The Altmann Tera Player - Thread

[turbo87]

It was sold couple of days ago. The guy had it in the "for sale" section here on head-fi

 

[flymetothemoon]

Good idea. Let's start with @flymetothemoon, as I believe he had both.

Hi Warrior,
 
I had the privilege to own both Tera and AK240 for over a year before letting go the Tera.
 
For your information, I did not just simply compare the performances between the two DAPs but to reference back to my home digital system and it is the core of reference on how much deviation that both DAPs performed against it.  As the home system was structured to replicate professional studio set up with Adam S3XH/Sub12 driven by the Meitner MA1 (a budget version of the famous EMMLAB's DAC2x), it provides very neutral and honest reproduction of those files being played.  This is a solid platform for me to compare the two DAPs' reproduction performance.   
 
After intensive comparison over this period, I've found the AK240 gives  me more (still quite far away from the home system) honest music reproduction (I'm using Tralucent 1Plus2 & Tralucent Ref.1 with both Tralucent Silver & Uber cables to derive such assessments) while the Tera a notch behind.  Since my preference is to own the best system but not systems, I have decided it's about time to let go of the Tera...and I NEVER REGRET THAT DECISION.  As of today, I'm still sticking onto the AK240 and enjoying so much of music everyday.
 
Some might argue about Tera is more analogue than most DAPs.  I can tell you now that they have no idea what analogue sound is all about...your digital files simply just sound digital and that's the nature of the game.  My LPs simply just sound analogue with the same recordings when compared to the digital files.  
 
If we insisted to put words to our mouths, Tera sounds just more dull (or rounded if you like) to Ak240 in comparison.   It lost some details here and there and provides more softer reproduction and it could be preference for some (to which we all have to respect for individual's preference).  
 
For me, Tera is not a tool for me to pursuit "analogue sound" as my soon-to-be-completed-its-repaire Sony Walkman DC-2 can do this job with ease and at a level unreachable by Tera from an analogue perspective.
 
Below is my analogue system for your leisure viewing...
 
Tralucent Ref.1
 
 
A rare direct to disc album

Analogue system source : Heybrook TT2/SME3010R/Dynavector 23R

Analogue system power amp : Pioneer M22

 

Foreground : KEF 104/2   Background : Adam S3xH

 

[warrior1975]

Flymetothemoon-Wow... Thank you for sharing. Love seeing beautiful pieces, very nice. That pioneer amp looked so sweet.

Thank you also for the comparison, worded very well. I've often wondered what people meant by "analogue" sounding. Not that I don't know what vinyl sounds like, I'm 40 and grew up with records, but when people use that term, and it is thrown around a lot here, I try to understand what they mean. It's used a ton in this thread, and several others. I've yet to receive an answer.

 

[flymetothemoon]

@Flymetothemoon-Wow... Thank you for sharing. Love seeing beautiful pieces, very nice. That pioneer amp looked so sweet.

Thank you also for the comparison, worded very well. I've often wondered what people meant by "analogue" sounding. Not that I don't know what vinyl sounds like, I'm 40 and grew up with records, but when people use that term, and it is thrown around a lot here, I try to understand what they mean. It's used a ton in this thread, and several others. I've yet to receive an answer.

Hi Warrior,
 
I was so proud of putting together my digital home system (Adam S3XH...) back 5 years ago after the sale of the previous system (to one single buyer, see my profile you may find out what was that).
 
However, after my return to Toronto back few months ago, I have unearthed my 30+years old system from storage and the above pics were majority of them (except the Pioneer M22 that was sourced second hand two weeks ago).  Ever since I have set up the turntable system and it sound so amazingly "analogue"...that resulted to have  my "digital home system" in hibernation for over a month as I enjoy so much of the music from the vinyls...and it's simply a different sound to the digital file counterparts.
 
 This findings re-ignited my desire on this hobby and my current project is to replace the ferrofluid of my KEF 104/2's T33 tweeters as it all gummed up due to its age...I have already cleaned up the old ferrofluid and awaiting the delivery of new ferrofluid from a seller on eBay.  Below are the pics of my T33 project for your leisure viewing...
 

 

 

 

 

[warrior1975]

flymetothemoon-I read in one of the other threads that we both share about your return home, welcome back. Looks like you are enjoying your retirement (I believe you retired) and what better way than to spend time tinkering with audio equipment. I wish I still owned some of my older stuff, to appreciate it.

I remember when surround sound, and digital were really blowing up. All the different digital terminology, upsampling and all the crazy buzz words. I totally bought into newer being better... Now, in retrospect, I wish I kept my older stuff. Not that I dislike my Denon receivers, but would love to hear my old Onkyo or pioneer ones.

Great pics bro, you must have been ecstatic opening those boxes up. I can only imagine.

Last June, I flew back home to NY, (live in hell now, aka Florida) and visited with my Dad for Father's day. He took some of my baseball cards down from the attic, and that feeling of nostalgia was something else. Probably similar to yours, but yours is much better. I truly hope you enjoy and maybe one day, we as humans will learn to appreciate what we have.

 

[denis1976]

Hi folks, i bought a used Tera player,the price was reasonable and i give it a try, i still say that 10000 € is only for crazy people,but arround 1500/2000€ is a great music reproduction instrument...when i got it i said ...what is this...only works with koss...i am going to sell it again...them next day by morning i listen again with the ie800 and after that with sennheiser px100, and said "my God"...i asked a oficce friend "hear this"(with px100) and he says "Antonio zambujo (a portuguese singer) is here in the room ..." them the same music with the questyle Qp1r he said "his good but the other was much more real" he was blowed away...and me too...

 

[musicday]

Hi folks, i bought a used Tera player,the price was reasonable and i give it a try, i still say that 10000 € is only for crazy people,but arround 1500/2000€ is a great music reproduction instrument...when i got it i said ...what is this...only works with koss...i am going to sell it again...them next day by morning i listen again with the ie800 and after that with sennheiser px100, and said "my God"...i asked a oficce friend "hear this"(with px100) and he says "Antonio zambujo (a portuguese singer) is here in the room ..." them the same music with the questyle Qp1r he said "his good but the other was much more real" he was blowed away...and me too...

Very pleased to see another happy Tera Player owner. Congratulations !!!
How does the PX100 compare to the Porta Pro?

 

[Ruben123]

I don't see why one would buy a multi $$ DAP but only pay $30 for an earphone. So... Why? Why saving up for a Tera when you don't even own a good headphone? HD598 isn't that expensive.
It's the wrong way around spending your money on a DAP instead of an earphone. Yes IE800 is good but certainly not the best and px100 is short to quite bad.

 

[denis1976]

Very pleased to see another happy Tera Player owner. Congratulations !!!
How does the PX100 compare to the Porta Pro?

hi, the px100 has less bass (32ohms impedance) but still has plenty of bass and because of that the voices are more (in my opinion) lucid than with a non mod koss pp

 

[musicday]

So which headphone is best with the Tera Player in your opinion?

 

[denis1976]

For me if the option is a non mod koss or a px100 or a hifiman 400i is the hifiman, if the option is just the first 2 i would say the px100 but my koss are non mod

 

[tgdinamo]

I don't see why one would buy a multi $$ DAP but only pay $30 for an earphone. So... Why?

 
Why not if the combo sounds great? Or do we need astronomical prices for everyting we buy to validate the great SQ?
Tera creator Charles used those $30 phones for a reason - to him they were the best because they are simple and do not have 'house' sound like most expensive phones these days (they go way back to era of original walkmans where phones were much simpler design which he prefered because they did not color the sound - he talked about that quite a bit in those old closed Tera threads).
Having said this, while I do have modded Koss (drilled the holes myself) and agree they sound great, they are not as good SQ as very expensive Tralucent phones paired with Tera (if it even makes sense to compare them because Koss are open phones vs Tralucent are IEM's do different usage scenarios may apply - I mainly use Tera during commute to work so open phones are out of question).
Also, so far from all the phones I have tried only Tralucent's beat Koss in SQ when paired with Tera.

 

[Replicant187]

i found used Tera Player for 30,000 yen today at Fujiya but already sold out...damn it　

 

[sonickarma]

i found used Tera Player for 30,000 yen today at Fujiya but already sold out...damn it　

 
Looks like they only paid 10,000 yen for it
 
http://www.fujiya-avic.jp/products/detail35107.html

 

[Ruben123]

Why not if the combo sounds great? Or do we need astronomical prices for everyting we buy to validate the great SQ?
Tera creator Charles used those $30 phones for a reason - to him they were the best because they are simple and do not have 'house' sound like most expensive phones these days (they go way back to era of original walkmans where phones were much simpler design which he prefered because they did not color the sound - he talked about that quite a bit in those old closed Tera threads).
Having said this, while I do have modded Koss (drilled the holes myself) and agree they sound great, they are not as good SQ as very expensive Tralucent phones paired with Tera (if it even makes sense to compare them because Koss are open phones vs Tralucent are IEM's do different usage scenarios may apply - I mainly use Tera during commute to work so open phones are out of question).
Also, so far from all the phones I have tried only Tralucent's beat Koss in SQ when paired with Tera.

How, my dear sir, can you find the price of $150 for a Sennheiser astronomical compared to $1500+ Tera player?! As if the modded koss doesn't sound good on another DAP. The Koss doesn't sound neutral too and even if it did, what does that have to do with Walkmans?