Should I update the CDP?

janmike

I recently purchased a Trivista 21 DAC to pair with my Marantz SE67 CDP. The sound improvment was really good and I am wondering if I upgraded the transport would that help improve things as well. UPGRADES, UPGRADES, UPGRADES. Thanks Folks.

Early B.

Look elsewhere for the next upgrade. Identify the weakest link in your system and fix it.

ben62670

I am running a super cheap $15 flea market 200 disk Sony CD changer. I just purchased an outlaw 990 pre. I use the optical out, and it sounds amazing. I think of CD players just as 1's and 0's the dac is what really makes the difference. IMHO
Ben

Systems

I agree with Early B.A new CD transport is not going to get you much in the way of improvements but might get you a fancier box or remote.The DAC and its analog output stage has a much bigger influance on sound quality than the transport and you have a very good one.

tonyb

Depends on the upgrade.A really nice cdp is going to have a better dac in it and the sq difference may become slight compared to the outboard dac.As Early suggest,find what you consider to be the weak link in your system and go from there.

cfrizz

I wouldn't bother upgrading. I upgraded my then 16 yr old Rotel for a new Rotel, with the exception of maybe a smidgeon of clarity there was no difference in sound. Certainly not over 600.00 worth of improvement.

If I had compared the specs before rather than after I would have realized it.

So lesson learned, if you buy good products from the get go, there is very little reason for change.

janmike

That is what I have been thinking. Trust me, the Trivisita DAC is very good and I may be hard pressed to find something a whole lot better other than going to the MF Trvisita CDP just for SACD. The DAC is the same in both units.

F1nut

Cathy, specs alone aren't going to tell you how a piece of gear sounds. If you're not getting more out of the new cdp, there's most likely a weak link elsewhere.

steveinaz

That would be a very, very subtle upgrade---I'd do something else...

cfrizz

I don't know Jesse. The specs are basically identical to the old 855. With the exception of adding HDCD capability.

I just don't think cd players technology has advanced that much. And the 855was the talk of the town when it came out & I deliberately waited to get another Rotel that equaled the great press that the 855 got.

Either way, I'm quite content with it & my brother is enjoying the 855!:D

F1nut wrote: »

Cathy, specs alone aren't going to tell you how a piece of gear sounds. If you're not getting more out of the new cdp, there's most likely a weak link elsewhere.

F1nut

I don't know, maybe Rotel hasn't improved their cdp's over the years, but as a whole the cdp industry has enjoyed the biggest improvements out of all the gear made today.

janmike

From what a lot of people have indicated, the source usually results in the largest improvement. That being said, it would be interesting to know if the Trivisita 21 DAC would sound any different that the Trivista CDP playing redbook CD's.

halo

F1nut wrote: »

I don't know, maybe Rotel hasn't improved their cdp's over the years, but as a whole the cdp industry has enjoyed the biggest improvements out of all the gear made today.

Agree with Jesse here Cathy. Nothing wrong with sticking to Rotel if that floats your boat but there are better CD players out there.

F1nut

I can't answer that one for sure, Michael. I do know the CDP has all kinds of goodies not found in the DAC, but the DAC's are the same.

janmike

Well I'm probably good for now, for now, for now - did I say for now yet. My focus is more on the amp and pre for the 2CH. And I thought fishermen were supposed to be the ones doing the hooking.

rskarvan

If you want to improve your present cd-player, add a Monarchy Digital Interface Processor (DIP) between your player and your DAC. They are designed to remove jitter which is the ONLY thing you would gain by replacing the CDP. Monarchy Audio also makes "Upsampling DIPS". My two cents.

I have a Monarchy 24/96 DIP and it works flawlessly/effortlessly.

heiney9

cfrizz wrote: »

I don't know Jesse. The specs are basically identical to the old 855. With the exception of adding HDCD capability.

I just don't think cd players technology has advanced that much. And the 855was the talk of the town when it came out & I deliberately waited to get another Rotel that equaled the great press that the 855 got.

Either way, I'm quite content with it & my brother is enjoying the 855!:D

It's not so much the technology as the way it is implemented. Certainly the 2 units are going to be similar since they are from the same "family" but the source is one of the single most important pieces in the puzzle. In my experience there are worlds of difference's in the sound between sources and external DAC's, etc. It's never been all that subtle to my ears.

As far as transports go.....a good solid dependable performer will most likely suffice for a long time. You could upgrade the transport but the benefits will be very slight. As Early B said identify other areas of upgrade, it will be money better spent.

H9

dorokusai

No...

Spacedeckman

cfrizz wrote: »

I don't know Jesse. The specs are basically identical to the old 855. With the exception of adding HDCD capability.

I just don't think cd players technology has advanced that much. And the 855was the talk of the town when it came out & I deliberately waited to get another Rotel that equaled the great press that the 855 got.

Either way, I'm quite content with it & my brother is enjoying the 855!:D

CD "technology" has advanced quite a bit. Rotel just really hasn't been a player in those advancements. They quit investing in CD a long time ago, putting their available resources elsewhere.

I've owned 3 generations of CD players, and they got better each time, and for less money this last time, although the Arcam CD72 I own today doesn't have the bottom end of the big h/k 7725 that preceded it, it is better everywhere else, and it was $200 less money. The Yamaha DVD-CX1 completely stomps the h/k on every front, but that was about $400 more than the h/k when each was new, but it is a 5 disc changer. Either the Arcam or Yamaha is far more open and smoother on the top end than the h/k which is about a decade older. The top end on the old h/k is really rolled off and kind of "grainy" in comparison, the midrange kind of muddy. The h/k absolutely killed the Adcom and Kenwood it replaced, by a similar margin. (There was really no difference between the Adcom and the far cheaper Kenwood in performance (late 80s product)...I felt like Cathy does now at that time) The h/k was one of the best in the business at it's price point and era. (Early 90s) Yes, CD playback has improved substantially, especially over 15 years.

I had a Rotel 971 (?-Stereophile award winner of the time), but didn't keep it for long. Didn't like it at all, and it had its proverbial **** handed to it by an older/cheaper Arcam Alpha 7CD. That thing hit ebay 2 weeks after I got it. I remember the old 855 as being very competitive for the era, and had always liked it. It was on my "short list" At that time.

Mark