Ponty
pfm Member
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
Half width CD player into DAC
- Thread starter Ponty
- Start date
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
Ponty
pfm Member
That’s the trouble with anything old and comparatively expensive. It could become a doorstop at any time!
Yep. I never used to think of this but all of my kit is getting long in the tooth now and any new additions need good aftercare. Naim, Rega both very good.
Del monaco
Del Monaco
I’ll let you know. Will listen tomorrow.
Ponty
pfm Member
Hence I’m wondering if the cheap CD player with an optical output into the Yamaha 803 will sound materially worse than something many times the price feeding the same DAC.
Probably not much of a difference is my view. There just isn't that much half-width kit about and that which there is tends to cost a fair wack. A s/h Cyrus goes for under £200 usually. Not sure about Rega prices. Tbh I'd be tempted to source an old Mac Mini and use the optical out. That is half width, even cheaper, and offers loads of other functionality!
Del monaco
Del Monaco
This is always the eternal hifi quandary Ponty..
Ponty
pfm Member
It does look pretty good - on a strictly technical basis the thing that you open yourself up to with cheap transports is timing errors and clock jitter. Most modern DACs can cope with this with clock recovery, which was a complete novelty only 20 years ago.
If you buy that Tangent distance sales and hate it you can send it back without too much hassle. Almost as cheap as a Mac Mini!
If you buy that Tangent distance sales and hate it you can send it back without too much hassle. Almost as cheap as a Mac Mini!
hifinutt
hifinutt
1] cyrus cd players are legendary for unreliability , maybe a later version with a warrenty will be ok . having spent many many years on cyrus forum . there are hundreds of pages on this topic
2] bel canto cd2 is a top loader , no longer made but is superb , the cd3t is available but has had some problems
this would be my choice 199 pounds
https://www.hyperfi.co.uk/hifi-separates/denon-dcd50-cd-player-compact-disc-dcd-50
2] bel canto cd2 is a top loader , no longer made but is superb , the cd3t is available but has had some problems
this would be my choice 199 pounds
https://www.hyperfi.co.uk/hifi-separates/denon-dcd50-cd-player-compact-disc-dcd-50
Ponty
pfm Member
Hyperfi! I had no idea they still existed! I fondly remember their multi page adverts in the HiFi mags. Their prices look very cheap, much of it seems ‘B’ stock, whatever that means.
Del monaco
Del Monaco
Careful Look at the feedback. There must be a catch.
hifinutt
hifinutt
yes b stock , not sure what that means but seems to have warrenty .
zipperheadbanjo
pfm Member
I’ve got a Marantz HD CD 1... digital out into an NDX 2. Works great and looks sharp. Contemplated the Rega shoe box CD player too..... bought the first one that came up on the used market.
trick cyclist
pfm Member
I was considering the little Denon to go with my CB gear, but have read too many reviews, on amazon I think, that said it was unreliable and did not read discs well, so have up on that idea.
gustav_errata
pfm Member
I use an Exposure XM CD player. It is half width and sounds good through a Chord 2Qute dac, in fact almost as good as the LinnIt is also nicely made and a pleasure to use.
My, that's purty. I was excited to read a review that multiple times referred to it as "affordable" but then I saw the price and realised that in that I have a different scale of "affordability"
(to be fair, it's not super expensive, but it's just out of my price range)
Jono_13
Duffer
When I compared a Denon CD player and Apple TV into the same Rega DAC some years ago the net effect was they both sounded the same!
The Tangent CD player appeared in the System Pics thread a while ago looking very smart having been slotted into Naim sleeve to match a Nait and would be my choice if I wanted a CD player for my Atom....
Ponty
pfm Member
Yep, that’s what I’m currently thinking. It would be interesting to do a blind audition between this and something much more expensive into the 803.
Del monaco
Del Monaco
Why would it not sound great? There are never major differences really. The test is whether you like it and can live with it. It would be pointless paying good money for something that may not add anything to the mix!