View Full Version : Pure Sound A8000 cdp - Anyone had experience?
The Black Adder
02-10-2010, 11:30
Hello there.
Can anyone give me their thoughts on the Pure Sound A8000 cdp? I'm thinking about trying one out but just wondering how this stacks up with other peoples experience.
I've heard that it's the same as a MHZ from China, this kind of puts me off at the price point (£1000).
Cheers
hifi_dave
02-10-2010, 12:46
I've no idea about any similarity with other machines but IMO it's worth paying a bit extra to have the excellent backup of Puresound should it prove necessary.
The Puresound A8000 is an excellent sounding CD player by any standard. It's well worth taking a listen to.
I seriously hope its not based on the MHZ player, I've repaired one of those , bloody horrible things :mental:
The Black Adder
02-10-2010, 20:04
Hi Leo.
Here is the thread... http://www.zerogain.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22539
what do you think?
Why not ask Guy himself, who posts here, anything you'd like to know about what is after all is his product? :)
P.S Could you add your first name to your signature, matey? Cheers! :cool:
Marco.
The Black Adder
02-10-2010, 20:37
Cheers Marco - sorry about that, I updated my signature and accidentaly deleted me name.. back on now.
Whats the guys name on here?
It's funny, I hear great reviews of the cdp but when I read this:-
http://www.lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/REFERENCES/MHZS/MHZS_CD66F.html
and see the simularities between each player it makes me wonder. And the business with the DAC MHZ is really misleading in looks as well as spec. It just looks too simular in the Pure Sound for comfort... Hope I'm wrong here.
Thanks, Joe.
Lol - his name is Guy (Guy Sergeant) and he posts here as 'pure sound'.
I have no experience of this CDP whatsoever, however I do know that if Guy's involved in its design then it will almost definitely be very good! :)
Marco.
The Black Adder
02-10-2010, 21:04
ah yes.. of course. I'll maybe send him a pm. I didn't realise he posted here.
Thanks Marco
Please do. Guy is very friendly and knowledgeable :)
Marco.
I would also take a look at the new Audiolab cdp.
Hi Leo.
Here is the thread... http://www.zerogain.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22539
what do you think?
I've never been inside an A8000 but if its innards is this http://www.aqtw68.dsl.pipex.com/DSC_0358.JPG then I'm afraid it is basically MHZ with a few component changes
Hi Leo,
Like I said, I have no experience of this particular CDP, but that would be like saying the Puresound A30 is the same as the Chinese Bewitch amp. They may look the same (and are born from the same 'genes') but I know that they sure as hell don't sound the same! ;)
Or another example would be the Beresford DAC and its 'spiritual brother' from (I believe) China.... They are two very different animals.
If Guy has done the same with the MHZ by turning it into an 'A8000', as he did with the Bewitch and Puresound A30 amps, then I would expect the 'A8000' to be an entirely different specimen, sonically :)
Marco.
Hi Marco,
In some cases I agree what your saying but I know the MHZ cdp extremely well mate and know its limitations main one being its implementation .
If the A8000 is the thing in the top picture maybe its best I stay away from this thread ;)
I don't know, mate, but let's not judge things until the facts are revealed. I will ask Guy to comment :)
Marco.
Soon as MHZ was mentioned in the OP and they wanted an opinion I thought oh no :doh: I respect trade members on here so its best I keep away from these threads in the future tbh, I'll go back to the diy room :lol:
Nope, not at all. Your views are as valid as anyone else's - often more so when the discussion involves the 'innards' of kit! :)
It's simply that in these situations I value cold hard facts rather than assumptions or speculation.
Marco.
Components obviously have some influence on sound but something like a pcb containing the design isn't something you can easily improve especially if the design is poor in the first place. The actual pcb layout in the picture above has not been modified, a few component changes is only going to slightly alter the flavour, it won't turn a bad design into a good one.
You know your on a loosing battle when the layout is poor, the dac chip is compromised, the output stage isn't properly designed to be used with the type of dac chip, the psu's are badly laid out , the circuitry for the XO and digital lines is a mess etc etc . This is my experience with the MHZ.
Of course the pics taken from ZG may not be the A8000 at all :eyebrows:
Of course the pics taken from ZG may not be the A8000 at all...
Indeed, which is why Guy has been summoned to confirm or deny it! ;)
Marco.
Well its just my opinion on the MHZ , I'm sure Guys is a different unit altogether :)
From the other forum/thread "I have spoken to Guy of Puresound. There are a number of CD players made in the same factory, but customers specify what goes in it (in Puresound case higher quality components) and the internals of the MHZ are not configured in the same way as the A8000. All I know is it sounds bloody good with the A30 and the service I have had from Puresound been superb!!"
I've highlighted the bit which could be important - no idea as I have not seen or heard either, just helping after reading through the other post, before Guy gets the chance to respond here.
I must say though that the original "misleading information" (being kind!) about the chip in the MHZ was quite appalling!
Which forum was that info taken from, Alex? :)
Marco.
The link from above (The Black Adder (Joe - post #4) - Zero Gain forum - post #11 - here's the link again to the whole thread: http://www.zerogain.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22539
The Black Adder
03-10-2010, 08:10
I must say though that the original "misleading information" (being kind!) about the chip in the MHZ was quite appalling!
http://www.lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/REFERENCES/MHZS/MHZS-secret.JPG
This is what scares me and leads me in to thinking about the rest of the design.
Covering over the 'cheap as chips' dac with some kind of fake heat sink (presumably so the audio community can't see whats under there) and for something that would never get that hot in the first place screams a 'literal' cover up and is awful at this price point.
Heck, they could have slapped a TDA1541A in there and at least ranked up a little kudos even though it would have been 16bit.
I hope and, I'm sure the Pure Sound will not be made in this way and hope my Build Quality + Sound Quality = Price Point algorithm is still working. :)
The link from above (The Black Adder (Joe - post #4) - Zero Gain forum - post #11 - here's the link again to the whole thread: http://www.zerogain.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22539
Ah, yes, I should've remembered from earlier :doh:
Marco.
If you want to spend a grand on a pukka CD player with individuality and excellent service backup, then the Rega Saturn should be included as a reference if nothing else. I echo the suggestion for the Westlake derived Audiolabs, as apparently this DAC chipset is the current dogs doo-dahs.
Even so, ANY DAC chipset can sound good if the implementation has been done right in the first place imo.
hifi_dave
03-10-2010, 09:44
DSJR,
Do you mean the latest Rega Saturn ? :scratch:
DSJR,
Do you mean the latest Rega Saturn ? :scratch:
Corrected - I've yet to have my breakfast so am evem more confused than usual :(
hifi_dave
03-10-2010, 10:00
Just keep taking the pills, then you won't care of you're right or wrong.
Works for me..:eyebrows:
I must say though that the original "misleading information" (being kind!) about the chip in the MHZ was quite appalling!
Agreed, to see this sort of thing in a cheap Chinese unit is something that wouldn't surprise me but it doesn't fill you with confidence if the same thing is seen in a much more expensive unit
1K gives you quite a choice of things to choose from today
pure sound
04-10-2010, 14:37
The A8000 CDP comes from the same factory as the MHz players. As an oem customer you have the opportunity to choose from a menu of component options. The combination used is the one I tried that gave the most satisfying performance.
When the Lampizator piece came out, I decided to look more closely at the implementation I buy. I decided I did like the combination of that particular 'cheap as chips' DAC and the filtering, gain stage & output buffer used. I did some experiments with regard to bypassing the filter, and indeed the 1st gain stage as recommended by Lampizator. I didn't like the result. It actually sounded more like a normal CD player and there are dozens of those to choose from!
I also have a TEAC VRDS25X and a hefty Parasound DAC with twin PCM63's, multiple regulated power supplies etc. Much of the supposed right ingredients. As CD players go its a decent combination. The A8000 doesn't sound like it at all but does sound perhaps more musically convincing in its own right. Perhaps it's a particular set of benign colourations. I don't know. I'm not inclined to change the combination I get although I did ask that the daft DAC cover be removed which they now do for me. There are quite a few fans of the CD player who like it for the same reasons I do. I'll continue with it for as long as people want to buy them. It isn't a key part of the range, I don't particularly push it and I can see that a DAC with multiple digital inputs would perhaps make more commercial sense.
As an aside, there's quite alot that Lampizator does that I wouldn't necessarily go along with. I'm also not sure how he actually judges the 'improvements' he feels that he makes along the way. I wouldn't use the speakers he uses.
I registered in this forum in December 2014 and the last post here is 04-10-2010 :mental: Anyway, I have the Pure Sound A8000. But I haven't listened to it for years - mainly because I switched over to the PC > USB Interface > DAC route. Furthermore, I do not have much experience with the Pure Sound A8000 because it was my second CD player. I have an Advance Acoustic transport in my first setup - that I use most often. However, I can assure you the Pure Sound A8000 is a very, very good player. These days, in spite of my preoccupation with PC as a source, I have been thinking about giving the A8000 a listen. After I do this, I will drop a couple of lines here.
P.S. Edit. After posting the above, now I remember! The designer of the A8000 is the same man who made a great looking amp, the Audio Innovations Alto. It played classical music very well but not, e.g., rock - I know this from times 20 years ago when I lived in Edinburgh for a year and used to pop in at the Richer Sounds store. Actually the designer is mentioned above, Guy Sergeant, a participant in the forum, I understand.
Very interesting! Because I also suddenly remembered some minutes ago :D that in those years - when I used to listen to the A8000, this player did very well classical music but lacked the spark and bang for rock. So I placed the A8000 in a smaller room for more relaxed music.
Hi,
I've just bought such a CD player and I need some help... anyone here, please?
Regards
Tomasz
tis a very old thread.. maybe if you state your issue someone might be able to help;
Hi,
Well... the CD player is Pure Sound A-8000 and it sometimes refuses to open the drawer / recognize the disc. And then the remote control is not working so I'm not able to experiment with the upsampling and the functions that are not available on the faceplate :(
Regards
Tomasz
Pure Sound A-8000 is a fantastic player for classical music, produced by audio designer and experimenter Guy Sargeant. Frankly, the Pure Sound A-8000 is not good for hard rock and similar material - but someone might like its symphonic style even in these genres. What is remarkable, extraordinary, is how this guy managed to produce a CD player specifically for classical music. There must be some mystery in this - how you can achieve it. As far as I can remember, in the 1990s Guy Sargeant used to make some very strange but interesting looking amplifiers that also played classical music with relish, and not so much hard rock etc. I tried to find pictures of these amps in the Internet but couldn't. I would be grateful if someone here might show them here.
As for the problem with opening and closing the drawer, etc., this must be easily repaired by any capable technician/engineer. I would have the Pure Sound A-8000 repaired and would keep it - it is a unique device in many respects, real hi-end, and was relatively expensive (~GBP 2500).
Funny, minutes after the previous post I found the "classical music" amp. Its name is Audio Innovations Alto, here it is, read about it and marvel at it - https://www.google.com/search?q=Audio+Innovations+Alto&client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ALiCzsbpFcyRidamihRhuW61cTpVGrXzEw:166806944 5972&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiItqb2mqP7AhUERPEDHTOrDZEQ_AUoAXoECAEQA w
Pity it is not produced any more.
walpurgis
10-11-2022, 08:53
Funny, minutes after the previous post I found the "classical music" amp. Its name is Audio Innovations Alto, here it is, read about it and marvel at it - https://www.google.com/search?q=Audio+Innovations+Alto&client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ALiCzsbpFcyRidamihRhuW61cTpVGrXzEw:166806944 5972&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiItqb2mqP7AhUERPEDHTOrDZEQ_AUoAXoECAEQA w
Pity it is not produced any more.
The link just provides a Google page of Audio Innovations equipment. Which item are we looking for?
I don't get the "classical music" amp term, who came up with that?
The link just provides a Google page of Audio Innovations equipment. Which item are we looking for?
I don't get the "classical music" amp term, who came up with that?
Alto amplifier, one for sale here on eBay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125551048002?
I recall these coming out, very low power and even less power into low impedance loads IIRC. Had a bit of a cult following at the time but I don't know why, it was nothing special IMO.
The link just provides a Google page of Audio Innovations equipment. Which item are we looking for?
I don't get the "classical music" amp term, who came up with that?
I have not listened to the amp - Audio Innovations Alto, as correctly mentioned by Macca here, but I have the Pure Sound A-8000 CD player and it does perform classical music magnificently. Hard rock and similar stuff - not so much. Clearly this device is a classical music CD player. This is what I hear with my ears. I have a neighbor who is a violinist in a high-class symphony orchestra and he confirms my finding. How the designer does this (make CD players and amps good for classical music) - I do not know. But to me - to my ears and brain, it is a fact.
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