[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by TimSchirmer Most of these players seem to be designed for convience and "ease-of use" and the transports and dacs used arent taken too seriously.

But that's exactly what I mean about myths. It used to be true that since "audiophiles" wouldn't buy changers, audio companies only put their cheap stuff in changers. But that's no longer true, as many well-respected CD players are multi-disc players (Adcom, Sony's ES line, Pioneer's Elite, etc.).



Quote:

Just by design, the electronics seem to all revolve around the carousel.

That what I took exception to in my post above -- the changer itself is a cheap mechanism that simply moves the CD onto the transport. Once the CD is on the transport, there is no difference between a single and a multi player. The only way that a single CD unit would be better than a multi unit is if the manufacturer used cheaper parts in the multi-CD transport to offset the cost of the changer mechanism. That was often true 10 years ago; however, the cost of the mechanisms is so cheap (and often the same changer mechanisms are used across the board, further reducing the cost), that this really isn't a factor any more.

Quote:

I'm sure all of this squeezing boards and resistors into tight spaces must comprimise at least some of the sound quality.

But the good changers are MUCH bigger than the single-CD players, so there really isn't any squeezing going on.

 

[Gluegun]

Hey, are any of the universal players out or coming out supposed to be *good* in sound quality?

 

[puppyslugg]

Quote:

It used to be the case that multi-disc players weren't taken seriously by "audiophiles"....

Some of that may come from the days of muti-play turntables. Where there was only one record had the optimal playing position from the stack. Old beliefs die hard.(?)

Be that as it may, I can't help but get the feeling that the carousel adds some 'coloration' due to vibrations emanating from the carousel. Even with single disc players, vibrations are a concern. Obviously, the higher end Sony's, etc., dealt with this issue. But what of the lower end units? I doubt the lower end players get the same carousel as the higher end units.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by puppyslugg Be that as it may, I can't help but get the feeling that the carousel adds some 'coloration' due to vibrations emanating from the carousel. Even with single disc players, vibrations are a concern. Obviously, the higher end Sony's, etc., dealt with this issue. But what of the lower end units? I doubt the lower end players get the same carousel as the higher end units.

Not to beat this horse any more

but as I noted above, the carousel has no affect on the playback -- the carousel moves the CD to the transport, at which point it is isolated from the carousel (which is why most changers allow you to change CDs while one is playing -- the carousel is independent of the transport).

It's true that if you're moving the carousel while a CD is playing (changing the other CDs, for example), there's going to be some vibration in the chassis. But that's not really a fair criticism of changers -- single-disk player have nothing to change

Besides, no audiophile would be bothering changing CDs while one is playing; he/she would be enjoying the one that's playing

 

[4ever_HD-600]

have u ever tried Marantz CD-19 ? approx. usd $600

 

[kerelybonto]

Gluegun, all the universal players out right now (there are only about four models or so) are all high-end players, well over $1k. So I expect they sound fairly good as well as being convenient.

kerely

 

[Onix]

I would like to point out a nice player, that according to the guys at TNT Audio has very good performance for the price. http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/teac110e.html

I am thinking about getting one for Xmas if I don't find a good new portable. After the warranty is done for, I plan to do the recomended tweaking. I know it would not compete with an Arcam or a Rega, but for that price, I'll take.

Have a good one.