Dedicated CD player or multi-plr for 90 music ?


i was wondering since my system (about $10K retail inc. room treatement) is used for %90 music listening. should i upgrade my player to a dedicated CD player or go with a multiplayer and sell my present NAD-T534.?

budget is about $800 USD new or used of course.
do tubes in players make a difference?

any suggestions for the best player in this price range?
mainlymusicman
I don't know the rest of your system but, 10K sounds like it is pretty nice. I am not should an $800 CDP would do it justice. You might consider waiting a while and when you have more funds available try then. What is the rest of your system?
if you listen to music not video then i would say the most important piece in your system should be the cd player....everything begins there and then the continued playback should be as good in quiality of sound as your cd player....sounds to me like you have alot of money invested in your system but want to spend very little for the most important piece.....think about it.....there are some very good players out there for eight hundred to a thousand.....linn genki, cary 300/100 or two hundred, alittle more linn ikemi, cary/200 are the best out there for the money i believe...good listening dub
I see no reason why a well built multi-function device cannot read digital data off a spinning disk, feed this into a buffer, and accurately clock and convert multiple digital formats into multiple analog formats...

"Dedicated" has an aura of quality and purpose about it, however, in this application I think it is becoming over rated.

Tubes are a different thing altogether... a matter of taste...they are less accurate then SS circuits and add harmonics to the sound, clip more easily, and drift in response over time, which all sounds worse than SS electronics. However, if you ignore the technical perspectives and just rely on what your ears tell you then, like others, you may find tubes sound sweet.
oh, my system. well its pretty simple.
Tyler Acoustics - Linbrook signature monitors ($3200)
James loudspeaker EMB-1000 ($1500)
Plinius 9200 integrated amplifier ($4000)
2-36 x 9 ASC tube traps ($500 used)
1- 16" x 4' ASC bass trap ($ 300 used)
cables...i think straightwire and monster cable
(about $400 total) i think the speaker cable will be on the upgrade list next.
oh, my system. well its pretty simple.
Tyler Acoustics - Linbrook signature monitors ($3200)
James loudspeaker EMB-1000 ($1500)
Plinius 9200 integrated amplifier ($4000)
NAD T-534 DVD player ($400)
2-36 x 9 ASC tube traps ($500 used)
1- 16" x 4' ASC bass trap ($ 300 used)
cables...i think straightwire and monster cable
(about $400 total) i think the speaker cable will be on the upgrade list next.
OH I THOUGHT THE CONCENSUS WAS THAT THE PALYER WAS THE LEAST IMPORTENT. really think that the player is more important than room acoustics??????

and yes, music is definatly priority with my system.

i guess i could go as high as $1500 new or used . but as far as spending 4-5K FOR A CD PLAYER, thats not gonna happen.

thanks

chad
Mainlymusicman,

Agreed. A CD player is very important...without it you would not have sound....but it stops there...the beauty of digital and SS circuits is that it is the great equalizer...you should not have to spend a fortune to have a good CD player.

I completely agree with you. I would not spend $5K on a CD player. Sure there will be some improvements versus a $500 player....but will they be audible?

Your NAD may already be good enough...perhaps you could do some listening tests before you buy....bring your player to a store and compare to a higher end one.

I have a devil of difficulty to hear any differences at all between different CD players...
Mainlymusicman,

If they have something markedly better then surely they should not mind comparing.

....just watch out for the volume level trick...louder almost always sounds more impressive (except at extremely high levels when it causes intermodulation distortion in the inner ear)