Post by Animo on Jul 14, 2009 18:43:16 GMT -5
Well, my ERC-1 arrived at Nick's house while I was still in the hospital. It sat for a while until I was well enough to go over. Once I did, we sat and compared the ERC-1 to his JVC-XL-Z1050 CD player. Keep in mind that Nick's JVC is roughly 19 years old. According to John Hoffman of AffordableAudio.com, this was one of the flagship CD players of it's day.
I will admit, it does sound pretty good. Anyway, Nick and I used the same CD, that was recorded by MrBen for our Brooklyn Bash back in February, as a basis for our listening, along with a few of our own stalwarts. It's been a while so I will simply make a brief synopsis. Again as a refresher, here are the selections on MrBen's disk.
Artist, Song, Album
YoYo Ma, Seven Tunes Heard in China #1, Solo SACD
Blue Man Group, Club Nowhere, Audio
Angelo Badalamenti, Dance Of The Dream Man, Twin Peaks Soundtrack
Rusted Root, Drum Trip, When I Woke
Jill Tracy, Evil Night Together, Diabolical Streak
Michael Buble, Fever, Michael Buble
Scissor Sisters, Lights, Ta-Dah
Rammstein, Mein Teil, Reise Reise
Bjork, Mouth's Cradle, Medula SACD
Diana Krall, Peel Me A Grape, Love Scenes SACD
Tom Waits, Poor Edward, Alice
Mozart, Tuba Mirum, Requiem in D Minor K626 SACD
Junior Wells, Ships On The Ocean, Come On In This House SACD
Hazmat Modine, Steady Roll, Bahamut
Jennifer Warnes, The Well, The Well SACD
Bjork, Triumph Of A Heart, Medula SACD
Hillary Hahn & the LA Chamber Orchestra, Violin & Oboe Concerto in C minor BWV 1060 III Allegro, Bach Concertos SACD
As mentioned by a myriad of other reviewers, the ERC-1 puts out whatever is being put in. You definitely hear everything on the disk. There were some passages, even on familiar tracks of CDs, that we would hear things we didn't hear on the JVC. It is definitely forward and bright. On several tracks the brightness could seem overwhelming at times. There is also some slight sibilance in the female vocals and a touch of scratchiness in some male vocals. All in all, I was happy with the sound of the ERC-1 and decided to keep mine. Nick on the other hand, felt that his JVC was a bit smoother, laid back and less fatiguing. My feelings are that if I notice that the sound becomes too bright or forward, I can always adjust the tone controls to smooth the sound out a bit. For a 19 year old unit, Nick's JVC performs quite well. In 1993 it was a Stereophile Magazine recommended component. I feel the ERC-1 could be considered a recommended componnent as well.
The flagship players of the early 90’s were finely crafted machines. The chassis of the JVC XL-Z1050TN contains substantial amounts of metal, and weighs in at a respectable 17 pounds. A large percentage of the overall weight of this player can be contributed to the large power supply transformer, and the sophisticated power supply. The laser is a three-beam configuration, and the optical lens is produced from precision ground glass. The disc sled assembly is robust, and has a graceful operation that current production entry-level players cannot emulate. The digital output circuit has a true 75-ohm output, and uses an isolation transformer to combat ground loops and RF interference. 3 The JVC XL-Z1050 is an elegant CD player, with a visionary design, high-quality parts, and superior fit and finish.
I will admit, it does sound pretty good. Anyway, Nick and I used the same CD, that was recorded by MrBen for our Brooklyn Bash back in February, as a basis for our listening, along with a few of our own stalwarts. It's been a while so I will simply make a brief synopsis. Again as a refresher, here are the selections on MrBen's disk.
Artist, Song, Album
YoYo Ma, Seven Tunes Heard in China #1, Solo SACD
Blue Man Group, Club Nowhere, Audio
Angelo Badalamenti, Dance Of The Dream Man, Twin Peaks Soundtrack
Rusted Root, Drum Trip, When I Woke
Jill Tracy, Evil Night Together, Diabolical Streak
Michael Buble, Fever, Michael Buble
Scissor Sisters, Lights, Ta-Dah
Rammstein, Mein Teil, Reise Reise
Bjork, Mouth's Cradle, Medula SACD
Diana Krall, Peel Me A Grape, Love Scenes SACD
Tom Waits, Poor Edward, Alice
Mozart, Tuba Mirum, Requiem in D Minor K626 SACD
Junior Wells, Ships On The Ocean, Come On In This House SACD
Hazmat Modine, Steady Roll, Bahamut
Jennifer Warnes, The Well, The Well SACD
Bjork, Triumph Of A Heart, Medula SACD
Hillary Hahn & the LA Chamber Orchestra, Violin & Oboe Concerto in C minor BWV 1060 III Allegro, Bach Concertos SACD
As mentioned by a myriad of other reviewers, the ERC-1 puts out whatever is being put in. You definitely hear everything on the disk. There were some passages, even on familiar tracks of CDs, that we would hear things we didn't hear on the JVC. It is definitely forward and bright. On several tracks the brightness could seem overwhelming at times. There is also some slight sibilance in the female vocals and a touch of scratchiness in some male vocals. All in all, I was happy with the sound of the ERC-1 and decided to keep mine. Nick on the other hand, felt that his JVC was a bit smoother, laid back and less fatiguing. My feelings are that if I notice that the sound becomes too bright or forward, I can always adjust the tone controls to smooth the sound out a bit. For a 19 year old unit, Nick's JVC performs quite well. In 1993 it was a Stereophile Magazine recommended component. I feel the ERC-1 could be considered a recommended componnent as well.
Doesn't matter, just curious - now don't kill the cat <<<<<<!
