Which CDP?

daboyz

Say you had $500 to $600 to spend on a new/used CDP,what would you buy? Hypothetically,it must play nice with my setup.

Face

A used Cambridge 740C or a new Cambridge DacMagic for $400.

mantis

There are 2 cd players that I have found to set the bar in the under 1000.00 price range new of course.
1) Rotel RCD1072. This player will shock you in playback quality. Smooth and clear. Sweat sounding like a transport with external DAC's . One of the audio worlds gems.

2) Cambridge 640c, like the Rotel and amazing sounding player. Quiet and clear.


Check these bad boys out for yourself.

I see you have a Samsung 1500 Blu ray. If you are not attached at the hip with it, I suggest you check out the BDP05fd from Pioneer ELite. This is one killer cd player as well. It has the same exact Wolfson DAC's as the mighty sc05 and sc07. This player suprised the hell out of me when I played cd's back in it. I even edged out a California Labs transport and external DAC with this Blu ray player doubling as a cd player.

Check that out as well.

Dan

SolidSqual

I own the DAC Magic and use it for a Video Game Console DAC. It's not a music DAC IMHO. Get a used Jolida Tube CDP or Bda or maybe something by Shanling. If you add a few hundred you might find a used Raysonic.

daboyz

My current cdp is a Marantz CD5400. I forgot to put that in there.:(

daboyz

Basically it would be a Marsh A200s amp,Lsi9's or SDA-2A's with the HK as pre so I am going analog outs from the cdp. I really like the sound of tubes. I miss the Dodd ELP I had but an actual 2ch dedicated rig was not really in the cards for me anymore. I would like to be happy with this purchase for awhile so resale is important but not the end all.

I have heard the Rotel and liked it but it didn't knock my socks off,especially with my SDA's. I have been kicking around the Rega Planet,Music Hall CD25.2, Jolida and a Classe but I really have no way to check these out around here.

I have never even tried a cd in the Samsung.

SolidSqual

Zero wrote: »

DaBoyz,

I once owned the Marsh A200S, a set of LSi-9's and a set of SDA 2B's. I've also had a number of Harman Kardon products as well. Good stuff.

With that said, aside from your SDA's, nearly every product you own has a warm and dark character. Because of this, I would suggest you steer clear of sources that possess a similar type of sound. This is where things get tricky. This type of voicing in the sub $1000 range is quite common. Popular players like the Jolida JD-100, most Rega players, all Rotel players, Classe, some NAD models, and the like are well regarded largely because of the warmth they provide. Instead, I'd point you in the direction of players that are either more accurate, or sport more of a 'lively' sound. Off the top of my head, I'd encourage you to investigate a used Arcam FMJ unit, a CEC cd-player, or something from Musical Fidelity, like the X-ray v3 or A3.5 CD-player (although a tad dark in the mids, the highs are usually more forward in nature).

You will notice I didn't mention any china-fi in there, such as Bada, Xindak, Oracle, Consonance, Opera, etc.. This is because I have trouble recommending products that either (A) are known to be plagued with reliability issues or (B) have virtually zero support in the United States. If you do try one of these products, I would highly suggest you do so from a source that will allow you to return the player if it doesn't suit your fancy. It's also worth noting that the resale value on these products typically suck.

That said, eventually, I would also encourage the removal of your HK pre-amp in trade for something a bit more resolute. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy HK's products, particularly their old school stuff. In fact, I've replaced a lot of very respected high end gear with their entry level receiver from the late 90's. That said, pre amps were never really their forte. So, when the time and money allows, that should be next on the 'to do' list.

Cheers, and good luck on the hunt.

nice response. yet again why l like this club.

daboyz

Thanks Zero for the great advice. Unfortunately the HK has to double as my pre and AVR until I switch to something with the newer codecs. Maybe five to six years down the road I can build another dedicated 2ch. It would be great to have a bridge that'll get me there.

comfortablycurt

Some great responses here. I'm going to be in the market for a new CDP later this year myself, so I'll be following this one.

bigred7078

Emotiva is coming out with a CDP that should be released within the next few weeks, thats supposed to be pretty darn good.

http://emotivalounge.proboards54.com/index.cgi?board=media&action=display&thread=2111&page=1

comfortablycurt

There ya go Dave! Get yourself an Emo CDP!!;)

bigred7078

anyone here tried a jolida tube CDP?

george daniel

bigred7078 wrote: »

anyone here tried a jolida tube CDP?

ERR,, I will defer that question to the wood ninga,,,AKA, Mr. President.Jesse has one of the nicest Jolida's that I've had the pleasure of listening to.It's a highly upgraded unit, one session is all it took for me. I've got an Ah! 4000,which is a modded marantz,I can live with it for now,recently debugged,it's got the upsampler,shoes, and cord.You can find them for 5-600 if you look around.Only thing,, the display is somewhat dim,if you sit back far enough from it, you may need "opera" glasses.

Bass_Pedal

Based on Zero's post, I would also suggest the Cambridge 640C as Mantis posted earlier. It is definitely more on the detailed, analytical side which would combine nicely with your warm set-up. I have enjoyed mine for about a year with the lsi9s. If you get one new be aware that it takes a long time to burn-in, I found it a little harsh for the first month or so. Also, I agree with Zero that a dedicated preamp would make a big difference. Moving from an AVR to a legitimate preamp produced the biggest single improvement in sound quality I have experienced, with the exception of changing speakers. If you get a pre with a home theatre bypass (like the Adcom GFP 750 I’m using) you will be able to integrate it into your HT set-up and still use your AVR. When you upgrade your AVR down the road you can still use the existing preamp for 2 channel.

heiney9

If you had kept the GDA600 you wouldn't have to ask this question .

You heard the Rotel 1072 at your place with your GDA600; and I slightly preferred the GDA600 atleast for that installment of the demo.

Cambridge are nice but IMO I don't like bit streaming dac's which those have (way too analytical). I am not being totally biased here but for $500 you're going to be hard pressed to beat what you originally had with the Marantz/GDA600 combo......of course IMHO.

If I had to choose..............the Classe is probably the best for what type of sound you like. Plus, it would be a great addition to the RAS stable of gear

heiney9

I have to disagree with Zero about the Marsh being dark. I've been using Doug's A200S in my system lately even with the Dodd ELP I find it to be on the analytical side.

The LSi's are definetly laid back enough to tolerate a more "analytical" amp and cdp but not the 2A's so much.

After listening to the Pass Aleph which is buttery smooth the more analytical side of the Marsh shines through.......but I was thinking that even before the Aleph arrived.

Again not saying it's a negative........just a characteristic of the Marsh (IMO). I even felt the Adcom 545 was less "analytical". But the Marsh shines in a couple other areas over the 545.

Good luck bro.................can't wait to hear what you choose at the next get together.

H9

Lowell_M

bigred7078 wrote: »

Emotiva is coming out with a CDP that should be released within the next few weeks, thats supposed to be pretty darn good.

http://emotivalounge.proboards54.com/index.cgi?board=media&action=display&thread=2111&page=1

Of course it is...

Lowell_M

heiney9 wrote: »

I have to disagree with Zero about the Marsh being dark. I've been using Doug's A200S in my system lately even with the Dodd ELP I find it to be on the analytical side.

The LSi's are definetly laid back enough to tolerate a more "analytical" amp and cdp but not the 2A's so much.

After listening to the Pass Aleph which is buttery smooth the more analytical side of the Marsh shines through.......but I was thinking that even before the Aleph arrived.

Again not saying it's a negative........just a characteristic of the Marsh (IMO). I even felt the Adcom 545 was less "analytical". But the Marsh shines in a couple other areas over the 545.

Good luck bro.................can't wait to hear what you choose at the next get together.

H9

That was my overall opinion of the Marsh over the GFA-555 as well.

Dave, If you want to hear the Rotel with your 9's I could bring it over for a little listening sometime even though it wasn't your cup of tea on your SDA's. It isn't as forward on my LSi15's as it was with your SDA's.

Erik Tracy

How do folks have their CDP connected into their rig?

I ask because with Home Theater AVRs, it can be a somewhat confusing topic when discussing the merits of different CDPs and the associated quality of DACs.

If you are trying to maximize the sonic quality of a given CDP because of good performance - the question I'd like to ask is it as a digital output (via TOSlink or coax) or the analog outs?

If part of the desired qualities of a CDP are due to good DAC performance, then wouldn't using the digital outs to a HT AVR defeat the supposed advantages of the CDP in question?

And even if you do connect via analog, depending on the 'mode' the HT AVR is in, the audio may be converted back to digital anyway, DSP applied, then converted back to analog via the AVR's DACs -so again, wouldn't you be defeating the sonic advantages of the CDP?

Even using outboard DACs can be 'defeated' if connected to an AVR and the selected 'mode' results in the audio data flow to be digitized/processed/reconverted.

To maximize the CDP's performance thru a rig, shouldn't one make sure that in an HT AVR application, one needs to check to verify that their AVR has some sort of "Direct" mode that passes analog audio all the way thru the chain?

And even here, isn't there the potential, that if this HT rig has a subwoofer hooked up via the 'standard' LFE/Sub out, that in a Direct mode, there will now be no sound from the sub when listening to the CDP?

I know with my AVR, that if I want a pure analog flow and I select "Pure Direct" this is purely a 2-channel mode and no sound comes from my sub.

Just stirring the pot and trying to learn more....

heiney9

^^^ I'm strictly 2-ch and I run an external stand alone DAC.

dkg999

I guess I'll chime in on this! I own the Marsh A200s, the Jolida 100 CDP unmodded, the Rotel RCD-1072, and the Dodd ELP. It all goes back to synergy of your components.

In my main 2 ch system, the Jolida is running EI Elite Gold Pin tubes, the pre is a Rogue 66 Magnum, the amps are vertically bi-amped Parasound HCA-1500's, and the speakers are Magnepan 1.6QR with a SVS SB12+ sub. I had the Cambridge Audio 640 CDP and it was much too analytical and detailed/harsh on the high end to work really well in this system. The Rotel 1072 actually does really well in this system, but lacks the openess and depth of the sound that the Jolida brings to the party. The Jolida just works the best with the rest of the gear! Not to say it's the best CDP out there, but with this system it works really nicely.

The Rotel 1072 coupled with my ASL tubed headphone amp and a pair of Grado SR-225 headphones is also a winning combination, IMHO. The slightly more detailed and warm sound of the Rotel CDP, when presented via the tubes in the ASL head-amp, is a very nice sound and you can listen without fatigue for hours.

For my office system I normally run the Dodd ELP pre, the Marsh A200s, the Rotel 1072 CDP, and either EPOS ELS-3 or Paradigm Studio Ref 20v3 monitors. The Rotel CDP works really well in this system, presenting more upper mid and high end detail on these monitors than the Jolida CDP, and with a smoother less analytical presentation than my former Cambridge Audio 640 CDP.

With my former 2 ch system, the Cambridge 640 CDP, and Audcom 110 tubed pre or Parasound 850 pre, the Parasound HCA-1500 amp, and my SDA-2A's, the Cambridge Audio 640 CDP sounded fantastic.

So, IMHO, the best CDP player is the one that fits with the rest of your gear the best, and produces the final SQ that you like. Unfortunately you're probably going to need to take a little risk trying out CDP's to figure it out .... or have plenty of munchies and beer on hand when the other RAS members show up with CDP's to try out in your system

My next adventure is the external DAC route. I'm trying to borrow a PS Audio Digital Link III and a Channel Islands DAC to compare.

phipiper10

The Bada is pretty good. I own one of the originals before the newer model and the sound has been great imo.

Early B wrote some stuff on it here comparing it to much much more expensive players.

I did have one Customer Service issue that was a bit painful but otherwise the sound has been great. If you didn't know there is a single tube in the player.

Good luck!

steveinaz

Dan said it best, in the $699 range the RCD-1072 is outstanding. In fact, in the $1500 and below range, the Rotel is excellent. Cambridge Audio is also very nice...

MillerLiteScott

I have a Jolida with EI Goldpins and I am very pleased with it. It is a very solid unit and you can roll tube to tailor the sound to suit your system. It also responds very well to an upgraded PC. I also have Sovtek LPS which have a different sound than the EI Goldpins. I picked up here from another member for $500 shipped.

Scott

nikolas812

Jolida...



Nick

Mike Reeter

I too have owned the Rotel RCD-1072 in the past and currently have the Jolida JD-100A in the mix....Jolida hands down...the option of "your" sound can be easily found by simply rolling what ever tubes "your" ears desire.

Built like a tank,easily modified,and can had in the used market within your price range.

dorokusai

Rega Planet 2000.

treitz3

One of the biggest differences I have heard between the Rega Planet and the Jolida JD-100 is the depth of field and where [front to back] the sound actually seems to come from. The Jolida is further back in it's presentation while the Rega is more "in your face".

With my rig, I tend to prefer the further back presentation and tube sound of the Jolida. Yes, they do respond well to a PC upgrade and rolling tubes can definitely tailor this player to your tastes. I got mine used and I haven't had one issue with it not reading a CD or any other reliability problems. Traded a Rega for the Jolida with no regrets.

If you tend to prefer British sound and a forward presentation then the Rega might be more up your alley. In the end, what really matters is how well the player you choose blends with the rest of your rig. BTW I ran through the responses rather quickly and I don't recall you saying that you would like this player to go with your 2-CH rig or the HT. If it's the 2-CH rig, the Jolida would definitely do you justice IME.

daboyz

I'm so excited to say that the Dodd ELP I sold a couple weeks ago is coming back to me so the cdp will run through the Dodd to the Lsi9's or SDA's. I never should have sold it and I thank Joe for sending it back.

Will that change anyone's thoughts?

Mike Reeter

daboyz wrote: »

I'm so excited to say that the Dodd ELP I sold a couple weeks ago is coming back to me so the cdp will run through the Dodd to the Lsi9's or SDA's. I never should have sold it and I thank Joe for sending it back.

Will that change anyone's thoughts?

I don't think you can get too many tubes in the mix...

Systems

Zero wrote: »

Marsh amplifiers take on the traditional signature inherent to MOSFET design,

Cool trick considering he doesn't use mosfets.:D He uses JFET input stages,BJT outputs.