[Sarchi]

I was curious if any Marantz CD5001 owners use the headphone jack. They boast "Newly Designed Headphone Amp. With Buffer Circuit" but no detailed specs.

I've been using the headphone jack on my Pioneer PDR-509 and comparing it with the LD MT, using low impedance Senns (HD205). Surprisingly this CD player has a pretty decent-sounding headphone output- dead quiet, very detailed and fairly neutral if not overly "warm". This is a standalone CD recorder; works very well, but as my CDP it's probably due to be replaced with something better, one of these days.

For background, I'm picking up my new-to-me W1000's this week. For an amp, I am going to compare the Micro-Tube, Musiland MD10, and my Aikido, and then settle on one (or maybe two

). Straight through from CD source is also an option, though not one I had really considered much before today.

 

[CMasten]

I drive Grado 80s and Senn 600s with no problems at all. The Headphone amp section of this unit is the reason I purchased it. It has plenty of headroom and a very quiet noise floor.

 

[Sarchi]

Interesting.....so it can drive a 32-ohm and 300-ohm can. I wonder what buffer chip it uses.

Any comparisons to some well-known headphone amps would be great.

I guess my other (5th!) option is to try the speaker taps of my Sophia 'Baby' amp. That one intrigues me as well. So many choices.

One thing I know, getting an SACD player is going to hurt my wallet long term.

 

[CMasten]

the Senn 600s are 600 ohm, so no problems with 32 or 300. The Grado 80's sound superb also. The only thing is the remote doesnt have a vol adjustment so you need to manually adjust the vol on the headphone out, but other than that, it sounds great. Its a very flat, non colored, punchy output is how I can best describe it, beyond any of the portable ones I own, i.e. RSA Hornet etc.

 

[sejarzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarchi /img/forum/go_quote.gif .......One thing I know, getting an SACD player is going to hurt my wallet long term.

If you want an SACD player, why are you considering the CD5001 at all rather than an SA8001?

I'm quite impressed with the performance of my SA8001 on both CD and SACD.

 

[Sarchi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sejarzo /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you want an SACD player, why are you considering the CD5001 at all rather than an SA8001? I'm quite impressed with the performance of my SA8001 on both CD and SACD.

Ummm. I guess I didn't look too closely, I just read "Super Audio CD Grade 192kHz/24-bit Cirrus Logic CS4392 D/A Converter" and assumed the 5001 is SACD. Go figure.

 

[sejarzo]

Almost all current top-of-the-line DAC chips can take a DSD data stream, so the chip itself is capable of SACD playback.....that doesn't mean the player is an SACD unit, though.

An inexpensive SACD player that seems to get consistently good reviews is the Sony SCD-CE595. Most of the other less expensive units that can play SACD's are multiformat players that most users find less than optimal for hi-rez source playback.

It appears that the going rate for lightly used SA8001's will hover in the $550-$650 range on Audiogon.

 

[Sarchi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sejarzo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Almost all current top-of-the-line DAC chips can take a DSD data stream, so the chip itself is capable of SACD playback.....that doesn't mean the player is an SACD unit, though.

Gotcha. I still think it is a little misleading. So what benefit is the 24/192 chip - does it upsample redbook cd's? Or is it for CD-R playback of material recorded at higher sample rates.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sejarzo /img/forum/go_quote.gif An inexpensive SACD player that seems to get consistently good reviews is the Sony SCD-CE595. Most of the other less expensive units that can play SACD's are multiformat players that most users find less than optimal for hi-rez source playback. It appears that the going rate for lightly used SA8001's will hover in the $550-$650 range on Audiogon.

Cool, thanks for the info.!

 

[sejarzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarchi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Gotcha. I still think it is a little misleading. So what benefit is the 24/192 chip - does it upsample redbook cd's? Or is it for CD-R playback of material recorded at higher sample rates.

Not really misleading.......you will not find any other reference in the CD5001 promotional info that says it has SACD capability; all SACD players I have seen clearly display the SACD logo on the front face.

Do some Googling for info on oversampling versus upsampling. There is a diversity of opinion on the relative pros and cons, and some claim there is no difference. The CD5001 almost certainly oversamples.

In the consumer realm, I don't think there are any players that will play any material outside of redbook, SACD, or DVD-A formats. The Alesis Masterlink (a pro CD mastering unit) can play 24/96 from CD-R.