Rega plannet vs Arcam 73 vs Music Hall cd-25

[Dimitris]

Hello everybody,

I am a new person in the headphone mania and i am looking into building a good system for home use. I am trying to find a source to use (probably with Emmeline HR-2 and HD-600) and so far i have been confused with all raving reviews for almost all sources! I finally managed to lower my list to the following cd players:
1. Rega plannet 2000 (used)
2. Arcam 73
3. Music hall cd-25
My budget is around $600. I would like to know which one you think is a better choice. What i also want to know is if cd-players above the $600 would be an overkill for the HR-2 and HD-600. Can this combo draw more detail from more expensive sources or are the cd-players mentioned above enough to reach the detail ceiling?

Thanks a lot in advance
Dimitris

 

[bootman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimitris What i also want to know is if cd-players above the $600 would be an overkill for the HR-2 and HD-600. Can this combo draw more detail from more expensive sources or are the cd-players mentioned above enough to reach the detail ceiling? Thanks a lot in advance Dimitris

There really is not a "limit" to what you can feed the 600/650.
They are truly high end cans, (along with other brands/models) and being
such, will only benefit from quality sources.

So in reality the only real limit would be your wallet.
Sorry about it.

I haven't heard in great detail any of the above mentioned sources.
They are all highly regarded so any of them would make a fine source.
Don't fall into the trap of he says she says unless they have directly compared them,
and they seem to have the same acoustical tastes as you.

My best advice would be to audition some of them and if you like it,
(and the price is right) buy it!
Let others argue nuances that you may or may not be able to hear.
To paraphrase a famous head-fier's signature here.
If it sounds good to you, it is good!

 

[skullguise]

Agree w/Bootman, re: what you can feed the Senn's [and also the HR-2 I might add].

FWIW, I personally demo'd the Planet 2000 and Arcam CD-73T side by side at a dealer, and chose the Arcam. It did little hi-fi things better in most cases, and also just presented the whole musical "truth" better to me than the Rega. Rega's good, and you may get a better deal on it used than an Arcam (the Arcam's go quickly that I've seen), but I like the Arcam even better.

I haven't compared them to the CD-25, have never heard that.....

 

[peter braun]

Do not forgot about the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000. I have really enjoyed mine, and it is probaly the least digital sounding redbook cd player I have heard. Granted, it may be little to mellow for some. However it is what I really wanted from a cd player, a unit that would make me forgot about my equipment completely and just listen to music. I have never really been much of an arcam fan, as there products sound a little thin to my ears (especially their amps

)

 

[bifcake]

Rega Planet 2000 is one of the better values out there on the used market. I would suggest you try it out. By the same token, don't get ANYTHING without listening to it first. Different people like their music presented in slightly different ways. All of the players you mention are very capable. However, all of them have a slightly different presentation.

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bifcake By the same token, don't get ANYTHING without listening to it first.

Sometimes due to peoples location that's just not a realistic possibility. I know for myself there are very few high end stores within at least a 1000 KM radius and what stores there are have fairly limited stock. I typically have to buy to try which is a far more expensive option than people who live in more urban centers but I do get to spend more time with a piece of gear that way.

A used Rega Planet 2000 is an excellent player within that price range but then the Music Hall is highly moddable for fairly reasonable costs if that's the kind of thing that floats your boat.

 

[WulfmanJax]

I've tried the Planet and it's an EXCELLENT player for the money.

 

[taymat]

Both the arcam and the music hall are overpriced. The arcam uses the same top of the range dac (wm8740) as the cambridge audio 640c which is significantly cheaper and has a quality transport/toroidal psu units, etc. So if you like the arcam go for the 640c its about 60% of the price (in the UK at least) for 90% of the performance.
The music hall cd-25 is a shanling s-100 in disguise and is available from ebay/audiogon/cattylink.com and others. Its about $120 plus shipping/import tax, so should cost about half the price of the cd-25 which is *exactly* the same player.
The rega planet is a bit past its best now and as the headfier skullguise said: "Having heard the Planet 2000 and the Arcam CD-73T side by side (as well as the Rotel that was highly touted), I bought the Arcam. More of most things hi-fi, and every bit (no pun) as musical if not more so than the Rega to my ears." So the bargain has to be the 640c, followed by the s-100 which uses worse parts.

 

[elnero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by taymat Both the arcam and the music hall are overpriced. The arcam uses the same top of the range dac (wm8740) as the cambridge audio 640c which is significantly cheaper and has a quality transport/toroidal psu units, etc. So if you like the arcam go for the 640c its about 60% of the price (in the UK at least) for 90% of the performance. The music hall cd-25 is a shanling s-100 in disguise and is available from ebay/audiogon/cattylink.com and others. Its about $120 plus shipping/import tax, so should cost about half the price of the cd-25 which is *exactly* the same player. The rega planet is a bit old now older now and as the headfier skullguise said: "Having heard the Planet 2000 and the Arcam CD-73T side by side (as well as the Rotel that was highly touted), I bought the Arcam. More of most things hi-fi, and every bit (no pun) as musical if not more so than the Rega to my ears." So the bargain has to be the 640c, followed by the s-100 which uses worse parts.

Just because the Arcam and Cambridge use the same DAC doesn't mean they will sound the same or even similar. There are many more variables to what makes up the sonic signature of a player than just the DAC. I haven't heard the two side by side but from things I've read I've got the impression the two don't really sound the same.

FWIW, I owned the Cambridge Audio Azur 640C and I replaced it with a Rega Planet 2000. The Rega wasn't a huge upgrade and in some technical aspects the Cambridge was better but overall I felt the Rega was the better player.

 

[skullguise]

I concur with elnero's point. That same dealer that carried the Rega and Arcam, also carries Rotel and Cambridge. I have heard the Cambridge Azur series (integrateds and CD players), and like the amps a lot, but liked the CD players less so. I still liked the Arcam CD-73T better. Smoother overall sound, more of that PRaT thing; hard to describe, but I found I just tapped my foot more to the music.

Again, though; all the players mentioned are very good anyways, and used are great deals. I personally just found the Arcam my favorite of the lot.

 

[PATB]

I auditioned the Rega Planet 2K, Rega Jupiter and Musical Fidelity A3.2 (?). I thought the Musical Fidelity was more detailed but not as musical as the Regas. By musical, I mean I was literally nodding my head listening to them whereas the Musical Fidelity gave me the "wow, so this is how hi-fi sounds like" feeling. The Regas have that magical rhythm going on. I ultimately picked the Planet over the Jupiter because my noob ears cannot figure out any difference between them. With the money I saved over the Jupiter, I had enough left to get a Rega Ear, Rega Couple interconnect, and Sennheiser HD650/Zu mobius.

Do yourself a favor and listen to the Rega Planet 2K before purchasing.

 

[WulfmanJax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PATB I ultimately picked the Planet over the Jupiter because my noob ears cannot figure out any difference between them.

I'm going to try and explain the differences i could hear:

*Much increased soundstage
*Increased dynamics and clarity - to me it had the MF "hi-fi" sound with the Rega musicality
*More effortless... it's hard to explain this, as is alot of things when it comes to gear and sound... but it was like it wasn't even working to produce the music. Like i was just there listening to the band play the album without the string of gear in between.
*To me it did the "head nodding", "toe tapping" thing even better than the Planet.
*It's also built ALOT better than the Planet. Like i could drop the two on the floor and the Planet would break into a million pieces and the Jupiter would dent the floor.

Now, whether all that is enough to warrant the price increase is subjective. I'd say the Planet is ridiculously underpriced (i bet it could easily fetch $1600) and the Jupiter a little less so (let's say $2200). All i can say was i'm glad i was lucky enough to find my Jupiter 2 years old but practically like new on Ebay from a very reliable seller for $850.

 

[Canman]

The Rega Planet is a sweet player...perhaps too sweet for some due to its wooly bass response. This limits its soundstaging capabilities. The Arcam is a good alternative for some since the CD73 errs towards cold and dry. The Arcam is definitely more detailed but the Rega is much more musical. If I had to choose one of the two it would be the Rega.

I wish I could compare the CD-25 but I have never tried it.

 

[skullguise]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canman The Rega Planet is a sweet player...perhaps too sweet for some due to its wooly bass response. This limits its soundstaging capabilities. The Arcam is a good alternative for some since the CD73 errs towards cold and dry. The Arcam is definitely more detailed but the Rega is much more musical. If I had to choose one of the two it would be the Rega. I wish I could compare the CD-25 but I have never tried it.

Interesting...this is somewhat different than what I heard. I heard them set up with Naim electronics and Harbeth speakers, and I found the Arcam to be the more musical and also excelling in the "hi-fi" aspects (which may be the same interpretation as the "detailed" Canman says above).

I think I found the sweetness of the Rega a little too fuzzy and dull. The Arcam I found was still the more toe-tapping musical to me. Could be the systems we heard them in, too.....

 

[Canman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skullguise Interesting...this is somewhat different than what I heard. I heard them set up with Naim electronics and Harbeth speakers, and I found the Arcam to be the more musical and also excelling in the "hi-fi" aspects (which may be the same interpretation as the "detailed" Canman says above). I think I found the sweetness of the Rega a little too fuzzy and dull. The Arcam I found was still the more toe-tapping musical to me. Could be the systems we heard them in, too.....

True...the rega can be fuzzy and dull, but it does have a sweetness thats enticing. The Arcam can be musical in the sense that it has great Prat. Both players can be a great choice, but they are very different sounding. It's tough to make a specific recommendation without any more info.