Now THIS is an interesting looking PCDP, but how does it sound?
Oct 21, 2002 at 12:36 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 19

Hirsch

Why is there a chaplain standing over his wallet?
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Consumer PCDP's have definitely been hitting the skids, at least in terms of sonics. But how are the pro units doing? Anybody know anything about this one ?
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 12:59 AM Post #2 of 19
My $5 says it would suck.

Sound quality (in audiophile terms) doesn't seem to be the focus of that unit. It focuses more on pro needs (or pro BS, as I see it).

Anyhow, who would pay $455 for a portable cd player? (Besides purk)
wink.gif


The line outs of the latest Sony's isnt half bad. Pair it with a solid amp (META42?) and I know it would sound better, and cost a lot less than $455.
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 2:37 AM Post #4 of 19
Its closer to a ghetto blaster/protable kereoke machine than a pcdp... I'll pass on this one.

Biggie.
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 2:41 AM Post #5 of 19
Quote:

Originally posted by ian

Anyhow, who would pay $455 for a portable cd player? (Besides purk)
wink.gif


I beleive Purk (and Jude for creating this site) are reasons the old players are now selling for so much. D555 was selling for about $90 on ebay then bam next one after Purks review hits $380. I'm sure he has gotten some good deals on his players because not many people knew they were good until now.
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Biggie.
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 3:10 AM Post #6 of 19
Ian,
I won't spend 450 dollars for a cd player. Belive me, I won't!! I'm very satisfied with all the players I have.

NotoriousBig_PJ,

Quote:


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by ian

Anyhow, who would pay $455 for a portable cd player? (Besides purk)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I beleive Purk (and Jude for creating this site) are reasons the old players are now selling for so much. D555 was selling for about $90 on ebay then bam next one after Purks review hits $380.
Biggie.


I was a member at Headwize.com, b/f I came here. There were several reviews regard the D-555 and other Sonys b/f I bought one. My D-555 was already expensive when I got it, 200 dollars with out battery. I never said that D-555 deserve a price tag of 380 dollars, so...??? I think a good price for a perfect working D-555 should be around 200-250 dollars.

Quote:

I'm sure he has gotten some good deals on his players because not many people knew they were good until now.


I did get some good price on some players, but not on all of them. I got my D-515 for 45 dollars shipped.
smily_headphones1.gif
I paid a hefty price for my D-E900.
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 4:39 AM Post #7 of 19
I'm just saying that your review of the d555 probably caused people that read head-fi to seek out the player and the demand for it got kind of rediculus for a while. I never meant to imply you or anyone else here beleives it is worth $380, that was up to the bidders to decide.. I myself would never pay over $150 for any portable player, but I never thought I would spend even $150 either.
wink.gif


Its just too bad the sound quality of older players is WAY better then todays players hehe..

Biggie.
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 4:51 AM Post #8 of 19
No big deal, biggie.
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Oct 21, 2002 at 5:35 AM Post #9 of 19
Hey I'm working on the d515 vs. ct570 review I promissed. I think my attention span is not long enough for this sort of thing lol. I'm not sure I've ever had a long post here before..

Biggie.
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 5:37 AM Post #10 of 19
This intrigues me, because pro gear is often overlooked in consumer audio (for good reason), but all of a sudden something like the ART DI/O pops up, and the rules change. I don't really give a damn about small size or skip protection, both of which seem to have been compromising sound. Something with a bit of heft, but that is capable of taking advantage of recent advances in digital sound would be attractive to me. Marantz is certainly capable of making something that sounds good. The question is what kind of sound is hiding behind the useless bells and whistles.
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 5:43 AM Post #11 of 19
Biggie,
I'm waiting. Anyway, I hope that you really happy with the money that you invested in the D-515. I don't want to feel bad recommending the D-515 to you. Later friend.

Hirsch,
Slightly off the topic, I really love your A100ti. As of the Marantz, they should capable of making a very highend professional PCDP.
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 6:44 AM Post #12 of 19
Quote:

The question is what kind of sound is hiding behind the useless bells and whistles.


Quote:

Sound quality (in audiophile terms) doesn't seem to be the focus of that unit. It focuses more on pro needs (or pro BS, as I see it).


I hope this isn't the pro-bashing thread. If not, I'm happy to know you all.

The presumption that pro audio gear must incorporate "useless" "BS" has scary implications. After all, most music we listen to is recorded with pro gear.

But getting back to this unit: It looks to have been designed for particular academic and pre-production situations. In a piano room in a university, for example, where someone is studying a score and learning from a performance, or in a corner of a studio where someone is trying to learn a part or write out an arrangement. The transposition feature would be useful because your piano (or whatever you're playing) might not be in tune with the track. (Less of a problem if your keyb's electronic, of course.) The transposition factor could also be useful for a singer with a particular range, or an arranger who's told the piece is going to be performed in a different key. Any difference past a minor third is going to involve different chord voicings; you could run into unplayable parts even a semitone away.

The looping feature would be useful for learning/creating a part and arranging. It is deeply annoying to have to stop in the middle of writing music every twenty seconds to roll back the CD.

My guess is this unit was made for students and professionals who have to work on music away from home. Does this mean an audiophile might like the sound? I can't say because I haven't heard it yet. We used to use little Sony cassette recorders with vari-speed for that purpose; we also used portable DATs. The huge difference in sound quality between those devices should tell you how good (or bad) the Marantz might sound.
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 1:38 PM Post #13 of 19
I have tryed to get a listen on that player and its cheaper brother for a while, but so far it seems that nobody wants to let me even touch it if I do not intent to buy it first. Also, the price tag here for both players is allmost double, so I think I won't be able to get a review for it.

But, in any case, if someone can find a more forgiving place an give it a listen, I think it would be of great service for the community. After all, most good sounding portable players are either old or too sensitive for moving around. This thing could have an advantage on being still in production, have a reasonable (10 secs) antiskip protection and looks weird enough to look cool. So hey, guys, maybe someone should really look into this thing.
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 3:36 PM Post #14 of 19
Scrypt,

Boy, my ears went up on that remark, too.

Thanks for the detailed explanation.






Best
Brian
 
Oct 21, 2002 at 4:53 PM Post #15 of 19
Quote:

Originally posted by scrypt
I hope this isn't the pro-bashing thread. If not, I'm happy to know you all.


I most certainly wasn't pro bashing. However, the features mentioned, while useful in the situations for which they are designed, are not necessary or useful for simply listening to music. I'm not going to be using those features, and am therefore not interested in them.

So, the question I posed is just how well does this player meet my particular need, which is the best sound I can get out of an easily transportable CD player. IMO consumer level PCDP's have hit the skids soundwise, creating a void in the market. The best solution I've found so far is older Discmen, which were built more to my particular priority than current models I've heard, despite recent advances in D to A technology. However, if a portable pro unit were to take advantage of current D to A technology, without sacrificing performance to the goals of negligible weight, skip protection, or a longer time period between battery charges, I'm interested.
 

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