At3500 has a higher specification digital clock, with an accuracy of 5 parts per million (ppm) and its own dedicated low-noise isolating power supply. At normal operating temperatures the makers claim that distortion is held to less than 2ppm – an exceedingly low figure.
More improvements also is the inclusion of a second isolating power supply for the upsampling clock. AstinTrew claim this is to reduce digital distortion, while improving the isolation of digital components from the power supply. Other power supplies on the DAC board have been upgraded and improved. Higher quality capacitors have been used in critical parts of the circuit, including Auricaps for the output of the DAC and buffer amp
That's the inside, one slight modification s done to the underneath of the player, the At3500 has improved feet for better damping of vibration and isolation. The AstinTrew At3500 you will find from new needs a good run before it sounds it best, at edn audio we say something like a fortnight of continuous burn-in time before the sound reaches its optimum and you hear the player in its fully glory. And while the At3500 sounded quite good straight from the box, it does ease-up and open-out after a week or two, so be paitent at first.
How does the AT3500 sound?
The At3500 retains the clarity and lucidity of the At3000, but sounds freer more natural and open. Its sublime musical presentation is beautifully smooth and wonderfully integrated. The sound has plenty of presence and charm, the upper treble always remains sweet and very clean and in control, nevr getting edgy or bright. There's a nice fullness and warmth about the sound. The bottom end sounds deeper and fuller too with good definition and timing . Bass lines emerge with great scale, weight and presence, sounding lucid and clean with considerable power. The AT3500 displays great warmth and richness. Yet there's no loss of brilliance or immediacy – actually, quite the reverse, a top notch source.
The 24bit/96kHz up-sampling option is a worthwhile addition and is good to experiment with, we found here at eden audio that it made the sound even more spacious and open with a larger soundstage, it's good to experiment with to see which posistion you prefer when listening.
AstinTrew AT3500plus- even more to come
The AT3500 was being praised review after review for the four corners of the globe as the AT3500 started selling like hot cakes to hungry audiophiles who were demanding top sounds at more affordable prices, with the AT3500 AstinTrew had made their dreams come true and their bellies full, but was thier space for anymore goodies?
Astintrew had one further trick up their sleeves, a plus version of the AT3500.
We found that the Revolver Audio range of loudspeakers has that magical synergy we all crave when partnered with Astin Trew electronics, wire them up with Oyaide speaker cables for the perfect hifi audio system.