Well, what can i say? This has got to be the closest to vinyl i've ever heard a cd-player sound. Bought the Tjoeb yesterday after comparing it to my old player (H/K HD730) with 2 friends. The salesman (Koos) told me a day earlier that my "Herman Carton" would be totally blown away, but i insisted on A/B-ing the two. A very brave decision this would turn out to be, 99% of the CDs we fed the Tjoeb came out as music with a lot of space and soundstage, giving the same CDs to my HK made me burst out crying every time. OUCH! It was like being slapped in the face, my two friends instantly fell asleep each time the HK was turned on, and to think i paid Hfl.800,- for it!! The Tjoeb, only being Hfl.900,- HAD to be mine. I'm very glad i got one because they're really selling like hot cakes over here, my friend is already scheming frantically on how to get the money to buy one. The Tjoeb eats the competition (AND the twice as expensive players) for breakfast, so get one today and hear some real music at last!

The first time I saw this "Tjoeb" cd-player I wasn't even aware this was a tube cd-player. It was just looking like a normal standard Marantz Cd-38 cd-player, nothing more, nothing less. In fact I was only looking to it because several visitor's in my dealer's store were looking into this unit like it was something special. As I became curious what they were looking at I did the same and saw that the opened Marantz Cd-38 had a very neat, professional made tube-circuit built in. I asked if this was a new Marantz cd-player and all started to laugh and the dealer explained me that this was a local project from Frank, the technician of the store.
I was invited to come and join the group to listen to a system which was evaluated by them already before I entered the shop. Sonus Faber Electa Amator mk2 speakers, amplified by a Krell KAV500i, sourced by the very "Tjoeb" cd-player and cabled with Transparent cables of which I don't know the exact types.

While I was listening to this system with various kinds of music, I noticed that although we were playing quite loud, the music was always very smooth. Different from my system at home which could sound harsh and agressive with some of my cd's. The system was presenting us with a big wall of music while at the same time it was very easy to pinpoint the individual instruments and voices. Very remarkable!

I was so impressed that I wanted to buy the unit right away and take it home. For the money asked for this wasn't a big risk anyway. However the dealer didn't want to do that and told me that he insisted on a try out at my home. I didn't think this was necessary, but anyway I decided to accept that.

At home I replaced my not so old Sony CDP-XA50 cd-player with the "Tjoeb" and put it on repeat with my Sheffield/XLO burn-in cd. After dinner I went up again and played a few of my favorite cd's. I had the same experience as in the shop. Big sound, well-detailed, not agressive, good imaging with both depth and front information and again, I could play much louder than before. It was like my system was performing with much more ease. I decided that my Sony was going to be my "spare"-unit and that I was going to visit my dealer to inform him that his "Tjoeb" was mine!

After the weekend I was informed that this "Tjoeb '98" was about to be upgraded to a "Tjoeb '99" and that -if I wanted- could wait for that model which is going to be available from January 1, 1999 (is this logic?). However I decided to keep this one and to go for un upgrade in 1999. This upgrade will give the Tjoeb a precise cristal, ac noise "killers" for both the powersupply of the cd-mechanism as well as the tube-section, critical rewiring of the internal signalcabling and a muting circuit with relays instead of the Marantz transistor muting-circuit. Yes, it will raise the price to $ 450.00. So what?

Too bad that this beauty isn't available out there, otherwise each of you could enjoy as much, for as less as I do! Enjoy your life and music.

For your information: As the author of this article has no e-mail, this review was sent by one of his friends -Paul de Ruiter, also an enthousiastic Tjoeb '98 owner-. Paul -and his father, which is also an enthousiastic Tjoeb '98 owner- are also working on a report and will submit their experience with this cd-player later this month. Here we go!
A real taste of high-end CD playback at an entry-level price Get TJOEB'ed!

- By Kees van de Wiel -

The CD player-producing community is a busy one. It seems locked in a perpetual battle against the clock. The crystal oscilla-tor clock, that is, and its jitter-related problems. Furthermore there's the battle for bits, the ongoing quest for still more resolution.

Question: if jitter is by now reduced to levels of near inaudibility and dynamic range figures of 120 dB or better are the norm, why is it that a lot of CD players of the less than exotic variety still sound mediocre? And by mediocre I mean their inability to portray timbres accurately, their inability to sufficiently sustain the natural decay of notes of real instruments and their lack of bloom on orchestral and vocal cres-cendo's. In other words: what good is a cd-player that throws a soundstage beyond the next building with rock-solid precision if that same player is unable to get the timbre of, say, a Steinway concert grand right; or the distinct character of a Martin flat-top? Even some three thousand dollar players manage to get this wrong.

Tail

The reason? Many cd player companies spend lots of r&d and loads of money on sophisticated transports, clever re-clocking devices and state-of-the-art d/a converters. But, as so often, the venom is in the tail. The final and vital link of the digital to analog process, i.e. the analog output stage, is often no more than an design afterthought. Not seldom cheap opamps are employed, or undersized powersupplies. So, if you want your digital done right you're looking at a second mortgage, right? Not necessarily. There is hope for musiclovers/audiophiles on a tight(er) budget. This is where Tjoeb (phonetic Dutch for tube) comes in. This Netherlands-based CD tweaking-team had the nerve to take the lid off of one of Marantz's basement bargains, the CD 38, and play around with its innards.

Peeking inside they recognised the CD 38's potential for upgradebility. First, they got rid of the cheap standard opamp and put in a decent Burr Brown 2604 to take care of the current-to-voltage conversion. Then the Dutch boys decided to seriously upgrade the analog output stage with a pair of ECC 88 double triodes. Dramatically improving headroom and drive capability of the output section. En passant getting rid of the nasty feedback that comes standard with regular opamp devices.

Headroom

Of course, a tube section like this requires its own dedicated power supply; apart from the one that was already there and is now relegated to transport duty only. Luckily there's enough room under the 38's lid to accomodate the additional transformer - a beefy toroidal type - and the filter capacitors.

Says tweak-team member Frank van Duyvenvoorde: "We wanted to improve on an entry-level CD player without going overboard. It still had to be affordable. Our objective was to improve the CD 38 in key areas that we feel are often over-looked. Its tube output stage, for example, gives the Tjoeb tremendous headroom so it can effortlessly drive a pre-amp's input". Indeed so. The Tjoeb, with its $ 399.00 price-tag, may be way below the five-hundred dollar barrier, that doesn't prevent the turbo-charged Marantz from rocketing straight into audiophile airspace.

Musical motives

My principal listening is done with an analog/all-tube/electrostatic(*) rig and it was in this elevated company that the Tjoeb made its entrance. On the face of it only a lunatic would contemplate mating a 400 dollar CD player with electronics and speakers in excess of twenty five grand. Untill you actually hook it up. After months of intensive listening I can confidently say that the Tjoeb is the most satisfying CD machine I've had in my setup so far. It proved audibly superior to a Musical Fidelity, two Meridian transport/DAC combos and even a Proceed CDP.

I make no excuses for still using analog playback as my main reference; quite the contrary. Not so much for the usual audiophile-related reasons like low-end impact and extension, treble air, soundstaging, detail and all that, but simply out of musical motives. I believe natural timbres, pitch definition, midband expressiveness and an allround coherence of the musical message to be of paramount importance to enjoying music in the home. In this respect the Tjoeb proved to be a most satisfying experience.

Honest, minimal recordings - and I don't mean those hyped close-miked artificial affairs that invalidate so many 'high-end' demonstrations - had a presence, warmth and palpability through the Tjoeb that was fairly close to good analog play-back, but was simply astounding for a CD machine at this price-point.

Pianissimo

Just listen to "Horowitz" on DG (419 045-2) by the late piano virtuoso and marvel at the sound the old lion squeezes out of a Steinway concert grand. That sound was, and still is, like nobody else's sound. The Tjoeb treats the maestro's blooming colors with respect without adding that nasty, glassy character that still plagues too many CD-players. The delicious pianissimo that Horowitz commands, his resonating, fearsome bass-lines in the Chopin scherzo; it's all there.

Micro-dynamics and sustained notes are largely left intact, enabling me to extend my listening sessions into the wee hours at low volume levels without sacrificing color or subtle dynamic shadings. A clue to the player's outstanding harmonic integrity. It must, I reckon, be attributed to the Tjoeb's high-quality ouput stage. After all, a lot of CD players can sound exciting at high play-back levels but often seem dull and lifeless at low settings. This is where analog still rules supreme.

Breathtaking

Feel an uncontrollable need to plumb the depths of "dynamic range"? Then, please turn to the most powerful instrument of them all: the human voice. And marvel at Zimmerman's latest: "Bob Dylan Live 1966". A long overdue document of his famous '66 concert tour of Britain. Most of the acoustic part in this double-CD set was recorded with a state-of-the-art Nagra taken from a mono(!) line feed by the film crew. This recording makes nonsense of the claims that Dylan can't sing but merely mumbles. Good God, is this performance dynamic! (it has a fair amount of hall ambiance to boot). Dylans dynamic inflexions are rendered with astonishing ease. Pain, rage and sheer sarcasm are hurled at the mike. Interweaved with the most awe-inspiring harmonica-playing you'll ever hear (Just Like a Woman is a prime example). Not once did the Tjoeb surrender on crescendos or - here you have it - did the soundstage cave in. This player's midband is pure triode.

After my time with the Tjoeb I've come to value what prolonged listening had already showed me: the real virtue of this little machine is that you can play disc after disc without ever being bothered by listening fatigue. No matter what you throw at it. For me that is the real acid test in digital playback. Had the Tjoeb cost $ 1,500.00 it would have been excellent value for money. At $ 399.00 it's a down-right sensation!

(*) Associated equipment:
- Denon DP-100M reference turntable with Denon arm
- Shure V15VxMR phono cartridge
- Jadis JP 30 tube preamp
- Papworth M100 tubed monoblock poweramps
- Quad ESL 63 speakers
- Siltech cable used throughout
- Nagra mono open reel recorder

After reading all the comprehensive essays on this remarkable cd player in this section I promise you, Iíll will keep it briefly.I can assure you I am a commonsensical type. You canít easily drag me into hype, voodoo and rage. Therefore trust me when I tell you, this four kilo piece of audio is a real bargain and, allow me, I can't imagine there is an equal in the business. Period.

this Tjoep"99" is indeed a nice cd-player! I orderded it without evaluation and it plays like the best.Recordings which i couldn't stand anymore on my previous player,perform much better on the Toep. With this player mystereosystem sounds MUCH more like:music".I absolutely don't regret this
purchase. Now I just want to "infect" some of my audiofile friends!

The AH! Tjoeb '98. What you see: a simple CD38 from Marantz, which presents itself as being equipped with a real remote control! I didnít expect too much, but I was highly surprised. It's amazing that such a small box can create so much music. The main difference between the CD38 and the Tjoeb '98 you'll find in the interior of this miracle of music. Not just transistors, but also tubes!
Convincing?

It sure is. The first time I saw and heard the AH! Tjoeb '98 was at ëDŠ HIFIWINKEL BEEKí near Nijmegen (The Netherlands at the German border). It was rightaway obvious that this cd-player did what it was made for: making real music. I was immediately charmed by this AH! Tjoeb '98 and bought it almost right away.
In my own set at home the AH! Tjoeb '98 kept on surprising me. I felt I had to share this experience with others. So a friend of mine was invited to come over to listen for ëa minuteí to my new hifi-toy. However this minute turned out to be a couple of hours.

He was also immediately impressed by the sound of the AH! Tjoeb '98 and wanted to hear all kinds of music. Listening to ëDance Macabreí by Camille Saint-SaÎns (Decca recording) was decisive. All he could ask was: ëUhh, that store better be open tomorrow, because I absolutely want to have this cd-player. It sounds so damned goodí. My god! Never in my life I had convinced anyone so fast about quality. How amazing! It's again a prove that quality sells itself. So the day after my friend bought his own ëtubyí.

Listening to the ëOverture Solenelle 1812 op. 49í by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Deutsche Grammophon) is also a very rare experience. The AH! Tjoeb '98 creates a very open, detailled but powerfull soundstage. This recording is very dynamic. It's gigantic how this dynamic sound enters your living room and the AH! Tjoeb '98 continues to supply you with music! Most cd-players make one big mess out of this, but the AH! Tjoeb '98 kept on playing with lots of detail. The soundstage was wide, deep and powerfull, still extremely clean.
After a quarter of an hour the ëGothenburg Symphony Chorusí began to sing more powerful and wilder and then, wow Ö it took my breath Ö what a canon-shot! Of course I knew this was coming, but the canon-shot was so powerful that I feared for a moment for the life of my G–rlich woofers. Because this composition kept on getting louder, my heartbeat went up to about 200 bpm. I expected the soundstage to collapse because of all this violence, but it didnít happen. The sound remained controlled and neutral with a very complete soundstage untill the very last moment.

I expected the same kind of experience in listening to ëRequiemí by Verdi (Telarc recording). The piece ëDies Iraeí sounds great, until you get the feeling that thereís a car running outside at 1000 rpm. It's annoying that at the moment you push the hold-button of the AH! Tjoeb '98, this sound disappears. I never noticed this low-frequent tone before on my outdated but far from bad Philips cd-player. I couldnít help feeling to be back again in "turntable's country". Only too bad that I donít have a subsonic filter on my Audio Analyse amplifier. Itís very rare to find a cd-player which lets you truly hear everything, even the extreme ultra-low frequencies.

The AH! Tjoeb '98 made it fun again to listen to Paul Simons ëGracelandí. Especially the song ëHomelessí in which Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Paul Simon perform together. It finally became clear to me where all these performers were located on stage. I donít even have to close my eyes to see this picture in front of me.

Real vinyl-fans will probably also be interested in the AH! Tjoeb '98. Extreme prices have to be paid for high-end cd-players and still that good old turntable sounds better. This difference between the current cd-players and the turntable will probably remain the first years. Nevertheless, if you listen to the AH! Tjoeb '98 you canít help noticing that the digital sound comes closer to analogue. The cdís that used to sound a little sharp (especially recordings of the 80ís) are, when played on the AH! Tjoeb '98 quite acceptable and most certainly surprising. With the Tjoeb I am able to listen to some of my old favourite cdís again, like for instance ëDenim and Leatherí by Saxon, ëRage for Orderí by Queensryche, ëFor rockers, ravers, lovers and sinnersí by Pure Cult and so on. Isnít that incredible ? All of this and more you get for the very small price of $399.

The sceptics

Lots of manufacturers and hifi- freaks with expensive cd-players will close their eyes for the qualities of the Tjoeb. They consider the AH! Tjoeb '98 too cheap to compete with their expensive equipment. What will happen if you let them listen without showing it? After such a demonstration most hi-fi freaks will be very positive about the performance. But if you raise the curtain and show the AH! Tjoeb '98 with its modest "Marantz" appearance, a serious discussion will start. Thatís logic. How would you feel if you found out, after a night of romance, that the woman you were with is a cross-dresser. Although this is perhaps a weird comparison, I am pretty sure youíd feel yourself fooled by that lady (man).

But what to do if you donít want this cheap Marantz to be in the same room as all your other expensive equipment? The solution: a new casing, a fancier drive, and more exotic cabling. The only problem is the price, and this is actually the charm of the Tjoeb: quality and a price beneath $400.

Epilogue

Of course there might be several other possibilities to upgrade the AH! Tjoeb '98 even more: the use of tube coolers, silver plated ceramic tube sockets, matched tubes, better transformers, high grade elcoís, silver wires, other opamps and so on. Marvellous, but how will be the relation between price and quality? Right now, my AH! Tjoeb '98 will have an upgrade to the '99 version. After that I can decide whether or not it is useful to further strengthen what's now the already strongest link of my hi-fi chain. Itís probably better to replace or upgrade one of the weaker components of my set.

I have to say that my experience with the AH! Tjoeb '98 is very positive. I recommend everybody to listen to it yourself. Itís definitely worth trying it!

Quite an experience
No need to make long talks, only a few explanations about this CD-38 Tjoeb. DŠ Hifiwinkels have a cd player for sale for a price below Hfl 1,000.-. Based on a Marantz CD-38 a very musical machine has been created. This low-budget player has the same mechanism as the rest of its more expensive family: the CDM 12.1 from Philips. So this is an excellent basis. And don't forget you also get a remote control. But, now the story really starts: as soon as you remove the cover, you will notice a blue-colored pc board with two ECC88 (6922) double-triode tubes mounted: a 2-stage tube-amplifier. For further details I refer to electronic- and hobby magazines, in which the original design has been described. This however still means that all this is very remarkable. I mean, this has never been used commercially. Unfortunately the pc board is built partly in SMD. This doesn't give much room to experiment. This beautiful tube-stage has its own power supply with a dedicated toroid transformer. This way the original power supply doesn't get an extra load and can fulfill its own work, while there is the advantage that the digital and analog part of the design get less chance to interfere with each other. At the end of the signal the original opamp has been replaced with a better sounding one. You may experiment with different brands and models since an ic-socket has been installed. Once you own a Tjoeb, you might improve it with a better ac-cable and internal mechanical dampening. That makes the Tjoeb even sound better. Personally I connected the original Marantz transformer to a separate 220V source with a simple ac-filter. The power supply for the analog section was fed direct "out of the wall". Earlier trials proved that the tubes sounded less dynamic when these were fed by a narrow-band power supply. I am not able to prove this with electro-technical knowledge, but this is purely what I heard and concluded. In the meantime I removed that simple ac-filter again and the complete player has been connected to a Copenhagen Transformer Audio ac-filter. This works perfect. In the future I want to add better internal wiring, better connectors and better feet.

As I suppose that by now, you know what's happening in this "blackbox", I want to share with you my experiences.

Quite fast I noticed that the sound was at least remarkable. My own player is a Duson CD 100 having the last real update. This player was bought 4 years ago for Hfl 3,750.-. Searching for a newer -and better- player I met the Tjoeb. During one afternoon I heard some players in the price range between Hfl 3,500.- and Hfl 5,000.-. Disappointed and relieved I took the conclusion that my CD 100 wasn't so bad. Then I decided to listen for a moment to the Tjoeb. That gave me a strange feeling. Normally a player in this price range, is for a spoiled audiophile like me, a little too little (!). However there was something, a kind of extra dimension. Something between black and white, between yes and no, between one and zero. It's not so easy to describe. Ok, I will name it musical. Once I arrived at home, I could not forget it. I ordered the player the same week. For that money I could not refuse it. Once connected at home, more nice things happened. Suddenly this Tjoeb brought life to my system. If you look at it in a hifi-technical way you might still have remarks, but this is compensated by the musicality. In the configuration of my own system it fitted immediately. I use Audio Note ANJ speakers, an Audio SE triode poweramp and a Sphinx PJ 4 mk1 preamplifier, with Siltech cables. In my home the master is the tube! This combination sounds extremely delicious, almost like a culinary delicatesse. You like it or you don't like it. Let's not discuss about taste.

Stoned by satisfaction I took the CD-38 Tjoeb with me everywhere I was going. As a messiah of sound I called my audio-junks to make an appointment for a blind test. I wrapped the blue cloth from the Duson player around the Tjoeb. This way I was hiding what was actually sounding so beautiful. Of course I also didn't mention the price. This way I didn't run the risk that the real diehard audiophile already up front wasn't willing to accept the quality. For candidate 1 the Tjoeb was performing like being in heaven. The owner's Sphinx Pj 9 was performing well in comparison with my mystery player. Careful readers: it should be the other way around! Remarks like: "sounds very good", "could have been my choice too" and "sounds very good but not really better or worse" etc. are clear statements. This hifi-freak knows me very well, so he thought that I came visiting with one of these expensive, exotic players. So he started to protect himself. He was afraid that his Hfl 5,000.- priced dream would loose the comparison with the ÖÖ.. At the end of the evening I was the witness of a great scenario: the cloth was removed and ÖÖÖ

Amazing is an understatement for that very moment. In a heavy 30 minutes discussion, all earlier positive findings were withdrawn. About the same happened with the next candidates of my blind test. This time I was amazed. While I was thinking -with a kind of hangover- about this situation, I reached the following conclusion: these reactions were exactly the same that I gave some time ago when I felt threatened. I defended myself with all kind of excuses and less convincing prejudgments. What an arrogance! Could it be that my intelligence grows with age? A few months ago I owned a stereo-system with a total value of Hfl 30,000.-. According to colleague-freaks my current system sounds less. While personally I feel that only now I get pleasure in listening to it. Hifi and music are strongly connected with each other, but so often a wide distance exists between these two. The time when hifi-magazines could make me crazy, is gone. Now I am able to decide myself what I like. I remember very well that I had a discussion with Rob Wilms about hifi and high-end. We agreed quite fast that it is possible that many hifi systems sound too "hifi". If you only listen in analyzing and analyzing; if you are constantly trying to determine what you hear exactly and if you are no longer involved with what is in your record collection, then there is something really wrong. Just listen what's played on that album. Most of the time you are the weakest link in the evaluating chain.

As I still want to give a judgement, I'll try to describe what the Tjoeb is able to do.

The soundstage is completely free. Depth, height, size is very well defined. Relaxed and direct at the same time. Often it grabs your throat. Tonally it's absolutely right. Bass is tight and airy. Mids are airy. Highs are well defined. Vocally it's a real winner. I prefer to describe the Tjoeb as a musical omnivore. He eats out of your hand and is also sometimes excitingly wild. "Bargain of the Year", "Spitzenklasse 1", etc Ö.. I think it's needless to use these statements. Good hifi equipment will sell on its own!

Conclusion of this story: Just listen once with only your own ears; it relieves extremely! Musical regards and good luck!

Ps In the meantime several of the audiophiles mentioned in this story have also bought the Tjoeb. And did you get the message already that the Tjoeb '99 sounds convincingly better than the Tjoeb '98? For Hfl 150.- it's possible to upgrade. Of course this is something I am going to do too.

The link to information about this product is lacking in all respects. Is there a US distributer of this product? When I do a search on Yahoo or Hotbot or Lycos I get one hit in the Netherlands. Does this product exist?

I MAY REGRET DOING THIS BUT HERE GOES. ANYBODY WANTING INFO. ON PURCHASING AH TJOEB 99 E-MAIL ME AND I WILL E-MAIL BACK WITH ALL INFO. THIS IS FOR CANADA AND USA. THERE IS NO US DISTRIBUTOR. I DO NOT HAVE UNIT YET BUT I WILL HAVE TO GIVE FIVE SPEAKERS ANYWAY, DO NOT WANT TO RUIN A PERFECT 5. HAVE TALKED TO ONE OWNER OF AH 99 ON THE NET. GET THIS HE REPLACED HIS MERIDIAN 508.24 WITH AH TJOEB 99 SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS ONE FANTASTIC PRODUCT OR ELSE THE AUDIOPHILES IN THE NE. CANNOT HEAR?????????

(I hope to be not the only one when I honestly admit this….) when searching for an audio component, I primarily go for something that both looks exotic and just sounds really spectacular. Otherwise, for me it simply doesn’t justify the money that I spend on it… and I always spend just enough to find something that meets these two criteria.
That’s why, when I headed out for a new CD player, I had a shortlist (basically from magazines and the Internet ) with the Audio Analogue Paganini 24/96 player, the Theta Miles, the Rega Jupiter + Io combination, and the Meridian 508-24 player.

I auditioned them all, and thought to be on the right way …. until I listened to the Tjoeb ’99 player.

Any published description of ‘how a certain cd player sounds’ will potentially suffer from the ‘personal opinion disease’ and in my view, is therefore difficult to put a lot of value to. However, let’s try.

When you like your music to have the great impact needed for modern music (e.g. listen to Photek drum & bass cd Modus Operandi on KAV 300 i amplifier) but still musical enough to enjoy the other styles (classic jazz, trip hop, acid jazz, Brazil jazz etc.), I feel that in that case, and only generally speaking, the range of market offerings for audio equipment is rather limited.

You might end up with a speedy/dynamic amplifier, that – unfortunately – can put a constraint on any future choice of source component; the music just gets too analytical.

This is exactly where I think that the area of strength is of the Tjoeb ’99 CD player – an ideal complementing component for an audio set-up for people that like ‘impact’, but that want to be flexible enough to switch between music genres.

The Tjoeb ’99 (in order of strength) has 1) superb impact combined with musicality 2) an extremely high degree of openness, that makes it possible to really turn up the volume – great for classical music, or female vocals 3) an ‘analogue’ sound character that allows you to grow further in your audio hobby to someday buy a fantastic turntable…. remember that vinyl is regaining territory – catch (while you still can) these rare and underpriced records in second-hand vinylstores 4) a ridiculously low price when compared to the competition on this level of performance – you can reward yourself with another gift together with buying the Tube ’99 player !

As a minus, are a bit the looks (it looks like an average cd player – but inside lives the chameleon and I let my friends put their hand on the place where the tubes reside so that they can experience the heat). But this is necessary, I think, for keeping the price low (when you ask for the price, you first think 1 digit is missing). If you want to see something nice just look to a picture of Salma Hayek on the Internet.

Further, by virtue of the presence of a tube stage, the Tjoeb ’99 is rhythmically somehow a good, but not excellent performer - like which is definitely the case with the other qualities (impact/musicality and openness) of the Tjoeb ‘99.

To summarize, the Tjoeb ’99 was my most sensible audio buy of 1999 and for one time, I feel lucky to live in the Netherlands.