the professor
Well-known member
Your pictures are getting better Mike. These look pretty good. Must be all the practice with new gear. 
T+A PDP 3000 HV CD/SACD player with DSD/PCM DAC
- Thread starter Mike
- Start date
- Thread Author
- #26
A couple of initial impressions. The build quality is outstanding. Simply outstanding. Probably the best I've ever seen on any component. The T+A PDP 3000 HV encompasses total channel separation throughout the entire design. It has TWIN power supplies feeding the PDP 3000 HV's analog and digital sections separately. Yes, that means, it takes two power cords! T+A considers this a no compromise approach to building a world class digital front end. The CD/SACD mechanism is shielded in separate housing and the tray mechanism is as good as I've ever seen. Dead quiet and built like a tank. The tray does require you to use the included "puck" which you place on top of your CD/SACD prior to closing the door. Inside the separate housing for CD/SACD are "two close tolerance pushrods which divorce it from the heavy outer case, a high-torque synchronous motor moving the block by means of a decoupled spindle" - whatever the hell that means.
The PDP 3000 HV also completely separates the PCM data from the DSD data, keeping each in their purist manner possible. This means, on the back of the PDP 3000 HV, there are separate XLR (and RCA) outputs for PCM and DSD. As an option, you can choose to have all PCM data routed via the DSD DAC should a person not want to use up two inputs on their preamp. Fortunately for me, I have plenty of inputs and this was not a problem. For PCM (redbook) I use input 2 on my preamp. For DSD/SACD I use input 3. Subsequently, the T+A HV series preamp (P 3000 HV) has technology built in to "sense" the PCM or DSD signals and switch inputs without a hitch. Once again, if someone finds this too cumbersome, everything can be fed out through the DSD XLR (or RCA) outputs.
For DSD, T+A built their own real 1 bit converter using discrete parts so that that DSD signal is preserved throughout with no alternations and certainly no dumbing down to low-bit PCM. The PDP 3000 HV also includes a world class jitter-free clock for both switching stages.
It uses eight TI Burr-Brown 32-bit/384khz delta-signma DAC's in a double symmetrical quadruple arrangement. Oversampling is carried out by a 56 bit DSP and there are four filter options that can be selected using the remote. The four filter options vary based on filter order, slope, cut off frequency, etc. The Ti Burr-Brown DAC chips handle all PCM, SACD, and DSD 64. If you are using the USB input, you can override this by selecting the TrueDSD option. There are in addition, four DAC mode filters/settings to choose from.
How does it sound? Well, I have only tried redbook and SACD's. I have yet to experiment with the digital inputs (including USB) on the back - but I will. So far, I am completely blown away by its sonic capabilities - especially for redbook. Big huge sound. It has a delicacy and smoothness, without coloration. It handles sibilance very well and older, poorer recordings shine....well, shine as well as I've ever heard them.
At first, I was not overly impressed with its SACD sound, but then realized I had all the wrong settings for SACD playback. DOH! I am now using right settings, including SACD Filter 2 which is as "pure" a filter option as you can get for SACD material and it sounds sublime.
Dislikes? Well, not really a dislike, but more an admittance of not reading the manual. There is a screw in the bottom that locks the drawer for shipping that must be removed prior to playing a disc. It took me about 20 minutes to figure this out....or in other words, 30 seconds after reading the manual. Yes, its been WAY too long since I owned a spinner.
The remote is one heavy mother. There are four arrows on the remote pointing at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock respectively. I am used to the ones at 3 and 9 denoting skipping to the next track or going back a track. That's not the case here. 12 o'clock skips forward and 6 o'clock goes back. 3 and 9 "scans" through a track. OK, not a big deal....but important to mention.
Navigating the menu's was quite easy. Very intuitive I found.
T+A is a world leading brand everywhere but here in America. It's a company that routinely builds products that European reviewers say should cost "3 or 4 times as much". Their products are constantly wining best of the year awards, like:
Once T+A gets a little better known here in America, I think the brand will become quite popular due to its amazing build quality and overall wonderful sonic purity - just like it is in Europe and other parts of the world.
More later...
The PDP 3000 HV also completely separates the PCM data from the DSD data, keeping each in their purist manner possible. This means, on the back of the PDP 3000 HV, there are separate XLR (and RCA) outputs for PCM and DSD. As an option, you can choose to have all PCM data routed via the DSD DAC should a person not want to use up two inputs on their preamp. Fortunately for me, I have plenty of inputs and this was not a problem. For PCM (redbook) I use input 2 on my preamp. For DSD/SACD I use input 3. Subsequently, the T+A HV series preamp (P 3000 HV) has technology built in to "sense" the PCM or DSD signals and switch inputs without a hitch. Once again, if someone finds this too cumbersome, everything can be fed out through the DSD XLR (or RCA) outputs.
For DSD, T+A built their own real 1 bit converter using discrete parts so that that DSD signal is preserved throughout with no alternations and certainly no dumbing down to low-bit PCM. The PDP 3000 HV also includes a world class jitter-free clock for both switching stages.
It uses eight TI Burr-Brown 32-bit/384khz delta-signma DAC's in a double symmetrical quadruple arrangement. Oversampling is carried out by a 56 bit DSP and there are four filter options that can be selected using the remote. The four filter options vary based on filter order, slope, cut off frequency, etc. The Ti Burr-Brown DAC chips handle all PCM, SACD, and DSD 64. If you are using the USB input, you can override this by selecting the TrueDSD option. There are in addition, four DAC mode filters/settings to choose from.
How does it sound? Well, I have only tried redbook and SACD's. I have yet to experiment with the digital inputs (including USB) on the back - but I will. So far, I am completely blown away by its sonic capabilities - especially for redbook. Big huge sound. It has a delicacy and smoothness, without coloration. It handles sibilance very well and older, poorer recordings shine....well, shine as well as I've ever heard them.
At first, I was not overly impressed with its SACD sound, but then realized I had all the wrong settings for SACD playback. DOH! I am now using right settings, including SACD Filter 2 which is as "pure" a filter option as you can get for SACD material and it sounds sublime.
Dislikes? Well, not really a dislike, but more an admittance of not reading the manual. There is a screw in the bottom that locks the drawer for shipping that must be removed prior to playing a disc. It took me about 20 minutes to figure this out....or in other words, 30 seconds after reading the manual. Yes, its been WAY too long since I owned a spinner.
The remote is one heavy mother. There are four arrows on the remote pointing at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock respectively. I am used to the ones at 3 and 9 denoting skipping to the next track or going back a track. That's not the case here. 12 o'clock skips forward and 6 o'clock goes back. 3 and 9 "scans" through a track. OK, not a big deal....but important to mention.
Navigating the menu's was quite easy. Very intuitive I found.
T+A is a world leading brand everywhere but here in America. It's a company that routinely builds products that European reviewers say should cost "3 or 4 times as much". Their products are constantly wining best of the year awards, like:
Once T+A gets a little better known here in America, I think the brand will become quite popular due to its amazing build quality and overall wonderful sonic purity - just like it is in Europe and other parts of the world.
More later...
- Thread Author
- #29
MSRP on the PDP 3000 HV is $20,000
MSRP on the integrated amp (PA 3000 HV) is $16,800.
MSRP on the integrated amp (PA 3000 HV) is $16,800.
Mike will most likely add more to this :-
http://www.ta-hifi.de/fileadmin/pdf/testberichte/Hifi_News_Review_PDP3000HV_Complete.pdf
http://www.ta-hifi.de/fileadmin/pdf/testberichte/Hifi_News_Review_PDP3000HV_Complete.pdf
- Thread Author
- #33
Just a quick update: I've put quite a few more hours on the T+A PDP 3000HV. I am completely smitten with it. So musical and as HiFi News pointed out, it sounds "just right". The Transport is incredibly quiet. The filter options are plentiful and you can really tell that the unit is optimized for both redbook/PCM and SACD/DSD and because of its unique dual system design, no tradeoffs whatsoever. To me, it completely lacks any characteristics we typically associate with CD/SACD players. Truly state of the art design IMO with world class engineering.
Glareskin
New member
Mike,
I am sure everything you write is correct. I used to own a T+A integrated amplifier and an SACD player. One aspect I found annoying with the SACD player. It took almost half a minute for the player to read the disc (even for normal CD's). I think that was the main reason that I sold it when my Linn arrived.
I have to say I loved the minimalist Braun design, the excellent finish and the sweet sound.
Does it still take that long for the disch to load?
Here is a picture of the SACD 1245R. Mine was the black version...
I am sure everything you write is correct. I used to own a T+A integrated amplifier and an SACD player. One aspect I found annoying with the SACD player. It took almost half a minute for the player to read the disc (even for normal CD's). I think that was the main reason that I sold it when my Linn arrived.
I have to say I loved the minimalist Braun design, the excellent finish and the sweet sound.
Does it still take that long for the disch to load?
Here is a picture of the SACD 1245R. Mine was the black version...
- Thread Author
- #36
An SACD takes less than 5 seconds to load. CD is 2 seconds. No issues.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Congrats, Mike. Build quality looks amazing. How does the sound quality compare to the Lumin?
- Thread Author
- #38
Very very very similar to the S1. Clean. Balanced. Musical. Great imaging. Sweet top end.
bmichels
New member
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2013
- Messages
- 225
thanks, but what sound signature does it has ? As swweet and musical than the VITUS SCD-025 or the ESOTERIC K01-x ?