Eastsound E5 Plat.Ref. CDP - new/improved - Page 4

It looks like an original silver E5, but with the tray above the display window (the original E5 had the tray below the display window).

False on all counts.

I have no business relationship with Cattylink. A business relationship would involve quid pro quo - cash or goods or services exchanged in return for cash or goods or services. My services of labor are free.

I am not acting in behalf of Cattylink - I recommend some products they carry which are also products offered by pacificvalve in the USA (at higher costs but with domestic warranty), and I have often stated this.

I recommended an inexpensive amp (see Xian Sheng link in my signature) sold by pacificvalve but not sold by Cattylink. Does this mean I have a business relationship with pacificvalve?

I recommend the Saturn over the E5 for two years. Does this mean I have business relationship with Rega?

The new E5 Reference is clearly superior to the Rega Saturn. After a few minutes of listening I knew it was superior. After many days of listening I now realize it is vastly superior - in a different class entirely.

I hope grawk and sacdlover don't believe me and don't buy one. I will give either of you a good deal on my Saturn.

I am not the US service representative for Cattylink.

I will fix transport or laser problems on any E5 without charge for my labor, for any E5 owner, except grawk and sacd lover, with E5 owners in any country, regardless of warranty status or whether the owner is original or not. I do not provide for shipping or for parts, but my labor is free.

I am a service representative for E5 transport/laser problems for E5 owners, worldwide. I enjoy this and make many people happy. I hope my equipment recommendations make many people happy, and from the messages and emails I get, I accomplish this. I will get many future messages from people who buy the E5 Reference.

Having heard the E5 Reference, and compared it to two years of listening to the Saturn, I can no longer recommend anyone buying the Saturn except grwak and sacd lover (who can get a good deal on buying mine).

Two years ago I bought a Rega Saturn, found it superior to the E5 in smoothness and lack of any harshness, though inferior to the E5 in 3-D imaging. I duly reported this on the head-fi site, and started to praise the Rega Saturn over the E5. Those who thought I was a tout for Cattylink were confused over this. Though a happy Saturn owner, with my E5 relegated to a back up role in my home system (which I use for video sound and listen to CDs in my headphone system), I continued to do E5 repair transport for free labor and still do. It doesn't take much time as I only get about four problems a year, and some are solved by owners with my email instructions.

After two years of use, I was perfectly happy with the Rega Saturn and believed that more expensive top-end CD players could be better, but not significantly better. The Saturn replaced the original E5 and E5 Signature CD players which I loved, but not as much as the smoother and sweeter Saturn. I did miss the superior 3-D imaging of the older E5s compared to the Rega Saturn, but the Saturn eliminated the occasional harshness that I sometimes experienced with the older E5s on some CDs.

I was wrong about the Saturn being competitive with a top-end CD player. The E5 Platinum Reference is significantly better than the Rega Saturn in every way. I was astounded at the differences, noted after initial listening and increasingly appreciated as listening was extended.

The E5 Reference has more detail (tone edge resolution), more tone body resolution that reveals more nuances in tone textures, a more natural tone timbre, better 3-D imaging with better instrument separation with more air between tones, much stronger bass with superb definition superior tot he Saturn, startling superior transient attacks that jump out at you, better low level detail of distinct clarity, and much more transparency with a live-music (you-are-there) quality. The sound stage is expansive.

The Saturn has a dull and lifeless quality in comparison. I am shocked at how much more information can be extracted from a CD with the E5 Platinum Reference than with the Rega Saturn. I never realized CDs could possibly sound this good, as with the Reference. At long last, who needs vinyl?

Even my monaural recordings sound much better. Maria Callas and Frank Sinatra were in great voice just before stereo recordings were made. My mono recordings reveal just how great their voices were, using the E5 Reference compared to the Saturn. In some of these mono recordings Sinatra would briefly snap his fingers in rhythm to the music for a few seconds (as in the song Witchcraft). I previously thought these noises were some kind of background pops using the Saturn, but these are clearly and distinctly finger snaps by Sinatra, evident in using the E5 Platinum Reference.

Eastsound has demonstrated that they are top world class audio engineers. I am sure Rega engineers will be shocked as I was. The Rega Saturn is a class A component in Stereophile's listing. The Eastsound Platinum Reference should be a class A+ Super. I imagine the new E5 Reference could compete well with any CD player at any price, and would certainly win out against any other CD player when price was factored in.

Every CD I have sounds much better now. I use my Bada PH 12 headphone amp with one 6SN7 Tung-Sol GT "mouse ears" up front and two Chinese Shuguang in back, Sennheiser HD 600 with Cardas cable, Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II ICs, and Tice power conditioners with two Cattylink Analog Research power cords. My torture test, using Philip Glass' Akhnaten CD discs, will sound really bad and harsh on a mid-fi CD player like the NAD 542, was better but still harsh in spots on the old E5, was good on the Rega Saturn, but is really good on the new E5 Reference.

Greatest resolution (ability to faithfully and maximally extract information from the CD) and great transparency (you-are-there realism) are the hallmarks of the E5 Reference. From this follows superiority to the Rega Saturn in any attribute evaluated - the E5 Platinum Reference is superior to the Rega Saturn in any and every way.

Don't believe this report if you think I am trying to help Cattylink sell them - buy a Saturn.

Anybody in the North Florida area might want to audition my system.

Rules:

Arrange a time with me.

Bring three CDs you are very familar with and like very much: One with great sound, one with bad sound but you like the performance, and any other third one.

You will listen to all three but make no component or cable substitutions - I don't have the time for this.

You will be astounded at the superiority of my headphone system over your headphone system, no matter what you have in your system.

Take that to the Bank.

Yes, you are correct in this comment.

Humbleness is one of my many sterling qualities.