The Acute CD player has true balanced and normal RCA outputs with a tube line amp using transformers. Peak level is 5 volts.
It also has a true analogue remote controlled volume, so that you can use it in a minimalist system to drive directly any power amp

EAR-Yoshino Acute valve CD-player

The Acute CD player is Tim de Paravicini's first foray into digital territory. While it starts life as an Arcam player, it utilizes nothing of the original machine except the transport and the excellent Wolfson, 24/96 upsampling DAC. Everything beyond the DAC is of Tim de Paravicini's design, including the filters and the output stage. One thing that makes the player unusual is the fact that the filters are analog, not digital. Another is the transformer-coupled tube output stage. A third is the fact that it has enough gain to drive a power amplifier directly, with the front-panel volume control (also analog).

The Acute CD player offers both true balanced and single-ended analog outputs, and both coaxial and optical digital outputs.

Specifications:

• DAC: Wolfson 24 bit resolution, 96KHz sampling rate
• Output Stage: Custom designed transformer-coupled tube output
• Tube Complement: One pair of PCC88 dual triode tubes (E88CC will fit)
• Volume Control: Integrated fully analog implementation
• Digital Outputs: Coaxial and Optical
• Analog Outputs: True Balanced XLR and Single Ended RCA
• Maximum signal output: 5 Vrms

Reviews

Positive feedback online, issue 27
by Robert Levi

The highs are extraordinary for digital—extended, accurate, delicate, and oh so musical. The high band is unsurpassed by any tubed digital source I've heard, and may be superior to the best solid-state digital sources, at any price.

The mids are more realistic, warmer, and fleshier than the best solid-state digital reproduction, at any price. The Acute has a superbly detailed, nuanced midband. The best solid-state is just as smooth and detailed, but less texturally accurate, and less involving. The Acute is intimate and colorful, while top solid-state is more snappy, yet more detached and bland. The Acute is swaggering and powerful.

I bought the review sample, and it is now my CD player reference. Robert H. Levi

Audio Asylum, Digital Drive
by XLR8OR

The EAR Acute CD unit is a unique player, with extreme resolution. Every musical instrument sounds actually like a real musical instrument and voices actually sound like real voices.




The Absolute Sound Editor's Choice Award Winner!
Harry Pearson, HP's Workshop
The Absolute Sound, Aug. & Oct. 2006

The Acute was smooth in away that does not suppress information or add euphony. It is blessedly neutral in its character and its reproduction of the human voice is quite simply excellent... What struck me then was the airy sweetness and extension of its high-frequency performance, entirely atypical for almost all digital players, and enchanting... Truth is, I like the unstressed quality of the top octaves here...


Positive feedback online, 2006 Awards
Larry Cox, positive feedback on line, issue 28, awards 2006

Another Giant Killer, or is it? If we assume "Giants" are expensive, this is a giant killer because of it's modest, by high end standards, price of $5495. This player bested two $15k players and everything else I've heard. No it's not affordable to those that don't save, but if you can save and want a terrific CD player, this is it. This is the best CD player I've heard yet. Had the Acute been around, I probably would have purchased a less expensive analog set up and simply committed myself to Redbook CDs. Oh, it doesn't play any of the "superior" formats—I'm devastated. Tube rolling allows you to get the sound you want, though I loved the stock tubes. No review forthcoming, though perhaps a purchase.