I've found the cd player for analog lovers

Mmakshak,

The most interesting info on this thread is that you "find volume really critical". You've said this several times.

Needing to play at one very precise gain setting to avoid distortions or edginess is a symptom. The problem is usually somewhere in the amplification chain.

This symptom can be caused by inadequate power supplies, poor circuit design or poor quality components, but in any event it's clear that one of your components is a weak link.

Not trying to raise a ruckus, just trying to raise your awareness. The inability to play cleanly at different volumes is a problem that can be solved.

Onhwy61,

We don't disagree. We're talking about different phenomena.

I agree that "purist" recordings sound most lifelike within a certain volume range (though it's hardly a knife-edge adjustment). As classical listeners (and a little jazz), all of our good recordings behave this way.

They do not, however, suddenly become distorted or harsh when played back at other volumes.

Room acoustics can of course cause harshness/distortion of certain frequencies. But IME, when one PRECISE setting on the gain control tames the problem then a component is to blame. Room mode problems often ramp up with volume. They don't appear out of nowhere when the knob is twisted .1db too high.

We've experienced this with several (well known and non-cheap) amps and preamps. Our present equipment does not behave so. Since our room has stayed the same...

At any rate, we both agree that there's room for further improvement, even as he's enjoying his newly musical digital source.

P.S. I have a stock Denon 3910 and I've demoed an Underwood-modded one. I haven't heard the APL version but I doubt it's involved in this particular problem. Amp and/or preamp are more likely candidates.

Actually, we prefer our stock 3910 to both our previous Arcam FMJ CD23 ($2400), the Underwood modded 3910 and two $8-10K dedicated CDP's owned by friends. This makes our audio budget very happy. :-)

This particular 3910's over-achieving is greatly due to our very special line stage. Without that, we would still be searching for a digital source without glare. But a stock 3910 + this line stage provide very satisfying and enjoyable sound.

This setup performs so well it was worth putting a $1K (list) power cord and $2K (list) Nordost Valkyra interconnects on it. Not that we paid that much, but it is amusing that the wire connecting the 3910 to the world lists for double the price of the player itself. ;-)

Cmk,

Paul and I are in fact two individuals: he's the smart one, I'm the chatty one. We own and enjoy the equipment, the music and the two cats in common.

Our Exact Power (which also corrects sine wave irregularities) also helps smooth analog output from digital. But our real breakthrough was the way our line stage handles inputs from digital sources. There are several ways to skin this cat, as you said (with apologies to ours for the analogy).