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Looking for new CD Player

post #1 of 29
12/13/01 at 5:41pm
Thread Starter 
Currently I use a Musical Concepts modified Pioneer 101 disc into an Audio Alchemy DTI/DAC V1.1 setup or I use the Audio Alchemy DDS into the DTI/DAC combo.

I would like to get something new and not have a separate transport/dac.

I want to spend in the $800-1800 area.

Any thoughts?
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post #2 of 29
12/13/01 at 6:10pm
There's a lot you can get for $1800. I'd say shoot for a Sony SCD-777ES if you can afford to spend that much...they go for $1500 on Audiogon. There's also the Arcam CD23 FMJ, Rega Jupiter 2000, heck lotsa others. A lot depends on what type of sound you're looking for as well.
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post #3 of 29
12/13/01 at 6:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by Vertigo-1
There's a lot you can get for $1800. I'd say shoot for a Sony SCD-777ES if you can afford to spend that much...they go for $1500 on Audiogon. There's also the Arcam CD23 FMJ, Rega Jupiter 2000, heck lotsa others. A lot depends on what type of sound you're looking for as well.
Vertigo, thanks for the reply. All I am trying to do is build up a short list of players to audition.

I have been skeptical of the SACD players redbook capabilities. I know a lot of you think that they are excellent players. What do you think the redbook capabilities of the SACD players (specifically the Sony ES) versus a conventional player.

As far as sound. I want sound that is accurate, detailed but not overly analytical. I have found that hard to achieve.
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post #4 of 29
12/13/01 at 6:53pm
Quote:
I have been skeptical of the SACD players redbook capabilities. I know a lot of you think that they are excellent players. What do you think the redbook capabilities of the SACD players (specifically the Sony ES) versus a conventional player.
The Redbook playback on Sony's ES SACD players is as good as any Redbook-only CDP in the same price range, in my experience. But you should definitely audition yourself to see if you like the "ES" sound.
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post #5 of 29
12/13/01 at 7:43pm
scottpaul_iu, I have a Sony X707ES I would sell, if you decided to go that way (conventional.) I bought mine after reading many reviews, amoung others by J. Gordon Holt at Stereophile. They loved this machine. If you are remotely interested I can direct you to some reviews, or... whatever.

It cost $2000 new, but I'd sell for well under half of that. Lemme know.
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post #6 of 29
12/13/01 at 7:59pm
Hi,

I bought my 777ES recently. To be honest, the CD playback is not as good as I have expected. Nevertheless, I think the sound would gradually improve as I continue the run-in progress.

Having said that, I still think it is a good buy. It is definitely worth the money if you decide to use it as a CD transport at a later stage if you are not satisfied with the CD playback. There are lots of good DACs, e.g. CAL Alpha, to choose from.

As for the SACD playback, I am certain that you will enjoy it as much as I do. The quality is good even with my XB940.

I hope my 2 cents opinion helps.
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post #7 of 29
12/13/01 at 8:33pm
I would suggest checking here:

www.danielsaudio.com/basic_info_cd.htm

He takes a basic Phillips player and extensively modifies it. I have one and listened to several players costing more than twice as much and preferred the Daniels Audio version. You get a 30 day money back guarantee.
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post #8 of 29
12/13/01 at 8:43pm
uvak, how many hours does your 777 have on it, and what other players have you compared it to?
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post #9 of 29
12/13/01 at 9:19pm
Hi,

I have been running my 777ES for roughly 30+ hours over the last 10 days.

What is happening here is that I am very interested to see how much improvements the run-in would have. More importantly, the run-in period.

I run the CDP every day for about 2 hours using few of my favourite (or more familiar) CDs, i.e.

For SACD playback,
1. Tiny Island (Opus 3),
2. Blues Quest (Audioquest)

For CD playback,
1. The Super Extended Resolution Sound of TBM (Fim),
2. Tubular Bells III (WEA)

I listen to them (a few tracks from each album) everyday and compare it with my old but faithful Sony SCD XB940.

For SACD playback, it is pretty obvious that 777ES has an edge over XB940 even with the low run-in period.

However, there is not much different (at this moment) between them as far as CD playback is concerned.

Seriously, I am not sure if my ears are playing tricks on me. Perhaps I have been listening to too much SACDs that the normal CD playback does not really "excite" me that much.

At this point, the run-in has done nothing significant to render any excitement. Perhaps more run-in is needed.

I think I will continue with the run-in progress for another one month and see if there is any improvement. I will keep the forum posted.

Any commment from other owners?

Cheers.
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post #10 of 29
12/13/01 at 9:29pm
Sony's SACD players need at least 400 hours on each laser to fully burn in completely. I've been doing 12 hour night time runs myself for the past month to burn in the CD laser on my 9000ES...and I haven't even gotten to the SACD/DVD laser yet. That's 800 hours total to burn in the player. Also keep in mind there's supposedly a stage during burn in where Sony's SACD players will actually begin to sound worse, around 100-150 hours, and then rise back up to sound better and better. There may not be much of a difference between your XB940ES and the 777ES in CD playback, given they're both from the ES lineup. On the other hand, I heard a pretty dramatic difference between my 9000ES and the SCD-1 in CD playback in that the SCD-1 was MUCH more revealing and portrayed treble much crisper and clearer (which in turn gives it a drier midrange compared to the 9000, which sounds warmer and more musical...some would call the 9000 the more timbrely accurate player and possibly better than the 777ES if you look over at Audioasylum), so there should still be a difference between the players.
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post #11 of 29
12/13/01 at 9:41pm
Hi (again),

Wow !! 400 hours just to run-in the lasers !! I really wonder what is the MTBF for it?

Correct me if I am wrong. Is there much to run-in for the laser? I always have the impression that such progress is actually meant for the components within the CDP.

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post #12 of 29
12/13/01 at 9:59pm
Yes, if it is even true that there is such a thing as "run-in" for CD players, it cannot be within the laser. The laser will never change...
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post #13 of 29
12/13/01 at 10:11pm
Not sure what's getting broken in, but something needs to be broken in apparently. Taken straight from John Sunier's mouth:

Quote:
Since this publication focuses more heavily on the audio than the video, and I have been waiting quite a few months to have a SACD replacement for the 777ES in order to continue reviewing SACD discs, I'll start my auditioning report with the SACD playback, which was for me clearly the most important feature of this unit. And before I get to that, it's vital to discuss break in. Even if you think the idea of breaking in any piece of audio is completely nutso, put your skepticism in the closet and run a good sampler SACD disc in this player at least 400 hours before making any judgements about its fidelity. Then turn around and do the same with a sampler CD disc for at least 200 hours - I did over 300. Some reviews of the 9000ES out there complain of a "dry" quality, and one even found his very basic Adcom one-box CD player to sound superior to the 9000ES on standard CDs. Posh! The players obviously were not broken in. That's why I delayed reviewing the unit until this month to insure a fair appraisal of it, since it arrive the middle of January.
http://www.audaud.com/audaud/MAR01/E...uip1MAR01.html
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post #14 of 29
12/13/01 at 10:14pm
If you're willing to wait a few weeks for your CD player, I would highly recommend purchasing a Pioneer DVD player for around $180, then having it modified by Stan Warren for around $250. Stan Warren's a respected engineer and former founder of PS Audio.

Anyway, his modified DVD player sounds fantastic. I like it a lot because it is simple, extremely inexpensive, hassle-free, and it sounds neutral, extended, and smooth. You don't have to worry about digital cables. As a bonus, you can play DVDs. Read some user reviews of this player at:

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/dig...ges/17001.html

http://www.decware.com/forums/General/posts/2403.html

I haven't compared it head-to-head with many other players, but it certainly is much more detailed and yet more relaxing than my previous Denon DCM-370. I also like it better thananother Stan Warren modified component I've had in my system, a Monarchy 22B DAC ($1100 for the unmodified version a few years ago).

Contact Stan at (541) 344-3696 for more information.
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post #15 of 29
12/13/01 at 10:16pm
I would definitely add the Rega Planet to your short list. If it's too close to the bottom of your price range, you can always add an external DAC like the MSB Tech Link DAC III at it, plus the upsampling and/or HDCD option. I have heard that particular combo myself, and it is a very nice combo.

I am also pretty sure that someone here is going to mention the Musical Fidelity...(drums fingers)...
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