The Zanden Audio Model 5000S

To design the world's finest 16bit/44.1kHz D/A converter, Zanden had to first identify the major shortcoming that plagues the CD format: Linear full bandwidth phase. It is the key to excellent CD playback and the one area where all other D/A converters fall short. To meet the challenge of correct phase, Zanden has created its own patented analog filter with the best phase characteristics of any filter on the market. The Model 5000S uses no digital brick-wall filter, no oversampling and no upsampling. While this may seem unconventional, when your goal is not mere mediocrity but to be the best, you have to think outside the box. Coupled to Zanden's unique analog reconstruction filter is the Philips TDA-1541A double crown DAC IC, the best-sounding chip ever made. The Model 500 DAC also incorporates an analog fixed-impedance bridged T-filter circuit for the highest-quality emphasis CD playback.

The Model 5000S is a technological tour de force with high-quality passive parts such as the necessary transformers, capacitors and resistors. A vacuum tube-rectifiied power supply prevents noise from entering and degrading the delicate musical signals while Zanden's patented single-stage zero NFB (no negative feedback) tube stage drives the output. The base, front and rear panels are constructed of 16 mm thick aluminum to keep vibrations to a minimum while thew cover is beautiful mirror-polished stainless steel. Superior design and execution allow the Model 5000S D/A converter to achieve the most accurate and musical playback of compact discs possible.

"...Closer to home for me is a comparison to SACD, which the Zanden DAC and transport invite. SACD's greatest triumph is that it doesn't sound like CD, which is to say that CD's identifying characteristics are pretty much banished. The same holds true for the Zanden combo, which begs the question, "Which is better?" My mind says it's a draw, but when I look at the pile of discs I've been listening to, I have to admit that the Zanden Model 5000 Signature and Model 2000 Premium have been monopolizing my time. I still think just as highly of the SACDs I own, especially when they are played on a top-flight player like the Esoteric X-01, but I can't deny that I've been listening to the Zanden DAC and transport more than the X-01. CD playback from the Esoteric player is among the very best I have heard, but the Model 5000 Signature and Model 2000 Premium are at another level -- statement, ne plus ultra, the best of the best. I never thought I would write this, especially in light of the review I wrote on the Esoteric X-01 last year, but given my tastes and the wide array of music I play, I am aware of no better digital source than the Zanden separates..."

The Zanden 5000 DAC Board

"...Previously, if someone had offered to replace my record players and record collection wholesale with CDs and a player of my choice, I'd have questioned their sanity and then shown them the door. Now I'd have to consider that offer seriously. That's how big a step the Zanden digital electronics represent. They don't sound like any CD player I've ever heard before. They sound better. They don't sound like any turntable either - they're different. In many ways, they've redefined my expectations of recorded music. Just when you thought CD was dying if not exactly dead, Zanden have brought it back to real breathing life -- somewhere it's never been before -- and that's good news for all of us ..."

"...For this writer, SACD and DVD-A are like that rumored-to-be-excellent restaurant with the punishingly irregular and unpublished hours. Most the time, it's closed when I stop by. Even though promising on paper and by repute, I can no longer be bothered. Being hungry for music, I need three daily meals. That means RedBook. With Zanden's front-end, SACD and DVD-A have become obscurities in the mists of Avalon - legendary perhaps but not quite real and certainly not relevant to the times... Yamada-San's novel reclocking and I²S master link implementation deserves recognition for what it is: A resetting of the boundaries that have defined (and limited) what RedBook playback has been thus far..."

Zanden 2000P CD Transport Previously, if someone had offered to replace my record players and record collection wholesale with CDs and a player of my choice, I'd have questioned their sanity and then shown them the door. Now I'd have to consider that offer seriously. That's how big a step the Zanden digital electronics represent. - HiFi +

Weiss Jason CD Transport Any great digital front end must start with a great transport. The JASON CD Transport is an addition to the already famous MEDEA D/A Converter. The design and electronics are of the same high quality in both units. Many included features in the JASON which make it the CD Transport of choice not only in conjunction with the MEDEA but with all kinds of D/A Converters or Digital Amplifiers.