[Kalidor]

Hi everyone.. how is the XBOX as a dedicated CD Player.. is it any good??

 

[JaGWiRE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kalidor Hi everyone.. how is the XBOX as a dedicated CD Player.. is it any good??

Good question, I want to know that too. Mines modded and can do everything a squeezebox does I think (got XBMC on it.)

 

[rincewind]

The DAC in them is probably about as good as in any other low-level consumer piece of electronics. I'd guess better than most discmans, but probably not anywhere near the good ones reviewed and talked about on here which cost more than an XBOX but is designed only to play CDs really well.

 

[Garbz]

Ehhhh, nah. It's about as good as any computer with onboard sound. In otherwords give my a discman

 

[doctorjuggles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garbz Ehhhh, nah. It's about as good as any computer with onboard sound. In otherwords give my a discman

What if you're playing a .wav file from a CAT5 LAN networked HD using the optical out into a good DAC?

 

[rincewind]

Quote:

Originally Posted by doctorjuggles What if you're playing a .wav file from a CAT5 LAN networked HD using the optical out into a good DAC?

Then that's not really "onboard sound" is it! The only onboard part you'd be using is the optical out. The DAC would be the major deciding factor in quality from then on.

 

[doctorjuggles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rincewind Then that's not really "onboard sound" is it! The only onboard part you'd be using is the optical out. The DAC would be the major deciding factor in quality from then on.

You misunderstood my intonation. I accept that the Xbox as a CD player would be mediocre, I was moving the question to another angle rather than challenging the wisdom of what's already been posted.

But you've anwered my question anyway, and assuming the DAC was, say, a Bel Canto or a Benchmark etc, would the sound quality be approaching audiophile standards, assuming the noise of the Xbox itself could be overcome?

 

[Garbz]

Nope. Better yes, audiophile quality no. Assume the Xbox has about as much jitter as a $100 dvd player.

You'll get very good sound, and no noise if things are correctly isolated. But it won't be anywhere near strictly audiophile.

 

[maarek99]

Xbox resamples everything to 48. So it ain't even bitperfect. As far as I know.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by doctorjuggles You misunderstood my intonation. I accept that the Xbox as a CD player would be mediocre, I was moving the question to another angle rather than challenging the wisdom of what's already been posted. But you've anwered my question anyway, and assuming the DAC was, say, a Bel Canto or a Benchmark etc, would the sound quality be approaching audiophile standards, assuming the noise of the Xbox itself could be overcome?

It's no Philips CMD-1 but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be approaching audiophile standards? Don't know off hand what transport the x-box uses but many so-called "audiophile" cd players use bog standard computer DVD-Roms these days simply because very few companies still make bespoke cd mechs. It is redundant technology after all.
A 100USD DVD player is only that expensive because it's made in China in huge numbers. My Pioneer DVD-575A isn't that far off a Naim CD5 and that only cost 250USD.
If you stick a highend DAC like the Benchmark or Apogee onto an XBOX via toslink or whatever, I reckon it would give most audiophile CDPs a run for their money.

 

[marvin]

Well, with the mandatory resampling, fan noise, increased jitter, etc., I'd wager that the Xbox sounds worse than your run of the mill $100 CD/DVD player when both are used as transports.

When used as a CDP, it'd be even worse. The Xbox DVD is significantly louder than any CD player I've had, and many later Xboxes shipped with really crappy quality transports.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin Well, with the mandatory resampling, fan noise, increased jitter, etc., I'd wager that the Xbox sounds worse than your run of the mill $100 CD/DVD player when both are used as transports. When used as a CDP, it'd be even worse. The Xbox DVD is significantly louder than any CD player I've had, and many later Xboxes shipped with really crappy quality transports.

do you mean it actually upsamples CD to 48k before the DAC?

intereference from fan noise would depend on the quality of the digital output card though, wouldn't it? can it be all that bad if it's designed for outputting game soundtracks in 5.1? Some of these sound quite impressive these days.

That said if you were going to throw a few thousand USD at a DAC it probably does make more sense to go for a dedicated audio machine.

Depends on your priorites/ available space and what it will be used for. ie background music or serious listening?

 

[Garbz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by memepool It's no Philips CMD-1 but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be approaching audiophile standards? Don't know off hand what transport the x-box uses but many so-called "audiophile" cd players use bog standard computer DVD-Roms these days simply because very few companies still make bespoke cd mechs. It is redundant technology after all. A 100USD DVD player is only that expensive because it's made in China in huge numbers. My Pioneer DVD-575A isn't that far off a Naim CD5 and that only cost 250USD.

A transport is a transport. The only thing really different mechanically from high-end ones is their isolation from vibrations and how they are mounted on their foundation. The difference between a CDROM in a computer, the transport in the Pioneer DV575, and the CDROM in Marrantz latest unit is how the laser is controlled. The cheaper companies throw things together and if it works release it onto the market. The end result is everything you'd expect from a $100 unit.

Marantz on the other hand spent a lot of money researching how to properly control their transports. They don't simply use the IDE channel to send information back and forth but use custom built servo chips to control everything from the drive speed to small details like the focus of the laser.

Also I'm not quite sure how you heard the DV575 against the Naim CD5, but I have the DV676 (australias version, identical to the 575), and a good mate of mine has the NAIM CD5. Ever since he brought it over for a week I've wanted one myself. The difference was HUGE.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garbz The difference between a CDROM in a computer, the transport in the Pioneer DV575, and the CDROM in Marrantz latest unit is how the laser is controlled. The cheaper companies throw things together and if it works release it onto the market. The end result is everything you'd expect from a $100 unit. Marantz on the other hand spent a lot of money researching how to properly control their transports. They don't simply use the IDE channel to send information back and forth but use custom built servo chips to control everything from the drive speed to small details like the focus of the laser. Also I'm not quite sure how you heard the DV575 against the Naim CD5, but I have the DV676 (australias version, identical to the 575), and a good mate of mine has the NAIM CD5. Ever since he brought it over for a week I've wanted one myself. The difference was HUGE.

Admittedly it was actually a CD5i which I heard the Pioneer against and considering the price difference (x8) the Pioneer was gobsmakingly good, but I think this is more of a reflection on the Pioneer than the Naim. So perhaps CD playback has advanced in the last 15 years.....

Then again on the subject of Marantz I am getting hold of a CD94/DA94 set-up from 1989 shortly. Listened to it the other night versus a Linn Ikemi. Very little difference a lot of which can be sorted out with pairing to a more sympathetic amp ( like my PM94).

Both still sounded crap compared to vinyl. high end CD? puuhh...

 

[arnesto]

Just a FYI, the Xbox doesn't play CD-Rs.