Whats the deal with CD players?


I have a hard time telling the difference between CD players, even ones that are cheaply made vs. 'hi-end', or even CD's vs. DVD players. I couldn't even notice a big difference between tube and solid state outputs. When i get a player home i'll set up a double blind a/b test vs. my inexpensive dvd player and have yet to find a player that i could honestly say was a marked improvement. When i read reviews, both amateur and professional, people make it seem like it's night and day. And what do people mean by jitter? Amps and speakers to me can be night and day, but Cd players? I currently use a pair of dynaudio 1.8's and some H/K separates and I'll admit I skimp on cables and use those plastic ones that came with my vcr and dvd player, but despite that, shouldn't I be able to at least tell which player i'm listening to? I'd upgrade my cables, but I don't think cables are to blame. I know this post will piss a lot of people off, but honestly, what is it that you hear that can make you drop tons of cash on a cd player?
128x128perkadin

Showing 3 responses by tweekerman

Kirk makes a interesting point, your new upgraded digital player will be limited by the finnese of your amp and the capibilities of your speaker, a obvious point to be kept in mind
Tobias and Garfish posts say it better than i ever could...however one point they missed is the question of quality...which plays little park in speakers(i've had my speakers for 20 yrs w/o a glitch) most amps are reliable for many years...but when it comes to CD players...the quality question is EXTREMELY important...POINT: my friends NAD died and was buried (while still a youth)..mt NAD broke a few weeks after purchased but was restored back to life...as well my friend has a BRAND NEW $3K CD player(big american name won't mention) broke down..repaired...now skips..so like i say QUALITY is first...but the problem here on audiogon is that ain't nobody telling the truth about their poor quality units...WHY?...nobody wants to get involved in any wars with another member over his beloved...last point on this long-winded post...peradin needs to read Bwhites EXCELLENT review of 3 SUPERIOR digital players..trust me there IS a difference in cdp's digital output...as for superior construction i have my picks but won't tell
you've got 4 levels of players...$0 to $1K...$2K...$2K to $4K $4K to $8K...ok the 5th level is anything over $8K which does not concern this thread and most of us on the gon...trust me.. there IS a diference in each level you go up...it's just that there are some good buys in each level and of course there are some not-so-good players in each level...do your homework...and you may make the best choice for you