[Chri5peed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by regal /img/forum/go_quote.gif You have to be smart about it. Rule out any pop music mastered or remastered after 1995. There still some junk prior to this. Get an account on the Demon and try before you buy. The are lots of good CD's that are mastered properly but they are a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. No-noise is another sonic killer you have to watch for. That said if you are listening to top40 within the last decade it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to invest more that $50 on a CDP.

I do not listen to Classical, I bet 90% o9f my music is post '95. I bet this is true for a lot of people, don't want to be majorly choosey over what I listen to.
You're last comment has a flaw, wouldn't a hi-res CDP do a better job? I said before, what is selection of SACD/CD-A like?



Last time I checked, to try out, only one album of mine I could find.

 

[Rob N]

Richard,what other players did you hear/consider?

 

[TheAttorney]

Rob

My starting point was a Krell 300 - a second hand purchase as a stop gap while looking for "my last CD player".

The Krell knew how to manage it's limitations and gave a surprisingly "analogue" pleasant sound and so became a bit of a giant killer for a while. I compared the Krell to a Pathos Endorphin, T+A something and Audio Research CD7 in a 4-way demo. At that point, my limit was £5K, so the £7+k CD7 was there just for interest. In the event, I didn't choose any of them because they didn't give a SUBSTANTIAL enough increase in musical enjoyment over the Kell, even if they were all better - and the CD7 was best. I was almost as frustrated as the dealer because I had expected to walk away with the Pathos as it had just received a rave magazine review for it's analogue sound and it had some Italian high end bling about it's style.

Move to a different time and place and I tried the Meridian 808 Mk1. This was an informal demo in less than ideal circumstances and it would be unfair to blame the uninspired SQ on the player iteslf, but I didn't take it any further because physically it was enormous - the size of many power amps. Transportability and compactness is important to me.

Then I tried the CDC against the Accuphase 78 at a different time and place. The dealer here also had Esoteric, Ayre, other Accuphases and one or two more makes - but I didn't want to confuse myself with too many options, so I went with his suggestion that the only one that comes close to the Nagra was the 78.

The Nagra was the winner on SQ, but to be honest I could have also lived happily with the SQ of the 78 and the CD7.

The Nagra still is "my last CD player" and I haven't the slightest inclination to look elsewhere. It's tiny physical and carbon footprint, versatility and cute looks are as valid now as they were a year ago.

But if the practical considerations didn't exist, then I would investigate the new Meridian 808 mk2 and, especially if I lived in the US, the CD7 looks a bit of a bargain in comparison.

Richard.

 

[wavoman]

Richard/TheAttorney -- thanks so much! Just the information I needed, and I am not the OP'er, so thanks again.

I have been dancing with the U.S. Nagra rep and a high-end store near Boston for many months, promising to buy a CDC. I almost pulled out based on Head-Fi comments, but you have restored my faith.

The rep says -- as you do --that SE output from the CDC is better than balanced, and indeed, like your rig, my ultimate plan is SE into Stax Omega.

So I will have the Nagra HP output for dynamic cans, and the SE pre-amp output for electrostatic -- only one at a time, unfortunately.

I have a big extended family that listens to multiple HP's, so I will also take the CDC digital outputs into a DAC-PreAmp-HP Amp (SE, not Bal) combo [the Empirical Audio modded BenchMark, which, unlike the CDC, keeps the pre-amp outputs hot even when the HP jack is in use, so I can connect yet another HP amp ... and I need the DAC anyway to listen to computer audio. I can also use the loop from the Stax amp to daisy chain yet another HP amp if need be).

Your comments and suggestions re SQ of CDC vs CDP are very interesting. But heck, if you wanted the ultimate SQ from a red-book CD you wouldn't try to real-time read the bitstream in anger from a spinning piece of polycarbonate, would you? No - you would use EAC or the equivalent to make a 100% perfect copy of the bitstream off-line and store in on your computer. Then with a fanless computer using solid state disks, and a buffer box with a world clock, you have solved the problem of submitting a perfect bitstream to a DAC without jitter, electrical noise, or audible room noise.

For listening to a CD while it spins I like the transport and the DAC to be made by the same guy so that the digital interpolation (aka oversampling) and the analog interpolation during D-to-A can be coordinated -- the CDP meets this requirement -- but with the EAC approach this is not so important since a high-end DAC can do its own interpolation given the original bitstream.

You're a lucky Head-Fi'er -- Nagra CDC and Stax Omega. I am saving my pennies to join your club! Your comments on portability are spot on. I am thinking of getting a second power transformer and leaving it plugged in on the (enclosed) porch. Then I can go to my main rig, grab the CDC, easily unhook it, take cans and some jewel cases with it and sit outside (this is my current fantasy dream). Match that, iPod fans.

 

[4N6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob N /img/forum/go_quote.gif What about the Audio Research CD7?

I have had the CD7 for over a year now and LOVE it. Beautiful, rich sound, and great image placement. Just an overall wonderful piece of equipment.

 

[tom hankins]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4N6 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have had the CD7 for over a year now and LOVE it. Beautiful, rich sound, and great image placement. Just an overall wonderful piece of equipment.

This is also my favorite redbook only player. I hear one at least 3-4 times a month and every time I hear it I like it more.

 

[Lonfident]

Esoteric

 

[Rob N]

Has anyone heard the AMR CD77?