C.E.C Media Player model 3.3.0.0.R

Specifications

Type: CD player and transport

Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz (0.3dB)

Chipset: 24-bit/192kHz Burr-Brown PCM1738

Digital Output: AES/EBU (XLR), Coax (RCA), and Optical (TOSLink)

Analog Output: Stereo balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA)

Total Harmonic Distortion: XLR: 0.008%, RCA: 0.01%

SNR: XLR: 101dB, RCA: 92dB

Channel separation: XLR: > 105dB, RCA: > 95dB

Dimensions: 435 x 312 x 104 (HxDxW in mm)



First off, the CEC CD3300R will not replace your dCS, Meridian or Esoteric gear, but at twenty to thirty times the cost of the CD3300R those big guns better offer stuff the CEC can't. With those expectations shelved, the CD3300R immediately impressed me with its super silky, detailed, smooth and inviting sound that certainly invites comparison to the at least some of the megabucks stuff. Take, for example, the way it rendered "Ganges Delta Blues," my favorite track from the Ry Cooder, V.M. Bhatt collaboration A Meeting by the River [Water Lily Acoustics WLA-CS-29-CD]. This track is the most dynamic and 'western' on the album. With Cooder's son, Joachim, on dumbek drum and Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari on tabla, the percussion drives the song and adds depth to the soundstage while the dueling bottleneck lead instruments from the east and west circle, hammer, dive and cascade around each other. Through the CEC each bend of the string – whether fast or drawn out – each tap of the drum, each exchange of lead and space is so delicately, precisely and yet powerfully reproduced that I truly felt I had been transported to Santa Barbara CA, 1992.

Sticking to India as the source for musical inspiration, though with a decidedly less traditional result, playing the Talvin Singh produced collection Anokha – Soundz of the Asian Underground [Quango 314-524 341-2] the CEC delivered a more driven but no less accomplished result. The opening cut, "Jaan," by Singh with vocals by Amar usually drives my wife, the ever suffering Robin, from the room. First, she is no great fan of either of the styles of music synthesized on this album. And second, if any part of the playback system is too sharp the vocals on this track can be used to slice your Chicken Tikka. But when I spun the track (with the First Sound, Blue Circle and Merlins playing supporting roles) she actually came into the room to sit and listen with me. Why? Because with the CEC as the source, the vocal line was pure, extended, beautifully clear and yet not the least bit crispy. Meanwhile, the bass was deep, powerful, detailed and propulsive. As for the mids, the second track on Anokha, "Flight IC408" by State of Bengal, opens with a sample of the Indian Airlines call for the departure of Flight IC408 from London to Calcutta and with CD3300R they were fully fleshed out, and with the deep reverb precisely placing the sample in an entirely different place than the rest of the song. If you know the recording you know that's pretty easy to do, but the CEC made the alternate space a real location rather than merely a computer construct.

Moving west, Chris Whitley is one of my all time favorite artists and his death in November 2005 is still a personal shock. His US debut album, Living With The Law [Columbia CK 46966] remains a masterpiece of voodoo blues and roots rock and is filled with the mysteries of life, lust and loss. The highly atmospheric Daniel Lanois recording adds considerably to the end result, but one of the most astounding tracks is the least tricked up, "Phone Call from Leavenworth". With only voice, a National acoustic guitar and foot stomps Whitley lays down a first person tale of a death row convict in chillingly stark and emotional raw terms while Lanois allows us to hear each vocal inflection, each catch of breath and each microphone overload in equally naked terms. In my standard reference setup the CD3300R rendered a fully fleshed out, vivid and yet biting set of images. The foot stomps were palpable, the guitar edgy and the vocals absolutely live – and terrifying.

For a more beautiful take on life I turned to the Jon Hassell recording Fascinoma [Water Lily Acoustics WLA-CS-70]. The recording is, at times, willfully opaque but always musically compelling. The first track, a duet version of "Nature Boy" with the flute of Ronu Majumdar wrapped sinuously around Hassell's trumpet, is appropriately melancholy and achingly lovely. Fortunately it is also the cleanest recording on the set and through the CEC the revealed textures were both vibrant and detailed while retaining a haunted intimacy.

AUDIO AVENUE STC
JL. Asia Afrika no.17
3, Gelora, Kecamatan Tanah Abang, Kota Jakarta Pusat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 10270
HP:081286023140
HP:081393532003