EERA Tentation CDP first US Review

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EERA Tentation CDP first US Review

Postby JackD201 » Tue Nov 01, 2011 9:38 pm

When we picked up EERA, like many of our lines, there were scant reviews out there. The one and only review of the Tentation was in France's top audio publication Haute Fidelite. In that review, the EERA received the highest score ever awarded by the magazine for CD playback. It garnered a perfect score in all performance categories. Only one other set of components ever got this score. The EERA however did one better. It got a perfect score in the VALUE category besting the other top performer by coming in at only 1/5th of the price. That made it the only component to ever get a perfect score in absolutely all categories.

Fast forward a full year. Folks who have heard this player at last year's show and at the Lair, analog diehards all, have called it the most vivid, analog like, "alive" player yet.

Here's a look at the Tentation's first ever english language review. Enjoy!

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue58/eera.htm
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Re: EERA Tentation CDP first US Review

Postby ttommy » Thu Nov 03, 2011 3:17 am

I probably mentioned this in some of my old posts here but I'd heard the EERA DL2, not the Tentation, back when Jeff @ Highwater sound carried it.

Back then I noticed the brand had its own "house sound" which I think is difficult to achieve amongst digital front ends. The DL2 reminded me of having the best attributes of Naim -- speed + articulation -- but also had more meat on the bones and, what I noticed most, sounded very grounded and images were quite solid. I guess this is consistent with the review but the Tentation takes it even further!
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Re: EERA Tentation CDP first US Review

Postby JackD201 » Thu Nov 03, 2011 7:01 pm

Hi Tito,

Indeed it does. The DL2 is now called the Integrale. Keith broke it in and I'm using it now. The Tentation has taken the DL2 and added greater micro-resolution to the point of achieving near R2R information density and near LP ambient information. Prior to the Tentation, I thought the CD medium itself was the handicap. As it stands now, I'm convinced that the handicap is the analog output sections that have been employed in the past. There are very many players out now that no longer have the digital edge prevalent in the early days of CD. Once could very well say that many of them are analog like in tone. This is the only player I've heard with analog like dimensionality.
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Re: EERA Tentation CDP first US Review

Postby ttommy » Sat Nov 05, 2011 12:21 am

JackD201 wrote:This is the only player I've heard with analog like dimensionality.


Well, you have to remember Jack that your "analog standard" is very very high :?: I've heard CD players that sounded organic and "analog-like," e.g. Reimyo and AMR, but both still fall short of that dimensionality/density you get from a great analog front end. If I remember correctly, EERA takes great pains on the electro-mechanical aspect of their design, so perhaps this dimensionality is achieved not just through the design of the output stage but by reducing the noise floor as much as possible. Isn't this the reason we probably won't be seeing an EERA DAC?
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