REVIEW SHOP SHARE LEARN
Alchemist TS-D-1
Alchemist TS-D-1
MSRP: $

More CD Players from Alchemist >>
Search AudioReview forums for the Alchemist TS-D-1 >>
   
Popular CD Players
more...
Top Ranked Products from Alchemist.
Forseti ADPA MkII
Rated:
Kraken APD8A
Rated:
Nexus APD32A
Rated:
more...
 |  Sorted by Latest Review |  Sort by Best Rating >> |  Sort by Worst Rating >> | 
Rating
Reviewed by:
Roland Mabo
(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
January 22, 2002

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Rate this review?

Review 1 of 3

Summary:
I bought this as an upgrade to my Micromega Junior CD-player. I was thinking about trading my Micromega for a newer CD-player, but got the adviced that I should add a DAC instead. This has showned to be a smart and cost efficient move.
Sound quality has improved overall. A richer, smoother, fuller, more detailed and room filling sound. This DAC is a true bargain.
It sounds great with all types of music.

However, When matched to my Alchemist Axiom amp, I feel that it could do with slightly mor sparkle. The sound can be too smooth sometimes. Easy on the ear.

Strengths:
Good build quality, stylish and compact design.
Treble is smooth and detailed, midband is neutral and rich, bass is full and deep.

Weaknesses:
Could do with a bit sparkle,


Would you like to Comment?
Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Rating
Reviewed by:
Lawrence Chan
(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
April 25, 2000

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Rate this review?

Review 2 of 3

Summary:
This product is very competitive in the low end DAC market.
I know that many have bought the MSB instead, I guess is for it's punchy bass. This product has enhanced my system in the whole range. Voice, guitar and violin are smoother and more natural, and bass is fuller. It added more detail in the recordings. Don't expect dramatic changes for its price, but it make enough improvement for its price. Here, its 20% less than the MSB.

I'm using Denon 2500 DVD player.

Strengths:
Small and cheap with natural sound.

Weaknesses:
No indication of the input sampling rate


Would you like to Comment?
Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Rating
Reviewed by:
Imron Tandukallo
( an Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
September 20, 1999

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Rate this review?

Review 3 of 3

Summary:
I've just listened to this DAC alongside with a Musical-Fidelity X-24K. The setup goes as follows:
Nad pre/power amplifier,
JM Lab speakers,
and Marantz CD-63 KI-Signature as transport.

One thing that did not seem right was the digital link. It could be that the TS-D-1 was not using the optical digital cable.

At first, I tried the X-24K. The sound is 'as it supposed to be' to my ear. But when they switched to TS-D-1, I noticed the fuller bass. I could not seem to tell the difference other than the fuller bass between the two DAC; that was partly because it was not a proper listening room. It's an open space. But even with open space, I could still notice that the TS-D-1 had better bass than the X-24K. Mind me, X-24K did not have the X-PSU connected to it.

I expect this DAC will make my Toshiba DV-2108 sings and dances. For the sound that I experienced, I would give it a 5 star. I believe that it could not beat any of the higher-end, but for a beginner, myself, this unit performs miraculously. Hope pay day comes soon. I'm trembling with lust for this unit... :-D


Would you like to Comment?
Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Company Pages

Audio & Video company review pages. Browse product user reviews, compare prices, top ranked products, and compare specs by manufacturer.

Bowers Wilkins Reviews
Bowers & Wilkins
NAD Reviews
NAD
Marantz Reviews Marantz
Denon Reviews
Denon
Klipsch Reviews
Klipsch
Sony Reviews
Sony
Yamaha Reviews
Yamaha
Rotel Reviews
ROTEL
McIntosh Reviews
McIntosh
Bose Reviews
Bose
Polk Reviews
Polk Audio
Paradigm Reviews
Paradigm
Onkyo Reviews
Onkyo
JBL Reviews
JBL
KEF Reviews
KEF
Pioneer Lens Reviews
Pioneer
Harman Kardon Lens Reviews
Harman-Kardon
Panasonic Reviews
Panasonic
Press and News
Submit News & Press...
Audio and Video News & Press Releases.

Latest and Greatest

Best Floorstanding Speakers Under $1000

So many to choose from! Lets us boil it down. How to Choose a Floorstanding Speaker that fits you:

Marantz MA-9S2 Reference Series Power Amplifiers Review

Marantz MA-9S2 Power AmplifierThe list above has one tenet that I continue to hold true: high powered amplifiers are necessary to reproduce the full dynamic range of music with most speakers. This became apparent when I changed from the 100 Watt per channel Bella Extreme 100 to the 250 Watt.....

Lowther’s DX-65 driver in the Teresonic Magus XR Review

A new driver from Lowther is real news. A new five inch driver is even rarer news, so it was with great anticipation that I waited on this pair of speakers to arrive.

Aune Mini Headphone DAC User Review

The unit arrived from China well packed and everything seem to be in place. No external abuse by the carriers. The only problem was the power supply it came with. The box came with a cheap step-down converter.

Aural Symphonics Chrono b2 balanced interconnects Review

The Aural Symphonics Chrono b2 is more a study in contrasts than most cables. Chrono b2 refers to balanced version 2.

Three Koetsu cartridges

The Koetsu line consists of 18 different cartridges divided into four sub categories. The aluminum body Black Goldline at $1800, the Rosewood series starting at $2600 and up to $5900, the Urushi line starting at $4300 to $4900, the Stone Body Platinum series starting at $8000...

Cambridge Azur 840E and 840W Review

If this combo would surmount the challenges and rise to the same level of performance, Cambridge would have a trinity of tasty components worthy of consideration by anyone...

Audio Tekne TFM-9412 integrated 300B amplifier Review

A Dagogo featured article: In the negotiation of his wish to become the U.S. Importer of Audio Tekne, Yujean was given a set of “rules” by Mr. Kiyaoki Imai, owner of Audio Tekne.....

Reviews and Featured Articles
Expert hi-fi audio reviews, blogs, and audio articles.