Arkay
Lunatic Member
"NUTSHELL" INTRODUCTION:
:
Tonight I bought two fairly rare Japanese-market audio things:
1. A Pioneer PD-HL5-PM "Pure Malt" CD Player;
2. A pair of Yamaha NS-1000X speakers (Note the "X" suffix!).
I'll talk about the Pioneer unit here, and the Yammie unit over in that forum. So here goes the Pioneer:
THE ACQUISITION:
Earlier this evening I happened to walk around one of the "audio streets" some AKers may know of: Apliu Street, in the Sham Shui Po district.
I turned the corner into the end of the street, where there are a couple of small stalls that sell used audio stuff. As I was passing by one of them, I saw the stall owner and another guy discussing a CD player that I recognized, having seen its like on two prior occasions in very high-end places in better parts of the city. Once you've seen one of these, it's hard to forget, because the top panel is green, and not only the side panels but also the CD drawer front are made from solid wood.
Yes, it was a Pioneer "Pure Malt" CD Player! I'll describe it a bit more below, but suffice it to say this is a fairly rare and somewhat collectible item. I stopped and listened a little. I've known the shop owner for some years, but the other guy was a stranger. I couldn't tell from what they were saying about the unit whether the stranger was considering buying the unit from the dealer, or trying to sell it to the dealer, so I asked. The stranger was trying to sell the unit, so he had approached the dealer.
According to local customs, I did not want to "cut in" while they were discussing the potential transaction, but I was hoping it might end with my getting the thing for a good price, so I hung around. The dealer really did NOT know what he was looking at, which in the end turned out to my advantage. He plugged the unit in. It lit up correctly, the drawer went in and out, and it appeared to play normally, but he did not connect it up to any amp or speakers to test it. After some discussion, the dealer would only offer about ten percent less than the guy was asking for it, so no deal was made. The guy picked the unit back up, and started hurrying off to the next shop, intent on selling it before the places all closed.
I had to walk briskly to keep up with him, but once he realized I was interested in buying it, he stopped, put it down, and we talked. I knew the price he was asking was about 1/5 to 1/4 of what I'd seen these sell for previously, and I decided not to quibble about the ten percent difference, once it was clear he wouldn't budge on the price. I paid him cash on the spot, and he took off, leaving me the new owner of a "Pure Malt" CD player. He even game me "the remote" for it... although I knew instantly it was NOT the original remote control, which has a wood body/casing. Anyway, it was a Pioneer remote which would function perfectly well with the unit.
We struck the deal, by coincidence, in front of another shop where I know the guys and have bought stuff before. They were curious to see what I'd bought, and asked me if I wanted to hook it up for a listen. I said, "Sure! Why not?" So they hooked it up to a Sansui AU-9500 playing out through a large pair of Sansui speakers with diffraction grills over the tweeters (S-77 -?) sitting right up against each other on the floor. Not the best set-up for critical listening, but okay to get a general sense of the sound.
I had heard the "Pure Malt" CD player before, but somehow it sounded a lot better than I remembered or expected it to, especially through such a set-up. Inky black-silent background, very smooth and musical, yet nicely detailed... hard to be sure through those speakers in that environment, but it gave me a good impression of the unit. I'm really looking forward to auditioning it in my system at home.
PICTURES:
Here is what the unit looks like (pic stolen from the Web):
Here is a pic of it with the matching amplifier and the remote:
(NOTE: I only got the CD Player, NOT the amp, and the remote I was given is NOT the original remote as in the picture.)
There are more pictures online here:
http://www.hifi-stuff.de/photo/phot...d504d2050757265204d616c742043442d506c61796572
DESCRIPTION:
The "Pure Malt" series from Pioneer was a limited-edition series of relatively high-end audio gear produced solely for the Japanese domestic market, although eventually they did offer some units in North America.
What made the series unusual is that they were a "collaboration" between Pioneer and the Suntory brewing company. The wood used to make the speaker cabinets, turntable plinth, and trimmings on the amp and CD player were all recycled from 50-150 year old whiskey barrels! Hence the name, "Pure Malt." I guess this was some marketer's brainstorm, to combine fine whiskey with fine audio --two of a lot of Japanese males' most popular passions. (After sex, of course - but it's hard to put THOSE kinds of knobs, cheeks, etc... on gear, and not get into trouble!
) The selling hype implied some kind of association between the past life of the wood, and the "smooth, easy, delicious" sound, etc... Probably nonsense, but it worked in Japan; the series is considered collectible and retains decent value, even years later.
When the wooden-fronted tray opens out, there is another unusual sight. The CD is placed on a disc that looks almost like a vinyl turntable platter in miniature, with a thickened, rounded "lip" around the edge that should give it greater rotational inertia/stability, and a rubber "mat" for the CD itself to rest on. It's a neat, "classy" sort of transport mechanism, although I'm not sure how well it functions in terms of jitter, etc...
As with all(?) Pioneer CD players that have the tray in the center of the unit, the CD is placed label-side-down (shiny side up), as the head is suspended ABOVE the CD, not below it. (Pioneer players with the tray off to the side of the unit have the head underneath, as is common with most other brands.)
There are digital coax and optical outputs in the back, as well as audio outputs. There is also a headphone jack in the front, complete with its own volume control.
Another unusual feature is a larger knob on the right side of the faceplate, which is used to change tracks/songs! Rotate it clockwise, and it "steps" though the songs in a forward direction; rotate it counter-clockwise, and it "steps" back towards the first song on the disc. Otherwise, it also has all the usual/conventional controls one expects on a CD player.
There is a connector on the back for using standard power cables, so "cable rolling" is convenient (if that's your thing!). The unit is 100 V (Japanese domestic standard), so for use here in 220V Hong Kong (and presumably in the 110/115V States, too) a transformer must be used to deliver the correct voltage to it.
The gear is actually very nice, although visually not to everyone's preference. I think it looks better in real life than in pictures, and it definitely has higher WAF than most audio gear. It's a little hard to tell from the pics, but the top plate is actually a rich green color, almost a "forest green". It offsets the honey-golden color of the wood very nicely. Some would find it a bit "showy", though. If Danish modern and extreme minimalism are what you live for, you may not like this, but if antiques and old-style gentlemen's club furnishings are your thing, this will fit right in for you.
The speakers are the most well-known and widely-sold part of the series, but personally if I could only get one unit from the series, it would be the CD player. The CD players were produced in a limited edition of only 500 units. Mine is (if I am remembering correctly) #236/500, so it was made about halfway through the production run. The date on the "seal" on the faceplate is 1990; that should be the year that the series was launched. I'm not sure for how long they were under production or offered for sale. (I"ll update this if/when I can find out.)
In 1999, the prestigious HiVi Japanese Magazine ranked this CD player as the second-best of all CD players in its price bracket.
SPECS:
The following was taken off the web, not directly from a Pioneer source, but it's the best info I have at this time:
Frequency characteristic 2Hz ~ 20kHz
Audible frequency range 2Hz ~ 40kHz
(EIAJ) 0.0018% or less total harmonic distortion dynamic range (EIAJ) 100dB or more
Digital output SN ratio (EIAJ) 115dB or more (light)-15dBm ~-21dBm, wavelength 660nm
Digital output (coaxial) 0.5Vp-p, 75Ω
Dimensions (mm) 458 (W) × 129 (H) × 374 (D)
Mass 8.4kg
Power consumption 10W
Input and output terminal Audio output (gold-plated), headphone output (with volume)
Digital optical output, digital coaxial output
Track search function main SR, deck synchro, AC inlet, direct song selection, random play, one track repeat,
Track repeat, random repeat, highlight scan,
Digital level control, 24 tracks can be programmed,
Program random play, program repeat,
Computer program edit, edit auto program,
Display off, output selector (digital off)
CONCLUSION:
I hope some of the above is of some interest to y'all fellow Pioneer fans here. I assume not many AKers may have the opportunity to experience this player. Since only 500 were made and (almost?) all were sold in Japan, it is rare elsewhere. I'll try to remember to come back and post listening impressions, after I've had a chance to audition it at more length, in my own system.
:
Tonight I bought two fairly rare Japanese-market audio things:
1. A Pioneer PD-HL5-PM "Pure Malt" CD Player;
2. A pair of Yamaha NS-1000X speakers (Note the "X" suffix!).
I'll talk about the Pioneer unit here, and the Yammie unit over in that forum. So here goes the Pioneer:
THE ACQUISITION:
Earlier this evening I happened to walk around one of the "audio streets" some AKers may know of: Apliu Street, in the Sham Shui Po district.
I turned the corner into the end of the street, where there are a couple of small stalls that sell used audio stuff. As I was passing by one of them, I saw the stall owner and another guy discussing a CD player that I recognized, having seen its like on two prior occasions in very high-end places in better parts of the city. Once you've seen one of these, it's hard to forget, because the top panel is green, and not only the side panels but also the CD drawer front are made from solid wood.
Yes, it was a Pioneer "Pure Malt" CD Player! I'll describe it a bit more below, but suffice it to say this is a fairly rare and somewhat collectible item. I stopped and listened a little. I've known the shop owner for some years, but the other guy was a stranger. I couldn't tell from what they were saying about the unit whether the stranger was considering buying the unit from the dealer, or trying to sell it to the dealer, so I asked. The stranger was trying to sell the unit, so he had approached the dealer.
According to local customs, I did not want to "cut in" while they were discussing the potential transaction, but I was hoping it might end with my getting the thing for a good price, so I hung around. The dealer really did NOT know what he was looking at, which in the end turned out to my advantage. He plugged the unit in. It lit up correctly, the drawer went in and out, and it appeared to play normally, but he did not connect it up to any amp or speakers to test it. After some discussion, the dealer would only offer about ten percent less than the guy was asking for it, so no deal was made. The guy picked the unit back up, and started hurrying off to the next shop, intent on selling it before the places all closed.
I had to walk briskly to keep up with him, but once he realized I was interested in buying it, he stopped, put it down, and we talked. I knew the price he was asking was about 1/5 to 1/4 of what I'd seen these sell for previously, and I decided not to quibble about the ten percent difference, once it was clear he wouldn't budge on the price. I paid him cash on the spot, and he took off, leaving me the new owner of a "Pure Malt" CD player. He even game me "the remote" for it... although I knew instantly it was NOT the original remote control, which has a wood body/casing. Anyway, it was a Pioneer remote which would function perfectly well with the unit.
We struck the deal, by coincidence, in front of another shop where I know the guys and have bought stuff before. They were curious to see what I'd bought, and asked me if I wanted to hook it up for a listen. I said, "Sure! Why not?" So they hooked it up to a Sansui AU-9500 playing out through a large pair of Sansui speakers with diffraction grills over the tweeters (S-77 -?) sitting right up against each other on the floor. Not the best set-up for critical listening, but okay to get a general sense of the sound.
I had heard the "Pure Malt" CD player before, but somehow it sounded a lot better than I remembered or expected it to, especially through such a set-up. Inky black-silent background, very smooth and musical, yet nicely detailed... hard to be sure through those speakers in that environment, but it gave me a good impression of the unit. I'm really looking forward to auditioning it in my system at home.
PICTURES:
Here is what the unit looks like (pic stolen from the Web):
Here is a pic of it with the matching amplifier and the remote:
(NOTE: I only got the CD Player, NOT the amp, and the remote I was given is NOT the original remote as in the picture.)
There are more pictures online here:
http://www.hifi-stuff.de/photo/phot...d504d2050757265204d616c742043442d506c61796572
DESCRIPTION:
The "Pure Malt" series from Pioneer was a limited-edition series of relatively high-end audio gear produced solely for the Japanese domestic market, although eventually they did offer some units in North America.
What made the series unusual is that they were a "collaboration" between Pioneer and the Suntory brewing company. The wood used to make the speaker cabinets, turntable plinth, and trimmings on the amp and CD player were all recycled from 50-150 year old whiskey barrels! Hence the name, "Pure Malt." I guess this was some marketer's brainstorm, to combine fine whiskey with fine audio --two of a lot of Japanese males' most popular passions. (After sex, of course - but it's hard to put THOSE kinds of knobs, cheeks, etc... on gear, and not get into trouble!
) The selling hype implied some kind of association between the past life of the wood, and the "smooth, easy, delicious" sound, etc... Probably nonsense, but it worked in Japan; the series is considered collectible and retains decent value, even years later.When the wooden-fronted tray opens out, there is another unusual sight. The CD is placed on a disc that looks almost like a vinyl turntable platter in miniature, with a thickened, rounded "lip" around the edge that should give it greater rotational inertia/stability, and a rubber "mat" for the CD itself to rest on. It's a neat, "classy" sort of transport mechanism, although I'm not sure how well it functions in terms of jitter, etc...
As with all(?) Pioneer CD players that have the tray in the center of the unit, the CD is placed label-side-down (shiny side up), as the head is suspended ABOVE the CD, not below it. (Pioneer players with the tray off to the side of the unit have the head underneath, as is common with most other brands.)
There are digital coax and optical outputs in the back, as well as audio outputs. There is also a headphone jack in the front, complete with its own volume control.
Another unusual feature is a larger knob on the right side of the faceplate, which is used to change tracks/songs! Rotate it clockwise, and it "steps" though the songs in a forward direction; rotate it counter-clockwise, and it "steps" back towards the first song on the disc. Otherwise, it also has all the usual/conventional controls one expects on a CD player.
There is a connector on the back for using standard power cables, so "cable rolling" is convenient (if that's your thing!
). The unit is 100 V (Japanese domestic standard), so for use here in 220V Hong Kong (and presumably in the 110/115V States, too) a transformer must be used to deliver the correct voltage to it.The gear is actually very nice, although visually not to everyone's preference. I think it looks better in real life than in pictures, and it definitely has higher WAF than most audio gear. It's a little hard to tell from the pics, but the top plate is actually a rich green color, almost a "forest green". It offsets the honey-golden color of the wood very nicely. Some would find it a bit "showy", though. If Danish modern and extreme minimalism are what you live for, you may not like this, but if antiques and old-style gentlemen's club furnishings are your thing, this will fit right in for you.
The speakers are the most well-known and widely-sold part of the series, but personally if I could only get one unit from the series, it would be the CD player. The CD players were produced in a limited edition of only 500 units. Mine is (if I am remembering correctly) #236/500, so it was made about halfway through the production run. The date on the "seal" on the faceplate is 1990; that should be the year that the series was launched. I'm not sure for how long they were under production or offered for sale. (I"ll update this if/when I can find out.)
In 1999, the prestigious HiVi Japanese Magazine ranked this CD player as the second-best of all CD players in its price bracket.
SPECS:
The following was taken off the web, not directly from a Pioneer source, but it's the best info I have at this time:
Frequency characteristic 2Hz ~ 20kHz
Audible frequency range 2Hz ~ 40kHz
(EIAJ) 0.0018% or less total harmonic distortion dynamic range (EIAJ) 100dB or more
Digital output SN ratio (EIAJ) 115dB or more (light)-15dBm ~-21dBm, wavelength 660nm
Digital output (coaxial) 0.5Vp-p, 75Ω
Dimensions (mm) 458 (W) × 129 (H) × 374 (D)
Mass 8.4kg
Power consumption 10W
Input and output terminal Audio output (gold-plated), headphone output (with volume)
Digital optical output, digital coaxial output
Track search function main SR, deck synchro, AC inlet, direct song selection, random play, one track repeat,
Track repeat, random repeat, highlight scan,
Digital level control, 24 tracks can be programmed,
Program random play, program repeat,
Computer program edit, edit auto program,
Display off, output selector (digital off)
CONCLUSION:
I hope some of the above is of some interest to y'all fellow Pioneer fans here. I assume not many AKers may have the opportunity to experience this player. Since only 500 were made and (almost?) all were sold in Japan, it is rare elsewhere. I'll try to remember to come back and post listening impressions, after I've had a chance to audition it at more length, in my own system.
)
nono
:guitar: :thmbsp:
