Best advice: find a used Sony X707ES.
This is an audiophile unit from head-to-toe. Solidly
built and beautiful appearance (champagne/gold color).
I own one. It shames most $1000 CD players made today.
They just don't make 'em like they used to ...
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I AM SURPRISED THAT NOBODY HAS MENTIONED THE AYRE D-1. In the highend European magazine Audiophile from Germany, Joachim Pfeiffer says the "Ayre beats the Accuphase DP-1000/DC-100 " which in supposed to be a great combo. In the Widescreen Review Richard HARDESTY says"this new DVD player from Ayre sets AUDIO performance standards that exceeds ANYTHING that I REVIEWED. iT IS SIMPLY THE BEST CD player I HAVE HEARD" Tom Miller from The Perfect Vision says " To date, the D-1 remains the best sounding digital component that I have heard". The Ayre is a DVD that besides being one of top two or three progressive scan Dvd players, just also happens to be one of the best two channel CD players in the marketplace IMHO |
I was very interested in this post as I too was in the market for a new CD player. I have been using a Jolida 601 and oddly enough found it very competitive with everything I tried it against. I tried Pioneers new elite DVD, the whole Rotel Line, Linn, Ah! Tjoeb, Rega Planet, the Cary 301, 303, and 306, and other players. Every one I tried, was very different, it was shocking actually. I can see why the responses are so varied in this post. For me, there was a clear winner though, the Cary 303. Every player I found myself saying, "this apect is very nice, but it sounds a little of in this other area". But when I finally heard the Cary, it was, "Oh finally I have nothing to say, it is all there - or nothing is there!". Nothing was odd about it, all I heard was great music. All the tube players where kind of thick sounding, almost soupy. The others were digital sounding and kind of flat. Oddly enough the 303 has no tubes in it, unlike the earlier 301 which does. Other models in the runner up catagories I liked were the Rotel 991 as it had very nice imaging, and the Rega, which had a very nice sound but was a little thin. The Cary just kind of disappeared, I didn't think about it, just felt captivated by the music and still am as I listen to it now. This is why I listen to music in the first place so bought it. I got it from the guys at Upscale Audio who have a killer deal on them right now as they bought a bunch of them. The 306 was in my opinion a little better, but only a little, and they had the same general sound. By switching pre amps around, I was able to get all the things I liked in the 306, plus it was over twice as much, so I stuck with the 303. Hope this is helpful. |
I have a Sony XA7ES. It was $3,000.00 new & you can find them used for around $1,100.00 (like I did). I really think it is excellent at the used price. It has a variable analog output, so you can run it directly into your power amp. I've been waiting for Sony to come out with an SACD player with the variable output, they still haven't. So I just purchased an Adcom GFP750 pre amp, & I'll probably buy a Sony 777ES SACD player. Be carefull if someone tries to sell you a player with balanced outputs. Only a few are truly balanced & none of the Sony's are. If your amp isn't fully balanced, you don't need a balanced CD player anyway. I'll probably keep my XA7ES to run directly into my ALEPH 3 power amp. Someday I'll get a Levinson Model 39 CD player to run directly into my Rowland Model 2 power amp. Both are truly balanced & the Levinson has a variable output.
Good Luck! |
How about the Metronome (specifically the CD-1V) with tube output stage? It was designed by Dominique Giner of Jadis. |
If you don't mind used,the Accuphase DP-75 is the last CD player you will probably own. The thing is so musical you will probably forget about analog, DVD-A, or SACD. Plus, it can also be used as a processor! Some owners are trading this model in for a DP-75V...thats the good news. The bad news is they're still tough to find and might set you back $4000- to $5000- for a nice one. You won't be disappoited! |
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I used to own a Sony 7700 DVD player, their previous flagship. Not bad but not quite as refined as a good dedicated cd player. Then I went shopping for a replacement. I tried so better Classé players, as well as the incredible Jupiter (one-box now) player from Rega. I almost bought it as it is supposed to be one of the best under 3,000.00. Before I did a friend let me have his Sony 9000 while he was away on holidays. Holy smokes. What's this? Initial reaction: The Jupiter had it over the Sony on the warmth and imaging, but not by far. Where the Sony creamed the Jupiter was in extracting the smallest details and resolution from ordinary cd's. As far as SACD, I never got excited over a 10 year old compressed recording of Cindy Lauper or Billy Joel on the Sony sampler. They are missing the point with these radio-bound recordings which do not really sound any better than the red book version. On the Sony SACD sampler there is a cut from Miles Davis. I happen to also own the regular cd. Now there...Just totally organic and unbeleivable, light years away in clarity and resolution. I was told the unit need a long break-in. How true. I ended up buying a 9000 for myself and I can confirm it is the equal to the Jupiter in many respects now that it is fully broken-in. Still beats it with resolution in spades, and a sweet top end. How can they offer such technology for such a low price by audiophile standards? Beats me. Throw in top DVD performance for the occasional DVD rental (in my case) and it's a no brainer. I have no intention of buying SACD's. The sound is so good with regular cd's, the 9000's asking price is fully worth every penny and more. I will leave it to others to spend twice the price for lesser sound quality and a thick faceplate...Bu the way, very heavy and built like a tank too. |
Read my previous post, subtitled : I used to own a Sony 7700...forgot to put in the proper subtitle, sorry folks! |
OK! OK! Roksan under 2K ($1600) Rega Planet under 1K ($800)
I'd recommend a listening of the Roksan Player. You get 85-90% of the Naim sound at half the cost. Something I can afford. It went with the Roksan Int. Amp I already own well. Very soomth and detailed. I did have to change he digital cable to Acoustic Zen mc2 (you gota hear this cable, SWEET, Very SWEET!)to get the sound I was looking for.
I fully agree with all who have chosen the Rega Planet (old style over the new) as the best for the $$$. I must caution though that a fare amount of $$$'s $100 to $200 plus must be spent on cables to get this unit to really sing and sing it will; she is rich and smooth (I wish I could say the same about my wife, Ha!). It is laid back however it changes its mood with different cables so try out many. I used the Illuminiti D-60 ($170 used)which really enhanced the inner detail I was looking for with a rich full bodied sound than with the Harmonic Tech Cyber Link Silver (Although good, just less inner detail was present).
Today like never before we are able to get so much more for so little ($$$ that is).
Happy listening... |
I have the all Levinson combo 30.5 and 31.5 and sounds excellent. But I preferred by friend's Marantz SA-1 palyer, especially when playing sacds. |
I wanted a good player for redbooks, but HDCD decoding was
a big influence as well, features? yep, that too. I ended up
fanagling a new Rotel RCD991 in the box for $900 out the door, and Ive been satisfied so far. Im not ready to drop
3, or even 2 grand for a player.....yet! Let your ears be the judge. Keep in mind your other components/cables/tweaks can improve your sound dramatically enough you might not need to take out a loan! |
Absolutely echo this post. The Ikemi is amazing! Forced me to upgrade my entire system to hear what is was capable of producing. Went with Levinson 335 380S and Martin Logan Odysseys. |
I hear that the Granite Audio #657 with a new tube output stage will be the one to beat, especially for its likely price. |
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I'm happy with my Sony SCD 333 ES. At $1200 list it was a good buy, at $500 or less it's now a steal. Use the money you save to buy lots of SACDs and enjoy surprisingly analog-like sound. |
linn ikemi for its price range it easily equals the mark levinson 39. All of the sony's with the exception of the TOL sacd player are flawed thats why they need modified. Also for it's price range the arcam fmj 23 is really nice. |
All the players mentioned are great and its much easier to get good digital sound now than 10 - 15 yrs ago. I especialy endorse the above opinions of the Musical Fidelity A3, Arcam fmj or alpha nine for straight-up engrossing musicality. I also heard the Micromega stage 3 and thought it was pretty good (now they're up to stage 5 I think). Those are all open, fast and musically engaging types of players. If you want something more smooth and listenable try California Audio Labs, Meridian, or Rega (all great players...just not my style). p.s. if anyone is absolutely strapped for cash and needs a cd player the TEAC PDH-500 at a mere $250 is a sleeper (low bass is not convincing but upper midrange very exciting and detailed, not boring at all!) |
I agree with the Sony SCD C333ES. Can be found new at close out prices of $400-$500 which is a great bargain! |
Granite Audio tube CD player, I have one, better than Sony SCD-777ES in SACD, in both my system and my friend's Don's (the Granite Audio owner's) systems. I have heard it.
Retail $2900 but advertised for less by Quest for Sound.
A real bargain. Is it the very best, that I can't say, but its awful good! |
I did not have the time nor the energy to go on an audition rampage. A dealer was nice enough to let me try an Arcam FMJ CD23 at home for a week. I think there is something to the dCS converter thing. After one day I decided to go for it. You can say that my venerable JVC 1010 could not, after so many years, put up much of a fight. However, it was good while it lasted. I think time has shown that their focusing on jitter as a source of digitalitis was correct. The Japanese are not deaf you know. (Somewhat interesting aside, I remember reading about a doctor well versed in human hearing whose contention, based on research it seems, is that different nationalities hear somewhat differently depending on what the dominant range of frequencies is in the language they speak. This was years ago. If memory serves, is name is Dr. Tomatis. Such an assertion, if made today, could founder on the reef of political correctness though. End of digression) The uncertainties as to new formats are such that I don't see how someone should mortgage the farm to get a very expensive cd player that can't be upgraded. Insofar as the ones which offer upgrading capabilities, another dealer steered me right when he said that they are so expensive as to make the purchase of a less expensive model, followed by something good in a newer format, less expensive than an all out frontal assault on the biggies. I was eyeing a Simaudio Moon, It's built about five minutes from my home, but price-wise, it is something more like the distance from my humble abode to the moon (pun intended). My recommendation based on a home audition vs. a few minutes of in-store audition of a Sugden (no opinion), another player of French manufacture (hate to be vague, but c'est la vie)(no opinion) and a half hour in-store audition without my own recordings of a Rotel RCD 991, good player for the price. I was forgetting, also spent a little in-store-between-more- important-stuff time with a few other low priced players. Somewhat interesting point: three separate dealers used the Rotel RCD 991 as a foil in trying to sell me something else; in two cases more expensive (one dealer an Arcam or Naim, the other a Linn), the third one, curiously enough, was trying to push a player that is almost half the price of the Rotel: the Roksan Kandy. This last unit, was the most surprising of the runners-up, so to speak, considering its price. It was auditioned under pretty bad conditions. The dealer was a very nice guy, the room was awful, (a throwback to the wall of Japanese speakers days) it was compared with a Rega Planet through Roksan electronics and Paradigm 40 or 60 speakers with unknown (well to me at least) recordings. My conclusion, the Rega was a letdown considering its build-up, both in writing and word-of-mouth. Somewhat sombre, heavier in its presentation, but it may be worth a listen in a better overall system. The Kandy, at least in contrast to the Rega, evidenced a more light weight presentation in a way, that made the music a lot more airy, lively in its overall character, and the instruments better defined. In closing, given half a chance at a home audition any one of these players may have stood a chance at adoption. In the brief period I have had with the Arcam, I have not lived to regret my purchase yet. The reason: the retrieval of details and the rightness of the tone of the instruments. Woody instruments sound, well, woody and brass instruments, well, brassy; a better sense of the harmonics of the instruments (guitar, piano, reeds) which are not portrayed with that sort of one dimensional, one note/one frequency quality. Call it bloom if you want. It simply sounds more like musical instruments in the room. Can't say much more than that. Insofar as 'mo better stuff but used, I just ain't got the time. |
I liked the ARCAM's tonal integrity , bloom and utter harmonic naturalness, too, but felt it had serious PRaT problems compared to the Rotel and ALL other contenders. Just seemed to dance with two left feet....
Certainly a rich sound with lots 'o finesse, though. |
Subaruguru, hate to sound thick but what is PRaT? Come to think of it I have a problem with a few other abreviations also that I see used in this forum. "S/W"?? comes to mind. I don't have time to go through the posts to piece these together. If you have time just to through together a few lines, please provide me with the less obvious ones and their rough definition. Thanks. |
Subarguru, Sorry not in real time here: pace, rhythym and timing, I guess. Well, I have trouble with the concept at any rate. I still can't figure out s/w though. I should be working right now, so goodbye for now. |
Pbb, I know what you mean. Took me a while to understand
"running a HT PC/SPM XLR CDP/Pre for a nice tight sound" !...sounds that way, huh?
Can't help you with S/W off-hand, 'cept in my other world it's steering wheel, of course.
Re the ARCAM's PRaT, I will back off a bit and state that my results were with the thinner chassis'd ARCAM 9, and WITHOUT an iso shelf. Sticking a Neuance or Rollerblocks under the FM23 may really get it to boogie? Good luck. |
The Sony SCD333ES. It is "A" rated in Stereophile. Combine it with the Van De Hul First interconnects! |
If you can find a (now discontinued, I believe) Sony SACD 333ES, jump on it. Add a set of Black Diamond Racing cones underneath, and you've got truly listenable digital sound with the benefit of SACD capability. No, it's not the be-all end-all product, but it's VERY good, and I heard a rumor that you can get them on closeout at Best Buy for like $400. $60 on top of that for the BDR cones, and you're in business. Good luck! |
the cambridge 500se is an excellent choice.it has a updated 24 bit 192khz dac.very airy and defined.if you shop around [audiolab] you can get it delivered for about 400$ |
none said but I'll say:
BAT VK D5. |
Here's another person telling you the KPS20i is still one of the very best cdp's you can buy at anu price. It's quite rare on the used market, but worth searching for.
As a matter of fact, someone is actually offering the 20i/L version (with built-in preamp and volume control) for an astonishing $3100 here on audiogon right now. If that unit is up-to-spec this is an incredible bargain.
cheers,
hans |
AudioMeca Mephisto II. A bargain at $5700, the new retail price. |
I feel that the C.E.C. TL51Z offers a well built belt drive 192/384 upsampling with 24bit capability.This player weighs 28lbs and has balanced outputs,and it only costs 1200.00 with a special power cord. |
I must say that all the CDP mentioned above are all great players. What it really boils down to after reading all you can read and asking all the correct questions is---how does this particular player sound with my equipment, to my ears. I have just finisned auditioning a bunch of players, and for my money, I chose the Electocompamiet EMC-1 mk2. For me--nothing else even comes close ! |
audio aero capitole 24/192...may as well audition it, as it definitely fits in this category...best for the money. |
Pioneer DV-444: Slim and good-looking in silver finish with blue readout. Plays everything, including MP-3s, has progressive scan, and can be had for $220 on eBay. And it sounds really good right out of the box and gets better with a minimum 100 hour break-in. Surely, for the money, this can't be beaten? |
Recently heard the Music Hall CD player. Most impressive at $595.00,damn little can touch it in any respect. For a few bucks more can get the Rega,but why? The Music Hall is that good. |
Just picked up the Music Hall MMF CD-25, it is a steal
for $500.
The hottest cd player not yet known! |
I WOULD CONSIDER MERIDIAN 508.24 AS EXTREMELY MUSICAL,HOWEVER FIND THETA DAVID MORE SWEET AND EXTENDED,IT PLAYS 24/96 .NEW $4500 USED $2000 .IF YOU WANT DVD PLYER ALSO YOU CANNOT BEAT THE TONAL DIMENSION AND SOUNDSTAGE.IF YOU WANT ADD DIGITAL TRIPHAZERS TO YOUR PRE/PRO PATHS AND YOUR AMP ,IT WILL BEAT ANY SYSTEM ,triphazers!!!! |
A used Meridian 508.24 is as close to a "sure-thing" recommendation as there is for cd players, in my opinion, especially when factoring in cost effectiveness. Meridian's 506.24 (new or used) might also be considered, along with Theta Digital's Miles. Are balanced outputs a consideration for you? |
I need advice from someone with broad experience.
What is better to buy good digital DAC (P1A/P3A from Perpetual Technology for example about 1500$ used). I have old Arcam ALPHA6 player or maybe to buy used Wadia 830 (about 2k$), or Used SACD player from SONY (1.5k$).
Please take into consideration only quality of CD playback. |
I just want to confirm the posts of Ferrari & Telescope
trade - the Music Hall MMF CD-25 is a "Must Listen" CD
player. I just bought one a few days ago; and even with
only about 12 hours of playing time it just sings! Warm,
smooth, and lots of detail.
There is a really nice guy who has a listing in the CD
section; who is selling these great units for $529.00
delivered anywhere in the lower 48 states. Get one now -
you won't regret it! |
I went with a reaga Planet. Great buy for $750 new! |
I 'm using the cal alpha/delta w/96-24 upgrade.sounds very good with my arc ls16 &arc100.s thru vandersteens 2ce sig's.i just recently upgraded to the orchid aes/ebu and it totally elevated the sound of this setup-more detail , air,and soundstage than i thought the cal's could deliver.great combo,and you could find it cheap,used!also upgraded to anaconda/python for the arc's,another great step towards hearing what's on these redbook's. |
Stay away from transport/DAC separates.
I've owned a Linn Mimik II, and a CAL 10. I now own a Wadia 830. Nothing is better, even at higher price. |
Definitely the best bang for the buck - the 2000, not the older version. |
I have listened to the Linn Ikemi and Rega Planet. I ended up with the Cary 303. It was better than both of these contenders in openeness, detail, image and bass resolution. |
Can some one suggest great CD player that can read CD-R as well? |
I think it would be easier to mention CD players that can't read CD-R's... |
Hold on to your hats here we go............Pioneer DVD444 24/192 street price $200. match with the DAC of your choice. The top 3 DAC's seem to be in order of price lowest first. ART DI/O moded ($400.) Channel islands audio $500. with upgrade power supply or BEL CANTO DAC2 $1,300.. Any one of these combos should SMOKE most all stand alone CD players. |
I like my AMC CD8B.For 200.00 new you cannot go wrong.
89vett |
