TEAC VRDS 701T - Review

I took delivery of this unit yesterday morning and have already put a fair few hours on it. Still, it's maybe a bit early to do a review but there's nothing else out there right now as this is a new product, so I thought I would post up my thoughts so far.



You can read TEAC's blurb here on their website teac.jp/int/product/vrds-701t/top



I was looking for a replacement for an Audiolab CDT6000 transport for two reasons. Firstly I find the slot-loading irritating. I often listen in low light and sometimes it's really hard to find the slot - as the bishop said to the actress. I don't like the way it grabs the disc, or how it spits it out.



Secondly I'm not keen on the look of the Audiolab. It's not an expensive unit in the scheme of things, so you can't expect too much, but I don't like the blue display which looks like surplus from 1990s washing machine stock, or the utilitarian fascia.



Thirdly (okay, there's three reasons) the 'eject' button is clustered with the others meaning instead of pressing 'play' I sometimes eject the disc I have just put in.



So first world problems it's true, but why have something that irritates if you don't have to?



I spent a while looking for alternatives. Surprisingly there are quite a few CD players and dedicated CD transports on the market and new ones seem to appear every couple of months. My criteria were:



No blue LEDs or displays

No LCD screens

Must be draw loading or top loading

Must look good overall.



Price wasn't really a factor, I was happy to pay as little as possible but I was prepared to go quite high to get exactly what I wanted.



Sadly, there's some dreadfully ugly or painfully bland equipment out there these days, at all price points. This meant the conditions I imposed reduced the choice to just two options. Moon 260D www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/moon-neo-260d-transportdac/ or this TEAC unit.



The Moon looks just a bit too blingy in the modern idiom whereas the TEAC has more of the old school 'Faux Pro' look with its grab handles and orange display, which appeals to me. So, selection made.





Build Quality:



This is TEAC's flagship unit and costs the thick end of 2 grand. So you'd expect this to be top notch. Is it?



Well, nearly. The case is solid and well made, but the grab handle are only for show and the manual warns against using them to pick up the unit.



The drive system is, of course, the latest TEAC VRDS anti vibration device (the clue's in the name) but the draw itself is as plasticky and flimsy as something you would find on a no-brand DVD player. Okay so this makes no difference to sound quality but in my view it's not acceptable on a 'flagship' unit.



Otherwise though, no further complaints. The unit is solid and heavy, there's no flex whatsoever in the back panel, and the mech is totally silent in use. The anti-vibration feet are aesthetically acceptable. There's been a trend away from using proper 'Japanese' feet on equipment recently, which is dismaying.



I'd like the option to rack-mount but due to the design of the side panels (see photo below) that's not possible, the unit will need a tray.



The manual is substantial and does include diagrams of both front and back of the unit with all features labelled. I have noticed that some manufacturers don't seem to feel the need to provide these anymore. Wrong!



Disc reading is fast, not quite as fast as CD players from the 80s or 90s, but you're not standing around for ever whilst it whirrs and clicks like R2-D2. Some units are unacceptably slow in this regard.



Only CD and MQA CD (good luck!) are supported, there's no provision for SACD or DVD-A.



Inputs are Coaxial or optical SP/dif. only, no AES or anything exotic. You can attach an external master clock though, and there is trigger option to turn it on and off with other devices at the same time.



I've attempted to take some close up pics of the device:





















Sound Quality:



Equipment used -



Topping E30 DAC

Philips ABH 280 pre-amp

Krell KSA 50S power amp

JM Lab Focal Elektra 926 loudspeakers

Cables - Bigbottle Spotfire analogue interconnects and speaker cable. Gotham coaxial digital cable.





Some of the recordings used to demo:



Michael Jackson - 'Thriller'

Was Not Was 'What's Up Dog?'

Black Grape - 'It's Great When You're Straight, Yeah.'

Donald Byrd - 'Street Lady'

Jethro Tull - 'Heavy Horses'



Okay - so it's a CD transport, noughts and ones, there's no analogue output - so how can it have a 'sound'?



Well from a technical point of view there's two possible ways - it could transmit noise from its power supply along with the digital signal (unless using optical connection). Or it could corrupt the digital signal causing increased distortion.



You wouldn't except either of these to be the case in any competently designed transport, unless the build budget was just too low to do it properly. Obviously that can't be an excuse with a transport costing £2K.



Nevertheless I did perceive the TEAC to sound different to the Audiolab it replaces, although certainly my totally subjective comments below should be taken with a pinch of salt.





Initially I was a little underwhelmed compared to the Audiolab. The Audiolab is quite 'enthusiastic' in its presentation, whereas the TEAC is more laid back. As time went on and I acclimatised I felt that the TEAC, although giving a drier presentation, was a more relaxing and involving listen. Small cues like the ambience of the room or vocal booth around a vocalist are more obvious. Bass seems a little deeper, more solid and forceful.



This was all very subtle and if you are thinking about upgrading from the Audiolab to this purely for sound quality I think I would say save your money. Although the small differences may still be worth it to you, especially if you do find the Audiolab a bit fatiguing in a long session.



The TEAC/Topping combo reminds me a lot of the Sony SCD XB790QS that used to be my daily driver until it got temperamental - detailed, sophisticated and slightly sweet.





Conclusions:



It's not the 1980s anymore and 2 grand for a component doesn't get you as much as it did back then, when you could get some top end Sony ES for that kind of money. And make no mistake, that Sony flagship stuff still sits above this TEAC for build quality, although it would probably be up in the five figure price bracket nowadays - maybe not really comparable.



So let's not expect too much. A more solidly made loading tray should have been provided, otherwise, for the money, it's acceptable.



The look is great IMO, but of course that's totally subjective.



Sound quality is flawless, as you'd expect. To sum that up I'd say 'Dry, slightly laid back, slightly sweet, detailed, refined.'



Maybe that would change with a different DAC, lots of potential fun there for the chronic box-swapper.



On balance, if you want a good looking high end transport, I can recommend this TEAC.