I have enjoyed my CA CXC.
Matter of fact you can get the CXC *and* a Project Pre Box S2 DAC
for less than $1000 (as I did) and put more money into an amp without a DAC (which makes it easier to upgrade later) or use a vintage amp like my rebuilt Pioneer SA-9100.
I believe the Project is way better than most internal amp DACs.
Good luck!
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Hello,
I am not sure where you live. If it is in the US, my local audio store is a Hegel dealer and has the 390 in stock. Also, the owner just brought in a used balanced Ayre SACD player that retails for $3000 on sale for $1500 from his own personal collection. He has the big brother $6,000 SACD player at his house now. This player makes all those other models that were mentioned, which are good choices pail in comparison. I am thinking the owner, Mike Holm would give you a deal on the two pieces. They can ship it to you if you do not live near the Chicagoland area. The website is -
holmaudio.com. If I did not own a Oppo 205 I would buy it. I need my Oppo 205 for movies. I know this sounds like a plug, but the end goal is to get you some gear that people can only dream about very close to your budget. I just bought two matching T9 REL subs that were meant to go into the owners house. He helped me out and let me have them instead. I hope you did not pull the trigger on the Hegel yet because that is what’s going to make this deal work. Good luck, GOD speed, and welcome back to the game.
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Try to find a Used Moon Neo 260d cd transport. It was better than the Audiolab, Cambridge and lyngdorf in My setup. The older Bryston is worth a listening too. |
I see there is a company in Germany that sells a modified audiolab 6000 cdt.... Power supply and clock if I remember.... Doubles the price but if my modded bluesound node 2i is anything to go buy these non stock items can be radical improvements... Might be a US company doing the same. |
+1 on the Rega Apollo. I use mine with a Bryston BDA-1, an older but excellent DAC. Honestly, the DAC built-in to the Apollo is very good, nearly as good to my ears as the Bryston.
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I’ve found the Lyngdorf CD2 to be a first class transport, though at your budget you’d need a used one. The other thing of great significance is the Coax cable. In my system all that I’ve tried sound dull, that’s why we made our own, the Network Acoustics ENO Digital Cable Cu is as good as you’ll get. |
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I was in the same boat a few months ago, but I wanted to go with something new. I considered the Cambridge, I think the Audiolab, and a Rotel CD-14 and a newer version of it (CdD-15 or 1502). I went with the Rotel CD-14; it was highly rated as a transport (at least in one review). The Rotel sounds really good, but like a lot of newer CD players it's finicky and won't play scratched, dusty, etc., CDs. Don't know about the Cambridge or Audiolab for a comparison in any regard, but they all had pretty good reviews (I think the Audiolab, if that's indeed what I also considered), had better reviews than the Cambridge. |
Yep: also recommend the Cambridge CXC transport - it has a very good disc drive. It won't read anything but Redbook CD's however, so no SACD's allowed. There's no real performance difference between the CXC version 1 and the CXC V2, I've read. Check out the reviews for it. |
You may want to consider a Denon 2910 or 3910. These sold for about 1k and 2K in Canada. Can be had for about 200 and 500 respectively. Great value. Both are great with SACDs. 3910 is worth the extra and does better with red books. If you can find a 5910 even better. I have both and would have to go to something in the >2K range to get better. Yes, I have have had the oppo 205. I have also heard the new pioneer UDPs are great and have seen a few used ones around 1k.
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I have an Audiolab 6000CDT transport and love it. |
You mentioned that you like Rega products. I have an Apollo-R that feeds a MDHT Orchid. The Apollo-R can be found used well under your budget, has a excellent DAC and is solidly built. Even though you say you don't need a DAC, it would be fun to compare to the Hegel. |
You might give an Emotiva ERC 4 a try. I had one for awhile before going to a combination server, ripper, and network device. I used the ERC 4 with and external DAC by Benchmark even though it's internal DAC is more than adequate. Emotiva does have a generous return policy that gives you an ample opportunity to check it out at home. |
CXC is a few hundred bucks. So unless you live in a pretty beat up country, not exactly “average man’s salary “, unless you were talking about daily salary, which is not a blasphemy when buying audio equipment |
Thanks for all the help, guys. I’m about 10 years removed from the audio world as I am just now buying a house with a dedicated listening area. Didn’t realize that mid/hi fi companies were making standalone transports in line with an average man’s salary. All the best and feel free to add on.
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Water off a ducks back, can't even remember it |
I would second what @georgehifi said, Denafrips Avatar, but the price went up and I believe it’s in backorder.
By the way George, I apologize for what I have thrown at you on previous threads. It was harsh and unwarranted, and I regret it |
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I have two suggestions that fit your criteria, but both have built-in DACs. The first is a used Oppo 105 (just under $1K), the second is a used Pioneer BDP-09 FD (available periodically for a few hundred dollars). Either would make a great transport, and both play CDs and Blu-ray DVDs as a bonus.
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2nd for the Cambridge. Does its job very well. |
Rumor has it that Schitt is working on a transport. |
+1 on mesch's response, no need to get a cd player. I also have the Cambridge, use it in my 2nd system and it is competent for the money. The other 3 have pretty good reviews as well.
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cjlundberg
Consider a Hegel cd player to match the H390 integrated amp.
Happy Listening!
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At your price range there is the Cambridge CXC, Audiolab 600, NuPrime CDT-8 and the Project CD Box DS2. All are transports lacking internal DAC.
I currently own the Cambridge which plays into a Audio Mirror Tubadour DAC. Not made any comparisons to any others. |
5 years ago you would have had a lot more choices. How about a Universal Player? Then you can enjoy the music from DVDs and Blu Rays, and if you decide to add a monitor you can watch them as well. I use a Pioneer UDP that did cost $1000 but now has risen a bit in price. I can tell you that with its internal DAC it sounds impressive although I don’t use it this way. Sony makes good Universal Players for much less.
Others will post here and discuss the merits of dedicated CDPs or dedicated transports, and there will be many posts urging you to burn your CDs to a HD and play from a streamer, but I wanted to focus here on the Universal Player option.
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