Let's say I have $5K, tops, to buy a CD player. I don't need digital inputs, outputs, etc. I don't need to spin SACD's. I only intend to play Redbook CD's and want a one-box solution. Would my money be better spent on a new unit, like maybe a Hegel Mohican? Or should I buy a component that was close to state of the art a decade ago? Like maybe a Simaudio 750D, or an Audio Research Reference CD8? Thoughts?
I will be 55 years old in September. I go to work. Half of my job is dealing with computers. Will not connect to internet. Over. And over again. Where is the Tech Support guy? Password. After password after Password. I can’t remember them all. When I get home, the Last thing I want to feel is that I’m at the discretion of a computer. I want to spin a disc. Large or small. Relax. Close my eyes. Relax.
I realize this is an old thread but I just came across it. The OP said this above. This is exactly why I still listen to CDs 100%. Just bought a used Sim Audio CD player. Don’t want to worry if my streamer has grabbed an IP address, if my router needs to be rebooted, etc. I do this during the day at work. Just want to listen to the music.
Naim does make very nice cd players. I have often thought about that company not getting into the SACD end of development. I have always wanted to audition the 555 top-of-the-line spinner.
The Naim CD-5 XS Factory sealed closeout for $2,395.00 here on the gon, it is better than my Oppo 95, Eastern Electric Minimax combo after about 48 hours of break-in and beat my aurender A10 streaming Tidal MQA. I thought CDs where dead it brought them back to life. Highly recommended .
Thank You guys for the information on Mohican, Primare CD35, Bryston BCD-3 and ARC CD8 spinners. I have not auditioned any of these newer players to date. I have demo'ed the ARC CD5, CD7, CD9 and Primare CD22. Keep writing about the players as above.
@monkandmozart. Why the dissection of the Reference 8?? Why not? I think the most important aspect of a component is how it Sounds. And I thought there might be some who would like an opinion on how the Ref 8 sounds. Otherwise, we can just all sit around and chat about bits and microchips.
The nearest contenders are the Primare CD35 using ESS Sabre chipset and TEAC transport, and Bryston BCD-3 using AKM chipset (AK4490) and (Austrian) StreamUnlimited transport.
Like the rest of their players, it simply comes off as a rebadged Opera Audio Consonance CDP, typical of that outfit's efforts in the first 5 years of this millennium. At $5000, you're spending 2X - 5X for machines that proved historically unreliable and more than decade old technology."
Based on the internals @twoleftears provided, I must reiterate my non-recommendation of the Hegel Mohican. Comparing the rear panels of the Consonance CD120 Balanced shows what appears the reintroduction of a $1000 machine, discontinued 12 years ago with a new faceplate, digital output, downgraded CD mechanism, and going completely against better and better digital becoming more and more affordable, a price tag 5X higher than it used to be
Personally, I find this dirty pool. And I'm going to call it out.
I have a lot of experience with the original. In no way do I feel it's not an excellent sounding CD player. At its price point, it bettered most of its competitors. And for a few hundred dollars, I heartily recommend anyone to move forward, and would even feel happy to have one myself. But $5000 bought much better performance then (even within the Consonance lineup itself via the Reference and Droplet models) and even more so today. Indeed, Mohican seems the appropriate moniker
I've owned the Audio Research Reference 8 CD player for a couple weeks now. I figured I should at least give a few words on how I think it sounds.
First I dropped it into my Big Rig to get a feel for how it performs. It is highly musical and does nothing offensive. The highs are a touch restrained over my beloved Berkeley Alpha Reference 2 DAC. There's not quite as much air or three-dimensionality as with the Berkeley. The mids are smooth and a bit more pronounced than the Berkeley. The biggest difference is in the bass, where the AR gets a little wooly and not as tightly pitch defined. So, as an absolute, it would not displace my Berkeley DAC. But if the Berkeley is a 10, I'd give the Reference 8 a solid, um, 8.5.
But in my headphone rig, where if a recording is too hot on top, it'll blister your ear drums, the Ref 8 filters out a lot of that, resulting in a more enjoyable performance. I find it just about perfect for headphone listening. Musical and quite accurate.
And a word on tube testing. I test ALL tubes with a Hickok 6000A tester before use. One of the triodes within one tube that came with the AR had a Significant loss in transconductance, about half output of the others. I had a spare 6h30 tube and used it. I don't know how much degradation in sound that one tube would have had. But it couldn't have possibly been positive.
I think there are many more combinations to choose from if you go with separates. It will probably be cheaper to just upgrade the dac later than to replace a whole player. There is still innovation around dacs and reclockers. And many dace has usb inputs which makes streaming easier in the future. If it's important with a single box then you should of course get one anyway.
After reading several people's recommendation for the Cambridge CXC player I bought one. Audio Advisor was out of stock but I bought one from Crutchfield for the same price. $449 delivered. I must say it is a great player and I am very appreciative of the recommendations. It replaced a Marantz. Thanks
I run an old Denon 1520 with a spare 2 backup's and Bryston Dac.I hate break downs.Does anybody think a Rotel 1570 would sound better than it?I did some vibration control on it with very heavy brass and vibration pods on top of it and it really helps open up the sound field over head.
I have never heard a $ 5000 CD player so I definately dont know what I am missing. When my CD player broke I found a W4S Music Server with a 1 GB SSD on ebay for $ 1000. When I replaced my CD player I found the CD's I ripped onto the Music Server sounded a lot better than from a new Marantz CD player. I also was able to explore HiRez files and DSD. I have 2 DAC's that sound very different that I like each in their own way that I switch between. I ripped all my CD's, my kids CD's, my bothers CD's and my brother in Law's CD and still have 300 MB space left. I have a crappy little app on my iphone to control the player that lets me change music as fast as my fingers fly. Its kinda nice.
I'm a vinyl guy with some 1200-1500 Redbook CDs that I enjoy on my over 20 year old $425 Jolida 601 Tube CD player with Telefunken 12AX7s....really sounds great and has been reliable except for the replacement of a fuse 2 years ago.
My suggestion is to get a Cary Audio CD303/300 192kHz/24 bit HDCD player. It plays redbook CDs very well. List priced at $4500 circa 2004-2008, you can find a used one for between $1K and 1.5K. It is versatile, allows for different flavors with it’s upsampling feature. Plus, it has two 12au7 tube slots where you can add a less bright tube flavor, if you desire. I use the CD303/300 including it’s internal DAC standalone as well as a transport to different DACs. A prime candidate for a DAC which meshes well with the CD303/300 is the later still being made Cary product, the DAC-200ts. This DAC like the CD303/300 also has the two 12au7 tubes slot. It is a mood thing – sometimes using the Cary 200ts with the CD player sounds better than just using the CD303/300 standalone, but either way I prefer using with 12au7s but the latter only turned on in the CD player or DAC but not both. Other variables to consider are which speakers you are matching to the CD source. I have found that both B&W Nautilus 804s and the Fujitsu Eclipse TD-512 near range speakers match well with these Cary products using a McIntosh integrated solid state amp for the 804s and the Yamaha RX-V2700 for the TD-512s.
Look for an esoteric player the model 1 is flagship built fantastic or a Mark Levenson All sound excellent there are others these two were top dog For a Loong time.
If there is any recommendation I can give than it would be in getting an external DA converter together with a good player. My experiences have been that it is an outstanding improvement. You can spend a reasonable amount of money on the drive, Marantz would deliver good ones, Esoteric probably top end. For the DA section I would go for 1000-1500 USD, personally I can recommend
RME ADI-2 DAC, which is phenomenal. Give it a go and you spend your 5K wisely.
Elizabeth + 1. I agree that a really good SACD player makes for a great CD player. I have tha Marantz SA-15S-2b and my CDs sound wonderful.
Also, Matej Isak of Mono & Stereo feels that outside of the recording studio, he's yet to hear anything better a well recorded CD or SACD on a top grade CD or SACD player. There's still life in them thar CDs.
I've heard a lot of good things about Luxman. Mike at Suncoast Audio tried selling me on a Luxman D-08u. Said it was the most analog unit he's ever heard. I settled on the more detailed T+A unit. But Luxman should be a brand for consideration.
FWIW, I have a Marantz SA-11 Mk 2, modied with a vacuum tube output by Underwood HI-Fi. About 8 years old - about $4-5k then. Nothing I’ve heard in my system bests it so far. Also have a Cambridge cd deck feeding a Mytek Brooklyn dac. Sound is different, but most people prefer the Marantz. Tried to sell it once for 2500, but wound up keeping it. Hope Audio Research works for you.
2psyop, I was open to suggestion, and still am. The CD8 made sense for the reasons I detailed earlier. But I still have not heard the unit, and that's what matters. If, for some reason, I don't like the CD8, I will sell it and again be in the market for a CD player. Besides, I think its been an interesting discussion thus far.
It sounds as if the CD player you bought was the one you had wanted to get all along??? judging from your original question. Good luck! ARC is a great HiFi company.
Of all the things in audio that are improving at a fast rate now, it's probably the DACs. Your older CD players will have an older DAC chipset in them, so in my opinion, I'd go for "new" in finding a new CD player.
On the other hand, you do get a few upgrades for the additional $4000 Hegel charge for this player: a more sculpted faceplate with the three buttons on each side combined into one, a different digital out connection, and the Sony CD assembly. Oh wait, that last one might be a downgrade.
Dont get me wrong, the CD120 Balanced put forth an excellent sonic presentation for its $1K price point. Just that seeing them go for $300 would upset me had I just dropped $5K on the rebranded one. Somehow, this company skates by this stuff, and their continued growth shows they know more than me
I love my Musical Fidelty NuVista CD ( the new one). If you can find one used, it might fit within your budget. It’s a beautiful sounding player, built like a tank, and I like the looks of it too.
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