[Samir]

Hi,

I am new to this forum and I just got my Ety ER4P. They are superb just right out of the box with my portable CD player. I only use headphone with my portable CD Player during my travel around the world but I think I will use them more than I originally thought. As an audiohile, I am puzzled to see that no one has yet offered an audiophile portable CD Player. I would rather spend $300 to $500 on such a player than $200-$500 on an hadphone amplifier that would just amplify the trash he would get. I think no amplifier will make a bad sounding portable CD Player sounding good or excellent. Moreover, adding an amplifer complicates the signal path with added circuitry, added cabling etc... Has anyone thought of an Audiophile Portable CD Player (APCDP)? Is there a market for that? Is technically so challenging? I would like to have your thoughts on this?

 

[jhoelter]

Quote:

Moreover, adding an amplifer complicates the signal path with added circuitry, added cabling etc...

Hrm.......if you're using the line out of the PCDP aren't you using less circuitry than if you're using the PCDP's headphone jack? Sure, the amp adds circuitry but it's adding GOOD circuitry rather than the crap OpAmps in the PCDP's headphone jack. At least, that's what I think I've learned in my short time around head-fi.

Jeff

 

[roll-man]

Samir,

Check this out. Not perfect, but possibly heading in the right direction. Despite the muscians features, apparently there's alot of engineering for high quality audio in there. You can also read this thread from the portables forum.

 

[Gluegun]

Dude, with a headphone amp, you are REPLACING crappy electronics (eg, the CDP's headphone amp) with REAL electronics (eg, a dedicated headphone amp). THAT is why you plug it into the CD Players unamplified, and kickass-sounding, LINE OUT.

Gyah. Get a Panasonic SL-CT470 + Porta Corda + 4P to 4S adaptor!

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

adding an amplifer complicates the signal path with added circuitry, added cabling etc...

Actually, you're reducing, or at worst, keeping the same amount of, circuitry. Either way, the circuitry is MUCH better!

P.S. Roll-man, I'm not convinced that Marantz "pro" CD player is going to be that good. Marantz makes some good CDPs but they also make some cheap ones. It seems to me that most of the cost of that CPD might be in the tricks it can do, and extras like coax digital-out, etc. It may very well be that the transport itself is no better than a good Panasonic PCD? I'm anxious to hear someone review it

 

[roll-man]

macdef...I'm actually not sold on it either. Let's face it, all those tricks have to cost something. Strip them away and you're probably left with a halfway decent machine, but not one worth $400. Plus it's hardly portable at 9" across...If a true audiophile pcd existed for under $1000 I would probably buy it.

 

[Samir]

You all focus on the amplification side of the equation, but I think the DAC and the reading on most portable CD player is at best average. This is the first area where I would expect some improvement (those with audiophile CD Player know what I mean).

I do have the Panasonic SL-CT470 and when you add an amplifier you plug it where you would plug your headphone... so the signal is going through the amplifier of the CD player. Even at headroom they recognize that their portable amplifier cannot do miracle.

I did not know you can convert a ety 4p tp a 4s, that is a good news. Personally, I will never spend on an portable amplifier if I do not have the source right.

Is there any chance that people at HEADROOM will work on suc an enhanced PCDP? Doing so would make their amplifier even more attractive.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Actually, Samir, the SL-CT470 has two output jacks - the one closer to the volume control is where you plug in your headphones, while the one closer to the lid hinge (but on the right-hand side of the PCDP) is the (line)-out, where you plug in most headphone amps.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Yes, and if your pcdp has optical line out you can make the following connections:

pcdp optical line out -> External portable DAC -> Portable headphone amp -> Etys

This ought to give you sound on the go that's as good as it gets. The only weak link left would be the pickup mechanism in the pcdp... but I'm not convinced that it makes any difference at all

Heh, I'm not even convinced that an external DAC makes much of a difference

 

[Flumpus]

Don't bother with a 470, they're hard to find and the 780 is better IMO.

 

[Samir]

And this one has only one output.

Joe wrote:

Heh, I'm not even convinced that an external DAC makes much of a difference



And I guess you think all CD players sound equal and that digital is better than analog...

 

[dhwilkin]

Samir, Headroom is thinking about an audiophile pcdp, but their official stance is such a thing would be quite expensive (mainly due to economies of scale), and would take at least a year or two to develop. So don't look for anything from them in the near future. The general consensus is that the best-sounding pcdps are older models, such as the Sony D777 and Optimus 3400. I can vouch for the 3400, it sounds extremely good for a pcdp. Sounds much better than the Panasonic 480 you have, which I also have. Problem w/ these models is they are extremely difficult to find. Search eBay or other such places.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Not that I don't think it makes a difference, but I hope for my sake it doesn't make much difference becoz I've never heard an external DAC and probably won't get one in a long long time, if ever...

Anyway, getting a pcdp with a line out and pluggin your amp there would be a big step forward already--probably bigger than the difference an outboard DAC would eventually make--but you're free to get one too if you have the money

And you're free to buy vinyl if you have the money *and* time...

 

[bearwise]

You have to wonder how large the market for an audiophile PCDP would be. Obviously sound quality is not the driving force for any of the exisiting manufacturers and they sell gdzillions of them.

But better sound can be eeked out of exisiting portable equipment. IMHO a good prortable amp certainly improves the sound out of a pcpd, especially with difficuly to drive phones. And and outboard DAC has a HUGE effect on the quality of the output of any pcdp that I've tried.

 

[M Rael]

Quote:

Originally posted by bearwise You have to wonder how large the market for an audiophile PCDP would be.

Well Sony (for example) wouldnt have to make a leap from its regular portables to some hyper-exotic and super expensive model in one fell swoop (like they leapt from the CD3000 to the R10.) All they really need to do is refine their existing top of the line player in a few areas and presto: they have a new 'high-quality sound' product to market. No current top of the line pcdp is marketed on the basis of sounding better, to my knowledge. And some of the line out players dont even bypass the op-amps in all cases. Thats what I was told.