[PaulBoy]

Thanks to this fine forum I have recently bought some decent (IMHO) headphones (Senn555) I have a number of poor quality sources to choose from the best of which is my AV receiver (Denon) & DVD player (Pioneer 575A - hybrid SACD & DVD-A player) which gives me a decent enough sound but I expect I can get better sound from a dedicated CD player (?)
To start with I will only be buying a CD Player - IIRC my old Marantz had a dedicated volume control for headphones (?) Can you still get such CD Players (?) Is this feature a good or bad thing - it's certainly convenient (?) When finances allow I will add an amp - what should I spend on it if I go for a CD Player in the £100-£200 range (?)
Looking forward to your help again ... Paul

PS - I saw a 2nd hand Arcam Alpha 8 CD Player for £150 - how would that stack up against todays models (?)

 

[Garbz]

Of course you can always get decent sound from a decent cdplayer. The problem is as a general rule as you start getting into better sources, the features such as headphone jacks and other "novelties" start disappearing.

Certainly most cheap Yamaha or similar nasty cdplayer have headphone sockets, and may sound better then what you have (though this is unlikely)

The ultimate in cdplayer with headphone out is a Shanling CDT-100 which has a dedicated tube amp built in, but this is waaaay out of the price range.

Second hand stuff is normally good value but it's only on rare occasions that secondhand gear will live up to the new stuff. And such is the case with the Arcam Alpha8 which definitly sounds it's age when compared with some newer Arcam models.

Also what you spend on an amp typically depends on where you think you'll get the best gains. A gilmore lite definitly would do wonders for the senns and comes relativly cheaply too. Me I have an old Harmon Kardon relic for a cdplayer and all equipment after it definitly outclasses it in every way. That said others I know have $2000 worth of speakers and amplifier and put a $5000 cdplayer at the head. Either way it sounds good.

 

[bgravato]

I'm also looking for a dedicated cd player w/o amp for my Senn HD-595 (120 ohm model).

I'm also not willing to spend too much money.

Until now the most interesting models I've seen are the Denon DCD-685 (199€), followed by Onkyo DX-7333 (189€) and Denon DCD-485 (149€).

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any of this models at a local store so that I could listen to them.

I'm not considering buying an amp for now, but I'm considering getting into some DYI when I have the time (I'm an electronics engineering, so I'll be doing it for fun too).

Paulboy, how much are you willing to spend on your cd player? If you're also on the 200-250€ range please let me now about your findings


Note: the prices mentioned above are from www.technikdirekt.de

 

[PaulBoy]

bgravato - the Denon you mention is one that I was considering - I also like the Marantz CD50001 which is in the same price range - I see that both of these have headphone level controls which is a big help when using them without an amp - if I make any decisions I will post them here ... Paul

 

[PaulBoy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulBoy bgravato - the Denon you mention is one that I was considering - I also like the Marantz CD50001 which is in the same price range - I see that both of these have headphone level controls which is a big help when using them without an amp - if I make any decisions I will post them here ... Paul

Hi - I did say I'd post again when I'd made any decisions so for the benefit of brgavato (& incase anyone else cares?) I was going to buy a used Marantz or Arcam Alpha CDP when I spotted a bargain new Marantz CD5400 OSE for £125 (€185) I received this yesterday and the sound is far superior to the old Marantz CD52 which I had been using - I am still only listening through the headphone output on the CD5400 (which has its own volume control) but I am hoping to add a headphone amp soon to improve things further

Paul

 

[bgravato]

Thanks for your reply Paulboy

I haven't decided yet, but I've found a local store that has the Onkyo DX-7333 and the Denon DCD-485. I don't know about the Marantz, but if they have it I'll see if they let me take my headphones and do some comparison tests.