xray
no. Not a fan. Plus Im single (twice divorced), retired and have a huge room to enjoy my system in
no. Not a fan. Plus Im single (twice divorced), retired and have a huge room to enjoy my system in
Marantz HD CD 1 Awesome Transport
About a month ago my decade + old Pioneer PD 65 with extensive Musical Concept mods (including outboard power supply), spit out the laser lens. I glued it in but it still would not read the discs. I called Pioneer but they are no longer stocking parts.
my Oppo 105 (with upgraded incoming power wire loom, including IEC and linear power module did not come close to the Pioneer, which put me in an intense ’in search of’.mode.
The best replacement I found was the NuPrime CDT 8, but even at $800 it was more than I was comfortable spending. I came across a Marantz HD CD 1: MSRP $600. Even that was a stretch but the specs sounded like it was a high end bargain, so I hit the used audio market. I found one for $450 out of state, and just after telling the seller I wanted it, another one came up a days shipment away. AND, it was new, box opened only for inspection. I would rather it had been broken in as all the internals can take 100-200 hours to loosen up.
Opening the box I was very pleased to see how well built it is, and being a smaller chassis means less potential for bad vibes. I connected it to my Audio Alchemy DAC/PRE via WireWorld toslink and WW series 7 power cord, plugged into a Core Power 1800, which is plugged into a 20 amp dedicated line
I let it run 12-24 hours at a time with short breaks in between. I intermittently used several different burn in discs, too. Slowly it got better, but even after ~ 100 hours it was not strutting its stuff. I kept this up for another 6 days.
Well, last night it finally loosened up (both with a silent 3D sound stage and note breathing- extending to their full decay) and rewarded me with even better sound than the Pioneer ever did! .
2 CDs I layed were the ShoutFactory reissue of Famous Blue Raincoat followed by Frank Sinatra Live at the Sands, dics I know quite well.
The remote is not without it quirks: it is not backlit, and the input selector is directly above the pause/play button, which caused some palpitations. requiring a bit of investigation to figure ou as the manual is on a disc!
Anyone searching for a great transport that happens to be very affordable, look no further.. I have no idea what it sounds like as a player, and hope I never need to, but it’s there, and stuff happens
hth
my Oppo 105 (with upgraded incoming power wire loom, including IEC and linear power module did not come close to the Pioneer, which put me in an intense ’in search of’.mode.
The best replacement I found was the NuPrime CDT 8, but even at $800 it was more than I was comfortable spending. I came across a Marantz HD CD 1: MSRP $600. Even that was a stretch but the specs sounded like it was a high end bargain, so I hit the used audio market. I found one for $450 out of state, and just after telling the seller I wanted it, another one came up a days shipment away. AND, it was new, box opened only for inspection. I would rather it had been broken in as all the internals can take 100-200 hours to loosen up.
Opening the box I was very pleased to see how well built it is, and being a smaller chassis means less potential for bad vibes. I connected it to my Audio Alchemy DAC/PRE via WireWorld toslink and WW series 7 power cord, plugged into a Core Power 1800, which is plugged into a 20 amp dedicated line
I let it run 12-24 hours at a time with short breaks in between. I intermittently used several different burn in discs, too. Slowly it got better, but even after ~ 100 hours it was not strutting its stuff. I kept this up for another 6 days.
Well, last night it finally loosened up (both with a silent 3D sound stage and note breathing- extending to their full decay) and rewarded me with even better sound than the Pioneer ever did! .
2 CDs I layed were the ShoutFactory reissue of Famous Blue Raincoat followed by Frank Sinatra Live at the Sands, dics I know quite well.
The remote is not without it quirks: it is not backlit, and the input selector is directly above the pause/play button, which caused some palpitations. requiring a bit of investigation to figure ou as the manual is on a disc!
Anyone searching for a great transport that happens to be very affordable, look no further.. I have no idea what it sounds like as a player, and hope I never need to, but it’s there, and stuff happens
hth
23 responses Add your response
Last night I noticed an issue I also had with mine I can hear the disc rubbing.Very common, it’s usually the disc clamper magnet just touching the top housing arm it sits in before playing, an easy fix if you study and are a little mechanically minded. Cheers George |
Thanks George. Confirmation is always nice Though the Cambridge looks well built, the Marantz is a beast, and the small chassis no doubt minimizes bad vibes Saving my coin for a Jays CD II Mk II. They rarely come up used. I did see one that looked identical on Alibaba but the clamping device was not the Spider that the Jays has, so...? And it wasn't that much less FYI, Ive been reading TNT for over a decade and as always all my kit rests on Machina Dynamica Cryoed HD Springs |
jafant Thanks for the tip. I went to WW site: Looks like I do have the Electra 7 on amp, pre and HD CD 1. But now that the 8 series out, be interesting to hear how much better it sounds Last night I played Jennifer Nettles ’Playing with Fire’. I love this cd but for the most part the recording sucks. And it still did last night, but sounded better than ever, by a long shot |
Marantz HD CD 1 Awesome Transport Looks like it could be a good transport, as it uses a CJDKT690 (Sanyo SF-P101N) laser/mech which is not a DVD laser just dedicated cd. Same goes for the very good sounding Cambridge Audio CXC, a dedicated CD laser/transport only, even cheaper than the Marantz here in Australia. https://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/cambridge_cxc_e.html Cheers George |
Ok, Zug asked about bass, well... When I was using the Oppo I had a WireWorld Eclipse Series 7 power cord ($300), which I left on as I wasn't sure whether I had resolved the skipping problem: seems like I did. ;) Carefully listening to Eagles Hell Freezes Over, I noted the top end was rolled off (guitar strings a bit blunted) , but the Marantz hadn't been on 24 hours, so... about an hour ago I decided to move the Oppo from the top replacing it with the Marantz, so I plugged the WW into it. Not only did the top end open up, the bass got a lot more punch and tone |
Apparently MSRP is $599. I may have paid as little as $400 for mine FYI: TMR is selling one. Here’s a bit of Marantz copy from their page Combining more than 30 years of Marantz expertise in compact disc playback with the latest developments in digital audio technology, it’s ideal for use as a CD transport when used with the HD-AMP1, or as a CD player in any situation where a compact form-factor is required without any compromise on sound quality. Small it may be, but it makes use of state-of-the-art Marantz technology carried over from our Award-winning CD players, including a high-resolution 192kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog converter from Cirrus Logic, a high-accuracy system clock, and the famous Marantz HDAM-SA2 amplifier modules, as found in our flagship Reference Series CD players and amplifiers. and here’s a review (the white is only available in Asia, SIGH!) https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/marantz-hd-cd1 |
Really good news so far, no more skipping The difference is the Marantz has an astonishing black (quiet) background for the music to present itself. The pluck on strings has the appropriate instant awareness and tone, voice is titled more into the midrange than the Oppo, which improved significantly, post upgrades. When I bought the Marantz I wanted a Jay's Audio CDT 2 Mk 2, which has a reasonable MSRP of $2500, but way out of my retired budget. I scored this virtually new HD CD-1 for $500! Anyway, one thing I've learned, regardless of hobby, be it motorcycles, cars, boats... squeezing another 5-10% performance costs quite a bit more money over stock. I am confident the Marantz will not disappoint, AND it's also a player, which I have not tried hth |
SO.... after turning it upside down and gently shaking it, I just reinserted it. Fingers crossed that the skipping was due to a lodged sliver of NDM Only been fired up for maybe 10 minutes played 2 cds, no issues so far. It is much more focused than the Oppo with a deeper sound stage, and a more organic sound. Plus, I am able to play it at a lower volume with excellent tone Assuming it doesn't skip anymore, the Oppo will be relegated to SACD and DVD-A playback Thanks for contacting me today! |
Currently out of the system After adding Machina Dynamica New Dark Matter (highly recommended) the player started frequently skipping. No issues with my Oppo 105, so, probably just a coincidence I was trimming the NDM while on the tray, and a sliver could have gotten into the mechanism. Haven't gotten around to investigating, which could simply be turning it upside down and giving it a few shakes. It is not in warranty, and at $80+ for bench time I haven't bothered Been too preoccupied with many other system changes, mostly done now, so thanks for the reminder |
whether it's my new found left ear hearing, or something else (I am also hearing better right channel information), cds I am extremely familiar with, like The Judds, or Chet atkins & Mark Knopfler Neck and Neck , which I played yesterday sound incredibly better than I ever heard it/them. The 3 dimensional separation of voices, and instruments made for most joyful listening The HD CD 1 is a absolute bargain, at least as a transport |
Here's a wild update that could skew the break in timeline And to many its going to sound CRA-CRA 2 days prior to my system popping with new clarity, my own hearing was less, at least in my left ear, which has been that way for decades So what changed? I had just completed a 2 day Water Fast (lots of YT videos). Lots of evidence of all kinds of healing, but hearing loss? Seems so. Last night same great openness in both channels: |