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old gear sell or upgrade?

post #1 of 15
10/15/09 at 7:36am
Thread Starter 
Dear Forum users,

I know this is an "eternal" question for many of us, especially for me, a newbie in the hi-fi world.

I have read many many threads in this forum regarding this question, however I have never found a definitive answer, maybe because its highly subjective, but I would like to ask you all to take your time, and give me your point of view if possible.

Rest assured your opinion will be greatly appreciated, and I will take very single comment into consideration...

DVD Player as CD/SACD Player

Well, a couple of days ago my Denon DVD-2910 died, it started skipping tracks at 1st (SACD), but recently it died... Thanks God I still have a DVD-2930 brand new, believe me, I only used it for.. maybe 20-30 dvds? Since the 2910 was my primary DVD Player.

My question is, should I ditch the 2930 and invest in a good CD player?
Should I invest in an external DAC?
Is the 2930 any good?
Is it better than the 2910

I am not really sure but I am seriously considering buying another 2930 (I saw it brand new for U$188) since IMHO it is a pretty good cd/sacd player and keep the "not-so-old" 2930 to play my little DVD Collection.

Thank you!
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post #2 of 15
10/15/09 at 7:54am
Kate, in order to obtain userful responses, can you please post the rest of your system i.e.

Speakers
AVR/Pre-pro/Amp(s)
Room Treatments, if any
2ch preamp(?) (since I believe you were considering a separate 2ch pre with HT bypass)

What would your budget be?
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post #3 of 15
10/15/09 at 8:01am
Thread Starter 
Oh sorry!

Denon 3310 as pre/pró
Rotel RB-1080 (2x200w)
Rotel RB-993 (3x200w)
B&W 703 as fronts
B&W 705 as surrounds
B&W HTM7 as Center
Velodyne DLS-4000r
Denon DVD-2910 (died)
Denon DVD-2930
Panamax 5300EX
Sony PS3 (as BD Player)
Nintendo WII

Considering buying an HTPC soon.

Room temperature? Hmmm Thermostate is usually around 22-23C

And the budget? Well Im not sure if the CD/SACD will die, so I am not willing to spend a lot, I liked the idea of spending U$188 for a new (dedicated) 2930ci. I might even buy a DACMagic and postpone the HTPC for a while.
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post #4 of 15
10/15/09 at 8:17am
The 2930 will play CDs just fine. DVD payers may differ in their video capabilities, but CD reproduction is uniformly good.
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post #5 of 15
10/15/09 at 8:30am
Not room temp, room treatments, as in acoustical treatments. RealTraps, ASC, GIK, etc. etc. or make your own - plenty of resources to do this and it can be done inexpensively. Treating your room will have a far more significant effect upon your SQ than a new DAC or CD player.

Based upon your gear list, that's where I'd spend my money.
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post #6 of 15
10/15/09 at 9:05am
Thread Starter 
mcnarus,

Thank you! Thats is what I believe too!

RUR,

OMG!! Sorry.. Im a total newbie when comes to this thing, and yes I read it wrong, I thought it was temperature... Treatments? NONE! I thought about some, but not of them "looked" good, IMO having those stuff stuck in the wall would make anyone hate the "listening" room.. LOL

Jokes apart, I am yet to find a good performance/price for room treatments, the nice looking ones are VERY expensive, and the cheaper ones looks very very ugly, and would make my so "vewwy cute" equipment look ugly.

Thank you!
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post #7 of 15
10/15/09 at 9:28am
"Treatments" don't have to be purposefully designed. Start with a thick carpet on the floor. A couple of open bookcases halfway along the side walls make good diffusers.

Then how about a big stuffed animal in each corner as a bass trap?
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post #8 of 15
10/15/09 at 9:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcnarus View Post

A couple of open bookcases halfway along the side walls make good diffusers.

Better than nothing perhaps, but not particularly "good" diffusors. See Ethan's video here, wherein one can hear differences between QRD, hemi-spherical, typical bookcase, absorbtion, and bare wall.

Quote:


Then how about a big stuffed animal in each corner as a bass trap?

Really big, and stuffed with OC705.
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post #9 of 15
10/15/09 at 10:39am
Hanging or tall floor standing planters behind the listening spot would help as diffusers. Round ones preferrably.
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post #10 of 15
10/15/09 at 12:13pm
Quote:


Better than nothing perhaps, but not particularly "good" diffusors.

Granted. Ethan's test, however, involved a neat bookcase. What you need is a messy bookcase.
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post #11 of 15
10/15/09 at 3:17pm
Thread Starter 
lol ok ok, i get it.. I will look into room "treatments" meanwhile... please:

should I ditch the new 2930 and invest in a good CD player?
Should I invest in an external DAC?
Is the 2930 any good?
Is it better than the 2910?

To my ears... there is something DIFFERENT when I play cd/sacd thru 2930 compared to the 2910, however since the 2910 died I cannot do A-B tests... Maybe AL24? Maybe Different DACs? Maybe newer laser?? Or maybe, its moi?

RUR,

yes i was considering a separate pre-amp with bypass, but I decided to invest into better speakers, so I got the 703 and 705, I bought some speaker interconnects (which im pretty sure it was a total waste of money), I got the Denon 3310 as it is better than my former HK254 (I miss the warmer sound tho). Actually the Denon 3310, among all the choices of pro and avrs, became the best (in my opinion) cost/benefit.



Thank you!
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post #12 of 15
10/15/09 at 3:47pm
Kate, you have a very nice system, but I can't think of a $200 expense that will make it audibly better. Assuming the 2930 will talk to the 3310 via AL24, that may make a difference and costs you nothing.

I'll get jumped for this, but, if I were you, I'd save up and audition either 1) an outboard DAC e.g. DAC Magic, Benchmark or 2) a better CD player e.g. Sony 5400ES, Cambridge 840C.

Folks here will tell you that all CD players sound the same. I'll tell you that they don't. Don't take their word for it - or mine. Borrow or buy the gear with return priveleges and listen to it for yourself in your system. Make up your own mind as to whether it sounds better...or not.
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post #13 of 15
10/15/09 at 4:29pm
Thread Starter 
RUR, the DacMagic is a good idea, since I am thinking of getting a HTPC soon, and I intend to use it with the HTPC.

I am afraid of investing in a better CD Player, as I do not know what will happen to the format, as lossless audio can be easily stored in the computer.

However, I do like the 840C look, it looks very professional, I had the chance to hear the 840C and the 1072 Rotel, both are good!! The Rotel matches more with my gear, the 840C has a cooler futuristic look.

The Dac 1 is a bit on the expensive side, the DacMagic is a good idea...
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post #14 of 15
10/15/09 at 4:45pm
Don't waste your money on separate DAC. They may sound different because of output voltage difference at its terminal but that can be compensated for your existing player by the volume knob of your receiver.
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post #15 of 15
10/16/09 at 6:57pm
Lol...
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