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Review 4 of 16
Price Paid:
$1745.00
from soundworks Summary:
Firstly I agree with much of what the previous reviewer says about the Jupiter 2000, a well done review. I had an Arcam CD23 stolen. It is no longer made, so to replace it I auditioned the Arcam CD33 and the Rega Jupiter. Differences between digital sources are more subtle than comparing other components, but they are apparent. I did'nt like the CD33 as well as the CD23 (if you ask me Arcam should have stuck with their exclusive "Ring" DAC technology instead of "upsampling"). Guess I'm not a huge fan of "upsampling", it does add more detail and dimension, but seems to strip the music dry. Both the Rega Jupiter 2000 and the Arcam CD 33 use 24 bit DAC's made by Wolfson microelectronics. The Arcam uses "upsampling", the Rega does not. On audition the Arcam had more air and "hall sound", the Rega Jupiter had better sound of the instruments and better dynamics. Each machine had very good detail, with the Rega coming across in a less obvious way. While both machines were revealing of lesser recordings, the Arcam made them sound really bad. My thinking was, do I want a machine which will render half my cd colection useless? To its credit, the Arcam was more open and 3D than the Rega. The very top end of the rega is tipped down a bit and so was somewhat shut in by comparison, the plus side of this was less digital garbage in the signal. The Rega had deeper, fuller and tight bass as well, maybe a tad overblown by comparison to the Arcam. Although the Rega is $750 dollars less, I thought it had better overall build quality, and the no drawer design appealed to me. I think the way the machine grips the disc is partly responsible for the foundation it puts under the music. The downside being since the transport is externally exposed, on some discs you can hear it turning louder than other machines I have used. As far as comments about the rega puck "wobble", pull the cover off any cd machine, play a disc, and you will see the same "wobble". In the end it was two things that really made me walk away with the Rega - the sense of scale it gave to classical symphony and piano concerto recordings was closer to what I hear at the Myerhoff symphony Hall. The Jupiter was very impressive in this respect. And the way John Coltrane's horn sounded through it, full and dynamic like live music. On the Arcam, his horn sounded dry. Both machines were ok with classic rock, but the CD33 was a bit hashy (to be fair it was only revealing the top end hash present on the majority of rock recordings). The Rega stomps the Arcam with classic jazz (trane, miles etc.). Both were very good with classical, with the Arcam having more ambient hall sound, while the Rega had an incredible sense of scale, everything seeming large as life. To sum up, I'd say that if 3D imaging is your main priority, you'll like the Arcam. If a slightly rich dynamic sound similar to live music appeals to you, you'll like the Rega Jupiter. This is not to say the Rega does not do soundstaging, it has great depth and wide also with good seperation of each instrument. Its main, and I'd say its only shortcoming is a slight lack of ambience and "air". That is what I miss most from the Arcam CD23 I had. I felt I had to choose a machine that would be enjoyable for the long haul, the Rega Jupiter is a machine I am happy to own. I'd say Rega's description of it's product is accurate- "the Jupiter has a unique design direction necessary to reproduce a musical sound from a digital source of information". Though the Jupiter 2000 is now a 4 year old model, it is still one of the better machines out there. I'd give it a listen if you are considering a player at this price (or even higher). Strengths:
smooth, detailed and engaging sound. This machine makes music enjoyable. Very high construction standard for it's price. Weaknesses:
slightly shut in at the high frequencies. A bit more noise from external disc mechanism than a standard loader. Similar Products Used:
Arcam CD23. Accurus ACD 11
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