KYTGuy
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2004
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The badging on this unit says "Superscope", not Marantz, so you might be more familiar with the Superscope name, but the unit is manufactured by the great Marantz folks in Japan.
Please forgive me, if this is not what you expect of a review, but it is my first. This is entirely inspired by Tuberoller's recent plaint. If you don't glean what you need to know, feel free to send me an E-mail, or PM. I AM available for all expenses paid visits to your next meet, if you wish...Schedule early! (just kidding)
This is the "entry" level stripper version, missing a few features of the optioned out model (the PSD230) built on the same chassis and in the identical form factor, for a considerable upgrade in the price.
I am fortunate to have landed a PSD220 on Ebay...they usually retail for near $400, sometimes discounted to about $325USD, got a two year old one with no visible wear for $72.50.
The three band EQ w/freq ctrs @ Hi:6KHz, Mid:2KHz, Lo:300Hz controls are center detented, and are easy enough to manipulate, without being easy to disturb inadvertently. The specification sheet does not give amount of boost/cut information, but I am guessing (due to my experience with my Audio Control EQ unit) that is is around +/- 9 dB.
One of the more interesting of this unit's capabilities is the "Phrase repetition" - you can delineate any length passage within one track on any CD. The phrase will repeat endlessly - Perfect for comparing phones/components downstream!
Another "different" thing that this CDP does is lengthen or shorten the playback, via a "tempo" control. It will either add to or remove from the music's playback such that the beat is sped up as much as 50%, or slowed down as much as 50%. It is done in 1% increments, and can be continuously adjusted. Whenever passing through "as recorded" speed in either direction, there is a momentary silence. You could use this feature as intended, to match the band, or your playing style. You could also use the feature to place just that one more track on a disc, just shoehorning it in, by speeding up the tempo just enough. These changes make zero difference to the tone, or "key' of the music. An A would be either a longer or shorter note, but it would still be an A.
This player easily powers my HD600s louder than I like at 3.5 on a 0-10 calibration...Curiously enough, it powers my ETY4S canalphones at nearly the same volume numbers...With the Senns, the internal amp seems to run out of gas at about 7 on the dial, with higher dial settings giving no more increase in volume, but no distortions that I could hear. Seven is really loud, though.
The unit is a bit more of a battery hog than I expected, but I also think that the published specs are conservative - In continuous play, the battery indicator went from Full to nearly empty in 4.25 hours time (the owner's manual says 3 hours). I then let the three "D" cells rest, and when I reinserted them, the indicator approximated 50%, and I got another hour out of them...they were fresh Duracells. (I did not push them till they quit, as I burned something in another (cheap) player so it will now not play with batteries). I performed this test with the display backlight on and the unit's integral speaker on about half the time so there is a possibility it could run longer if needed on one set of batteries.
Track information follows the de facto convention...track number, with time info available three ways: time from start of track, countdown to end of track, and countdown to end of CD. It is visible in the display window on the front of the player. The window is approximately one inch high, and about 3+ inches wide. Also within the display is found a battery life indicator, and dual VU metering, calibrated in dB.
The display is useable, readable and informative, with one exception - if you are below the level of the display, and looking up at it, it will be lacking in contrast, and may be unreadable, depending on your eyesight and the ambient lighting. This is in part due to the dot-matrix style of LCD used. The back light has two modes: on for about five seconds when you just jab at the "light" switch; and toggled "on" if you push and hold the switch. The VU meters are useful, to a point - the refresh rate is too slow for a comfortable "realtime" feel.
Play order is programmable, up to 30 steps/tracks. Single track play can also be selected. Should your CD have up to 99 tracks on it, the unit will accept that many for selection, but will program only 30 steps or tracks.
Portability is a relative thing - of late that is indicated by some sleek and minimal weight designs. This unit is not like that - it is substantial. It weighs 2.4 pounds with the three "D" cells. Easy to carry (as you would a book), but not something you will just slip into a cargo pocket.
The case is of dark charcoal matte finish ABS plastic, and as it sits on the desk, it measures 9.8 inches in width X 7.2 inches front to back. It stands 2.1 inches tall, and has a "top-loading" door for the CDs.
The Player has four short feet of a mid-durometer silicone rubber. It will not easily slip off any shelf or desktop that is finished, reasonably level, and clean. I risked disaster, and tried to drag it off the counter by pulling on my stock HD600 cable, and only managed to unplug the phones from the gold plated (rather stiff) headphone jack. Good for office use due to the integral 2" mono speaker so you can let others hear what you are playing without having to share your headset.
This model, the PSD220, shares a few accessories with the next up the line (PSD230) model. These are an Infrared transport command unit ($80) and a rechargeable battery pack (also around $80). Both CDPs have an integral charging circuit, with extra contacts within the battery compartment to enable this function.
The alternate power source is a wall wart (I Hate Wall Warts!) of pretty good size and weight, which provides the 6v DC @ 1200ma, required for charging and playing duty.
I like the packaging - every output and input jack, and most controls are fully recessed, so if you pack and move it often, there are no things sticking out to get hammered. The few knobs sticking out are semi-recessed, and could only be damaged from very limited angles.
Specifications:
Compatible discs:CD-DA, CD-R, CD-RW, 8 and 12 cm, also custom shapes RWs
Sampling Freq: 44.1 kHz
Quantization: 16-bit linear/channel
Tempo: +/- 50%
Freq. Range: 20Hz-20,000Hz, +/-3dB
Wow & Flutter: "precision of Quartz", whatever that is
Dynamic Range: >68dB
S/N ratio: >68 dB
Channel separation at 1 KHz: >50dB
THD @ 1kHz: <0.1%
Analog output level (Line Out): 500mV rms
Digital output level: SPDIF 0.5 Vp-p (75 ohms)
Speaker output: 400mW @ 10% distortion. (I believe this to be separate from the headphone output, as I have switched the speaker in and out while listening to music and silence, with no clicks or pops, and no change in headphone volume.)
Listening impressions...(amplified at the request of my favorite review reviewer)
Here is where I make a lotta excuses: what follows is subjective, limited by my aging ears, and my audio experience (which is limited by my wallet, and the generosity of acquaintances/friends).
First, a little about what I listened with: HD600s, and ETY4Ss...
I have not made use of the SPDIF output. My other CDPs are all old or cheap, and some are both old and cheap (like me).
This sounds better than any others I own, and using it is more enjoyable. It is nice to be able to compensate for the known deficiencies of the headphones I use, through judicious knobulation of the three-band equalizer. That said, it is still, sadly, not enough to make the ETYs into Big Bass Slam Phones, nor does it make it so I cannot tell the difference between the Etys and the Senns, just some of the distance can be compensated. Even though the EQ is only three band, it is useful to see, on the knobs, the representation of the differences between the phones...I'll bet someone with more experience with a plethora of phones would have a grand ol' time prediciting the settings, then listening and adjusting....I was able to offer the Etys TOO MUCH bass boost, driving them to a place that was not pretty...Doubling, crackling, etc.
Transportable? Yes. Portable? It would fit in a backpack. Musicality...you'll have to give it a listen. It is more listenable than my home stereo single play Sony CDP 310, and is the equal or the better of my most recent CDP purchase, a JVC Jukebox XL-MC222. I rate it at a C+ grade, on my scale, (NOT the Recommended Components list of fame). I will be happy to bring it to any meet between Portland, Oregon and Everett, Washington. I would be willing to share mailing expenses to one of a select few reviewers, if there is enough general interest that needs a trusted reviewer - no ego here, about my review capabilities.
Is it worth $400 new? Maybe, if you are a performing artist or teacher, as the 220 has some rare features. If so, you might like the 230 even more, as it can change key without affecting the tempo, in half tones +/- one octave, it is adjustable for tuning/pitch +/-2%, and you can connect a mike and mix a live voice/performance with the playback for training. You'll have to pay $600 for that one new...but at $150 or less from E-bay - might just be tasty!
Photo links below, courtesy of darkclouds and Superscope.
Moderator: Respectfully submitted as a review for review!
Please forgive me, if this is not what you expect of a review, but it is my first. This is entirely inspired by Tuberoller's recent plaint. If you don't glean what you need to know, feel free to send me an E-mail, or PM. I AM available for all expenses paid visits to your next meet, if you wish...Schedule early! (just kidding)
This is the "entry" level stripper version, missing a few features of the optioned out model (the PSD230) built on the same chassis and in the identical form factor, for a considerable upgrade in the price.
I am fortunate to have landed a PSD220 on Ebay...they usually retail for near $400, sometimes discounted to about $325USD, got a two year old one with no visible wear for $72.50.
The three band EQ w/freq ctrs @ Hi:6KHz, Mid:2KHz, Lo:300Hz controls are center detented, and are easy enough to manipulate, without being easy to disturb inadvertently. The specification sheet does not give amount of boost/cut information, but I am guessing (due to my experience with my Audio Control EQ unit) that is is around +/- 9 dB.
One of the more interesting of this unit's capabilities is the "Phrase repetition" - you can delineate any length passage within one track on any CD. The phrase will repeat endlessly - Perfect for comparing phones/components downstream!
Another "different" thing that this CDP does is lengthen or shorten the playback, via a "tempo" control. It will either add to or remove from the music's playback such that the beat is sped up as much as 50%, or slowed down as much as 50%. It is done in 1% increments, and can be continuously adjusted. Whenever passing through "as recorded" speed in either direction, there is a momentary silence. You could use this feature as intended, to match the band, or your playing style. You could also use the feature to place just that one more track on a disc, just shoehorning it in, by speeding up the tempo just enough. These changes make zero difference to the tone, or "key' of the music. An A would be either a longer or shorter note, but it would still be an A.
This player easily powers my HD600s louder than I like at 3.5 on a 0-10 calibration...Curiously enough, it powers my ETY4S canalphones at nearly the same volume numbers...With the Senns, the internal amp seems to run out of gas at about 7 on the dial, with higher dial settings giving no more increase in volume, but no distortions that I could hear. Seven is really loud, though.
The unit is a bit more of a battery hog than I expected, but I also think that the published specs are conservative - In continuous play, the battery indicator went from Full to nearly empty in 4.25 hours time (the owner's manual says 3 hours). I then let the three "D" cells rest, and when I reinserted them, the indicator approximated 50%, and I got another hour out of them...they were fresh Duracells. (I did not push them till they quit, as I burned something in another (cheap) player so it will now not play with batteries). I performed this test with the display backlight on and the unit's integral speaker on about half the time so there is a possibility it could run longer if needed on one set of batteries.
Track information follows the de facto convention...track number, with time info available three ways: time from start of track, countdown to end of track, and countdown to end of CD. It is visible in the display window on the front of the player. The window is approximately one inch high, and about 3+ inches wide. Also within the display is found a battery life indicator, and dual VU metering, calibrated in dB.
The display is useable, readable and informative, with one exception - if you are below the level of the display, and looking up at it, it will be lacking in contrast, and may be unreadable, depending on your eyesight and the ambient lighting. This is in part due to the dot-matrix style of LCD used. The back light has two modes: on for about five seconds when you just jab at the "light" switch; and toggled "on" if you push and hold the switch. The VU meters are useful, to a point - the refresh rate is too slow for a comfortable "realtime" feel.
Play order is programmable, up to 30 steps/tracks. Single track play can also be selected. Should your CD have up to 99 tracks on it, the unit will accept that many for selection, but will program only 30 steps or tracks.
Portability is a relative thing - of late that is indicated by some sleek and minimal weight designs. This unit is not like that - it is substantial. It weighs 2.4 pounds with the three "D" cells. Easy to carry (as you would a book), but not something you will just slip into a cargo pocket.
The case is of dark charcoal matte finish ABS plastic, and as it sits on the desk, it measures 9.8 inches in width X 7.2 inches front to back. It stands 2.1 inches tall, and has a "top-loading" door for the CDs.
The Player has four short feet of a mid-durometer silicone rubber. It will not easily slip off any shelf or desktop that is finished, reasonably level, and clean. I risked disaster, and tried to drag it off the counter by pulling on my stock HD600 cable, and only managed to unplug the phones from the gold plated (rather stiff) headphone jack. Good for office use due to the integral 2" mono speaker so you can let others hear what you are playing without having to share your headset.
This model, the PSD220, shares a few accessories with the next up the line (PSD230) model. These are an Infrared transport command unit ($80) and a rechargeable battery pack (also around $80). Both CDPs have an integral charging circuit, with extra contacts within the battery compartment to enable this function.
The alternate power source is a wall wart (I Hate Wall Warts!) of pretty good size and weight, which provides the 6v DC @ 1200ma, required for charging and playing duty.
I like the packaging - every output and input jack, and most controls are fully recessed, so if you pack and move it often, there are no things sticking out to get hammered. The few knobs sticking out are semi-recessed, and could only be damaged from very limited angles.
Specifications:
Compatible discs:CD-DA, CD-R, CD-RW, 8 and 12 cm, also custom shapes RWs
Sampling Freq: 44.1 kHz
Quantization: 16-bit linear/channel
Tempo: +/- 50%
Freq. Range: 20Hz-20,000Hz, +/-3dB
Wow & Flutter: "precision of Quartz", whatever that is
Dynamic Range: >68dB
S/N ratio: >68 dB
Channel separation at 1 KHz: >50dB
THD @ 1kHz: <0.1%
Analog output level (Line Out): 500mV rms
Digital output level: SPDIF 0.5 Vp-p (75 ohms)
Speaker output: 400mW @ 10% distortion. (I believe this to be separate from the headphone output, as I have switched the speaker in and out while listening to music and silence, with no clicks or pops, and no change in headphone volume.)
Listening impressions...(amplified at the request of my favorite review reviewer)
Here is where I make a lotta excuses: what follows is subjective, limited by my aging ears, and my audio experience (which is limited by my wallet, and the generosity of acquaintances/friends).
First, a little about what I listened with: HD600s, and ETY4Ss...
I have not made use of the SPDIF output. My other CDPs are all old or cheap, and some are both old and cheap (like me).
This sounds better than any others I own, and using it is more enjoyable. It is nice to be able to compensate for the known deficiencies of the headphones I use, through judicious knobulation of the three-band equalizer. That said, it is still, sadly, not enough to make the ETYs into Big Bass Slam Phones, nor does it make it so I cannot tell the difference between the Etys and the Senns, just some of the distance can be compensated. Even though the EQ is only three band, it is useful to see, on the knobs, the representation of the differences between the phones...I'll bet someone with more experience with a plethora of phones would have a grand ol' time prediciting the settings, then listening and adjusting....I was able to offer the Etys TOO MUCH bass boost, driving them to a place that was not pretty...Doubling, crackling, etc.
Transportable? Yes. Portable? It would fit in a backpack. Musicality...you'll have to give it a listen. It is more listenable than my home stereo single play Sony CDP 310, and is the equal or the better of my most recent CDP purchase, a JVC Jukebox XL-MC222. I rate it at a C+ grade, on my scale, (NOT the Recommended Components list of fame). I will be happy to bring it to any meet between Portland, Oregon and Everett, Washington. I would be willing to share mailing expenses to one of a select few reviewers, if there is enough general interest that needs a trusted reviewer - no ego here, about my review capabilities.
Is it worth $400 new? Maybe, if you are a performing artist or teacher, as the 220 has some rare features. If so, you might like the 230 even more, as it can change key without affecting the tempo, in half tones +/- one octave, it is adjustable for tuning/pitch +/-2%, and you can connect a mike and mix a live voice/performance with the playback for training. You'll have to pay $600 for that one new...but at $150 or less from E-bay - might just be tasty!
Photo links below, courtesy of darkclouds and Superscope.
Moderator: Respectfully submitted as a review for review!
