Hello everyone,
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Orpheus Zero CD Player and Transport.
I already reviewed this CD player a year and half ago, and I realized it needed a significant refresh to align with my latest reviews. After quick alignment with @amirm, we agreed best would be to create a new review, to show how measurements have evolved under the positive influence of ASR members.
Orpheus Zero - Presentation
This is a Swiss made CD Player that was first released in 2005, at a very high price. In today's money, we would be talkin $10'000 retail price! It reads only the CD Audio (no, not SACD, sorry), and it was followed by an MKII version with a blue display. There was also a Transport only version named Orpheus One.
As you can see from the picture, it looks like a rackable 1U CD player, but it is not. It is made of thick aluminium and steal plates, and the weight reaches 10kg (22lbs) for that reason. It is a top loading unit (not practical) feature the almost legendary Philips CD-Pro drive.
On the back we get lucky with multiple outputs:
Note no optical SPDIF but 3-pole AES, that goes with the "pro" look.
The inside is quite clean:
Power supply on the left, Philips CD-Pro in the middle and servo board + digital processing (and output) and conversion on the right.
The DAC is an ancient 24bits Wolfson WM8740 capable of -104dB THD+N @0dBFS, which is enough to free the Audio CD 16bits/44.1kHz from noise and distortion. Measurements will show if that's the case.
Orpheus published the below specs at the time:
A THD+N of 0.0012% at full scale mean this player offers the max resolution of the Audio CD (-98dB THD+N), and again, we'll check.
As seen above, the The Philips CD-Pro is hidden below a beautiful aluminium CD receptacle (not sure how to call that):
User Experience
I now like to share some subjective data with you now, about my interaction with a device. This one is a bit special to my heart since I bought it in 2007, and obviously I've been enjoying it a lot since it is still today the main source of my main system.
Besides the relative uneasy access due to the top loading, the speed of that drive is a delight, comparable to the best from Sony. The user interface, managed via the 5 front buttons, is an example of efficiency and clarity. No need for a user guide, the menus and sub-menus are easy to understand and use.
And I think I'll now state it here, rather buried below in the measurement: the Orpheus applies de-emphasis when required and is gapless playback, of course, this is a properly designed CD Player after all.
Orpheus Zero - Measurements (Analog outputs - From CD
All measurements performed with an E1DA Cosmos ADCiso (grade 0), and the Cosmos Scaler (100kohms from unbalanced input) for analog outputs, and a Motu UltraLite Mk5 for digital.
I am now consistent with my specific measurements for CD Players, as I described them in the post “More than we hear”, and as I reported them for the SMSL PL-200 review. Over time, this will help comparing the devices I reviewed.
Unless otherwise noted, all below measurements are from the balanced (XLR) outoput .
The Orpheus outputs 2Vrms from balanced and unbalanced outputs, as per specs. The two channels are perfectly matched with 0.00dB deviation as I'd like to see more often. Phase is dead flat, and unbalanced outputs respect absolute polarity. On that, note that the Orpheus offers the possibility to invert the phase:
----
As usual, let's start with my standard 999.91Hz sine @0dBFS (without dither) from the Test CD (XLR out):
This is a very nice trace, but we are short of 0.001% as I see 0.0013% of THD+N, not the claimed 0.0012%
But, hey, this is a 20 years old device, and I can tell you that I used it A LOT! So I shall accept 1dB more low level noise compare to the best in class SMSL PL200.
Let's try the same at -6dBFS:
We're getting extremely close to the best, this time, as only 0.4dB improvement of THD+N could be obtained with this test. It required a modern AKM or ESS DAC to get there...
----
I usually have a look at any potential PS related leakage, and you saw it before, there are none, even if I zoom with a punishing 512k FFT length:
Everything we see stays below -130dBr, and the few spikes you see come mainly from the quantization errors of 16bits PCM. This is very good.
----
Next is the bandwidth:
We have a -0.3dB at 20kHz, and that is acceptable. Note the perfect match between the two channels, the two traces overlay perfectly despite the high zoom of that view.
----
Let's have a look at the behavior of the oversampling filter beyond 20kHz:
This is a relatively sharp filter (symmetrical impulse response), of a -80dB attenuation, good for the time, but we do better now (not that we needed to). It correspond to the documented performances of the Sharp filter of the Wolson DAC WM8740, when I look at the datasheet.
Intermodulation distortion can be seen (lateral rays of 18k and 20kHz) going above -90dBr.
----
Let's have a look at the multitone test that a lot of you like very much:
This is a close to perfection as it can be from 16bits PCM. This trace shows that no distortion come to disrupt complex signal.
----
Oh yes, the jitter test:
The red trace is from the digital file and the blue one from the analog balanced outputs of the Orpheus. This is not perfect, but close enough. Nothing to hear for sure!
----
Started with the Teac VRDS-20 review, and on your request + support to get it done (more here), I'm adding now an "intersample-overs" test which intends to identify the behavior of the digital filtering and DAC when it come to process near clipping signals. Because of the oversampling, there might be interpolated data that go above 0dBFS and would saturate (clip) the DAC and therefore the output. And this effect shows through distorsion (THD+N measurement up to 96kHz):
This is interesting as the Orpheus is the second CD player with a digital filter, after the SMSL PL200, to resist as well these tests, and this time without requiring a digital volume attenuation. It means very close to the desired 3dB headroom to prevent generation distortion from intersample overs. This to appreciate since many CD Masters are recorded too hot. I am unsure if this is the internal filter of the Wolfson DAC or an internal digital filtering from Anagram Devices (ex-daugther company of Orpheus), I'd need to test another CD Player with that DAC.
----
Let's continue with the good old 3DC measurement that Stereophile was often using as a proof of low noise DAC. It is from an undithered 997Hz sine at -90.31dBFS. With 16bits, the signal should appear (on a scope) as the 3DC levels of the smallest symmetrical sign magnitude digital signal:
No surprise that we get a very good trace on that test which demonstrates a very good linearity of that conversion and very low level of noise. As a matter of facts, with the latest version of my test CD, I have tests files that allow me to say this one remains linear close to -120dBFS. It also means this CD player will fully benefit from dithered signal, and that is not always the case.
----
Other measurements (not shown):
The Dynamic range is the best that can be measured (unweighted) with the Audio CD.
Crosstalk was below what I can measure from the Audio CD at 100Hz and 1kHz, and a crazy low -128dBr at 10kHz. I think it's the best I've seen.
Pitch error is a very small -3.5ppm that not many achieve...
----
Last and not least, I like to run a THD vs Frequency sweep at -12dBFS as it shows how the conversion has evolved over time. I am currently using the beta version of REW and I discovered that this sweep gives better and more reliable results than before. I overlayed the results with the SMSL PL200 that got the best possible trace, and look:
I left the legend which shows the THD at 1kHz, so close to best, for a 20 years old device and converter.
---
As I did with the Sony CDP-597, I add a "max DAC resolution" measurement test. It is performed from a 999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither (from Audacity). I restrict the THD+N span to 20Hz - 6kHz in REW not to account for the noise of the shape dither beyond 6kHz. I take the calculated ENOB and simply add 2bits to it (due to the -12dB attenuation, as 1bits=6dB). The potential maximum, when calculated from the digital WAV file, is 18.7bits under this test. A "transparent" DAC should achieve 18.7bits, ie 100% in this test.
Here are the results compared to others:
Oh wow, only 0.1bit below the Denon DCD-900NE and its ESS DAC. I was expecting a good result from the Orpheus, but not that good.
----
On demand from the community, I add a "de-emphasis test" to verify that this flag is detected and the compliance with the expected de-emphasis curve.
The test is based the same sweep from 20Hz to 20kHz and one has the flag, not the other one.
When the flag is detected, the CD Player should apply the de-emphasis curve and therefore should show the below expected attenuation:
There is a max deviation of 1dB lower than expected, at 6kHz. This might make the Orpheus sound softer with CDs that use pre-emphasis. The datasheet of the DAC says +-0.1dB deviation for the de-emphasis response error at 44.1kHz, but I found a little more.
Orpheus Zero - Testing the drive
What would be good measurements if the drive would not properly read a slightly scratched CD, or one that was created at the limits of the norm? The below tests reply to these questions.
Here are the results:
I must admit I am a little disappointed by the above, for what's considered a legendary drive. Ok, mine might have aged because I used and abused it for the last near 20 years of service. Maybe caps refresh would help here (it generally does). But, well, we pay a little too high price for the speed, I think. This in line with many super fast Sony KSS laser heads though.
And that is an interesting test because I never ever suffered a drop when listening to my CD collection. They are not scratched, or so little, I must say, which means what it means: on a audibility perspective the above is more than good enough, as long as you don't have holes into your CDs
Orpheus Zero - Digital output
Ok, this one is a super duper old CD player. And to expect better from a modern DAC, we need a perfect digital output. Guess what?
This is my standard 999.91Hz @0dBFS (no dither):
This is the same as the original WAV file.
The 3DC test is nailed too, of course:
My ultimate proof of "perfect" digital output is when I reuse the intersample overs test at 5512.50Hz, with a phase shift of 67.5°, like I did for the TASCAM CD-200 review. This signal generates an overshoot of +0.69dB. And so, if the signal would be modified before being sent (by an ASRC for instance), it would show either a reduction of amplitude or we'd see some sort of saturation/increase noise/distorsion. So here we go, the below is a comparison between the WAV File directly processed by the PC, and when played by the Orpheus via the Coax out:
They are the same meaning perfect digital output.
Conclusion
I have been enjoying this CD player for almost 20 years. Before I got into measurements, I challenged it so many times, with other CD Players but also using external DACs, and I always went back to using its analog outputs. And it wasn't because they were better, but just because everything else sounded the same, so why not keeping this expensive toy as is?
All that said, it is impressive to see such performances from 20 years ago. From my many reviews, this is the best 2 decades old CD player. Well done to its genitors at OrpheusLab. How to best represent Swiss quality products than that?
I hope you enjoyed this review, and I can tell you I'll continue to enjoy this performing CD Player
Have a lovely weekend!
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Orpheus Zero CD Player and Transport.
I already reviewed this CD player a year and half ago, and I realized it needed a significant refresh to align with my latest reviews. After quick alignment with @amirm, we agreed best would be to create a new review, to show how measurements have evolved under the positive influence of ASR members.
Orpheus Zero - Presentation
This is a Swiss made CD Player that was first released in 2005, at a very high price. In today's money, we would be talkin $10'000 retail price! It reads only the CD Audio (no, not SACD, sorry), and it was followed by an MKII version with a blue display. There was also a Transport only version named Orpheus One.
As you can see from the picture, it looks like a rackable 1U CD player, but it is not. It is made of thick aluminium and steal plates, and the weight reaches 10kg (22lbs) for that reason. It is a top loading unit (not practical) feature the almost legendary Philips CD-Pro drive.
On the back we get lucky with multiple outputs:
Note no optical SPDIF but 3-pole AES, that goes with the "pro" look.
The inside is quite clean:
Power supply on the left, Philips CD-Pro in the middle and servo board + digital processing (and output) and conversion on the right.
The DAC is an ancient 24bits Wolfson WM8740 capable of -104dB THD+N @0dBFS, which is enough to free the Audio CD 16bits/44.1kHz from noise and distortion. Measurements will show if that's the case.
Orpheus published the below specs at the time:
A THD+N of 0.0012% at full scale mean this player offers the max resolution of the Audio CD (-98dB THD+N), and again, we'll check.
As seen above, the The Philips CD-Pro is hidden below a beautiful aluminium CD receptacle (not sure how to call that):
User Experience
I now like to share some subjective data with you now, about my interaction with a device. This one is a bit special to my heart since I bought it in 2007, and obviously I've been enjoying it a lot since it is still today the main source of my main system.
Besides the relative uneasy access due to the top loading, the speed of that drive is a delight, comparable to the best from Sony. The user interface, managed via the 5 front buttons, is an example of efficiency and clarity. No need for a user guide, the menus and sub-menus are easy to understand and use.
And I think I'll now state it here, rather buried below in the measurement: the Orpheus applies de-emphasis when required and is gapless playback, of course, this is a properly designed CD Player after all.
Orpheus Zero - Measurements (Analog outputs - From CD
All measurements performed with an E1DA Cosmos ADCiso (grade 0), and the Cosmos Scaler (100kohms from unbalanced input) for analog outputs, and a Motu UltraLite Mk5 for digital.
I am now consistent with my specific measurements for CD Players, as I described them in the post “More than we hear”, and as I reported them for the SMSL PL-200 review. Over time, this will help comparing the devices I reviewed.
Unless otherwise noted, all below measurements are from the balanced (XLR) outoput .
The Orpheus outputs 2Vrms from balanced and unbalanced outputs, as per specs. The two channels are perfectly matched with 0.00dB deviation as I'd like to see more often. Phase is dead flat, and unbalanced outputs respect absolute polarity. On that, note that the Orpheus offers the possibility to invert the phase:
----
As usual, let's start with my standard 999.91Hz sine @0dBFS (without dither) from the Test CD (XLR out):
This is a very nice trace, but we are short of 0.001% as I see 0.0013% of THD+N, not the claimed 0.0012%
But, hey, this is a 20 years old device, and I can tell you that I used it A LOT! So I shall accept 1dB more low level noise compare to the best in class SMSL PL200.Let's try the same at -6dBFS:
We're getting extremely close to the best, this time, as only 0.4dB improvement of THD+N could be obtained with this test. It required a modern AKM or ESS DAC to get there...
----
I usually have a look at any potential PS related leakage, and you saw it before, there are none, even if I zoom with a punishing 512k FFT length:
Everything we see stays below -130dBr, and the few spikes you see come mainly from the quantization errors of 16bits PCM. This is very good.
----
Next is the bandwidth:
We have a -0.3dB at 20kHz, and that is acceptable. Note the perfect match between the two channels, the two traces overlay perfectly despite the high zoom of that view.
----
Let's have a look at the behavior of the oversampling filter beyond 20kHz:
This is a relatively sharp filter (symmetrical impulse response), of a -80dB attenuation, good for the time, but we do better now (not that we needed to). It correspond to the documented performances of the Sharp filter of the Wolson DAC WM8740, when I look at the datasheet.
Intermodulation distortion can be seen (lateral rays of 18k and 20kHz) going above -90dBr.
----
Let's have a look at the multitone test that a lot of you like very much:
This is a close to perfection as it can be from 16bits PCM. This trace shows that no distortion come to disrupt complex signal.
----
Oh yes, the jitter test:
The red trace is from the digital file and the blue one from the analog balanced outputs of the Orpheus. This is not perfect, but close enough. Nothing to hear for sure!
----
Started with the Teac VRDS-20 review, and on your request + support to get it done (more here), I'm adding now an "intersample-overs" test which intends to identify the behavior of the digital filtering and DAC when it come to process near clipping signals. Because of the oversampling, there might be interpolated data that go above 0dBFS and would saturate (clip) the DAC and therefore the output. And this effect shows through distorsion (THD+N measurement up to 96kHz):
| Intersample-overs tests Bandwidth of the THD+N measurements is 20Hz - 96kHz | 5512.5 Hz sine, Peak = +0.69dBFS | 7350 Hz sine, Peak = +1.25dBFS | 11025 Hz sine, Peak = +3.0dBFS |
| Teac VRDS-20 | -30.7dB | -26.6dB | -17.6dB |
| Yamaha CD-1 | -84.6dB | -84.9dB | -78.1dB |
| Denon DCD-900NE | -34.2dB | -27.1dB | -19.1dB |
| Denon DCD-SA1 | -33.6dB | -27.6dB | -18.3dB |
| Onkyo C-733 | -88.3dB | -40.4dB | -21.2dB |
| Denon DCD-3560 | -30.2dB | -24.7dB | -17.4dB |
| Myryad Z210 | -70.6dB (noise dominated) | -71.1dB (noise dominated) | -29.4dB (H3 dominated) |
| Sony CDP-X333ES | -30.5dB | -24.8dB | -16.3dB |
| BARCO-EMT 982 | -32.7dB | -24.5dB | -16.3dB |
| TASCAM CD-200 | -73.5dB | -36.3dB | -19.7dB |
| Sony CDP-597 | -30.4dB | -24.7dB | -16.5dB |
| SMSL PL100 | -53.1dB | -31dB | -19.1dB |
| OPPO BDP-95 | -39dB | -28.8dB | -19.2dB |
| OPPO BDP-95 (vol -2dB) | -95dB | -97.5dB | -32.7dB |
| SMSL PL200 | -94.8dB | -97dB | -39.5dB |
| SMSL PL200 (vol -1dB) | -94.8dB | -97dB | -58.7dB |
| Orpheus Zero | -88.7dB | -87.3dB | -56.8dB |
This is interesting as the Orpheus is the second CD player with a digital filter, after the SMSL PL200, to resist as well these tests, and this time without requiring a digital volume attenuation. It means very close to the desired 3dB headroom to prevent generation distortion from intersample overs. This to appreciate since many CD Masters are recorded too hot. I am unsure if this is the internal filter of the Wolfson DAC or an internal digital filtering from Anagram Devices (ex-daugther company of Orpheus), I'd need to test another CD Player with that DAC.
----
Let's continue with the good old 3DC measurement that Stereophile was often using as a proof of low noise DAC. It is from an undithered 997Hz sine at -90.31dBFS. With 16bits, the signal should appear (on a scope) as the 3DC levels of the smallest symmetrical sign magnitude digital signal:
No surprise that we get a very good trace on that test which demonstrates a very good linearity of that conversion and very low level of noise. As a matter of facts, with the latest version of my test CD, I have tests files that allow me to say this one remains linear close to -120dBFS. It also means this CD player will fully benefit from dithered signal, and that is not always the case.
----
Other measurements (not shown):
- IMD AES-17 DFD "Analog" (18kHz & 20kHz 1:1) : -83.5dB
- IMD AES-17 DFD "Digital" (17'987Hz & 19'997Hz 1:1) : -85.1dB
- IMD AES-17 MD (41Hz & 7993Hz 4:1): -100dB
- IMD DIN (250Hz & 8kHz 4:1) : -91.8dB
- IMD CCIF (19kHz & 20kHz 1:1) : -85.6dB
- IMD SMPTE (60Hz & 17kHz 1:4) : -92.8dB
- IMD TDFD Bass (41Hz & 89Hz 1:1) : -111.6dB
- IMD TDFD (13'58Hz & 19841Hz 1:1) : -96.9dB
- Dynamic Range : 98.9dB (without dither @-60dBFS)
- Crosstalk: 100Hz (below -140dBr), 1kHz (below -140dBr), 10kHz (-128dBr)
- Pitch Error (GPSDO corrected) : 19'996.94Hz (19'997Hz requested) ie -3.5ppm
- Gapless playback : Yes
The Dynamic range is the best that can be measured (unweighted) with the Audio CD.
Crosstalk was below what I can measure from the Audio CD at 100Hz and 1kHz, and a crazy low -128dBr at 10kHz. I think it's the best I've seen.
Pitch error is a very small -3.5ppm that not many achieve...
----
Last and not least, I like to run a THD vs Frequency sweep at -12dBFS as it shows how the conversion has evolved over time. I am currently using the beta version of REW and I discovered that this sweep gives better and more reliable results than before. I overlayed the results with the SMSL PL200 that got the best possible trace, and look:
I left the legend which shows the THD at 1kHz, so close to best, for a 20 years old device and converter.
---
As I did with the Sony CDP-597, I add a "max DAC resolution" measurement test. It is performed from a 999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither (from Audacity). I restrict the THD+N span to 20Hz - 6kHz in REW not to account for the noise of the shape dither beyond 6kHz. I take the calculated ENOB and simply add 2bits to it (due to the -12dB attenuation, as 1bits=6dB). The potential maximum, when calculated from the digital WAV file, is 18.7bits under this test. A "transparent" DAC should achieve 18.7bits, ie 100% in this test.
Here are the results compared to others:
| CD Player model or DAC | Calculated ENOB (999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither, THD+N span = 20Hz - 6kHz) | Percentage of max resolution achieved (higher is better) |
| SMSL PL-200 | 18.7bits | 100% |
| OPPO BDP-95 | 18.7bits | 100% |
| SMSL PS-200 (from CD player) | 18.6bits | 99.47% |
| Denon DCD-900NE | 18.5bits | 98.93% |
| Orpheus Zero | 18.4bits | 98.40% |
| Onkyo C-733 | 18bits | 96.26% |
| SMSL PL150 | 18bits | 96.26% |
| SMSL PL100 | 17.9bits | 95.72% |
| Sony CDP-597 | 17.5bits | 93.58% |
| Onkyo DX-7355 | 17.3bits | 92.51% |
| Denon DCD-3560 | 17.2bits | 91.98% |
| Yamaha CD-S303 | 16.8bits | 89.84% |
| Revox B-226S | 16.8bits | 89.94% |
| Accuphase DP-70 | 16.6bits | 88.77% |
| Sony CDP-337ESD | 16.6bits | 88.77% |
| Teac VRDS-25x | 16.5bits | 88.24% |
| Marantz CD-73 | 14.9bits | 79.68% |
Oh wow, only 0.1bit below the Denon DCD-900NE and its ESS DAC. I was expecting a good result from the Orpheus, but not that good.
----
On demand from the community, I add a "de-emphasis test" to verify that this flag is detected and the compliance with the expected de-emphasis curve.
The test is based the same sweep from 20Hz to 20kHz and one has the flag, not the other one.
When the flag is detected, the CD Player should apply the de-emphasis curve and therefore should show the below expected attenuation:
- 2kHz = -037dB
- 5kHz = -4.53dB
- 11khz = -8dB
- 16kHz = -9.04dB
There is a max deviation of 1dB lower than expected, at 6kHz. This might make the Orpheus sound softer with CDs that use pre-emphasis. The datasheet of the DAC says +-0.1dB deviation for the de-emphasis response error at 44.1kHz, but I found a little more.
Orpheus Zero - Testing the drive
What would be good measurements if the drive would not properly read a slightly scratched CD, or one that was created at the limits of the norm? The below tests reply to these questions.
Here are the results:
| Test type | Technical test | Results |
| Variation of linear cutting velocity | From 1.20m/s to 1.40m/s | Pass |
| Variation of track pitch | From 1.5µm to 1.7µm | Pass |
| Combined variations of track pitch and velocity | From 1.20m/s & 1.5µm to 1.40m/s & 1.7µm | Pass |
| HF detection (asymmetry pitch/flat ratio) | Variation from 2% to 18% | Pass |
| Dropouts resistance | From 0.05mm (0.038ms) to 4mm (3.080ms) | 1mm |
| Combined dropouts and smallest pitch | From 1.5µm & 1mm to 1.5µm & 2.4mm | 1mm |
| Successive dropouts | From 2x0.1mm to 2x3mm | 1mm |
I must admit I am a little disappointed by the above, for what's considered a legendary drive. Ok, mine might have aged because I used and abused it for the last near 20 years of service. Maybe caps refresh would help here (it generally does). But, well, we pay a little too high price for the speed, I think. This in line with many super fast Sony KSS laser heads though.
And that is an interesting test because I never ever suffered a drop when listening to my CD collection. They are not scratched, or so little, I must say, which means what it means: on a audibility perspective the above is more than good enough, as long as you don't have holes into your CDs
Orpheus Zero - Digital output
Ok, this one is a super duper old CD player. And to expect better from a modern DAC, we need a perfect digital output. Guess what?
This is my standard 999.91Hz @0dBFS (no dither):
This is the same as the original WAV file.
The 3DC test is nailed too, of course:
My ultimate proof of "perfect" digital output is when I reuse the intersample overs test at 5512.50Hz, with a phase shift of 67.5°, like I did for the TASCAM CD-200 review. This signal generates an overshoot of +0.69dB. And so, if the signal would be modified before being sent (by an ASRC for instance), it would show either a reduction of amplitude or we'd see some sort of saturation/increase noise/distorsion. So here we go, the below is a comparison between the WAV File directly processed by the PC, and when played by the Orpheus via the Coax out:
They are the same meaning perfect digital output.
Conclusion
I have been enjoying this CD player for almost 20 years. Before I got into measurements, I challenged it so many times, with other CD Players but also using external DACs, and I always went back to using its analog outputs. And it wasn't because they were better, but just because everything else sounded the same, so why not keeping this expensive toy as is?
All that said, it is impressive to see such performances from 20 years ago. From my many reviews, this is the best 2 decades old CD player. Well done to its genitors at OrpheusLab. How to best represent Swiss quality products than that?
I hope you enjoyed this review, and I can tell you I'll continue to enjoy this performing CD Player
Have a lovely weekend!
Last edited:
