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Teac PD-H600-Reference CD Deck-WOW!

automojo

automojo

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Just got to demoing this player Saturday (actually stumbled across it-Teac wasn't on my list), all I can say is wow!!
Defintely the most musical-yet revealing player I have heard.
So far-it really covers all the bases, nothing really sticks out, but the music-it really all disappears and you are just enjoying what you have on tap.
I won't say it's tube like. or analog type- it's just what a cd, or any music program should sound like!!:music:
The Marantz CD5004, NAD565, and 545bee, Arcam cd17 (when it decided to play-used) really pail in comparison, as one or two things make them selves known with each of these decks, but they don't flow, so to speak like the Teac does. I was neve a huge fan of Teac in the past- but in the case of this unit- that's changed. Well built with all the basic componets and design to make a very solid, musical player. No disc spinning noise, funky quirks-simple and to the point.
It's not cheap, but I may, and probably will have to splurge here-as this is what my system, and wonderful AMT3's have been looking for.
The easy payment plan.....:thmbsp:
I'm thinking this is what real high end cd players do-flow with out making themselves know. Just a solid wide, and controlled image of sound with no gimmicks, and no masking-fake or bright detail-just music!!:music:
Comfortable, and truely enjoyable. Like a well worn pair of shoes or jeans-makes you feel pretty darn good.
This player honestly blows me away.....amazing piece of work.

http://www.teac.com/consumer_electronics/reference_series/pd-h600/
 
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Thanks for sharing your views of this CDP. Could you please post some pictures of it (I mean, of your actual unit)?
 
guiller said:
Thanks for sharing your views of this CDP. Could you please post some pictures of it (I mean, of your actual unit)?
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Sure, no problem. It's a friends demo-he was comparing it to his Mcintosh cd changer-I brought it back yesterday-but if he can let me have it this weekend again, I will post a few pic's.
I doubt he will buy it, regardless of the sound, because it's not Mcintosh (can you really blame him?), but a local salesman apparently wanted his reaction and when my friend realized I was in the market, let me borrow it for a couple days.
I let him try some of my new/used stuff from time to time, and he finally returned the favor-and I'm glad he did.
If he can knock some of the list- I will probably get it.
Not sure how it really compares to the Mcintosh so far, but he did want it back:scratch2:.
I'll figure it out later this week-but I'm sold on the player so far, as it really had no obvious sonics faults, regardless of program material, and lot's of pluses.
 
Teac PD-H600 Ordered

Finally got around to getting this ordered-12 months 0%-so I couldn't resist.
It's more money then I wanted to spend-but all the players I have listened to recently, and demoed can't really hold a candle to this player-really an amazing piece of work-solid sound with no gimmicks.
Really reminds of a nice 70's era turntable and cartridge set up-huge sound with no fuss-just went about it's job of making music and didn't draw attention to it's self. Something missing in alot of players, current and past.
I have found alot of cd players (new especially) really take pride in distinguishing themselves in one area or another and forget about really making music. They really become irratating to listen to after a period of time. Cambridge even brags about their brightness-that it's intentional-really?:scratch2: The 640, while nice always sounded like it was on steroids, and ready to jump of the rack!:sigh:
Detail, but no musicality to speak of- a jumble of detailed sounds, like you have just aquired super sonic hearing. This seems to be the new trend in budget and midline, and even some high end players-usually sporting the Wolfson DAC's, at least what I have run across. Wide but vauge soundstage.
This player doen't use any upscaling gimmicks, just a regular design, with some cue's from the Esoteric line-a good pedigree.
The Music Hall CD35.2 was a close second, but didn't hold that solidity of sound like the Teac (or the McIntosh player a freind brought over recently to try-nice but way out of this cat's price range!:thmbsp:
All I can say is this player has all the detail of those players-but it flows, convincingly and musically, and in the end well worth the money IMHO, as you can forget about how it's sounds, and have fun.
The unit I demoed had around 80's or so-so it should be interesting to see if it needs a breakin period.
A quiet player-no funny noises, or ejecting disc's randomly.
Not trying to knock other players-just what I have found out in the last weeks of demoing cd players.
http://media.onecall.com/Image_Products/Teac/REF600_eBROCHURE(US).pdf
 
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Thanks for the update and congratulations on your new player...would love to hear more remarks about it as you live with it for a while. I've found after getting a digital player that I love, that the longer I have it, the more I like it, and the more that I appreciate it. I hope you have the same feeling...this thing looks like a scaled down Esoteric unit, really nice.
 
JohnVF said:
Thanks for the update and congratulations on your new player...would love to hear more remarks about it as you live with it for a while. I've found after getting a digital player that I love, that the longer I have it, the more I like it, and the more that I appreciate it. I hope you have the same feeling...this thing looks like a scaled down Esoteric unit, really nice.
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Thanks! I'm looking foward to just as youv'e said. It's really a nice match for both my systems, which more or less are quite similiar-AMT3's, similiar amplification, response etc.
Like I mentioned, was never a big Teac fan in the past-but this player changed my mind-at least towards their Reference line-they have really appeared to take alot of care and thought into it's design-not just soundwise per se (ala NAD-soundwise first-construction and durabilty/noise second) (the most important of course) but the little things that do make a difference in the end, and do effect the sound to a extent in the end IMHO.
Time and listening will tell in the end result, but I'm fairly confident it will be all I expect a CDP should be.
 
Pd-h600 in the house!

Just picked this up @ Fed Ex this AM.
Awesome packaging from Teac-triple boxed!.
Very well made-it's Esoteric roots seem to show.
Will get it hooked up in soon, and pass on my listening experiences.
The demo I had earlier probably had a few hours on it-so we will hear what the difference are, break-in etc.
I only had the earlier demo for a short time (too short!)-but in those few hours was sold on the sound. To me this is what digital should sound like-like music-not like someones idea of music, 3D multichannel stuff-while interesting-really grows old after awhile-you feel like you just ran a marathon or something listening to it.
IMHO cd's, particuliarly goos cd's still have a lot to offer-especially when one can find em' cheap-Amazon Cheapo etc.
They just need a good player to rely the music. Not to hyper it up-just play the music without masking it, or overemphasing it.
Sorry-but not to "Wolfsonize" the sound.
Sometimes I think some of these players must be for speakers that have no life-overdamped, carbon fibered, brick enclosured, musicless speakers. A British thing? Not sure...Or maybe for tube setups-over emphasized bass and highs-most of the players I demoed had more or less a very nice midrange-but varied widely from there.
I still have 30 days to make a decision-but unless the sound of 1st demo was a fluke-this will be staying.
I have also ran across a few reviews since that first listen, and seem to confrim what I heard.
I'm lovin' it!:thmbsp:
 
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A Keeper!

Just got in a good hour plus of listeing to this deck. This new one is just as good as the demo-really a fantastic player. It has all the good I was looking for in a digital player. It will be staying!:thmbsp:
Never thought I would spend this kinda $ on a cd player but when they sound this good-and I currently sit on around 1100 plus cd's-it seems a worthwile investment in the long run, and really a bargin IMHO.
As mentioned, it's not analog sounding-but it does remind me of cueing up a lp on the old turntable (with a good cart)-you know it's going to sound good, and that's probably the best compliment I can give this player.
I still love cueing up a lp-but with this player I get that same musicality- the solid and controlled sound-without the cleaning and fiddleing.
The solid construction and interaction with the player also gives you that turntable feel of dealing with a purposeful and well engineered/constructed componet.
The solid remote also reflects this philosophy.
No quirky design issues-no disc spinning noise's (stll can't belive the $500 NAD-kind of a joke IMHO and really hard to justify these days)-just lets the music take over and gets on with it. Love it!!:thmbsp::music:
 
As mentioned, this player gets better and better.
I think the best thing I can discribe about it is it's abilty to render the music and 'get out of the way'. To dissappear and not draw attention to it's self.
Pristine highs, sweet midrange, bass slam-rythm pacing etc-mean nothing if the music doesn't flow. IMHO those should be more of a by product of the musical flow, and not standout. Just like a well played instrument, or performance.
The Teac has all that-pace slam etc-but really seems of little importance, as the music just flows, and it gets out of the way-and that's it's best 'feature'.
I think that's what I was growing tired of in my cd player demoing. Players that had interesting, but stand out characteristics that grew tiring and 'ho hum'. I found myself listening more to the player then the music itself.
Or annoying things like transport noise, or funky operation.
No excuse-cd players are going on almost 30 years. Nice electronics paired with a inexpensive noisy transport? Makes little sense IMHO. I understand price point-but there are ways of juggling that, as some manufactors do.
If a $50 dvd player can be quiet, and $500 cd player should be as well.
Regardless, if your currenlt looking at a player in this price range-give it the 30 day demo- and if you do-please feel free to add to this thread, as it would be much appreciated!
 
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Really happy to hear about this...your experiences echo what I went through when I bought a new CD player last year. It just keeps getting better, doesn't it? I'll have to look around to see if we have any Teac/Esoteric dealers in town. I want to hear one of these players.
 
JohnVF said:
Really happy to hear about this...your experiences echo what I went through when I bought a new CD player last year. It just keeps getting better, doesn't it? I'll have to look around to see if we have any Teac/Esoteric dealers in town. I want to hear one of these players.
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Yes-your'e exactly right about it getting better and better.
I'm really glad I came across this player, as I feel, to my ears and system, it's a very good value.
In my thoughts- I didn't mean to trash any players- or those that have them, but just wanted to rely my thoughts and experiences.
I do think this player gives you a glipmse of what a (true) high end cdp is about.
No-I'm not saying it's high end, nor have I demoed any $2000 players- but from what I have read in the past- I can now hear what they have talked about in those past reviews.
And I think that glimpse is were the bargin part of the equation comes in.
I had my system(s) where I wanted them, but the cdp was the weak link in the chain-so that's the reason for the search.
For now, when I get my main system set up- this will play double duty when need be, as 2 PD-H600's is out of the question at this time. Tempting, because it sounds so good-but this one need to get payed off first anyway!:thmbsp:
Oh yeah- I will get a picture posted as well.
 
I've owned $2000 cd players and although they were better than my current NAD they weren't light years better, just different. Enjoy the new player and congrats.
 
Art K. said:
I've owned $2000 cd players and although they were better than my current NAD they weren't light years better, just different. Enjoy the new player and congrats.
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My experience echoes Art's. I have a couple players that were in the thousands of dollars and after a point, they really are more alike than different. From your very clear description, it sounds like it is doing everything right...the best players get out of the way, they don't sound 'digital', or 'analog'...they're just there, and you don't think about them as such, as they get right out of the way. Companies with reputations like Teac/Esoteric seem to get things right at players along the level of what you have. Above that, they take the good things, and they get better, instead of correcting wrongs in the lesser expensive players, as there really aren't any 'wrongs' to be corrected. You end up with more of the good stuff, but its all pretty subtle, and not truly necessary for the enjoyment of the music once that player has reached the point where it just disappears as 'gear' and makes music. This is all to say, you're not missing anything that would blow your mind. Its just more of what you're liking about the player you already have.
 
I definitly like the disappearing act quality of the player. It really is a great compliment to my AMT3's, and supporting system.
I know I could run across a player that sounds better in my system-but as mentioned as you go up the differences in performance per dollar get's smaller and smaller, and your ears and pocketbook have to justify the differences.
 
Here is a 'inside' view of the player-I will post one of mine when I get the chance.
 

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Sorry-still owe a picture.
I could be mistaken-but there does seem to be a bit of a break in period with this player-as the sound has seemed to 'blossum' more.
I hate to call it analog (smoothness), and prefer musical and transparent.
Paired with my ESS AMT3's-this is sheer musical enjoyment:music:-enveloping sound that just makes you get up and dance and forget about anything else- my twin 3 year old girls and I where doing just that this PM-Paul Simon-Late In The Evening-in the room with the band-awesome experience-and one I have found very few systems to really duplicate the effect to such a extent. Music minus the equipment-so to speak.
The AMT3's have more to do with it then anything-but the Teac is a perfect compliment to their strengths.
I really feel I lucked stumbling across this player, as the way it get's on with just playing the music (and leaving or minimizing any poetential negatives) is well worth the price of admission in this cat's opinion. Awesome!:thmbsp:
 
Congrats on your new player. I had read really good things about the PD-H600 and nearly pulled the trigger on one. But in the end decided to rip all my CDs and get a digital music server (Auraliti, which should be arriving soon).

May still want to get a better CD player eventually though, so it's nice to hear about your good experience, that the Teac lives up to the reviews. I also am drawn to its half-width form factor and think the appearance was really given consideration by the Teac designers.
 
Thanks.
I agree that once you reach a certain level of cd players the differences are more subtle-not light years, but enough.
The price was alot, but I won't be looking for another one in the future not a- $300 dollar one hear-$200 there-$400 over there so cost saving will be realized in the future non-purchases.
It's built like a tank- so realibilty shouldn't be a problem, which I was concerend about with the NAD's for instance.
I excellent choice if your looking for a 'disappearing' cd player!:music:

Mrppv said:
Congrats on your new player. I had read really good things about the PD-H600 and nearly pulled the trigger on one. But in the end decided to rip all my CDs and get a digital music server (Auraliti, which should be arriving soon).

May still want to get a better CD player eventually though, so it's nice to hear about your good experience, that the Teac lives up to the reviews. I also am drawn to its half-width form factor and think the appearance was really given consideration by the Teac designers.
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