I've been using a Rega Saturn Mk 2. I recently upgraded my turntable to the Mark Levinson 5105 w/ the Ortofon Quintet Black S. In comparison my CD's are sounding overly bright. Any thoughts on a comparable upgrade to my CD listening? My budget is about $4000-5000, new or used. The Hegel Viking looks interesting. Any recommendation for an upgrade will be appreciated.
I bought a 'factory reconditioned' new Hegel Mohician - right from the start, the CD tray would not load the CD, have to turn the unit off just as the drawer closes to get it to load. Then playback started skipping, have to hit forward and back several times, seems the lubricaton on the laser rails it lacking.
A similar issue with a fellow audiogoner with his Viking, he sent it to be serviced twice and nothing changed. And my factory re-conditioned would not play from the get go. My take away is Hegel has an lubrication issue with their players, (hoping it just a lubricate the rails issue), but the arrangement with service here in the states is poor.
All that being said, the player sounds fantastic, just color me disappointed with their service.
Just my two cents. I have owned three ModWright CD/SACD players. Sony 999es, Sony 5400 and the Marantz 8005. The Marantz was my favorite. As others have said, I think the Marantz Ruby would probably be a contender or a used Marantz SA-10. That being said the Teac VRDS-701 peaked my interest and has received positive feedback. I went a different route in my current player the Esoteric K-03XD. Of course it beat out the Marantz offerings and should for the cost difference. If you can, audition the Teac VRDS-701 before deciding.
About a month ago I replaced my Audiolab CDT 6000 with a Shanling ET3 (MSRP $729) it's unbelievable but adding a VeraFI Snubway ($295) was even more incredible/. the 6000 is for sale cheap
Do not buy a typical cd player with a slot or a drawer.......I bought a TOP Loader and now I can put disc stabilizers on top of the CD and then drop the metal weight on top of the stabilizing disc which is on top of the CD....Your whole system will sound more musical....detailed but not harsh....Top loader...you'll never go back, once you experience this phenomenon............
As a long time user of cd players and someone who does not care for pc audio or streaming I would advise you to choose a player from brands that are still making and service them. Than, I would look for established brands that are known for making good digital products. So, Accuphase,Ayre Burmester,Dcs, Esoteric, Meridian, Metronome.would be on my list. Unfortunately, only the Ayre is made in the Us and others cost much more than in Europe or In Asia, so the sh is probably the best option
Last fall I paid $4200 for a clean, hardly used Marantz SA-10 cd,... player from TMR.
It has a variety of setting adjustment options that might come in handy depending upon the system it is paired with, the preferences of the user, and the hearing acuity of that user. Just another idea. Good luck in your search.
I have the Ayre_CX-7eMP. When launched, it was a "Class A" CD player (Stereophile magazine). I love it and have no need for a separates (DAC + Transport).
Prior to a purchase, a quick call to Ayre will confirm the cost of an upgrade to the "MP" version, including a full bench-test. At that point you know what it would take to have an up-to-date, reliable, and serviceable unit (at a pretty low cost).
Mine is not for sale, and I am not connected with the above mentioned offer.
I have an Audiolab CDT6000 (cheap) and a Denafrips Pontus ll and am very happy. You could also get the CDT7000 or CDT9000 and still stay under your limit.
my suggestion is to look at the teac CD transport, it uses the VRDS clamping system which is the best in the world It's about $3,000 US and then you could take a look at the Wyred4sound 10th anniversary DAC it sells for $4,500 US and it's gone up against dacs 2 and 3 times the price and beaten them, one of the reviewers put it up against his VPI turntable with a $5,000 Japanese cartridge and he said that the 10th anniversary DAC was just as analog sounding, on that review I bought it and I totally agree one of the best DACS I've had in my system, and the other nice thing is that they give you a 30-day trial. if you don't like it you can send it back and get your money back, I didn't bother.
... there is certainly some degree of loss or error that happens when moving the data from CD to computer.
Something is wrong with your setup if that’s true. You should be able to get bit perfect copies of any CD, with the exception of those that have been damaged. You can verify that for yourself by running a binary comparison, such as using the "fc" command in Windows.
Often, you can get pretty clean copies even from a damaged CD.
I’ve been using a McIntosh MVP-871 CD/SACD/DVD player that’s about 14 years old and has a built in DAC. Fortunately, it has digital outputs for sound so I connected it via a glass optical cable to my new MX-123 which has an modern internal DAC. Without question, sound quality was significantly improved. So, if your player has digital out capability, I’d try connecting either through an external DAC or connecting to your preamp digitally if it has a decent built in DAC. You might find it unnecessary to replace the player!
The most natural sounding CD player I have heard is the Ayre CX-8. A bit above your stated budget new, but someone with audiophilia nervosa may put one on the used market…
I've done that and compared, and there is certainly some degree of loss or error that happens when moving the data from CD to computer. The CD's still sound best. Same DAC, high end computer, etc. I personally went backwards from high-end computer/hard-wired directly to DAC to using CD's on a McIntosh MCT500.
Look for a Oppo 2005 Modwright modded player or a Sony 5400 Modwright either with the Signature Truth mods. It would have to be a used one now as Dan Wright is no longer doing the CD player mods. He is still fixing any of his modded players if needed. The sound is excellent in all ways and there are those of us who have done some extra things to bump the SQ up even more. I've had Modwright Sony players since about 2010. the ones I mentioned are the top of the line SQ wise. If you're patient, one will come up a few times a year. Either will be used at about $2700-$3700. You can't do better in your price range for SQ.
almost any moderately priced DAC will outperform the DAC in a CD player. The DAC is the heart of the digital system so there is room for much research and choice. I highly recommend a transport plus DAC.
@jayctoyRight on. I have had my Marantz SA.-KI Ruby SACD player since very soon after they were available for purchase. Digital accuracy but with a detailed yet musical rightness. In other words no digital glare due to upper midrange lower treble emphasis. Sounds as close to the sonic signature of good vinyl as I have yet heard from any digital source. It mates very well with Cardas Audio interconnects.
I love my Meridians. They’ve depreciated a lot (fell out of vouge especially since the MQA thing), and you can get an 808v5 or v6 in you budget. They’re definitely not bright, and can hang with a good vinyl setup. As an added bonus they have digital inputs and can be used as a DAC. Their preamp functionality is pretty good, too.
I’d use the Rega as a transport and get a Denafrips Hermes DDC and run i2S from it into a Denafrips Pontus 15th DAC — both would only set you back $3200 and be a big improvement in the direction you’re looking to go. Just one idea, and best of luck.
To answer a few questions, I am running my Rega Saturn stock; no external DAC, no special laser mats or fuses. I am open to an external DAC and other add-ons if they yield a substantial improvement. I'm using JPS cables.
Are you looking for a regular CD player, or would you be open to adding an external DAC? In that case you would continue using your Rega as a transport, feeding the DAC with a digital cable.
My suggestion is to do what I did - rip all of your CDs and put the files (in FLAC of course) on a network drive that can be accessed via a streaming unit. I still have a CD player in one system but haven't used it in ages - I can audition material I may like on line from a streaming service or on my computer to see if I like it enough to acquire and rip it. Of course I now have c. 4000 CDs in storage because I can't bring myself to toss them and selling would be a painful and long process......
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