quick advice please
Aug 21, 2002 at 12:23 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 20

isotope240

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i need a cd player to use with my headphones and amp (that should arrive in about a week)... less than $400 would be nice. something available at best buy or hi-fi buys would be very nice. i do not want to wait to audition, and i really dont think that the sound will vary a hell of a lot in this price range anyway.

i guess i'm just wondering if any of you are itching to suggest or steer me away from any particular models or brand names. i want to avoid sony because they sold me one of these... http://www.ben-morris.net/dvd/
 
Aug 21, 2002 at 6:36 AM Post #3 of 20
I know that this doesn't quite meet all of your criteria, but I think that the Musical Fidelity XRay will be the best bet. You can get it on E-bay for about $400. I doubt you'll get better sound for this kind of money from any other player.
 
Aug 21, 2002 at 2:20 PM Post #4 of 20
If you are going to a local shop to buy a mass market CD player, be careful. Get one with a digital out (optical/TOSLING or COAX).
That way you can later improve your system.

Head for http://www.ciaudio.com/ and look at the VDA-1 DAC from Channel Islands Audio (designer from Audio Alchemy). It's $349.

Get your "deck" or regular CD player, use it, then order a DAC and you will get very good sound.

You can later upgrade the CD player/deck if you want.

The other DAC alternative is a MSB Link III from Audio Advisor, for about $500.

Or you can get a Cambridge Audio CD player at www.audioadvisor.com for about $300-500.
 
Aug 21, 2002 at 4:14 PM Post #6 of 20
Two more players getting good reviews are the Sony DVP-NS500V, which is going for around $170 almost everywhere, but is in short supply because it is a close out model, and the NAD C541i. The best price on the NAD is probably at www.yawaonline.com. Call them and ask what their current price is for a new-in-box unit. I have the Sony, and like it.
 
Aug 21, 2002 at 4:44 PM Post #7 of 20
Ditto what dougli said -- if you want something you can buy at Best Buy or the like, definitely check out the Sony DVP-NS500V. It's a real gem, especially for the price! Yes, it's a Sony, but remember that not all Sony stuff is junk
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Aug 21, 2002 at 5:19 PM Post #8 of 20
if you're going with best buy, the ns500v is okay (although you clearly stated that you don't want a sony and it appears that i'm the only one who didn't read your post), but i would imagine the nad is a lot better. jude gave a paragraph about it in his digital first impressions thread in the amp/source section, give it a search. also, you might look into the cambridge audio 500se. or best buy may cary the denon dcm-370, which also gets good reviews around here.

you can get the cambridge audio 500se model for $400 shipped from here:
http://www.audiolab.com/for_sale/Mor...asp?ItemID=451

i ordered my rega planet from there and they were very nice. i'd be sure and call them to make sure of your order though.
 
Aug 23, 2002 at 1:46 AM Post #9 of 20
There are a number of reasons why I think this but just to be brief, if your budget is $400 or under (from mass market sources), buy a DVD player instead of a CD player--even if you never use its moving playing abilities. The one MacDef suggested is a popular choice, though I haven't heard it myself. I'd do that.
 
Aug 23, 2002 at 7:52 PM Post #10 of 20
thanks for your responses. here's my update:
i broke down and bought the sony, even though i still hate the bastards. my package from jan still hasn't arrived though.... it is gonna be the corda and DT931... i'm a little worried after reading some reviews that this cd player may not be the right match for them. i will take a listen once my headphones arrive to see if i need to take it back. i'm also a little curious as to why this cd player is suggested over a similar panasonic model that has a 24-bit audio DAC while all i can find about this one is a 10-bit video DAC. can anyone clear that up for me? should i have gotten the panasonic? the model number on that thing was RV32K. while i'm asking questions, what brand of interconnects should i buy to hook this thing up to my corda? i bought some monster rca cables (400MKII's) that are a meter long (the shortest i could find) but i would appreciate any suggestions there as well.
 
Aug 23, 2002 at 8:54 PM Post #11 of 20
The flaw of the DT931 is that they err a little on the bright side even through the 120ohm jack. Most people who have ABd the beloved Outlaw cables on this forum suggest that they err on the warm side. Therefore, to maintain your budget and try to get a good match, I'd probably give the Outlaws a shot.
 
Aug 23, 2002 at 9:06 PM Post #12 of 20
I enjoy the sound of my DT931s out of the Sony 500V, through the 120 ohm jack of the Corda, but I have a Meier Analoguer and an EQ thrown into the mix. I would consider the Monster 300 and 400 series cables to be of adequate quality. There are certainly better, and worse, interconnects out there. The 500V does have a 192 khz/24 bit audio DAC. Overall, it sounds like you're about to be at the point were all the advice in the world becomes irrelevant; what only matters is how it sounds to YOU. Make sure you let the player and headphones burn in for a while before passing judgement; at least about 48 hours for each, and more is even better for the phones.
 
Aug 23, 2002 at 9:20 PM Post #14 of 20
Quote:

Originally posted by kelly
The flaw of the DT931 is that they err a little on the bright side even through the 120ohm jack.


I dunno Kelly...I think the 120 ohm adaptor tames the top end of the DT931s. Or at least it does with my Cosmic and EMP...

smily_headphones1.gif
 
Aug 23, 2002 at 10:30 PM Post #15 of 20
thanks again guys.

well, i read this thread http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...hlight=400MKII (after reading all of your comments) and i placed an order for some outlaw cables. i guess i might as well wait to return these monsters so i can do an AB comparison with the outlaws.

ok, now i suppose i should steer this thread back into the source/amp realm with another question
smily_headphones1.gif


power supply???
biggrin.gif

(i would just start this as a new thread in the more suitable forum, but i think i'm on a roll with some knowledgeable people feeding me good input so i'm going to try to hold out here for just a little longer...)

i am under the impression that the corda will come with no power cord. i am also under the impression that radio shack's power cords probably suck.

i tried to read this: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...ower+AND+cable
but it was a little overwhelming.

what power cable do people usually use with the corda?
 

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