Vector Research VCD-770 CD-player Review

Vector Research’s VCD-770 CD player features a three-spot laser-pickup tracking system, quadruple (176.4-kHz) oversampling of the signal, digital low-pass filters, and full 16-bit digital-to-analog (d/a) conversion. It has a twelve-function wireless remote control that duplicates the principal front-panel controls of the main unit. Operation is simple and straightforward, and a programmable memory allows up to sixteen selections to be played in any desired sequence.

Once the motor-driven disc drawer closes, the word FOCUS appears in the display window for a few seconds, followed by a display of the total number of tracks and total playing time on the disc. Touching play/pause changes the display to 1 play; in a couple of seconds the play is replaced by the elapsed time as the first track is played. Alternate touches on the play/pause control toggle the player between those modes (a pause is indicated by a blinking track number on the display). Like most of the front-panel controls, it is a large, easy-to-operate touch-plate.

The pickup can be skipped forward or backward by successive touches on the appropriate controls, and another pair of controls cue the pickup at high speed to any desired part of a disc. The other controls are a row of small rectangular buttons below the display window. One of them switches the display to show the remaining time on the disc for a couple of seconds, and another allows either the current track or the entire disc to be repeated. Two buttons are used for storing track numbers in the programming memory and for clearing the memory when other selections are to be played.

The Vector Research VCD-770 measures 17 inches wide, 12 inches deep, and 3-3/8 inches high, and it weighs 9 pounds. The cabinet is finished in black with pale gold lettering. Price: $350.

Lab Tests

The output of the Vector Research VCD-770 was 2.08 volts from a maximum-level (0-dB) recorded test signal. The channel levels were identical. The A-weighted noise level, referred to 0 dB, was — 99 dB. The frequency response was very flat, with one output channel varying less than 0.1 dB and the other by 0.2 dB from 20 to 20,000 Hz. The 1,000-Hz harmonic distortion was 0.004 percent at 0 dB. The channel separation was 83 to 85 dB up to 1,000 Hz, narrowing slightly to 78.5 dB at 10,000 Hz and 73 dB at 20,000 Hz.

The phase shift between channels, . which was less than 5 degrees below 5.000 Hz, rose to 20 degrees at 20.000 Hz, results characteristic of a quadruple-oversampled playback system in which a single D/A converter is multiplexed between the channels. The square-wave response showed the ringing pattern typical of digital filters.

The laser pickup slewed from Track 1 to Track 15 of the Philips TS4 test record in 4 seconds, performance typical of many current CD players. It made the transition from Track 17 to Track 18 of that disc (which have no silent interval between them) without clipping any of the opening syllable of Track 18. All the calibrated “defects” of the Philips TS5A test record were played without audible errors. The player was moderately sensitive to impact on its thin, unbraced metal top cover, but it was less sensitive to side impact.

Comments

Unlike some CD players in which a high degree of flexibility has been achieved at the expense of operating simplicity, the Vector Research VCD-770 appears to have been designed primarily for ease of use, with an emphasis on the more basic and useful control features. For example, it lacks index cueing or indication, and there is no feature allowing the repetition of a user-defined segment of the program. Few other CD players we have seen, however, offer such a simple, straightforward control layout. Even if you have no previous experience with CD players, you should be able to use this machine with full effectiveness by simply reading the brief and very clear manual.

Just about the only feature we really missed was audible output during high-speed search/cue. As is the case with almost any properly functioning CD player, the playback performance of the VCD-770 was excellent. If its 83-dB channel separation worries you, keep in mind that a 35-dB separation figure would be considered outstanding for a phono cartridge and any LP record!

This is a CD player for people who just want to listen to the discs and give that goal a priority over elaborate, little-used features or an excessively complex (albeit impressive) appearance. It fills that role very well.

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