I have been reading and searching for a while on CD players and it's quite confusing. I am wanting to buy a CD player to go in my 2 ch system. I do not think AI am a discerning enough listener to justify spending $3K. The system consists of a pair od av123 mini stratas and an sp3 tube integrated amp. It will be used for CD's 100%. I'm just trying to find a point of diminishing returns for my money on a CD player that would be at a comparable level with the rest of the system. I don;t mind speding more if the performance justifies it. I'm using a cheap DVD player from wal-mart now and just looking for suggestions as to what I should look into as I really can't audition.

What's your budget?

My guess is that your cheap DVD player will sound every bit as good as something much more expensive.

Well I don't really have a budget per se. I could whatever I want on one but that would be overkill for me. Like I mentioned, just looking for something quality that sounds better than the cheap everyday units. I would have though it could be done for $500 or less but I can't audition these things. And if Pulliamm is correct, I'd be better off sticking with the cheap $25 dvd player.

Listen to offerings under $500 from Cambridge Audio/NAD/Rotel & Onkyo.

There is a difference vs $25 DVD player. Some people don't have the ears and/or the equipment to hear the difference - hats off to them.

Listen to offerings under $500 from Cambridge Audio/NAD/Rotel & Onkyo.

There is a difference vs $25 DVD player. Some people don't have the ears and/or the equipment to hear the difference - hats off to them.

Well then is there a significant difference in the sound of a $500 and $1K player? How about a $2K player? As I asked before, at what price point do you get to a point of diminishing returns.....where the price goes up exponentially but performance increases are relatively unnoticable? That's kinda where I would like to be.

I have no way of listening to each of these so I'm going to have to rely on recomendations

I have heard a $700 Rotel CD player that does not sound better to me than my $170 Onkyo CD changer through the same speakers. I have also heard a $60 Toshiba DVD player that does not sound any worse. This leads me to believe that the point of diminishing returns is pretty much the entry level. (In fact, I would say that the recording is almost always a weaker link than the player.)
Of course, for more $ you do get better build quality, less mechanical noise while the disc is spinning, smoother opening/closing drawer, etc.

Don't forget to you use the analog ouput of the players when comparing them, otherwise you are bypassing their DAC's wich are probably of better quality in the more expensive players and you are just using them as transport.

Don't forget to you use the analog ouput of the players when comparing them, otherwise you are bypassing their DAC's wich are probably of better quality in the more expensive players and you are just using them as transport.
Agreed. All of my comparisons have been done with analog outs. (My integrated is old-school with no digital inputs.)

Well then is there a significant difference in the sound of a $500 and $1K player? How about a $2K player? As I asked before, at what price point do you get to a point of diminishing returns.....where the price goes up exponentially but performance increases are relatively unnoticable? That's kinda where I would like to be.

I have no way of listening to each of these so I'm going to have to rely on recomendations

Belbo111,

It depends on the players you're comparing. Sure, if you gave me 500, $1k, or $2k to spend, I would buy used hifi equipment and find you players within each price point that sounded different - no problem. Buying used basically gets you more bang for the buck.

You need to decide which features you're after. You can start with a budget universal players/combo players (Pioneer DV45A, Philips 963SA, Samsung HD 840, Oppo 970HD, Sony DVP 7700), get great sound, and still use the machine as a transport later on if you decided to get an outboard DAC. With some of these, you get DVD and SACD playback, in addition to CD playback.

And of course a totally different angle is PC-based audio. If you already have a laptop or desktop, you can get very good sounding audio, with the convenience of having digital playlists and expandable storage.

If you don't have time to listen and compare players, then unfortunately you're at the mercy of faceless contributors posting on online forums (myself included) who may or may not give you correct advice.

I would take your time, get a better idea of what's available, and set some goals to audition or borrow some gear before making a final decision.

- Steve O.

Belbo111,

It depends on the players you're comparing. Sure, if you gave me 500, $1k, or $2k to spend, I would buy used hifi equipment and find you players within each price point that sounded different - no problem. Buying used basically gets you more bang for the buck.

You need to decide which features you're after. You can start with a budget universal players/combo players (Pioneer DV45A, Philips 963SA, Samsung HD 840, Oppo 970HD, Sony DVP 7700), get great sound, and still use the machine as a transport later on if you decided to get an outboard DAC. With some of these, you get DVD and SACD playback, in addition to CD playback.

And of course a totally different angle is PC-based audio. If you already have a laptop or desktop, you can get very good sounding audio, with the convenience of having digital playlists and expandable storage.

If you don't have time to listen and compare players, then unfortunately you're at the mercy of faceless contributors posting on online forums (myself included) who may or may not give you correct advice.

I would take your time, get a better idea of what's available, and set some goals to audition or borrow some gear before making a final decision.

- Steve O.

Thanks scorch, all good advice and I have considered all of it. I did plan on doing comparison once I start to get some good suggestions on players to start looking at. All of the terminology gets really baffling to me and leaves me in the dust at some point. I eventually just get to the point of "I don't care about the machine, I just wanna hear some good music."

I probably do need to set some criteria. I want to spend no more than $1K. I think that's in line with the rest of my 2 channel system. If I can audition in my listening room, good but I don't see the purpose in listening in someone else's. Used players are fine with me if they will save some money. The laptop solution is cool too as I have a nice one, but from what I've read, it compromises sound quality.

Belbo...

if you have the time and the inclination, it is certainly possible to set up a computer-based system that will give you excellent sound. look into the squeezebox 3 from Slim Devices; it's very highly-regarded and offers good bang for the buck. FLAC or ALAC compression will offer CD quality without taking up so much HD space.

if you want to stick to a CDP, i highly recommend the Rega Apollo at the top of your price range; it lives up to its hype. for the $500 range, i'd check out the Cambridge Audio 640C v2, the NAD C542 or a used Rega Planet 2000.

and yes, there is a sizeable difference between these players and a $25 DVD player. but only your ears can tell you that for sure.

Back when I was still considering a CDP upgrade, I started listening to a bunch of them (below as well as above my current CDP in price.) What I discovered is that all of them (cheap ones included) offer what I would describe as "meta" quality. What I mean by this is that they are all enough better than all the recordings I tried that they reveal the flaws in the recordings. A small number of recordings (eg "Beyond Grand Canyon" by Nicholas Gunn) are so good that my ears can detect no flaws. These sounded perfect even on a cheap DVD player. For these reasons, I have concluded that a CDP upgrade was a wild goose chase, and is no longer something I am considering.

Back when I was still considering a CDP upgrade, I started listening to a bunch of them (below as well as above my current CDP in price.) What I discovered is that all of them (cheap ones included) offer what I would describe as "meta" quality. What I mean by this is that they are all enough better than all the recordings I tried that they reveal the flaws in the recordings. A small number of recordings (eg "Beyond Grand Canyon" by Nicholas Gunn) are so good that my ears can detect no flaws. These sounded perfect even on a cheap DVD player. For these reasons, I have concluded that a CDP upgrade was a wild goose chase, and is no longer something I am considering.

I told you once already, upgrade your the weak link of your system, the speakers, and then you will clearly hear the differences in better CD players. :p

I told you once already, upgrade your the weak link of your system, the speakers, and then you will clearly hear the differences in better CD players. :p
And I told you already that my speakers are not a weak link in my system (nor would they be a weak link in any system.) :rolleyes:

I told you once already, upgrade your the weak link of your system, the ears, and then you will clearly hear the differences in better CD players. :p

i made a small edit for you. ;)

i made a small edit for you. ;)
Hee hee, ho ho, ha ha you are soo (not) funny. :p

Belbo...

if you have the time and the inclination, it is certainly possible to set up a computer-based system that will give you excellent sound. look into the squeezebox 3 from Slim Devices; it's very highly-regarded and offers good bang for the buck. FLAC or ALAC compression will offer CD quality without taking up so much HD space.

if you want to stick to a CDP, i highly recommend the Rega Apollo at the top of your price range; it lives up to its hype. for the $500 range, i'd check out the Cambridge Audio 640C v2, the NAD C542 or a used Rega Planet 2000.

and yes, there is a sizeable difference between these players and a $25 DVD player. but only your ears can tell you that for sure.

This sounds good but something worries me. What do you mean by "if you have the time and the inclination" ?? I don't know much about these things. If it's really complicated, I might be better off with something simple.

They seem to sell for $300 though which is better than the stand alone players I've been looking at.

I'll do some searching but is it really difficult to set these things up?

This sounds good but something worries me. What do you mean by "if you have the time and the inclination" ?? I don't know much about these things. If it's really complicated, I might be better off with something simple.

They seem to sell for $300 though which is better than the stand alone players I've been looking at.

I'll do some searching but is it really difficult to set these things up?

Belbo111,

Setting up PC as a source is not as easy as plugging in, hooking up and CD player and pressing "play".

It's not difficult to setup PC audio, however. A friend of mine recently got a Squeezebox and was playing music off his laptop in less than half an hour.

Don't be scared off by this - it's fun, convenient, and you can make adjustments later on if you start getting bored with your setup.

- Steve O.

This sounds good but something worries me. What do you mean by "if you have the time and the inclination" ?? I don't know much about these things. If it's really complicated, I might be better off with something simple.

They seem to sell for $300 though which is better than the stand alone players I've been looking at.

I'll do some searching but is it really difficult to set these things up?

it's more time consuming than complicated, especially if you have a large collection. you just need to make sure you have a large enough HD. then rip everything to FLAC or ALAC, add the SB3 (and maybe a DAC later on) and you've got super-convenient, high-end sound. if i were doing it today, i'd buy a Mac Mini, one of those 300gb HDs that stack right on the mini, and an SB3 and voila.

Ok, sounding better, as long as soubd quality is on a par. I could just use my imac, plenty of storage room on it. Is there any difference in sound quality between the wireless and wired versions?

Well I don't really have a budget per se. I could whatever I want on one but that would be overkill for me. Like I mentioned, just looking for something quality that sounds better than the cheap everyday units. I would have though it could be done for $500 or less but I can't audition these things. And if Pulliamm is correct, I'd be better off sticking with the cheap $25 dvd player.

Trust me Pulliamm is not completly correct for a $25 dvd player is NOT going to perform with the better dedicated CD players in the $500-700 range so long as ones downstream equipment is up to the task . I believe your is ! The Rotel 1072 is arguably one of the better sub 1k players out there as is the Rega offering. If you don't believe me just look on the "Gon" next time one comes up for sale and see how long it takes to sell !!

Trust me Pulliamm is not completly correct for a $25 dvd player is NOT going to perform with the better dedicated CD players in the $500-700 range so long as ones downstream equipment is up to the task.
Admittedly, the cheapest player I listened to was $69.00, over 2.5 X as much as that Wal-Mart special. Also, I did not directly compare it to the $700 Rotel. Rather, It sounded no worse than my Onkyo, which in turn sounded no worse than the Rotel.

Admittedly, the cheapest player I listened to was $69.00, over 2.5 X as much as that Wal-Mart special. Also, I did not directly compare it to the $700 Rotel. Rather, It sounded no worse than my Onkyo, which in turn sounded no worse than the Rotel.

but you state in another thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9341448&&#post9341448) that you didn't compare the Rotel and Onkyo side by side, either.

it's an invalid comparison, and your advice is misleading.

but you state in another thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9341448&&#post9341448) that you didn't compare the Rotel and Onkyo side by side, either.

it's an invalid comparison, and your advice is misleading.
I compared the Toshiba and Onkyo in the same system. The Rotel had a much better than fair chance of sounding superior because it was being used with a matching Rotel amp in a room designed specifically for the 705s, but it did not sound better in spite of those advantages.
It is time for you to give up and just admit that a "better" CD player is an illusion. The $69.00 DVD player is good enough for a system where everything else costs 100 times as much.
(Unless you want to suggest that my ordinary apartment with DIY treatments somehow magically makes everything sound better than the dealer's custom-built showroom.)

I compared the Toshiba and Onkyo in the same system. The Rotel had a much better than fair chance of sounding superior because it was being used with a matching Rotel amp in a room designed specifically for the 705s, but it did not sound better in spite of those advantages.
It is time for you to give up and just admit that a "better" CD player is an illusion. The $69.00 DVD player is good enough for a system where everything else costs 100 times as much.
(Unless you want to suggest that my ordinary apartment with DIY treatments somehow magically makes everything sound better than the dealer's custom-built showroom.)

and so you will maintain with all your heart until it becomes convenient (or necessary) for you to change your opinion. :rolleyes:

seen it all before.

I compared the Toshiba and Onkyo in the same system. The Rotel had a much better than fair chance of sounding superior because it was being used with a matching Rotel amp in a room designed specifically for the 705s, but it did not sound better in spite of those advantages.
It is time for you to give up and just admit that a "better" CD player is an illusion. The $69.00 DVD player is good enough for a system where everything else costs 100 times as much.
(Unless you want to suggest that my ordinary apartment with DIY treatments somehow magically makes everything sound better than the dealer's custom-built showroom.)

My dear man you are trully mixed up !!! You talking about "better Cd players being an illusion" ???? I don't know about you but I tend to evaluate them with my ears and not my eyes !!

And as far as your apartment being better sonically, well I would think it to be quite possible !! Think about it........... example, who on this forum dosen't have a better listening room than anything Tweeter has to offer in their lousy stores !!!!

I've listened to all kinds of players and player quality does matter, especially if you're using the internal DAC to run analog connections to your pre-amp. I've listened to the Marantz 5001, Rotels, NAD and Cambridge, as well as many inexpensive players and the better players do offer a cleaner, less harsh sound and are certainly worth it if the rest of our components downstream can benefit from it.

If you think that a $500, $1000 or $2000 CD player is always going to sound the same as a <$100 CD player then either your ears aren't good enough, or the rest of your components aren't good enough to resolve the differences.

... I'm just trying to find a point of diminishing returns for my money on a CD player that would be at a comparable level with the rest of the system. I don;t mind speding more if the performance justifies it. I'm using a cheap DVD player from wal-mart now and just looking for suggestions as to what I should look into as I really can't audition.

Bel,
What are you using now from Walmart as there are some atrocious sounding DVD units (Diamond (http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=digital&n=113710&highlight=diamond&r=&session=) ).

Definitely take a look at the Toshiba 3990 (http://gnu.295.ca/~peak/audio/transport.html#3990) ...it has the soul (http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/bottlehead/messages/76981.html) of the earlier generation units without needing any mods. Read (http://www.stereophile.com/digitalsourcereviews/904simaudio/index1.html) Stereophile's take of the diminishing returns of CD players over DVD players.

PeAK

If you think that a $500, $1000 or $2000 CD player is always going to sound the same as a <$100 CD player then either your ears aren't good enough, or the rest of your components aren't good enough to resolve the differences.

BINGO! That's EXACTLY what VixAjax and I have been trying to tell Pulliamm. :D

Peakrc I think it is a diamond b/c it has that big D on it. I just bought it to use temporaily until I figure out what I want to do for a final CD player and then give this one to my daughter to play CD's on.

Has anyone tried using this unit from onix? I love the other equipment I got from them and they take good care of their customers.

http://www.**********/products_product.php?section=processors&product=48.1

The computer/squeezebox solution sounds pretty good though. Will the wireless version give as good results from an audio standpoint as th wired version?

The computer/squeezebox solution sounds pretty good though. Will the wireless version give as good results from an audio standpoint as th wired version?

it should... i believe there's a buffer.

Peakrc I think it is a diamond b/c it has that big D on it. I just bought it to use temporaily until I figure out what I want to do for a final CD player and then give this one to my daughter to play CD's on.

Has anyone tried using this unit from onix? I love the other equipment I got from them and they take good care of their customers.

http://www.**********/products_product.php?section=processors&product=48.1

The computer/squeezebox solution sounds pretty good though. Will the wireless version give as good results from an audio standpoint as th wired version?
I used the Onix xcd-99 before. Sound is good, not great, but build quality is top notch. I ended up returning it because I need a mega storage anyway. So, I got a Pioneer Elite 301 disks instead, and an external DAC.

I don't know about you but I tend to evaluate them with my ears and not my eyes !
That, of course, is the only way that I have ever evaluated them (or any other components.) It may well be that not all budget players are as good as those I have tried. Apparently there is a concensus that the Toshiba DVD player is better than most, and certainly my Onkyo offers outstanding performance at the price. Still, I think that all modern CD and DVD players have reached the point where their flaws are utterly insignificant compared to even the best amps and speakers, as well as being well beyond the ability of human hearing to detect.

till, I think that all modern CD and DVD players have reached the point where their flaws are utterly insignificant compared to even the best amps and speakers, as well as being well beyond the ability of human hearing to detect.

Hi Pulliam,

For the record:

Can you list for us the various CD and DVD players you have evaluated in your room? I'd like to understand this perspective based on what you have listened to so far.

Thanks,

- Steve O.

Hi Pulliam,

For the record:

Can you list for us the various CD and DVD players you have evaluated in your room? I'd like to understand this perspective based on what you have listened to so far.

Thanks,

- Steve O.
I will never hear an expensive CD player in my room because none of them are worth the money to bring home. The THD of the most expensive Krell power amp is 40 times that of the cheapest DVD player.
Models I have heard in my system at home include the aforementioned Toshiba DVD player, my Onkyo DX-C390, a Sony DVD player that has SACD capability, a Yamaha Natural Sound CD player from the early 90s, and a Denon DCM-390. The Rotel that I auditioned on speakers identical to mine in the store did not sound better than any of these. Any differences were far below the threshold of audibility.

All comparisons are mostly moot unless you've tried multiple CD players on the same system.

I will never hear an expensive CD player in my room because none of them are worth the money to bring home.

then if you insist on offering advice on topics of which you are not even slightly knowledgeable, you should continue to expect people to call you out on it.

All comparisons are mostly moot unless you've tried multiple CD players on the same system.
5 of the 6 players listed above were compared in the same system. The 6th was heard through identical speakers (the component which makes by far the biggest contribution to how a given system sounds.)

then if you insist on offering advice on topics of which you are not even slightly knowledgeable, you should continue to expect people to call you out on it.
If someone wants to throw their money away on a new CDP that will not, in fact, improve the sound of their system, that is their choice. At least I know that I warned them not to expect something more.

If someone wants to throw their money away on a new CDP that will not, in fact, improve the sound of their system, that is their choice. At least I know that I warned them not to expect something more.
The fact is you don't actually know anything. If all those CD players sounded the same to you then either your ears or other components aren't up to snuff. This is the same issue with you not understanding why people don't agree with or believe your nonsense when you talk about speakers.

If someone wants to throw their money away on a new CDP that will not, in fact, improve the sound of their system, that is their choice. At least I know that I warned them not to expect something more.

I dont really mean to be too negative, but I havent read AVS in a while (works well, takes away temptation to upgrade) and it seems like you have another several hundred posts (probably) arguing about the same thing.

Now for the thread:
I like the suggestions of getting a combo player (play sacd/dvd-a as well even thougn you're only 2 ch). An oppo would easily be under your budget. Later it can serve as a transport if you truly want to spend money on a DAC that has a high quality analog path

If you go the computer+digital streamer route sound quality wise it really doesnt matter whether it's wired/wireless. Just take into account of your iMac's noise output if it is in the same room.

This is the same issue with you not understanding why people don't agree with or believe your nonsense when you talk about speakers.
There is no nonsense from me here or in the speaker section. I know for a fact that I am right, and what you choose to believe or not does not change that. :cool:

Ok Pulliam, thank you for your input, now can we let it go? I wanted to get many opinions and make up my mind. Let's just listen to what everyone has to say and leave it at that please.

Ok Pulliam, thank you for your input, now can we let it go? I wanted to get many opinions and make up my mind. Let's just listen to what everyone has to say and leave it at that please.
Where is the fun in that? :p

There is no nonsense from me here or in the speaker section. I know for a fact that I am right, and what you choose to believe or not does not change that. :cool:
No, nothing anyone says to you seems to get through your skull.

No, nothing anyone says to you seems to get through your skull.
At least I don't have an "L" for "Loser" branded on my forehead the way you obviously do.

At least I don't have an "L" for "Loser" branded on my forehead the way you obviously do.

wow. that's pretty juvenile. :rolleyes:

Your original question seems almost too personal to answer... only you can decide if there are audible differences and whether the outlay was worth it. What I would consider doing were I you, is pick up a well reviewed higher end unit from a few years back as you seem to only care about two channel CDs. You can, for hopefully short money, test some of the assertions claimed in this thread given that you have an ultra low end player at the moment to compare. If you buy used and you cant discern a difference, just resell it, and not be out significant money.

Please put the troll on your ignore list. I beg you.

There is no nonsense from me here or in the speaker section. I know for a fact that I am right, and what you choose to believe or not does not change that. :cool:

I can assure you that you are a bit 'off' in your conclusion....

a better cd player will be heard especially if the rest of your gear can compliment it. :D

Your original question seems almost too personal to answer... only you can decide if there are audible differences and whether the outlay was worth it. What I would consider doing were I you, is pick up a well reviewed higher end unit from a few years back as you seem to only care about two channel CDs. You can, for hopefully short money, test some of the assertions claimed in this thread given that you have an ultra low end player at the moment to compare. If you buy used and you cant discern a difference, just resell it, and not be out significant money.


Mr. PULLIAMM....

please read this a few times....it makes all the sense in the world!!! :D

[QUOTE=....... I wanted to get many opinions and make up my mind. Let's just listen to what everyone has to say .......[/QUOTE]

so, I am curious if anyone has any experience with Primare CD players... specifically the CD21 or the CD31 ......

thanks for your input (I believe they qualify for this thread) or what you consider to be high end....

Your original question seems almost too personal to answer... only you can decide if there are audible differences and whether the outlay was worth it. What I would consider doing were I you, is pick up a well reviewed higher end unit from a few years back as you seem to only care about two channel CDs. You can, for hopefully short money, test some of the assertions claimed in this thread given that you have an ultra low end player at the moment to compare. If you buy used and you cant discern a difference, just resell it, and not be out significant money.

That's very good advice. It's somewhat difficult to find which older players have a good reputation and then it is difficult for me to find a used one. I'm looking around for which players have performed well in the past. It's one reason I wanted people to chime in with specific suggestions about what player to look for. I've had a couple people PM me about good deals on used players but they've all been sold by the time I get to them. If anyone sees anything, please LMK.

I've always been a believer in Sony's ES line of CD players.

Listen to offerings under $500 from Cambridge Audio/NAD/Rotel & Onkyo.

There is a difference vs $25 DVD player. Some people don't have the ears and/or the equipment to hear the difference - hats off to them.

I was in the same boat as you but I was looking for a dedicated 2 channel cd player for my dedicated home theater/music room and I purchased the Cambridge Azur 540C Version 2 CD player. It is incredible for the money and I would put it up with any two channel cd player under 3k and I would venture to guess it would compete very well. Very detailed with extremely tight bass. Give it a listen.

...The computer/squeezebox solution sounds pretty good though. Will the wireless version give as good results from an audio standpoint as th wired version?

Perhaps the most recent (and thorough) review on the squeezebox was done by SoundstageAV (http://www.soundstageav.com/onhifi.html)

P.S. One comment I would make about lack of differences between components is that the differences are subtle but important. Somewhat like drinking wine for the first time; if you just buy 5 bottles and lock yourself in a room, you'll probably say they are about the same....NOT (http://gnu.295.ca/~peak/audio.html) !


PeAK

Perhaps the most recent (and thorough) review on the squeezebox was done by SoundstageAV (http://www.soundstageav.com/onhifi.html)


that's actually a review of Slim Devices' flagship, The Transporter. at $2000, it's a nice piece of kit, but the much cheaper SB3 is no slouch.

I would go over to Audiogon and try to find a used Rega Planet for around $350. I have the original and it still beats most anything new in that price range. I intended to sell mine when I got a new Oppo dvd player but it just sounds better for music, so it stays.

Look around Pawn shops And thrift stores I have seen many working CD players from brands like TEAC , PIONEER, HARMAN KARDON,YAMAHA and more I think I saw a Pioneer CD player in working condition for three bucks but I didnt buy it because I thout my mom would fuss about me buying too much Junk.

I found a Pioneer Reciver for a dollar and the only thing wrong with it are two blown fuses!
I just Cant seem to find fuses of the right voltage. I need 125 volt ones!

I would go over to Audiogon and try to find a used Rega Planet for around $350.
The key word here is "try". Good luck, you'll need it. :)

I will never hear an expensive CD player in my room because none of them are worth the money to bring home. The THD of the most expensive Krell power amp is 40 times that of the cheapest DVD player.
.
So by that statement THD is what makes or breaks a CDP. My Cambridge 840c sounds leaps and bounds better than my sony 300 disc changer. I brought my wife up for a blind test last night and she said that the second didn't sound as wide and didn't fill the room and she also noticed the first one had more bass. She said that the voices didn't sound nearly as good on the second one either. Well guess what? The Cambridge was the first one and my wife picked it out in a blind test. Oh and by the way she HATES when I spend money on this stuff. :mad:

Depending on what you really want to do with it, you may want to consider switching to a laptop (2 with one as a back up) buy a $500.00 piece of software I saw recently that allows you to mirror each laptop while you are spinning tunes. I was impressed when the DJ showed up at our holiday party with a two professional speakers, 2 laptops, and an amp. No CDs to haul around, No 12 inch discs to carry. He was up and running in minutes. Perhaps, if you are going to spend alot of money, and unless you are really stuck on CDs, you may want to just rip them to a hard drive and go the laptop route. Beats hauling all those discs in and out of your van. Just a thought.

Otherwise, you might just want to get a cheap CD/DVD player. It probably would sound just as good and it would be cheap enough to replace often if you needed to.

This a nice one for the $$$ http://us.marantz.com/Products/1154.asp

I have listened to it and it is a exceptional value...

I think pulliam as a point with cd player.

Many cheap cd player are on the market right now and many of them use high end 24bit dac. Compared to highter end models that cost 5 times more, these are often good enought.

I listened to many of them, they all sound different but many of them are very close. ( using monster 400 mk2 cable)

One word, listen to many of them and buy the one you like after.

Most important thing : Match your cd sound with your amp!

Most important thing : Match your cd sound with your amp!


Don't forget the pre-amp !!! It is important in it's own right !!

Sure pre-amp add some pretty nice details in the sound ! But if you use a receiver like me, preamp is not always easy to use !

Sure pre-amp add some pretty nice details ! But if you use a receiver like me, preamp is not always easy to use !
Why would you want to add any detail?

I love my Music Hall CD25. It replaced a very nice Rotel.

I think I paid $450 new for it... look around on the used market, there are a bunch of them around, and some that have been modified. It was a very popular tweaker model.

The newer CD25.1 and CD25.2 are essentially the same, with software and slight hardware changes.

Sure pre-amp add some pretty nice details in the sound ! But if you use a receiver like me, preamp is not always easy to use !


I have no clue as to what you are trying to say ???? First you say the amp is most important and then you say you are using a reciever ??? Not sure you know the correct terminolgy relative to the point youre trying to make !!

Regardless, trust me , for I DO KNOW the importance of a good pre-amp !!

by details I mean more soundstage, the ability to ear more effects in the music and detailed but not harsh highs.

Yes I use a receiver and the sound quality is better than Nad 372. Also better sounding than the cambridge 340 or 540 amplifier.

side by side with An integra stereo amplifier, cambridge stereo and pioneer receiver , the pioneer was the best sounding.

Today's receivers are very nice in stereo listening and they can compete with many cheap stereo amplifier/cd/preamp combo and they offer versatility.

piguit, I think I understand your message, sorry for the confussion, trust me your English is better than my French !!

Yes you are right there are some fine recievers out today, but regardless they are few and far between what one can accomplish with a quality preamp / amp combination.

Yes you are right there are some fine recievers out today, but regardless they are few and far between what one can accomplish with a quality preamp / amp combination.

Or even an integrated. ;)

for CD playback and a love story (http://gnu.295.ca/~peak/audio/sacred_cow.html) of sorts. Enjoy.

PeAK

Are you saying that if I am looking for a good sounding cdp and I have a good Nad Amp. and Preamp; I should get a Nad cdp. I was considering the Nad 542 or the Cambridge 640, and leaning to the Cambridge. Can you further explain. I am in the $500 range.
Thanks

For heaven's sake, DON'T lean on the ladder! Especially if someone's standing on it! ;) :)

Not sure of what you are saying; it had some outstanding reviews, but I do have a Nad Amp and Preamp. I don't see that it makes a difference unless I use digital instead of analog.

I'm a dispassionate owner of audio equipment: i accept the limitations of my equipment, and having a BSE EE and many engineering friends, I also can parse the bunk from the facts.

That said, the DAC on my Arcam Diva cd player provided substantially different output than the one from my receiver... I was too lazy to do spectral analysis on it, but if i had to do it all over again, i'd just find an arcam-ish DAC, connect it to my computer, and declare victory with a SB 3.

Are you saying that if I am looking for a good sounding cdp and I have a good Nad Amp. and Preamp; I should get a Nad cdp. I was considering the Nad 542 or the Cambridge 640, and leaning to the Cambridge. Can you further explain. I am in the $500 range.
Thanks

Test drive the Arcam CD73 as well for about $600. It look at the NAD, Music Hall and Cambridge. I liked the sound of the Arcam best... Not a big difference, but small and noticeable..

I have been reading and searching for a while on CD players and it's quite confusing. I am wanting to buy a CD player to go in my 2 ch system. I do not think AI am a discerning enough listener to justify spending $3K. The system consists of a pair od av123 mini stratas and an sp3 tube integrated amp. It will be used for CD's 100%. I'm just trying to find a point of diminishing returns for my money on a CD player that would be at a comparable level with the rest of the system. I don;t mind speding more if the performance justifies it. I'm using a cheap DVD player from wal-mart now and just looking for suggestions as to what I should look into as I really can't audition.


Marantz SA-8620 CD/SACD player. Though it is discontinued you can kind used ones on Audiogon almost weekly for $500. Just a great sounding player. This is one of the best one box solutions made over the last 10 years.

Marantz SA-8620 CD/SACD player. Though it is discontinued you can kind used ones on Audiogon almost weekly for $500. Just a great sounding player. This is one of the best one box solutions made over the last 10 years.It sounds great but the transport is a weak point. Do a search on the web about TOC reading problems. Mine was fine for a while but it finally had reading and skipping problems that were so annoying I finally decided to get an Onkyo DX-7555.

It sounds great but the transport is a weak point. Do a search on the web about TOC reading problems. Mine was fine for a while but it finally had reading and skipping problems that were so annoying I finally decided to get an Onkyo DX-7555.
I have no doubt that the DX-7555 is a great player. On the other hand, so is the DX-C390 for a fraction of the price.

I have been reading and searching for a while on CD players and it's quite confusing. I am wanting to buy a CD player to go in my 2 ch system. I do not think AI am a discerning enough listener to justify spending $3K. The system consists of a pair od av123 mini stratas and an sp3 tube integrated amp. It will be used for CD's 100%. I'm just trying to find a point of diminishing returns for my money on a CD player that would be at a comparable level with the rest of the system. I don;t mind speding more if the performance justifies it. I'm using a cheap DVD player from wal-mart now and just looking for suggestions as to what I should look into as I really can't audition.
I paid $300 for a Sony CA-70ES that I couldn't be happier with.

My good old 14 Bit Magnovox stopped working a few days ago. A long time ago, I replaced the electrolytic output capacitors and there was an audible improvement in the sound quality. I'll take it apart and clean all the connections before giving up on it.

I tested this player against many others of late 80's vintage and it performed with the best of them with the exception of a player using an outboard Wadia processor. I'm hoping 15 additional years of technical refinement has made some difference in CD sound reproduction.

I think it was PULLIMAN who earlier stated the digital recording technology is the limiting factor. I tend to agree with this assessment. My CD library is about 95 percent classical music and I can clearly hear the difference between my few good sounding disks and the vast majority of harsh sounding ones. I'm not holding much hope that my next player can clean up the sound that was ruined during the recording process.

--- CHAS