Equipment: Linn Genki CD player, Ah! Njoe Tjoeb CD player. Both cdps were plugged into a Gilmore V2 using Kimber pbjs. HPs were Senn HD 600 with AudioArt Equinox cable. CDs were two identical home-burned compilations of Bill Frisell and Arto Lindsay (all files are .WAV, uncompressed format). They were both played in sync with one another on both cdps allowing for easy comparison by flipping the input selector switch on the Gilmore. Also the Gilmore has a mono switch so I could get a good idea of the soundstaging and also the pure, mono signal of the CDPs.
I would say the New Tube (NT) is more transparent/revealing than the Linn and it also has a wider/deeper sound-stage. The Linn sounds a little warmer, but that might be the fact that it is less transparent. I'm not sure if the word warmth in this case is another word for muffled (is it? or isn't it? not sure...). The linn does sound comparatively muffled and as a result, warmer, less bright, more mellow or laid back. The NT seems more dynamic, faster, cleaner. The NT is also reavealing to the point of difficulty. I have it in a speakered, all-tube set-up where it shines. With an HP setup, I have a feeling the NT would be a tough CDP to use (especially w/ the Gilmore). The NT reminds me of the Linn Ikemi, which I auditioned when I bought the Genki. The Ikemi was more revealing in a similar way. I have the Genki in my bedside, HP setup where I love listening to it. It is not too forward, it is detailed, but not so much so that the details crowd my head when I am listening with phones. The Njoe Tjoeb, on the other hand is in my speakered system, where the Genki's warmth tended to over-ripen an already ripe, tubey midrange. The NT is highly detailed and dynamic with a wide, holographic soundstage which seems well suited to tubes.
I know this is brief, but I wanted to post some quick impressions, if you want a more detailed review (I've never written one) I can post a comparison or something.
Hope this helps a little.
John