For an explanation of what 0dBFS+ levels are, please read the following article. As to be expected, the player clips on 0dBFS+ levels, as can be seen from the following measured results:

The modded Front L/R outputs are particularly surprising since not only does the player clip, but the resultant waveform is not symmetrical (the positive half of the waveform peaks at almost 0.4dB higher than the negative half, suggesting some kind of DC offset generated by the DAC in response to 0dBFS+ levels).

Viewing Evaluation

I definitely would NOT recommend this player for video. In addition to failing nearly all the torture tests, the player also exhibits the chroma upsampling error on the WHQL DVD Test Annex 30 DVD (for progressive flag = true, and alternating, and for 30fps sequences). The WHQL disc also confirms that the player does not do film recognition and the deinterlacer is not motion adaptive.

The overall picture quality is noticeably soft compared to my reference player, the Panasonic DVD-S97. However, I suspect most prospective purchasers would be using this player purely for 2-channel audio, and therefore the video features are a bonus rather than a requirement.

Listening Evaluation

Given that the player is primarily marketed as a high end audio player supposedly competing with “other high end players costing up to A$15,000” (according to the JLTi website), just how does this player sound?

I pitted the 2-ch output against the other players in my reference setup:

• Sony SCD-XA777ES (for comparing CDs and SA-CDs)

• Panasonic DVD-S97 (for comparing CDs and DVD-Audios)

• Custom built Windows XP Media Center 2005 PC with E-MU 1820M (for comparing CDs and DVD-Audios via hard disk playback)

As mentioned earlier, I evaluated two versions of this player: a prototype/demo version, plus a “production” version. The mods to these two players look quite different inside, and as I was to find out, they sound quite different too.

First of all, the prototype/demo player. My initial impression was that the player sounds rather lively and engaging, with a warm, rich and complex sound on the modded analogue output. Notes seem better defined in comparison to the standard 2ch analogue outputs, with the beginnings and ends of notes seemingly better etched against the background. The player seem to excel on classical symphonic music, where it seem to allow each instrument to come across more clearly.

However, after a while, I also noticed three major faults, which prevented me from really liking the sound. One was a tendency for vocals to sound harsh and sibilant. For example, on the CD version of Amelia from Joni Mitchell’s Hejira (Asylum 25 305-3), Joni’s voice sounded graty compared to my reference players. Next I tried another Joni album, but on DVD-Audio, Both Sides Now (reprise 9362 47620-9). Listening to MLP 2.0 96/24 audio track, the harshness of Joni’s voice was once again noticeable, but I also started noticing a second fault, which is a tendency for the overall sound to be slightly “dark”, particularly against the E-MU 1820M but also against the Panasonic DVD-S97.

Playing a selection of vocal CDs, it was soon apparent that this “harshness” and “darkness” is part of the sonic signature of this player, as I can also hear it on the SACD (2ch) of Jane Monheit’s voice in Too Young To Go Steady from Terence Blanchard’s Let’s Get Lost (Sony Classical SS 89607). Finally, Alison Krauss’s voice (already oversibilant on the SCD-XA777ES) just sounded painful on Forget About It (Rounder SACD 11661-0465-6).

The third “fault” I found related to PRaT (pace, rhythm and timing). For some reason, music just didn’t flow very naturally on this player, sounding somewhat hesitant and stilted, almost as if all the musicians on each disc decided to play in a rubato fashion.

After I complained to Joe that the player sounded a bit harsh and uncertain, he suggested that I swap it with a production model.

What a difference! The production model sounds completely different, although I noticed immediately that it did not sound as “loud” as my other players. Subsequent testing on Audio RightMark revealed that the player’s “modded” output (on the Front Left/Right channels of the 5.1 analogue audio outputs) is down approximately -3dB below the 2Vrms reference.

However, once I compensated for the difference in volume levels, I noticed the harshness/darkness had disappeared. Likewise, the music seemed a lot smoother and more “liquid”. I played my favorite reference track for audio comparisons, The Girl From Ipanema from Getz/Gilberto (Verve SA-CD 314 589 595-2). João’s voice and guitar came across beautifully, and the bass sounded nicely solid, and the piano sounded exactly like it was right in front of my living room. Astrud’s voice sounded full of air and presence, and cymbals sounded nice and clean.

In comparing the new player on SA-CDs against the Sony SCD-XA777ES, I found it difficult to distinguish between the two. Both of them sounded rich, warm and luscious. Given that the JLTi player retails for less than half of the RRP of the SCD-XA777ES, this is an impressive achievement indeed (although to be fair, the SCD-XA777ES is a full 5.1 capable player unlike the JLTi which is optimized only for 2ch).

Listening to Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now (reprise 9362 47620-9) again, it now seemed as if the Panasonic DVD-S97 was the slightly harsher player in comparison to the JLTi.  However, and perhaps I’m imagining it, I felt I noticed the less than flat frequency response of the JLTi in comparison to my other players. Low notes didn’t quite have the same “thump”, and the high end sounded just a tad smoother and less detailed. The effect was very minor, and consistent with the measured frequency response, which was down -1dB at 30Hz or -1.5dB at 20kHz.

On CDs, the JLTi player sounded slightly more “airy” with more “tizz” around the high frequencies compared to the SCD-XA777ES. Given the player’s measured results, I wondered if what I was hearing was a result of intermodulation distortion.

As a result of my measurements and subjective impressions, Joe told me he had tweaked the filter cutoff frequencies to reduce the bass roll off and hopefully lessen the intermodulation artifacts. Hopefully, this should make future models of this player sound even better.

Conclusion

Would I buy this player? To be honest, I’m not sure. Definitely not for video, and for the price, not for multi-channel audio either. For 2-channel audio, I think the player does sound very good, and on SA-CD at least as good as my reference player costing over twice as much.

However, I’m worried about the below reference volume output, which results in a relatively higher noise floor, and I’m concerned about the high intermodulation distortion above 1kHz. However, Joe tells me these problems should hopefully be addressed in future production units.

At the end of the day I guess it’s up to the buyer. Arguably, a stock player retailing at the same price point as this player may have better build quality (in terms of possibly a better transport or chassis, and perhaps a better remote control) and better “street cred” in terms of brand name or looks, but this player will no doubt appeal to those who seek superior sound quality at a reasonable price.