jsbach1685
I am looking forward in reading more about your CD player search.
Happy Listening!
I am looking forward in reading more about your CD player search.
Happy Listening!
CD Player Recommendations…
Looking for CD player recommendations that mate well with a Musical Fidelity A308 integrated and Revel F30 speakers. Cabling is Discovery Essential speaker cables and matching Essence interconnects. I’m thinking the player should be on the neutral to perhaps slightly recessed/relaxed mids to synergize with the A308 and F30’s more forward characteristics.
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Anyone with experience with the Linn CD players? In addition to my Meridan 551 integrated, I also have a Linn Majik I (old shoe box sized) being shipped overseas too. Was reading up on the Linn Karin/Numeric that many have preferred over the later Ikemi units… But from what I’m reading here, the Audiolab 6000 & DAC sounds like a very good bet, especially since I also have a Node 2i as well. What’s a good recommended DAC in the $3-400 range? thanks! |
Update: I just recently sold my MF A308 integrated and picked up a Proceed Amp 2 to better match the sonics of my Revels—I’ve read great things as both have Madrigal DNA. I’m planning on mating them with an Adcom GFP-750 preamp in passive mode. Another thought is the matching proceed PRE. Anyway, I’m currently using an Arcam irdac for streaming. I’m gonna wait to see how this sounds with the other gear before deciding what “synergy” I need to find a CD player. |
Meridian. Aaaaghh. Same cautionary tale as Marantz. Meridian does not support older cdps. Ask me for all the gory details including shipping back to Meridian USA in GA. for attempts to repair my gorgeous sounding 508.24.....had it for nearly 10 years and yup these go down. Nice black shiny doorstop: "Sorry sir your laser replacement is no longer available!" Sad to say my current love affair w/ Oppo BDP 95 SACD will no doubt reach the same fate. They're making phones now. So when that laser craps, I'll be getting the Audiolab 6000CDT and a Topping 90SE DAC...or the next R2R champ. Nope I don't stream. |
just a word of caution to contrast the several recommendations for marantz cdp’s they do not stock lasers for discontinued units, and when the laser in your $3000 player fails, you try to get service/repair, you are told the part is nla... and you own a very nice looking brick ask me how i know this... |
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infection Nice! I am always interested in learning about CD/SACD players that I have not auditioned. I look forward to the next player comparison. The CD32 was (at that time) a ground-up redesign around a (then new) Sanyo drive/transport mechanism. MHZS has been out for quite a while now. I have never read a bad review. Happy Listening! |
@jafant The Ayon I had (CD-1, twin chassis) is, in my opinion, better than the Primare - more meat on the bone. It’s difficult to compare the CXC to either as it’s connected to the W4S Anniversary which is a far superior DAC. Only issue with the CXC is it’s dedicated Redbook so will not play MOD etc... I have an MHZS player which has been stored for years so may try that as a transport for comparison. |
@dabel, the Genesis Digital Time Lens of a long time ago was a re-clocker, wasn’t it? I sold one for a friend a few years ago. I remember reading that it was a significant improvement having it inserted into the system. I passed on the CXC today, I really wanted 1 less box to have an integrated CD player and what made me hesitate most on the CXC was I didn’t want it to end up with the same fate as my Azur 840C as I believe they are both of the same time period. I’ve always heard good things about the Rega CD players. |
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Why "save" the fidelity of a CD. Rip it once to a hard drive with error correction, then play it jitter free from then on. There is a lot of reflected laser light and idiosyncrasies in mechanical players, it never ends. Put your money toward a good DA converter and then a superregulator to power it. |
Orfeo - if I stay with Meridian for a CD player, it would be something in the 5 series to match my 551 integrated and 504 tuner. dabel - Gene, I’m very seriously considering a Cambridge CXC right now sbaik - Sean, interesting commentary on the Meridian gear, thank you. I have read that the 506.24 is better than the 507 as well. All of the Meridian 5 series stuff is expensive. In some respects, it seems like you are paying for the sleek look of this gear, in the same way you are paying for the sleek look of Bang & Olufsen gear, albeit way better. My Meridian 551 is nice but not any better than my Linn Majik I. Seems for the money, with the Cambridge CXC & a good DAC, I could probably do as good if not way better than a Meridian 596 at significantly less cost and would just have 2 pieces of mismatched gear than the aesthetics of 3 matching Meridian pieces, unless I were to get a Meridian 5 series DAC with the CXC. I must admit, I do like the simplicity of a one unit cd/dvd player though, and in that scenario, I would still need a DAC for my Node 2i. In the end, the Azur 840C solved everything with its Dual internal DAC inputs on the rear… decisions, decisions :) |
@jsbach1685 I have a similar amplifier, Musical Fidelity A300 paired with a forward sounding set of B&W 805 Matrix. I have used a Meridian 508 (20bit) unit in the past and it was very good -smooth and full bodied bass. But I didn't enjoy how finicky it was playing some CD-Rs. Eventually sold the 508. I then came across a Meridian 596 DVD player, my plan was to use it as a transport with my Chord DAC. To my surprise, the Meridian 596 as a Red Book CD player was better sounding than my previous 508. I was even more surprised, when the 596 as a stand-alone sounded better than when hooked up to my Chord DAC. I now only use the DAC when streaming. The Meridian 596 is my dedicated stand- alone CD player. Compared to my 508, the 596 is more detailed without sounding forward or fatiguing. 508 had more bloom and smoothness at the expense of detail. The 596 has both, smoothness and detail. Also the imaging is significantly better on the 596. More believable, precise imaging and also more expansive sound stage when the the recording calls for it. Classical piano (when recorded well) and orchestral music sound especially great. Long story short. Meridian 596 is a killer, under the radar, stand alone CD player. Better than a 508 (at least in my system) and can more than hold it's own against modern DACs. Also will play anything you throw into it. The only downside, no balanced outs, only RCAs for analog.-Sean |
Another vote for Marantz 6007 cant fault it for the price, read the reviews. https://www.whathifi.com/au/reviews/marantz-cd6007 |
AGON used listings today...
Denon SACD-3910 Fully Upgraded Balanced out Tube CD/SACD/DVD $875...... Parts Connection upgrades. These include single ended and balanced TUBE outputs. Plays SACD, CD and DVD region free discs. or OPPO BDP-105 $1000....HDMI, single ended and balanced outputs. Plays SACD, CD and DVD and BluRay |
I recently purchased a Cambridge CXC-V2 transport. I hoped to wait for the fabled Schiit CD, but it seemed to constantly recede over the far horizon. I’ve read that the CXC-V2 uses the same drive as the 851C. In any event, I’m quite happy with it. I'm using a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ to complete the set-up. The CXC-V2 is also pretty inexpensive and customer service from Cambridge is supposedly quite good (a claim I hope I never need to test) and it's widely available. |
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A 2nd hand Meridian G08.2 is a wonderful player. I found mine for approx. €1150 in 2014. Slightly matte (but hifi sounds often too bright compared to the concert), and laid-back => should match your needs.Very good D/A conversion, renders a full-bodied, natural sound. Rips the CD on-the-fly, stores the bits in a ROM, then converts them brilliantly. The only snag: uses a slot-loader. That ugly thing had been introduced by Steve Jobs on the MAC, so all the hifi industry jumped in the bandwagon. The slot produced extremely tiny micro-abrasions on the poly-carbonate layer of my CDs (not "scratches", sthg ways lighter that could be seen only under the light of desk LED lamp, under a particular angle). |
Hi, I’m also in the market for a CD player, haven’t owned that many of them over the years. Here’s my cd evolution for the most part: AMC CD6 (1 bit player) Proceed PCD2 (shoulda never sold) Audio Alchemy DDS3 Oppo DV 970 (owned the longest) Rotel RCD855 Cambridge Azur 840C Of the last 2, the Rotel was really smooth and enjoyable. I felt the Azur was too clinical sounding in comparison but I was not using it with XLR’s which they recommended. I later came to really enjoy the Azur. The Azur stopped reading discs :( so I just sold it. I loved the fact that I could hook up my Bluesound to it & use the upsampling DAC on the back of it. I’m moving overseas to Israel next week & will be bringing a Linn Majik I (orig shoe box sized) and a Meridian 551 (to match my 504 tuner) with 2 pair of small Brit monitors (ProAc Super Tablettes & Monitor Audio R700 MD). Anyone have any experience with Meridian CD players? I wonder how they stack up? There’s an Israeli retailer close by to where I’ll be living who wants $21-2300 for a Meridian 507, that’s worth like $750 everywhere else in the world. Probably cheaper to buy something in Europe & have it shipped? I also will be looking for a DAC for my Node 2i. A friend of mine really likes this Maverick tube DAC even though it’s only 24/96. I dug the Rotel which was only 16 bits too :) Look forward to hearing your thoughts |
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@dabel Yes, I wasn’t meaning to comment on Yamaha as such. I use a Yamaha tuner every day, the t-85, made around 1986. Its splendid. Probably needs the lid lifted for a look at the caps etc, and some other stuff that tuners need after all this time - alignment? That’s probably something that can be only be done by a specialist techy. I digress... |
@reubent I have the original Saturn. After more than a decade, recently it has started skipping on the first track of a CD. I have read this is nothing serious, just needs perhaps some maintenance on the mechanism. Early models had some soldering issues which were promptly addressed by Rega. If this, nothing that a competent technician can’t easily fix. My amp is a Sansui 555A. Recently totally refurbished according to the Leestereo design specs at audiokarma. Divine. Sonic beauty. I can see some better specs and other things with the newer R model, and that is tremendous. I can’t really comment on the newer models not having heard them. |
After about a year of research, reviews, talking in-store with folks, Quad Artera Play+ https://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/artera-play-2/ Built like a truck. Unbelievably quiet. Rivals any other source I feed my system. You'll never look back. The only negative is the remote / onscreen is cludgy and will require you stay close to the manual. The good news is, I emailed them with a particular questions and they responded overnight. Impressive. |
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While I have a Saturn and its just tremendous with (two?) WM8740 chips. It was pretty expensive new. I have no need for multiple formats, USB, digital output etc. These days I’d probably go for something more modest. The Rega Apollo has a (upgraded) Wolfson chip, like the Saturn, and would be perfectly sufficient. A while ago I noticed someone deciding upon a Yamaha CD player. Because they also make musical instruments. I don't endorse that logic. |
