[DJShadow]

So I'm finally going to progress from using a pcdp as a home source to something (I hope) that is more hi-fi. My requirements are that it must have a headphone jack because I doubt I'd be spending anymore on additions like amps, DACs, interconnects etc. It doesn't have to be SACD or multi-changer and is an upsampling unit is way out of my budget?

So far I've been looking at the Cambridge Audio Azur 340C (£150) and 540C V2 (£200). Are these any good? The Sony ce595 seems to get recommend very often as an excellent beginner kit, but I prefer the look of the Cambridge systems and want avoid the brand name. What about the Marantz cd5001(£170)? BTW, the Cambridge units dont have any headphone jacks but have the s/p dif jack. Is alright to plug straight into this?

Any suggestions would be great.

 

[jimholt]

Heard a few people recommend the new Cambridge Azur players. Not heard them myself.

Richer sounds sell them so you may get them a bit cheaper. Jim.

 

[DJShadow]

Thanks for replying. The prices I've quoted are from Richer Sounds

. I've read up a bit more and it appears that I need an amp if I want to connect headphones to the 340c and 540c; very annoying as I really like the look and the characteristics of the Cambridge units

 

[hciman77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJShadow /img/forum/go_quote.gif BTW, the Cambridge units dont have any headphone jacks but have the s/p dif jack. Is alright to plug straight into this?

No, sadly , you cannot plug your headpones directly into the spdif as it is a digital output.

 

[Dork Knight]

Just a suggestion, but how about something like;

Second hand NAD C521BEE CD Player (£70 inc delivery - eBay Buy It Now),

Little Dot II++ from eBay.

That should come in at around £180.

 

[DJShadow]

Keep the suggestions coming. So would a CDP plus amp be better than an equivalently priced CDP that has an integrated headphone out?

 

[Dork Knight]

Actually, which cans do you have or wish to run from the player/amp?

 

[DJShadow]

Sony MDR-SA5000, which are 70ohms impedance.

 

[Dork Knight]

Personally I would either save to increase my budget or look at the second hand market, perhaps something like I posted above or I suppose you might be able to find a better deal in the For Sale section of the forum.

That's personal preference though, I don't know about the MDR-SA5000 so I can't comment on how they may sound.

 

[DJShadow]

Yeah thats a good point, although if you had a budget of >£200 what would you buy that also had an integrated headphone jack? And the For Sale Forum is a great place, but since equipment in the UK represents a small proportion of what goes on sale there, its going to be a tough finding something appropriate. Ah well, I'll keep looking.

 

[Dork Knight]

I like the look of;

http://www.marantz.com/new/index.cfm...f&prod_id=3524

http://www.avland.co.uk/marantz/cd5001ose/cd5001ose.htm

But on closer inspection it says; Headphone output - 18 mW/32 ohms.

I still like the idea of the NAD and LDII++ though.

 

[colonelkernel8]

If anyone has a used Marantz CD 5001 or Cambridge Azur 540C or NAD C521BEE lying around, I want it. PM me.