Out of the loop ... CD Help?

ajanzalone

Whats the deal on audiophile cd music?

Sorry for this Dumb Question..... But I just put my old Stereo back in use:
Audio Research SP5 Pre amp
Quad 405 100w Amp
Polk Audio Monitor 10's
& just added a Velodyne VPR 1200 sub

Not owning any audiophile grade cd equipment, I tried 1st my DVD player. Then I tried my Macbook Pro laptops audio out, to my pre-amp..
But what was all the hype of CD digital clean sound, etc...
they sounded kind of lifeless? not much stereo imagery .... lacked definition?

When Last used it was mostly vinyl LP use.... and some remastered stuff. Which always sounded astounding & defined.
I recently tied in my TV and really enjoy the movies and effects.

After reading a bit on this forum, I have come to the conclusion I may need a SACD Player and SACD music to get that audiophile sound?
Some education please?

Out of the loop, way too long
Tony

I am aware that recapping my polks and upgrading to a 200+w newer amp ...bla ... bla.. bla

tcrossma

Not all CD players are created equal. And for that matter not all CD's are created equal. What DVD player were you using?

SACD is great, but there are also some very nice Redbook players out there that will make regular CD's come alive (at least the CD's that are recorded well)

ajanzalone

tcrossma wrote: »

Not all CD players are created equal.
SACD is great, but there are also some very nice Redbook players out there that will make regular CD's come alive (at least the CD's that are recorded well)

Well it was a trash DVD player the my daughter updated from, just to watch an occasional movie.
When you say "CD's that are recorded well," I assume you mean the so called re-mastered?

Tony

ajanzalone

Since I want it mostly for music CD's and occasional DVD movie / music,
I have been eyeballing this inexpensive, (yet seems to be highly rated), OPPO DV-980H 1080p, before I spend serious money?

ajanzalone

BUMP

Whats the deal on audiophile CD music?

ajanzalone

Keiko wrote: »

If you want serious audiophile quality though, you may need to spend a bit more. The Denon 3910 gets raves. I have a Yamaha S1800 and I'm completely satisfied. what your musical preferences are and what your budget is we could give you more recommendations...Regards Mike

I did forget to mention 2 channel Stereo ......

I am not sure I understand the whole redbook thing ... is it a standard of recording or a player standard ....... please excuse my ignorance.

My music is diverse ...... in a old timer way..... classic rock .. classical ...
One of my favorite classic rock tracts is the
Neil Diamond "Prologue" in the live "Hot August Nights" album.

I love the slow and steady intro and build up of strings which climaxes to heavy drum rock & roll....
The main point is that my old "Hot August Nights" album sounds more defined and has better presents, than any thing I have tried on CD.

If I can get that with the Oppo and still upgrade my DVD player .. better yet

Thanks
Tony

Hawkeye

Tony,

Getting good quality cds for that era of music is a crap shoot. I've got several cds from say, Yes, EL&P, Herb Albert & Tijhuana Brass and some Zep that just absolutely sound terrible. Even some of the "remastered" discs are suitable only for drink coasters.

You may find some better quality transfers at Elusive Disc and Blue Note. This may sound off the wall, but do you still have the turntable? There are quite a few companies pressing new records. Yes, I still remember we used to call them that!

Gordon

cfrizz

As Hawkeye said, it is hit & miss with Cd's. I try to get all remasters of cd's now. I love my Rotel 1072 cd player. Rotel makes great cd players & I will always have one in my setup.

Get a used one on Audiogon & you are good to go.

reeltrouble1

Sacd pretty much stomps all over CD, it really cant help itself, more samples, quantization and all that jazz.....now put some tubes on SACD and say oooh, la la, I would also revive my vinyl collection and have the best of both worlds.

RT1

ajanzalone

Than you all!

To sum things up.....
Even with quality equipment, many marketed CD's just won't sound great or have high definition, unless they are properly recorded ....
correct?

So If I get at least a SACD player and some quality CD's or SACD's I can enjoy my high definition music again.
I hope more than my old vinyl recordings.

Thanks for all the great advice and links to find CD's & SACD's

1 more thought..... or old guy question .....:D
MP3's ... is quality & high definition possible?
or just music that is downloaded and cut to cd's & dvd's?

Tony

cfrizz

They will never sound as good as cd's & the like, but hooking up an Ipod or mp3 player can't be beat if you want to hear music all day long without having to worry about getting up & changings cd's.

Again, bad recordings sound bad & good recordings sound decent even on a mp3 player through a audio system.

ajanzalone

Keiko wrote: »

a..I mentioned the oppo in a previous thread that it's a good budget player. . The Denon 3910 gets raves. I have a Yamaha S1800 and I'm completely satisfied. recommendations...

Mike:
I just read about the "Pioneer DV-48AV" and wonder how it compares to the OPPO unit ....Reg $299 on sale $99 Free shipping
On sale http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/486974189/pioneer-dv-48av?s_c=site_search

Tony

candyliquor35m

Have you thought about a tube pre and a tube cdp? A good tube pre is about $500 + $100 for vintage tubes. A good tube cdp is $600 + $100-$300 for vintage tubes.

This is where I noticed the biggest improvement in my rig. It truly has the warmth and richness of a lp but from a plain old $2 thrift store cd.

olilugo

Question on the dvd/cd player, and it goes for the rotel 1072, or the Pioneer DV-48AV or the OPPO DV-980H 1080p.

I want to use it one of these just as a CD player.

How are you connecting this units to your avr?
are you using digital coax, hdmi, or stereo cables?
what is the DAC on the pioneer and the OPPO, the ROTEL uses the Burr Brown 1732 D/A converter.

if these players have their own DAC on them? do you need a more advance AVR or a simple AVR will do?

Where is the processing taking place in the CD player or the AVR?

Any help will be much appreciated.

cfrizz

I just use regular stereo IC's from the Rotel to the prepro.

mmadden28

Keiko wrote: »

The oppo upconverts video up to 1080p and supports up to 7.1 channels.

The Pioneer upconverts to 1080i. Supports up to 5.1 channels & costs 70.00 less.

...

Actually the Pioneer DV-48AV does in fact upconvert to 1080p. I believe the 1080i is a misprint in the listed specs. The user manual is correct and I just received mine recently and it does indeed do 1080p. Just getting that out there in case its a deciding factor.
(The 46av is only 1080i).
Not sure about the Oppo's capabilities (although I have heard good things about the brand), but from my own testing, the Pioneer will also output the SACD and DVD/A via HDMI (DSD), (assuming you're AVR is HDMI 1.2 or higher capable) whereas most SACD players require you to use the analog outs. Note it will also do analog outs.

To use Analog vs. HDMI? I Can't say which is better, but my understanding (somebody correct me if I'm wrong) is that if you use the analog outputs you are using the Players DAC, (which may be a good thing) additionally your choice of ICs might impact (or maybe even improve) SQ. Using ICs will also imcrease cost (unless you go low budget there).
If you use the HDMI option, you are bypassing the players DAC and using the DAC in your AVR. I don't think you can output SACD or DVD/A at all digital via the SPDIF/TOSLINK-so using an external DAC won't work except for Redbook CDs.
I'm not sure how each player's DACs compare to each other.

mmadden28

Just looked up the Oppo

The DV-980H is capable of DSD output over HDMI. Utilizing this feature requires an audio/video receiver with HDMI 1.2a or above input and DSD decoding capability.

Analog Audio Output:
The DV-983H and DV-980H offer 7.1CH analog audio output.
The DV-981HD offers 5.1CH analog audio output.

If you have a capable AVR, I'm not really sure what the 7.1 analog output is for except to use the Oppos DACs (again if I understand that coorrectly), but then you would also have to have a pre or AVR that can take 7.1 in. (right?).
I'm pretty sure SACD and DVD/A(?) is only 5.1

So looks like (IMHO) both are good players with similar features (at least without my delving into any of the other specs. I might have gone with one of the Oppos myself if it were priced similarly to the Pio.

ajanzalone

I just ordered the Pioneer DV-48AV" on sale $99 Free shipping
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search

I should get it next Tuesday or so ..... I am getting excited!
Now to find a good quality Neil Diamond or Alan Parsons SACD to test it out.

Thanks for all the help
Tony

Hawkeye

Tony,

Try this link:"http://www.elusivedisc.com/searchprods.asp"

olilugo

I also order the pioneer from Vanns. Thanks all for pointing me to this dvd/cd player.
I will report how it works with the rest of my components soon...

ajanzalone

Keiko wrote: »

Again, check sa-cd.net. You can perform a search to see if your interests are available on Super Audio and where to buy it online. Or just browse amazon. There's pages/pages of titles and you can refine availability by genre. Rock, Classic Rock, Pop, Blues, etc...

Thanks
I have found some at these web sights you have all have suggested .....

I also found a New sealed - "Billy Joel", Stranger album SACD on ebay for $16.09
and a New sealed - Remastered, "Santana", Abraxe album CD for $9.99...
I know its a crap shoot on the remastered CD, (maybe i'll get lucky).

Tony

olilugo

All quick question:
How do I know if the cd player or the avr is doing the decoding?
if I use L+R rca cd player does the decoding?
if I use 5.1 rca analog out cd players does the decoding?
if I use coax/optical digital connection the AVR does the decoding? or is it configurable at the cd player?
if I use hdmi out the AVR does the decoding or is it configurable at the CD player?

thanks

olilugo

Thanks Keiko.