[Knocturnal]

I really need to buy a good source but I dont want to spend over $500 on it. I just want it to have the best sound possible without breaking the bank. Thanks

 

[dd3mon]

Preferences like redbook vs. sacd/dvd-a and what type of music you listen to would help. There's no "best" player at any price range, because everyone's wants (for features, etc) and tastes are different. Give a little more info and you'll get more useful responses.

-dd3mon

 

[TimSchirmer]

are you looking for a cd player? SACD player? Turntable? a soundcard (mp3.etc)?

For all i know, you could be looking for an 8 track player. Tell us which format you use.

 

[Thump]

I'm also looking for a source in that price range. First preference would be redbook, but would be very interested in SACD/DVD-audio capabilities as "extras."

I would probably exclude used equipment from my consideration because this gets mechanical wear.

 

[orl2222]

Several sources are available in that range:
Redbook: Music hall CD 25, NAD 541i
SACD/Rebook: Philips 963 SA

If your gonna explore SACD, I'd reccomend the Philips 963 SA.
This player has had its supporters and distractors. To be honest, I was not really a fan of this player in the begining. My first impressions were so so, hearing it at a audio store. However, I did buy one myself at J&R for 360.00 . The upsampling feature is nice, and I can notice the difference. It has a warmer sound to it on Redbook, than my NAD 541i, but not by much. The 963 SA is not as well built as the NAD 541i. If you don't see yourself expanding to SACD soon, look into a Redbook player. If SACD is in your future, then the 963 might be your best bet. Above all, audition these players if you can. As always, we can can give you impressions of what we have, but audio seems to be in the ears of the beholder.

 

[Knocturnal]

Help a noob. I listen to Rap and Rock mostly and some of the Yanni stuff. I need it to play CDs, whats the difference between SACD and CD, im new to home sources. I think sound quality comes first but a close second is functionality. The things I want it to have is a remote, cd player

, line-out, and all kinds of other things you would need. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks again

 

[orl2222]

All of the players I mentined have coaxial/digital, toslinks outs, as well as RCA jacks, and remotes. Looking at your music tastes, always remember that SACD have a few rock/ rap titles currently. The list is growing, but most SACD's currently are Jazz, classical, and soundtracks.

 

[Knocturnal]

What is SACD!!! I know im new to the source area. Does it stand for Super Audio. I know there are these SACDs but where do I buy them and where are they for sale. Any info would be appreciated. BTW I have been doing some research on the Philips 963SA and almost everyone likes it. Very interesting. Any info would be great.

 

[MacDEF]

http://www.sonymusic.com/sacd/

http://www.sacd.philips.com/index.php

 

[blr]

There are tons of posts regarding the same question. Do the search and you'll find lots of info. I'm currently fighting in two other threads on this. Anyway, I'd say forget the SACD/DVD-A for now. With your musical tastes (absolutely nothing wrong with them) there will be anoother couple of years before you will even have the chance to hear something you like on SACD or DVD A. I also listen mostly to rock and there are very few recordings on SACD and virtually nothing on DVD-A. Get instead a decent CD only player. The features you mentioned are available on almost any CDP (all of them have line out).
Look at manufacturers like NAD, Marantz, Cambridge Audio and Rotel. Their budget offerings are often very good.

 

[Knocturnal]

OMG why dont they release some modern stuff for SACD. Wheres the Bob Marley, 2Pac, Nas, and all the other greats. Thats really disturbing. They have no modern rock either, Charlotte Church

doesnt count as rock either

I guess i just need really high quaity CD player. Thanks

 

[dd3mon]

Quote:

Originally posted by Knocturnal OMG why dont they release some modern stuff for SACD. Wheres the Bob Marley, 2Pac, Nas, and all the other greats. Thats really disturbing. They have no modern rock either, Charlotte Church doesnt count as rock either I guess i just need really high quaity CD player. Thanks

Many modern recordings wouldn't benefit at all from the new high-res formats, because they are pretty crappy to begin with. It's sad to see how many new rock albums have glaring faults in the recordings when you listen on a decent system.

-dd3mon

 

[MERTON]

what's the best if you just wanna listen to them store bought cd's?

 

[Welly Wu]

Alright, this is just my opinion and I consider myself to be a noob like you do. If you listen to a lot of rock and rap, then I would urge you to consider getting a Redbook only CDP. All of your favorite artists will be releasing Redbook CDs for sure. As for whether they will release a high resolution DVD-Audio or SACD offering of their latest albums, well...don't hold your breath for too long. Those high rez discs are coming but they're coming like molasses (IMHO).

DVD-Audio and SACD are basically high resolution formats. 24 bits. 96kHz or 192kHz. Far greater dynamic range (I can't comment on the numbers). Basically, it's like listening to High Definition music. Have you ever walked into a BestBuy, Circuit City, or some specialized electronics store? Have you ever watched those big, expensive, flat screen High Definition TVs? That is a good albeit rough comparison of the concepts behind DVD-Audio and SACD. I briefly owned a DVD-Video/Audio player, a cheap one I couldn't figure out, and two DVD-Audio discs. At first, I couldn't perceive an improvement. Later, as I got closer to selling off my DVD-Audio player and discs, I heard the difference. It's like night and day. Listening to DVD-Audio is like getting so close to Tupac's voice that you can tell what he ate for lunch by the smell of his breath. Ok. That's a hyperbole but I think it's true.

I'd recommend you sit down and ask yourself a few questions before you do anything with your money. First, ask yourself if you just want to listen to your favorite rock/rap artists' latest albums without having to fuss with those high resolution thingies. Second, do yourself the favor of doing your own research into specific products.

Next, please take the time to seriously consider buying a Redbook only CDP like the NAD C 541i. I got it. It's da bomb yo! Seriously, it sounds...very good. I got it for $457.00 dollars through YAWA Online. Check them out. Very reputable reseller of NAD gear. Go to the NAD website (http://www.nadelectronics.com) and a couple of other websites like Stereophile, The Absolute Sound, Audiophile Audition, AudioREVIEW, HI-Fi Choice, and What Hi-Fi? Do a search using Google and just punch in the names that I listed and you'll find the websites. Then, use each website to do another product search for the NAD C 541i CDP. Good stuff. Big performance per dollar value CDP. You won't be disappointed.

As for the "future," I would say hold off. Right now, there are a few DVD-Audio/SACD titles but the number of new pressings is growing steadily. However, I think that the release of DVD-Audio/SACD titles is not going fast enough for me. As for the hardware to play those kind of discs, I can't really comment. I can say that I do like the idea of a "universal" player. It's a DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, SACD, Redbook, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3 CDR, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and maybe HDCD player that costs megabucks but the problem is that it's too expensive. Anyway, I hope that all this makes sense to you because it doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by Knocturnal OMG why dont they release some modern stuff for SACD. Wheres the Bob Marley, 2Pac, Nas, and all the other greats. Thats really disturbing.

As long as most rock/rap albums are recorded poorly, SACD will be wasted on them.