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What was/is your favourite CD player

Caledon1297 said:
CD players? I've owned a few... :rolleyes: (though rather fewer than Mike P :eek:)

Arcam Alpha 5+
Linn Karik III/Numerik
Marantz CD40
Marantz CD60SE
Naim CDS
Naim CDSII
Naim CD555
Philips CD630
Quad 99CDP2
SONY CDP 761E

The most musical (or should that be least unmusical?) remains the Naim CDS.

Digital sucks, analogue rules... unfortunately, as I've many more CDs than records. :(

Still interested in trying Rega Saturn-R and/or ISIS, but my best efforts to secure examples to try in meaningful circumstances have come to nothing. :(

Current No. 1 area of interest - Audio Note.
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Oops, forgot Meridian 200/203. :oops:
 
Had a Densen B410 which I was very happy with for 6 or 7 years (it’s now performing transport duties in London Town)
I intended upgrading to a B440xs but had my head turned by an older Audio Note CD2 at under £500. I listened to the AN against the B440 and to my surprise the AN smoked it. MikeP has patiently repaired the mech (Crap is apparently the Technical term for it!) and replaced a couple of lasers.
Hoping it lives on for a good while as I will need to spend a lot more than £500 to better it.
 
White Zombie said:
Anyone any experience for Exposure's CD players? I'm always on the lookout for one to match my amp
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I have the original Exposure CDP, which I bought in 1998 along with an Exposure pre/power combination. It's (touch wood) worked perfectly since then, both with the Exposure amps and with a passive pre/valve power amp I used a few years back. I'd describe the sound as on the warm side of neutral, but with plenty of drive, and it 'works' with all the types of music I listen to (rock/pop, classical, jazz). The model I have doesn't have a digital output, so I've not tried it with alternative DACs.
 
I also have the original Exposure CDP but this one with the BNC digital out. On it's own, it's a slightly warm and very musical player that can be played for hours before getting on your nerves. When used as a transport into my Chord Qutest it looses that sparkle and punch so I prefer the analog output directly to the preamplifier.
 
herb said:
Currently using a Naim CDX2.2 and found it harsh initially.
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herb said:
. I have a TXPS but prefer it bare
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It's funny how you can spend £**** on a power supply only to prefer your player bare.
At your suggestion I'm now using my CDX2.2 without the TXPS and is sounding good.
I have thought about a Naim dac and whether it might sound better without that as well !
 
Minio said:
It's funny how you can spend £**** on a power supply only to prefer your player bare.
At your suggestion I'm now using my CDX2.2 without the TXPS and is sounding good.
I have thought about a Naim dac and whether it might sound better without that as well !
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The CDX2.2 is sounding very good with excellent attack, yet smooth in a sort of flat earth kind of way. I think I know what I did to make it so, but there are a few modifications I dismissed. I'm afraid there is now a small pile of RCA interconnects, speaker cables, mains cables and the TXPS. I discovered that the TXPS invalidated the warranty of course. An external DAC is an option too and would be interesting, but not for now.
 
First Marantz 63,Cambridge audio, Cyrus 6 very detailed also 8, Naim cd5i , Rega saturn nice , Naim cd 5x did not really shine until a flatcap added then better than the Rega. And now 5 to 6 years Naim cdx2 xps which is the best I have listened to and I am happy with. Second system Marantz Ki cd 6000, Marantz 8200 amp, various speakers, its ok but the main system is a stayer.
 
Naim CD5
Naim CDS3/XPS2
Sony XA5400ES
Sony XA5400ES/Chord Qutest

Common thread for each is a musical and engaging sound.
 
Mike P said:
Notable highlights from the above list would be:

Sony CDP-555esd
Sony CDP-557esd
Sony CDP-X7esd
Sony CDP-337esd
Rotel RCD-971
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As an RCD-991 owner, I'm intrigued as to why the 971 stood out but the 991 didn't? Never heard a 971 but after my first 991 went on the blink and I had to return it to the shop, it took me a while to hunt another down.

Other CD player is a Rega Jupiter 2000 which is nice too but funnily never tried them off against beach other.

Would love to try one of those top Sony's
 
My current one.

Sony X33ES

My last one I should never have sold. Meridian 208.

Sony just edges it but the Meridian sounded awesome through its pre amp headphone amplifier.
 
JimmyB said:
As an RCD-991 owner, I'm intrigued as to why the 971 stood out but the 991 didn't? Never heard a 971 but after my first 991 went on the blink and I had to return it to the shop, it took me a while to hunt another down.

Other CD player is a Rega Jupiter 2000 which is nice too but funnily never tried them off against beach other.

Would love to try one of those top Sony's
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Hi James,

I was also a bit puzzled as to why I preferred the 971 over the 991. I heard the 971 and the 991 a few months apart so I certainly can't claim it was a straight A/B test. Perhaps there was some expectation bias because I heard the 971 first and was really surprised how much I liked it, so I was expecting the 991 to blow my socks off. It's also possible that I needed to play with the dither adjustment a bit more to find the sweet spot.

Having said all that, when I heard the 971 I thought to myself "Hey this is really great, I could easily live with this" and when I heard the 991 it just quite excite me in the same way. I thought it was just me but a while back I mentioned the same thing in another thread and @sq225917 said that he thought the same. The 991 is a very fine player but if you get a chance to try a 971 go for it.

Oh, and the 991 should be almost always repairable. If your second one dies send it to me!
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
I do too, a lot!
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I used a ISIS in preference to a Naim 555 player when I had a demo of my Fact 8 and Kudos speakers, as it simply was better and more musical, the wife agreed, as did the guys on that day at Signals. Very appealing I think to Linn ears, would be a nice play off against a CD12.
That said, both my Akurate and Klimax DS’s I think will see off a CD player these days, my Karik is actually plugged into the Akurate DSM to make use of it’s newer/better Katalyst DAC.

I don’t miss faffing with Jewel cases, I mean it’s nothing like the ritual of vinyl so why bother. My CDs are ripped to my own NAS, then supplemented by Tidal. It’s rare I buy a CD, if I do it’s ripped and then put into storage.
 
9designs said:
I used a ISIS in preference to a Naim 555 player when I had a demo of my Fact 8 and Kudos speakers, as it simply was better and more musical, the wife agreed, as did the guys on that day at Signals. Very appealing I think to Linn ears, would be a nice play off against a CD12.
That said, both my Akurate and Klimax DS’s I think will see off a CD player these days, my Karik is actually plugged into the Akurate DSM to make use of it’s newer/better Katalyst DAC.

I don’t miss faffing with Jewel cases, I mean it’s nothing like the ritual of vinyl so why bother. My CDs are ripped to my own NAS, then supplemented by Tidal. It’s rare I buy a CD, if I do it’s ripped and then put into storage.
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The Isis and CD12 are both absolute top drawer players, not much to pick between them to be honest... the CD12 is both utterly stunning to look at and is a legendary product, but unsupported... the Isis is rather more brutal in styling, but it’s a current product, hence very well supported.

I have a modded Mimik which is easily as good as a Karik as a transport (drawer mech aside, the transport circuitry is essentially the same as a Karik, same PCB, albeit populated differently). I may end up using the Mimik in a Klimax Katalyst Exakt system, pretty certain it’ll deliver CD12 level performance.
 
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