T.E.S. The Emotive Statement CD Player

Review 1

What a wonderful piece of Bauhausian extravagance: an integrated CD player comprising three main boxes and two power supplies all housed on a giant chromium plated aluminium chassis. The sheer originality of this player's construction, is enough to make you do a double take. The three boxes with neatly aligned fascias contain the CD transport (central), transport electronics (left) and DAC (right). Behind the transport electronics lies its own power supply toroid and smoothing capacitors; behind the dac is its dedicated power supply. This neat, conceptually clear design features a Far Eastern sourced transport and a DAC derived from NVA's own DACon, itself based on the BitStream QED Digit. Emotive is the name, emotive the inevitable response to the sound this player sets up. Its fluid, responsive and effortlessly dynamic rendering of music from CDs is a rare pleasure. Full of insight on all levels from spatial/acoustic to clarity of detailing, the player is perhaps most impressive in its sheer cogency or the way it makes everything hang together. Call it timing, focus or integrity...the Emotive Statement has it in spades.

DATA

• CD transport: Far East sourced sled type
• Chipset: Philips BitStream 
• Outputs: SMA screw terminal
• Features: Modular construction with discrete DAC and transport power supplies.
• Remote control supplied 

DISSENT

Not the most practical product if space is limited; minimal operational controls.

Source: CyberFi Top 100 Products (1995)