Teac Reference Series

[its phillip]

Looking good. I've used those same stools as speaker stands before

 

[Seth=L]

Looking good. I've used those same stools as speaker stands before

They are quite stable, and they don't look too bad either. They are also much cheaper than speaker stands.

 

[PearlcorderS701]

I also can't understand why this stuff is so hard to find in the US. Sure, people want more power for main systems, but little plastic "ipod docks" and things like that are selling like hotcakes, so why not a quality compact system?

My first thought would be that these are often thought of as "uber-cheap" (the compact mini systems) before someone even lays eyes on it or looks up some specs...not justified, but that's probably why there aren't more of them if I had to guess.

I bought an Onkyo CR-805X from the MC35TECH minisystem, on Craigslist. The matching CD changer has a common problem. I get the impression that compact multi-CD changers aren't that reliable.

Well, I can give you my perspective on this from my personal experience; I have always owned five-disc carousel changers in my home audio systems because I simply don't like the inconvenience of getting up to change a disc once one's finished, or if I just want to hear a song or two from one album, or when I am playing a CD single of which I have a lot of...also, I do a lot of mixed compilation recordings from CDs and CD singles (mostly) which get burned onto a CD-R on my CD recorder, and with a carousel CD changer, I can program the five discs in the order I want them and that way the recording process is smooth without needing to get up between each disc to change them out if I had a single disc player.

Now, that said, the quality of these units has varied; for the most part, I never had any trouble with any of them back from when I owned my first Kenwood five disc changer up until the Marantz CC4001 I have now in my system -- but the 4001 has developed a strange hiccup in which sometimes it will completely ignore the programming I have made for the disc order and it will totally skip over a tray altogether, which forces me to stop the recording I am making and start over. It's a real pain in the ***, and I have contacted Marantz about this already -- they told me it's completely not normal behavior for this unit and I should contact Crutchfield about it because that's who I bought it from. I didn't even bother because the changer is already comfortably installed in my rack/stand, but you are right and that's the point of my post -- these changers aren't really of the highest of quality, that's for sure. The thing is, regardless of how "audiophile grade" the single disc players are, I just don't want to lose the convenience of the five disc carousel and I won't buy one of those Sony jukebox 400-disc megachangers; to be honest I don't think any "esoteric" or "high end" brands make a carousel-style changer that would be of a superior build and sound quality. If there was, I would look into one.

Interestingly enough, Marantz introduced a replacement for the 4001 with a new aluminum/glossy black front bezel.

Of course, I am talking about full-sized CD changer components, not the ones that come with these mini systems, so if that's what you're talking about here, my apologies.

 

[Seth=L]

My first thought would be that these are often thought of as "uber-cheap" (the compact mini systems) before someone even lays eyes on it or looks up some specs...not justified, but that's probably why there aren't more of them if I had to guess.



Well, I can give you my perspective on this from my personal experience; I have always owned five-disc carousel changers in my home audio systems because I simply don't like the inconvenience of getting up to change a disc once one's finished, or if I just want to hear a song or two from one album, or when I am playing a CD single of which I have a lot of...also, I do a lot of mixed compilation recordings from CDs and CD singles (mostly) which get burned onto a CD-R on my CD recorder, and with a carousel CD changer, I can program the five discs in the order I want them and that way the recording process is smooth without needing to get up between each disc to change them out if I had a single disc player.

Now, that said, the quality of these units has varied; for the most part, I never had any trouble with any of them back from when I owned my first Kenwood five disc changer up until the Marantz CC4001 I have now in my system -- but the 4001 has developed a strange hiccup in which sometimes it will completely ignore the programming I have made for the disc order and it will totally skip over a tray altogether, which forces me to stop the recording I am making and start over. It's a real pain in the ***, and I have contacted Marantz about this already -- they told me it's completely not normal behavior for this unit and I should contact Crutchfield about it because that's who I bought it from. I didn't even bother because the changer is already comfortably installed in my rack/stand, but you are right and that's the point of my post -- these changers aren't really of the highest of quality, that's for sure. The thing is, regardless of how "audiophile grade" the single disc players are, I just don't want to lose the convenience of the five disc carousel and I won't buy one of those Sony jukebox 400-disc megachangers; to be honest I don't think any "esoteric" or "high end" brands make a carousel-style changer that would be of a superior build and sound quality. If there was, I would look into one.

Interestingly enough, Marantz introduced a replacement for the 4001 with a new aluminum/glossy black front bezel.

Of course, I am talking about full-sized CD changer components, not the ones that come with these mini systems, so if that's what you're talking about here, my apologies.

It's funny that you say that people associate the look with cheap, because my first thought was, "I bet those are expensive" and I was right. Nothing can look that good and not cost something. I think they do offer an outstanding value though.

Pioneer's file type changers are surprisingly robust. I have one, the mechanism is so reliable that it is often used in variations for Jukebox machines. It is quite heavy as well.

And yes, we're talking about the miniature changers, but it's fine. This thread has become a haven for me to post lots and lots of pictures, and I'm fine with that.

Pioneer Elite PD-F109

 

[Seth=L]

Imagine if I ever have children, I'll really go picture crazy (not necessarily sure though, I'm not a huge fan of photographing people).

 

[PearlcorderS701]

It's funny that you say that people associate the look with cheap, because my first thought was, "I bet those are expensive" and I was right. Nothing can look that good and not cost something. I think they do offer an outstanding value though.

You mean with regard to the mini systems? If so, I was just offering my opinion to the other member in that I could only guess that many feel they look kind of inexpensive and un-robust; obviously that's not you, but it was just a guess on my behalf. I myself am kind of torn on the looks; I wouldn't personally buy a mini system like these as I prefer full-size componentry no matter what the space constraints, but that's just my personal taste.

Pioneer's file type changers are surprisingly robust. I have one, the mechanism is so reliable that it is often used in variations for Jukebox machines. It is quite heavy as well.

Nice picture -- I actually considered one of these when I first got into changers back many years, but I didn't like the idea of the "cartridge/file" type systems, instead preferring the carousel type changers.

And yes, we're talking about the miniature changers, but it's fine. This thread has become a haven for me to post lots and lots of pictures, and I'm fine with that.

My apologies; I wasn't sure if that member was referring to the mini changers or full-sized, as my response was directed to him, but apparently you cleared that up for me -- and pictures are great! I love looking at peoples' home audio porn, especially the two-channel stereo stuff...

Keep 'em coming!

 

[PearlcorderS701]

Imagine if I ever have children, I'll really go picture crazy (not necessarily sure though, I'm not a huge fan of photographing people).

Nice!

I am envious as I wish my Onkyo 8555 stereo receiver had an "AUX" input in which I could plug my Numark professional CD mixing console -- there is no AUX input on my receiver, so I have to plug the dual CD player/mixer into the "VCR/DVR" input, and I HATE that because it looks SO odd lighting up on the display screen like that...for some reason, Onkyo didn't include an AUX option for inputs, and instead chose to lean this receiver towards a video-centric generation, even though its a 2-channel product, with inputs for DVD, VCR, GAME, etc...I can't stand that about the unit.

 

[Seth=L]

Nice!

I am envious as I wish my Onkyo 8555 stereo receiver had an "AUX" input in which I could plug my Numark professional CD mixing console -- there is no AUX input on my receiver, so I have to plug the dual CD player/mixer into the "VCR/DVR" input, and I HATE that because it looks SO odd lighting up on the display screen like that...for some reason, Onkyo didn't include an AUX option for inputs, and instead chose to lean this receiver towards a video-centric generation, even though its a 2-channel product, with inputs for DVD, VCR, GAME, etc...I can't stand that about the unit.

That sure is a strange pet peave to have.

Please don't quote images, it brings havok to those users with slow internet speeds.

 

[PearlcorderS701]

That sure is a strange pet peave to have.

Please don't quote images, it brings havok to those users with slow internet speeds.

I just don't like the fact that the unit is "video-centric" in that it offers inputs like Game/TV, DVD, VCR, etc...I wish it were more audio-oriented and boasted an AUX input for random equipment connetions, like my aforementioned CD mixing console.

It wouldn't bother you if your audio equipment was plugged into an input labeled "DVR" or "VCR" and you had to look at that each time you used the input device?

 

[Pyrrho]

What absolutely warps my mind is that there's not many companies that seem to be taking this approach in the US market. With more people renting now than ever, I would think it would be a booming market. Europe and Japan have lots of stuff like this, but then they don't have the "bigger is better" mentality like North Americans do.

I can think of a couple of reasons why it has not caught on here. First, the prices seem higher than for larger pieces, so if your shelf will fit the larger piece, why not save some money? Second, I bought one of the Teac systems for my mother-in-law, as it was very attractive and small and seemed like it would be suitable for her. But as it turned out, the CD changer was a piece of garbage that failed shortly after the warranty ended. From what I have heard, I don't think that is rare with mini Teac CD changers.

I would much rather have something larger that continues to work than a pretty little thing that is unreliable. Especially when the more reliable component is also less expensive.

If you have had better luck with them, I am glad for you. But I don't think I will ever be buying one of their little things again.

 

[PearlcorderS701]

I can think of a couple of reasons why it has not caught on here. First, the prices seem higher than for larger pieces, so if your shelf will fit the larger piece, why not save some money? Second, I bought one of the Teac systems for my mother-in-law, as it was very attractive and small and seemed like it would be suitable for her. But as it turned out, the CD changer was a piece of garbage that failed shortly after the warranty ended. From what I have heard, I don't think that is rare with mini Teac CD changers.

I would much rather have something larger that continues to work than a pretty little thing that is unreliable. Especially when the more reliable component is also less expensive.

If you have had better luck with them, I am glad for you. But I don't think I will ever be buying one of their little things again.

This is kinda what I was getting at with regard to the way these systems are looked at by North American/U.S. buyers...

 

[Seth=L]

I can think of a couple of reasons why it has not caught on here. First, the prices seem higher than for larger pieces, so if your shelf will fit the larger piece, why not save some money? Second, I bought one of the Teac systems for my mother-in-law, as it was very attractive and small and seemed like it would be suitable for her. But as it turned out, the CD changer was a piece of garbage that failed shortly after the warranty ended. From what I have heard, I don't think that is rare with mini Teac CD changers.

I would much rather have something larger that continues to work than a pretty little thing that is unreliable. Especially when the more reliable component is also less expensive.

If you have had better luck with them, I am glad for you. But I don't think I will ever be buying one of their little things again.

This system sucks.

http://www.epinions.com/TEAC_MCD90_3_CD_Changer_Complete_Systems/display_~reviews

http://www.fixya.com/support/t175428-teac_mcd90_3_cd_receiver_micro_system

They aren't part of the Reference series either. It's not quite worlds appart like the Esoteric line, but I think it's unfair to judge the Reference series based on a poor experience with a lower end product.

 

[Seth=L]

In case someone was wondering what the back side of the AG-H500 and PD-F570 looked like.

 

[enrique]

I just got another teac ag-h550, my previous one i gave to my parents.Any how anyone suggest a decent set of speakers for this unit.Its going in the bedroom and want to use small decent speakers.open for suggestions.

 

[3db]

This system sucks.

http://www.epinions.com/TEAC_MCD90_3_CD_Changer_Complete_Systems/display_~reviews

http://www.fixya.com/support/t175428-teac_mcd90_3_cd_receiver_micro_system

They aren't part of the Reference series either. It's not quite worlds appart like the Esoteric line, but I think it's unfair to judge the Reference series based on a poor experience with a lower end product.

If you look at the stuf on the links, you can tell by looking at it thats Walmart mass market crap. The stuff you have shown inb your post looks lie its solid and dependable. My older botther (9 years my senior) had (still hass??) a teac cassette deck that worked very well.

Its something like this but it was black. I cannoty remember the model number.

http://www.vintagecassette.com/Teac/A-360

 

[Seth=L]

I just got another teac ag-h550, my previous one i gave to my parents.Any how anyone suggest a decent set of speakers for this unit.Its going in the bedroom and want to use small decent speakers.open for suggestions.

Is this your card?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250696264763&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I wanted to bid on that so bad, but as luck would have it my car is in need of repairs.

I did get an opportunity to get the tripath based Teac AG-L800 5.1 receiver. The AG-L800 utilizes 3 tripath TA2022 stereo modules (one channel is unused) and a switching power supply. Each channel is capable of delivering 60 watts @ 8 ohms and 90 watts @ 4 ohms as tripath's data sheet tells us. The Teac A-L700P 3 channel amplifier uses 2 stereo TA2050 modules (one channel unused) and again uses a switching power supply. The modules on the A-L700P are rated to deliver 45 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 75 @ 4 ohms. Compare these figures to the meager 6 watts @ 8 ohms and 11 watts @ 4 ohms provided by the Sonic T-Amp.

 

[enrique]

Is this your card?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250696264763&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I wanted to bid on that so bad, but as luck would have it my car is in need of repairs.

I did get an opportunity to get the tripath based Teac AG-L800 5.1 receiver. The AG-L800 utilizes 3 tripath TA2022 stereo modules (one channel is unused) and a switching power supply. Each channel is capable of delivering 60 watts @ 8 ohms and 90 watts @ 4 ohms as tripath's data sheet tells us. The Teac A-L700P 3 channel amplifier uses 2 stereo TA2050 modules (one channel unused) and again uses a switching power supply. The modules on the A-L700P are rated to deliver 45 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 75 @ 4 ohms. Compare these figures to the meager 6 watts @ 8 ohms and 11 watts @ 4 ohms provided by the Sonic T-Amp.

yep! thats the one.

 

[Seth=L]

yep! thats the one.

I watched it cycle through the first time. Darn moron listed the item for 2 days, BOTH TIMES! I just got my paycheck today.

I would pay decent money for one of those in good condition. Other than the Teac A-H500 and Teac VRDS-9, it is the piece I desire the most. It's the only Teac Reference component that has 5.1 preouts. It would have been excellent of Teac had made Reference 500 series power amplifiers. Imagine a stack of 5 monoblocks, all with the same power supply found in the A-H500 (like a 250-350va toroidal flanked by 4x4700uF 50v capacitors), 6 output devices for a true triple darlington output stage. An amplifier like that, could easily manage 100 watts @ 8 ohms, and lots more into complex loads. All this, while being sexy!

Teac really missed the ball on the Reference series IMO. They could have taken it to such a high scale.

So yeah, if you ever decide you're tired of the AG-H550, let me know.

Since pictures haven't been posted in a while, I'll add to the show! (can't take personal credit for these pictures)

This is a picture of a Teac A-H500 integrated amplifier resting on top of one of the rarest Reference components. The VRDS-9 does not adopt the "Reference" name. It's remotely possible that the VRDS-9 is what sparked the Reference series products. The VRDS stands in an odd position compared to the rest of the Reference CD players because until now, nothing has remotely compared to it's build quality. I speculate the new PD-H600 would give the old gal a run for her money, however the PD-H600 does not fit the mold of what I personally enjoy about the Reference series.

Another internal shot of the A-H500 integrated amplifier.

 

[enrique]

Recieved the teac ag-h550 today.Now i'm still looking for suggestions for decent inexpensive small speakers for this unit.Will be using 2 channel for now.

 

[Seth=L]

Recieved the teac ag-h550 today.Now i'm still looking for suggestions for decent inexpensive small speakers for this unit.Will be using 2 channel for now.

Cambridge Audio's S30 comes to mind. It's a very compact speaker, around $200 street price, and they look excellent. Most people have nothing but good things to say about them, aside from the obvious limitations of a speaker of it's size. Given the power output of the Teac I'd think they would fit great. Cambridge also offers floor standing and center speakers you can buy later on that match the S30. I'd recommend looking elsewhere for a subwoofer though. Most of your major subwoofer manufacturers, the ones commonly recommended here, offer many finish options that would help match the aesthetics of the Cambridge and Teac components.

I'm extremely envious of your new acquisition. I don't suppose you'd be able to do me a favor though? Take some detailed front/back/side/bottom pictures and if possible remove the hood and take a shot or two of the insides (no need to take anymore off than just the hood). If you did that, I'd be extremely pleased. Also, if you can determine the uF and V values off the main supply capacitors, I would be most gracious as well. I already know the transformer must be around 200-250va with the current draw rating around 2.5 amps or so. For such a small receiver, it's sure got a lot under the hood.

My AG-L800 arrives tomorrow. I can't wait to see with that little guy can do, and what's inside. It will be the first component I've owned that is driven by a Tripath amplifier, and it's not a puny Tripath amp either.