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Upgrade my CD player or futile effort?

I would appreciate you guys input. I listen to 90% vinyl  and 10% CDs due to a lot of new music I get into only comes out on CDs. My analog system sounds fantastic to my ears but unfortunately my digital falls short. My analog system consists of:
-VPI Classic 1 TT
-Lyra Kleos cart
-PS Audio Stellar phono preamp
-Prima Luna 100 preamp
-Parasound Halo A21+ amp
-PBN Montana XPS speakers
-Dual Rythmick
F-12 subs
My CD player is a Marantz CD6005 running through my analog system.
Compared to my vinyl, overall the sound from my CDs lacks the depth and definition in bass, comes short in the soundstage and overall space in presentation and does not have the
same clarity in treble.
If I rate my analog sound a 9, I would rate my digital CD a 7.
My question is, would I benefit from a better CD player, even so the CD6005 is no slouch, or am I gonna end up in a goose chase?
I realize my CDs may never sound as good as my vinyl, but I would try to improve it if you guys think it would be worth the effort. Are there really some outstanding CD players out there that can measure up to vinyl? Personal experiences only please, do not need sales pitches by equipment associations you may have never listened to. Also all my cabling and room setup is a 10 to me with the analog so I wouldn't change any of that for my CD player listening.  Thanks.

128x128baylinor
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kacomess
199 posts
 
Personally, if you intend to stick to the CD medium at all, I suggest a transport + external DAC option as have many others posting so far. The Cambridge CXC-V2 is inexpensive ($550) and has a good reputation for reliability and customer service (per the local shop and scattered reviews anyway). I own one and use it with a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ and it seems satisfying.
The other question is: Do you intend to use CDs into the future? While the medium is supposedly moribund, there are thousands of these on the used market for very low prices. That alone is enticing to me (especially given the close proximity of a fabulous music store nearby).
So, I think you could get a very nice CD playback setup for not too much money and use the savings to buy used discs (or upgrade the rest of your system).
orenstein
66 posts
 
I realized you've already committed to a specific upgrade but I'll add my 2 cents anyway.  As important as a DAC may be, the transport is at least equally significant.  The elimination of vibration and an accurate reading of the disc is where all the sound originates.  If that part of the system is inferior, everything which follows will suffer.

That being said, if you ever want to jump into the DEEP end of the CD player world, probably the best CD player ever made is the Naim CD555, coupled with the Naim 555 power supply.  It's even better when using two of the 555 power supplies, one to power the analog circuitry and the other to power the digital circuitry.  This is what I use along with a very high end analog system.  (Kuzma Stabi XL DC turntable w/ the Kuzma 14" 4 point tonearm and a Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum cartridge)  All of this plays into a Naim Statement system and then into Grandinote Mach 36 speakers.  All the cables are Luna (Noir).

Anyway, the Naim CD 555 is very expensive and is no longer in production (since 2017) but you can occasionally find one on the used market (as I did) for around $15,000 (including the power supply)
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baylinor's avatar
baylinor OP
1,226 posts
 
I appreciate the suggestion for a CD transport. After I see what the DAC is doing, I will probably go down that road. But doing one change at a time is something I need to stick to. In the past I got multiple new parts to my system at once and it became a real challenge to find out what piece had improved what. For now I am excited to see what the Denapris Ares II will do for the CD6005. Patience is a virtue 🙂
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