[zspradlin]

I just recently purchased a Newcastle 980 CDP for a starter hifi system for my son. It's a wonderful CDP for the price I paid, $225 used on Audiogon. This unit has an amazing amount of features for it's price point, digital inputs and outputs(toslink &coaxial), fixed and variable outputs, headphone jack, 20-bit burr-brown d/a's. I came really close to telling my son that I would buy him something else. The two complaints that I have are that it is not HDCD and it has a captive power cable, I think it should have a 15 amp IEC. This unit doesn't sound too bad with my MG Head and Beyer 831's. Has any one run across a unit that has the same features as this Newcastle but has a 15 amp IEC and is HDCD?

In case you are curious, I tried it in my 2-channel system using a Cary pre-amp, McCormack DNA amp, Roman Audio Centurion speakers, Kimber Select speaker cables, and Straightwire Crescendo IC's. I also tried it with some Audience Au24 IC's. This unit isn't as good as my Cal Audio CL-15, but it is something that I feel is worth the time to give a good listen to.

 

[wasifazim]

Yes, the CD980 provides excellent value for money...a local dealer I know is particularly enthusiastic about this unit because it uses one of the five best DACs ever made, and K-grade (Burr-Brown's highest) ones at that. In fact, he regularly modifies these (digital stage capacitors replaced, analogue stage replaced with Lundahl i/v transformers, captive power cord replaced w/ IEC, additional damping etc.) for some dealer in Oregon.

I don't think you'll find a unit in this price range with BB PCM1702Ks (which, by the way, are true multi-bit current-output units)...given how affordable it is, might as well grab a Dremel tool and install an IEC jack yourself

- Wasif.

 

[zspradlin]

I just spoke to my wife on the phone and she told me that my Sennheiser 600's came in the mail today. I can't wait to get home and try out the Newcastle with my MG Head and the 600's.

 

[Blazter]

I still got one of these in the bedroom set up. Really great piece for the money and it started me off in my main system a few years ago. I plan on yanking out that darn captive cord my self one day. When you pop the top you'll see how EASY it is to do it w/ this unit and ther is all kinds of room to work with. FWIW, it LOVES Golden Sound large cones and if you use a DIP in the chain it make for one helluva great transport too.

The headphone jack pushes my Grado SR 325 just fine but really have to crank it to get it to push my Senn 580 how I like it.

They have good customer Service too. I got mine off ubid for $150 bucks and came w/ 3 year warranty. From all the digital cable swapping I did w/ it the digital out started shorting and I took it to local repair shop and Sherwood covered it all. Mine came w/ either 3 or 5 year warranty? Anyway, didn't give me any grief about buying it from ubid, which I was sort of worried about when I first got it.

 

[zspradlin]

Hey Wasif, can you tell me who to contact about the mods on this Newcastle CDP??? My Sennheiser 600's came today while I was at work, I couldn't wait to get home and try them out. The Newcastle, MG Head OTL, and 600's are a great combination.

Blazter, you'll get no grief from me about buying from Ubid, I bought from them before myself. My wife and I bought a pair of Wharfedale speakers from them as a gift. I have no complaints with them at all. As a matter of fact, I'm gonna check the out and see if they have another one of these Newcastle CDP's. Thanks for the info.