California Audio Labs (CAL) CD Players

SimplySound

Kent Engineering & Fondry
Subscriber
Hi Folks,

I thought I'd start a thread for all those who love their CAL CD Players and DAC's.

I was fortunate enough to happen upon a "mint" California Audio Labs ICON MKII CD Player with the POWER BOSS UPGRADE on Ebay for $430 shipped.

I was looking at the Musical Fidelity A3.5 and the Rega Apollo but they would set me back closer to $900. I read a whole bunch of reviews and it sounds like I got something that plays pretty close to those two at half the price.

The big plus is I then just so happen to stumble upon a "NEW ORIGINAL PANASONIC Traverse Deck RAE0133Z"! So I now have a player and a replacement laser deck in case anything happens to it. Still waiting for delivery.... comon Fed-Ex!

I'm presently running a "vintage" Yamaha CDX-930, so I'm am anxious to see how they compare. More comments to follow.

For all of those who use the CAL's as a CD Reference, please chime in with any and all comments! :thmbsp:

Simply
 
I have the first Icon Model one, they were a American Company, and they used
great parts in them, there sound was warm and at times tube like which I loved
about them. they even had a one with a tube in it I forgot the model but it was
really great deck, enjoy yours.

Tube
 
I used to work at a CAL dealer (The Audible Difference, Palo Alto).

The CAL DAC's and CD players were very popular. Thanks for pointing out the vendor of the optix. Even as a dealer, we didn't know where CAL was sourcing parts from.

They really didn't support in store service, but they would send out parts if we asked.
 
I bought a CAL Icon mk II new back in the early 90s. It is still my favorite CD player. Alas, I use it only as a transport these days, bypassing its nice analog side. The loading tray moves very nicely (and quietly). Had a cool feature for calculating track times for cassette recording that I used a few times. Yeah, I like this player a lot, even though it had two problems during its life. So count me as one who loves CAL player.

The CAL Tempest was the first CD player on the market (that I know of) that used a tube in the output section.
 
I've never sold my old Cal Alpha-Delta combo, even though it suffers from disuse these days. It's a wonderful sounding combo.
 
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I have the first Icon Model one, they were a American Company, and they used
great parts in them, there sound was warm and at times tube like which I loved
about them. they even had a one with a tube in it I forgot the model but it was
really great deck, enjoy yours.

Tube

Yeah Lou, they had a couple valve units. I think Kris is right that the Tempest was their first and an industry first as well! The most well reviewed was the Aria III CD player. It was reviewed quite favorably in Stereophile here.

This was at the time a $2400 player. I just saw one on Craigs List for $350! Here's the link to that if anyone is interested. And no, I have no vested interest in this player, so I present this as just informational.

But yeah, I'm getting the sense that the CAL stuff was not only thinking a step ahead and a little outside the box, but they really were trying to provide a quality High Fidelity Digital Source to the masses.

They had high end "seperates", and tubed units but they prided themselves on their "single box" units that could compete with the high end seperates.

Shame they went out of business!!! :tears:
 
I used to work at a CAL dealer (The Audible Difference, Palo Alto).

The CAL DAC's and CD players were very popular. Thanks for pointing out the vendor of the optix. Even as a dealer, we didn't know where CAL was sourcing parts from.

They really didn't support in store service, but they would send out parts if we asked.

Hi Jon, here's a listing of the DAC's and Transports used on all of the CAL units.

California Audio Labs Alpha (DAC)
DAC: CS4328-KP – CS8412-CP

California Audio Labs Aria (PLAYER)
DAC: TDA1541A – SAA7220
TRANSPORT: Philips CDM-2 / CDM-4/11

California Audio Labs Aria Delta (PLAYER)
DAC: TDA1541 – SAA7220P/A
TRANSPORT: Philips CDM-2

California Audio Labs Aria Mk III (PLAYER)
DAC: 2 x PCM58P-K
TRANSPORT: Technics SOAD70A

California Audio Labs CL-10 (PLAYER)
DAC: 2 x PCM1702 – PMD100
TRANSPORT: Panasonic (Matsushita) RAE0113Z

California Audio Labs CL-15 (PLAYER)
DAC: 2 x PCM1702 – PMD100 – CS8412-CP
TRANSPORT: Panasonic (Matsushita) RAE0113Z

California Audio Labs CL-20 (PLAYER)
DAC: 2 x PCM1702 – PMD100
TRANSPORT: Panasonic (Matsushita), Transport Assy. is VMK-0433, Laser Pickup Assy. is VED 0378.

California Audio Labs CL-25 (PLAYER)
DAC: CL-25 is identical to CL-20 ( 2 x PCM1702 – PMD100) only CL-25 adds component video output.
TRANSPORT: Panasonic (Matsushita), Transport Assy. is VMK-0433, Laser Pickup Assy. is VED 0378.

California Audio Labs Delta (TRANSPORT)
TRANSPORT: Panasonic (Matsushita) RAE0113Z

California Audio Labs DX-1 (PLAYER)
DAC: MN66271
TRANSPORT: Panasonic (Matsushita) RAE0113Z

California Audio Labs Gamma (DAC)
DAC: PCM1710U – CS8412-CP

California Audio Labs Genesis
DAC: ?
TRANSPORT: ?

California Audio Labs Icon (PLAYER)
DAC: 2 x PCM61P – SM5813AP – MN6625
TRANSPORT: Technics SOAD70A

California Audio Labs Icon Mk II (PLAYER)
DAC: 2 x PCM61P – SM5813APT – CS8412-CP
TRANSPORT: Panasonic (Matsushita) RAE0113Z

California Audio Labs Icon Mk II HDCD (PLAYER)
DAC: 2 x PCM1702 – PMD100
TRANSPORT: Panasonic (Matsushita) RAE0113Z

California Audio Labs Sigma (DAC)
DAC: CS4328-KP – CS8412-CP

California Audio Labs Sigma II (DAC)
DAC: CS4328-KP – CS8412-CP

California Audio Labs Sigma II 96/24 (DAC)
DAC: PCM1728E – CS8414-CS

California Audio Labs Tempest (PLAYER)
DAC: 2 x TDA1540 – SAA7030
TRANSPORT: Philips CDM-2

California Audio Labs Tempest II (PLAYER)
DAC: TDA1541 – SAA7220P/A
TRANSPORT: Philips CDM-4/11

California Audio Labs Tercet (PLAYER)
DAC: TDA1541A – SAA7220P/B
TRANSPORT: Philips CDM-2 / CDM-4/11

California Audio Labs Tercet Mk III (PLAYER)
DAC: 2 x AD1860N-J – SM5813AP
TRANSPORT: Technics SOAD70A

California Audio Labs Tercet mk IV (PLAYER)
DAC: 2 x PCM63P-K – SM5813AP – YM3623B
TRANSPORT: Panasonic (Matsushita) RAE0113Z

Pictures of the Technics SOAD70A

soad70a-1.jpg
soad70a-2.JPG


Pictures of the Panasonic RAE0113Z drive.
 

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Here's a review from Stereophile on the CAL Icon MkII.

And this is an interesting read on some of the history around CAL!

"It’s 1985. Art Paymer and four engineers, among them Dan Donnelly and Mike Ferreira, start what becomes California Audio Labs out of a garage."

Anyone know what happened to these guys once the group broke up?

Here's some more history....

California Audio Labs -

Digital specialist based in Blue Lake in Claifornia, USA and founded in the mid 80's. Initially best known for their high end CD players but later diversified into high end DVD players and DAC's etc. and in the last few years of the company's life actually branched into the world of home theatre with the introduction of high end multichannel amplifiers, processors and the like, all styled by BMW's USA design studio. In 2001 however its mother company Sensory Science was bought by Sonic Blue who was interested in that company's multimedia technologies but had no interest in the high end audio market and thus closed CAL down in 2002. Note that the company sometimes branded their products as "CAL Audio", odd as that may seem and furthermore slightly confusing since there was another company with that name in the USA. If you need to have a device made by the company serviced in the USA or are in need of spare parts you can contact Approved Audio Service via E-Mail as : repair@approvedaudioservice.com
 
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Hi Jon, here's a listing of the DAC's and Transports used on all of the CAL units. I also posted pictures of the Panasonic RAE0113Z drive.

California Audio Labs Alpha
CS4328-KP – CS8412-CP
It’s a DAC

California Audio Labs Aria
TDA1541A – SAA7220
CDM-2 / CDM-4/11

California Audio Labs Aria Delta
TDA1541 – SAA7220P/A
CDM-2

California Audio Labs Aria mk III
2 x PCM58P-K
SOAD70A

California Audio Labs CL-10
2 x PCM1702 – PMD100
Matsushita

California Audio Labs CL-15
2 x PCM1702 – PMD100
Matsushita

California Audio Labs CL-20
2 x PCM1702 – PMD100
DVD

California Audio Labs Delta
It’s a Transport
Panasonic RAE0113Z

California Audio Labs DX-1
MN66271
Panasonic RAE0113Z

California Audio Labs Gamma
PCM1710U – CS8412-CP
It’s a DAC

California Audio Labs Icon
2 x PCM61P – SM5813AP – MN6625
SOAD70A

California Audio Labs Icon mk II
2 x PCM61P – SM5813APT – CS8412-CP
Panasonic RAE0113Z

California Audio Labs Icon mk II HDCD
2 x PCM1702 – PMD100
Panasonic RAE0113Z

California Audio Labs Sigma
CS4328-KP – CS8412-CP
It’s a DAC

California Audio Labs Sigma II
CS4328-KP – CS8412-CP
It’s a DAC

California Audio Labs Sigma II 96/24
PCM1728E – CS8414-CS
It’s a DAC

California Audio Labs Tempest
2 x TDA1540 – SAA7030
CDM-2

California Audio Labs Tempest II
TDA1541 – SAA7220P/A
CDM-4/11

California Audio Labs Tercet
TDA1541A – SAA7220P/B
CDM-2 / CDM-4/11

California Audio Labs Tercet mk III
2 x AD1860N-J – SM5813AP
SOAD70A

California Audio Labs Tercet mk IV
2 x PCM63P-K – SM5813AP – YM3623B
Panasonic RAE0113Z

Cool, Thanks for the list.:thmbsp:
 
Well got the CAL Icon MKii PB today and man, my room is taking some significant leaps up. Last night I stumbled onto some ADS L730's and I did a write up of them here. That was step one and the CAL player is a significant step two!

The thing about the ADS's is they are really clean and crisp in the high end. They will reveal ANY shortcomings in the rest of your system. A lot of folks find the ADS high end to be a bit forward and some will say bright, but I wonder if they just need to pair it with the right player!

My Yamaha CDX-930 is not a real shabby box, but wow, the CAL just put my room over the top. The high end is a lot smoother and less harsh than the Yammie and the mid-range depth and punch is significant. The bottom end is tighter and here's the kicker.

What I first felt was a forward, somewhat overly crisp high end out of the ADS speakers, has now become a well defined pure roll to the top. Gone is any hint of brightness and the highs are now just perfectly reveled. I really do think it was my source and it just goes to show, garbage in, garbage out!

Well, I'm now a true believer in the magic that CAL put into these single player boxes. If you look for one make sure you get the HDCD Power Boss upgrade. From the Stereophile review above, it makes a world of difference. I know I'm digging it! :music:
 

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I bought a used CL15 CD player about 5 years ago from Audiogon. I think I paid either $350 or $400 for it and it seems the prices have stayed pretty steady even though the company is long gone.

I guess I'm kind of spoiled because I've never felt the urge to upgrade or tweak it. It is truly a joy to listen to. I go through gear like underwear but the CD player situation has been taken care of for quite some time.

The display is a bit hard to read when it's light out, but I've had zero mechanical or electrical issues with it. I opened it up once and was impressed by the layout inside, not to mention the full dual-mono power supplies. I didn't realize there was a seperate transformer for each channel. The only thing that really worries me is the drawer mechanism. If that fails I may have a boat anchor.

Just wondering, does anyone have the PC software for this unit? I guess there are settings that can only be adjusted through the PC port, output voltage included. I believe these use a couple of Burr-Brown PCM1702 in the DAC. Out of curiosity, is it worthwhile to upgrade these?

Here is a link to the Stereophile review of the CL15.

Edit: I actually did try to upgrade a couple of years ago. I bought the CL10 5 disc carousel. I believe it is essentially the same player with the multi-disc capability. Unfortunately, Canada Post pummeled it in transit. If someone needs a multi-disc player, I think these are one of the best.
 
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I opened it up once and was impressed by the layout inside, not to mention the full dual-mono power supplies. I didn't realize there was a seperate transformer for each channel. The only thing that really worries me is the drawer mechanism. If that fails I may have a boat anchor.

Yeah, the CD15 is the Icon HDCD redone and improved. It has a lot less noise in the Analog stage due to the improvements you point out (Dual Mono Power Supplies). Plus it can act as a pre-amp direct to an amp, but the Stereophile review says that was a bit of a compromise.

There was one on Ebay for ~$400 right after I bought my Icon and I thought about jumping on it because of the improvements, but I missed out. Someone did the "Buy it now".

I'm fully happy with the Icon and not sure I would really hear the improvements in the CD15, but rest assured, you have a true classic there! Not as well known as the Icon, but I think a lot more stylish and yes, better!

As for the laser deck, the sheet above says "Matsushita" but I'm pretty sure it is the "Panasonic RAE0113Z". So look around for a spare on Ebay. They come up from time to time.
 
Another very satisfied CAL owner here. I have a Delta/Sigma II combo that makes beautiful music.
 
That's a nice CD player, I would take the top cover off and clean it out a little, but
it looks really nice, and thanks for the great info on them as well.

Tube
 
I first heard a CAL Aria in the '80's, and was blown away by the smooth sound it had. Vowed that I would own one some day, and finally got one a couple of years ago for $65 off CL, in mint condition, with a spare set of Sylvania tubes. I use the analog outputs, and its the best-sounding player I've ever heard in my system to date, by far.
 
Here is a picture of the CL-15 interior showing the dual power supplies and the D/A circuits to the left (the HDCD chip is just above the D/A's).

fulldz.jpg


10111347.jpg
 
Here is a picture of the CL-15 interior showing the dual power supplies and the D/A circuits to the left (the HDCD chip is just above the D/A's).

Good stuff Dman... here's a link to another sequence of photos of the CL15 naked. I noticed that your PS's don't have the covers. It may be a difference in build dates. No covers probably runs a little cooler anyway.

Gotta love how clean the design and construction are! :thmbsp:
 
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Here's a naked picture of the Icon MKii. Talk about simple! You can see the HDCD board piggy backed to the right.

attachment.php
 

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Guy's I'm having a little problem with my Icon, the Ribbon cable that goes from
the Main board to the front transport board are shot any ideas on replacing these
guys.

Tube
 
Guy's I'm having a little problem with my Icon, the Ribbon cable that goes from
the Main board to the front transport board are shot any ideas on replacing these
guys.

Tube

This is just a guess, but if it's based on another player (i.e Magnavox) then a donor deck may be the solution.
 
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