Dubious Product from Perreaux

[nightflier]

OK, I've usually been impressed with Perreaux's products - their amps are rock solid and design-wise they do seem to push the creative envelope. But this new CD player:

http://www.perreaux.com/product.php?idp=59

is probably the worst design I've seen from them, or from any manufacturer for that matter. The tray opens on the side of the unit! Like that's not going to be a pain inside a shelving unit, rack, or bookcase? I hope somebody gets fired for this one. It's almost as if they just turned a computer CD-Rom drive sideways and glued an aluminum plate on one side.

Sorry to be so blunt about this, but it's not like there aren't other CD player manufacturers out there, or that the CD market is booming. If I owned stock in Perreaux, I'd have a few words to say to the engineering team. This one ranks up there with the forknife and the GM Aztec.

[Rich-n-Texas]

I like the idea of using the...

The Burr-Brown (Texas Instruments) 8x oversampling, 44.1kHz, 16-bit digital to analog converter (DAC) provides high quality analog output - resulting in a wide, open soundstage with 3D like depth, pinpoint stereo imaging...

Everyone should own one! (Help keep me employed)

Seriously though, it does say the two box design allows more flexibility for placement requirements, so maybe the top unit swivels?

[musicman1999]

Either box can be on top or they can be end to end.Wonder what it sounds like?

bill

[nightflier]

I realize Perreaux is no slouch when it comes to performance. I'm only commenting on the design. On top of each other or end-to-end, it's still going to be a clumsy thing to put on a shelf, because the drive opens on the side.

[PeruvianSkies]

I realize Perreaux is no slouch when it comes to performance. I'm only commenting on the design. On top of each other or end-to-end, it's still going to be a clumsy thing to put on a shelf, because the drive opens on the side.

I gotta agree with you on this one! It just doesn't seem like the design really meets the typical standards that should match up with the technical and functional achievements. I like the idea of thinking of new unconventional methods, but this just seems ridiculous and impractical. What's next....loading the CD sideways?

[Woochifer]

Looks like a case of different for difference's sake. Designers don't always fall into the form follows function crowd! In practical terms though, the unit actually takes up less width, even with the disc tray open, than a typical component CD player. The primary issue would be the additional height if you choose to stack the drive on top of the DAC/control unit. I guess it's a manufacturer trying something different in separating out the drive from the DAC/control unit. Is this any different than other high end drive/DAC combos that stack two full sized components together, rather than two half-sized components?

[nightflier]

Is this any different than other high end drive/DAC combos that stack two full sized components together, rather than two half-sized components?

Well yes, because the drive opens to the right. If they wanted to save space, why not build a top-loading unit? Or how about a regular front-loading one? The website and the documentation mention nothing of any sonic or engineering benefits from designing it this way. It's just asinine.

[pixelthis]

Well yes, because the drive opens to the right. If they wanted to save space, why not build a top-loading unit? Or how about a regular front-loading one? The website and the documentation mention nothing of any sonic or engineering benefits from designing it this way. It's just asinine.

Maybe they want you to use a lazy susan to swivel it around.
And there is no display, because it would "infect the precious power supply"
Well, why not a seperate power supply for that(been done)
My brother the engineer has a name for types who design such stuff, he says they "have a paper ass"