How good a cd player do I need?
- Thread starter Enfield boy
- Start date
Enfield boy
pfm Member
Guilty as charged! That really wasn't why I started the fight!! I was sort of convinced that I shouldn't hear a difference, the system is mostly unchanged-cdp/nDac/555ps/52/135s/briks.
I kinda thought the Marantz 63 mk2 KI was a backward step from the Micromega stage 4, difficult to be sure as one failed before I got the other. The Rotel was different and imo, better. Some say Naim cdps that can do digital out sound the same, so why would I buy a CDX2-2? I really don't know, but I'd like to get the best sound per pound esp as I'm a pensioner!
I kinda thought the Marantz 63 mk2 KI was a backward step from the Micromega stage 4, difficult to be sure as one failed before I got the other. The Rotel was different and imo, better. Some say Naim cdps that can do digital out sound the same, so why would I buy a CDX2-2? I really don't know, but I'd like to get the best sound per pound esp as I'm a pensioner!
Del monaco
Del Monaco
I prefer the Rotel to the Marantz. The KI was bought as a gift but I never felt settled with it. Though it had detail I felt it was overly bright and forward and I could never tame this.
Iluzun
Member
Richard Austen of Stereophile suggest that ultimately it ‘horses for courses’, some differences mattering more than others. So despite my and others discerning variance between transports, often it’s a futile pursuit (both perceptions can be right). The good news is that very satisfying replay quality is available at relatively modest prices today. The same with dacs and entry level speakers, ect.. (Denafrips Aeries or Elac References anyone?) I would simply suggest that perhaps much of the new Rotel gear would also supply a big slice of musical nirvana, hence being monies well spent...
Apologies for ‘ruffling any feathers’, perceptions r realities...
“A better CD player does sound better but there are several caveats to this.
The CD player is made up of a transport section and a DAC. Most all CD player manufacturers buy the CD transport mechanism than spins the disc and is responsible for stability and also for the laser pick-up that reads the disc information. Almost all CD player manufacturers buy a CD transport mechanism and laser reader from around $5 to $15 from the likes of Sony, Philips, Sanyo, and a few others.
One of the reasons people say "all transports sound the same" is because they do. If you buy an Arcam CD player and a Cambridge audio that both use the exact same Philips transport mechanism and you operate the CD player as a transport only there is a pretty good chance you won't be able to tell them apart in a blind test. Especially when both players are around the same retail price it means they both probably use the same general parts around that transport mechanism.
Few people audition high-end transports these days or in fact, ever did back in the day. The problem is that there are;t any middle ground transport mechanisms anymore. There is the $5-$25 mechanisms and then it jumps to $500 for the Philips CD Pro 2M (or 2LF for environmental considerations that replaced the M). But these are no longer made. Companies still use them like Metronome, Audio Note UK, Opera Consonance, and a few others - but their transports tend to be priced above $4,000. And since the transports are no longer made and haven't been for over 5 years then you need to be sure that they stockpile replacements.
That's part 1 of the problem. Part 2 of the problem is - is the rest of the system capable of differentiating (so that you can hear it) the superior transport from a mediocre one?
Hypothetically, let's say the superior transport has deeper bass and greater dynamic range - well if you are using a standmount with a six-inch woofer that doesn't do bass or dynamics then the "advantage" that the superior transport brings to the table you may not actually hear because the speaker (or your amplifier) isn't able to relate those improvements or if they do may be viewed by the listener as a very minor improvement and spending $4,000 on a very minor (or none at all) to your system may seem like a dubious proposition. Especially when a DAC may offer more midrange style improvements to tonality or timbre or soundstage or treble - things that a 6 inch woofer standmount can reveal this making the DAC seem to sound more different and offer more value.
And like I say - even for those of us who do hear the difference because we hear these $4000+ transports with more serious mechanisms - it's a LOT of money! Yes the AN CD Two/II sounds a lot better than my Cambridge Audio CXC but it's like 15 times the price!
I totally understand the notion these days to just copy all your CDs to the computer (hard drives whatever) and get a DAC. The CXC is a very nice transport - but I don't think most people with most relatively budget systems will be able to hear it beating out the computer-based files.”
Apologies for ‘ruffling any feathers’, perceptions r realities...
“A better CD player does sound better but there are several caveats to this.
The CD player is made up of a transport section and a DAC. Most all CD player manufacturers buy the CD transport mechanism than spins the disc and is responsible for stability and also for the laser pick-up that reads the disc information. Almost all CD player manufacturers buy a CD transport mechanism and laser reader from around $5 to $15 from the likes of Sony, Philips, Sanyo, and a few others.
One of the reasons people say "all transports sound the same" is because they do. If you buy an Arcam CD player and a Cambridge audio that both use the exact same Philips transport mechanism and you operate the CD player as a transport only there is a pretty good chance you won't be able to tell them apart in a blind test. Especially when both players are around the same retail price it means they both probably use the same general parts around that transport mechanism.
Few people audition high-end transports these days or in fact, ever did back in the day. The problem is that there are;t any middle ground transport mechanisms anymore. There is the $5-$25 mechanisms and then it jumps to $500 for the Philips CD Pro 2M (or 2LF for environmental considerations that replaced the M). But these are no longer made. Companies still use them like Metronome, Audio Note UK, Opera Consonance, and a few others - but their transports tend to be priced above $4,000. And since the transports are no longer made and haven't been for over 5 years then you need to be sure that they stockpile replacements.
That's part 1 of the problem. Part 2 of the problem is - is the rest of the system capable of differentiating (so that you can hear it) the superior transport from a mediocre one?
Hypothetically, let's say the superior transport has deeper bass and greater dynamic range - well if you are using a standmount with a six-inch woofer that doesn't do bass or dynamics then the "advantage" that the superior transport brings to the table you may not actually hear because the speaker (or your amplifier) isn't able to relate those improvements or if they do may be viewed by the listener as a very minor improvement and spending $4,000 on a very minor (or none at all) to your system may seem like a dubious proposition. Especially when a DAC may offer more midrange style improvements to tonality or timbre or soundstage or treble - things that a 6 inch woofer standmount can reveal this making the DAC seem to sound more different and offer more value.
And like I say - even for those of us who do hear the difference because we hear these $4000+ transports with more serious mechanisms - it's a LOT of money! Yes the AN CD Two/II sounds a lot better than my Cambridge Audio CXC but it's like 15 times the price!
I totally understand the notion these days to just copy all your CDs to the computer (hard drives whatever) and get a DAC. The CXC is a very nice transport - but I don't think most people with most relatively budget systems will be able to hear it beating out the computer-based files.”