What makes a good cd player?

polkfarmboy
polkfarmboy Posts: 5,703
edited September 2010 in Electronics
I bought a tube amp and was thinking about replacing my dvd player for a dedicated cdp

I have no idea on how I research one because I dont know what to look for
Post edited by polkfarmboy on
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  • digitalvideo
    digitalvideo Posts: 983
    edited September 2010
    Bryston makes very good dedicated cd players for audiophiles.

    http://www.bryston.com/

    But personally I think it matters more on your other connected equipment like obviously your speakers, sub, amp, pre/pro etc. A good Philips or Sony is all you need, focus on your other equipment.
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  • Jetmaker737
    Jetmaker737 Posts: 1,123
    edited September 2010
    I went from a universal player to a dedicated CDP and it made a big difference. I recommend you search the forum and find players people have been happy with. Two that come to mind are the Jolida JD-100 (which I own) and the Rotel RCD-1072.
    SystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|KEF Reference 1 Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|REL T/9X SE Sub
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  • polkfarmboy
    polkfarmboy Posts: 5,703
    edited September 2010
    Well its all about the dacs used and how clear the analog signal path is
    Jetmaker737 wrote: »
    I went from a universal player to a dedicated CDP and it made a big difference. I recommend you search the forum and find players people have been happy with. Two that come to mind are the Jolida JD-100 (which I own) and the Rotel RCD-1072.

    I was looking at the rotels for like $375 and the jolida for $550 but right in the middle there's arcam cd92' for $400 and $495 so arcam sounds realy good to me
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  • woodhead 2
    woodhead 2 Posts: 367
    edited September 2010
    http://www.stereomojo.com/Virtue%20Audio%20PianoM1%20Cd%20Player/VirtueAudioPianoCDPlayer.htm



    Has anyone tried this one out??
    Panny 8000 project
    Oppo 103D
    Fronts- Monitor 70's
    Upper fronts- Monitor 30's
    Surrounds- Monitor 50's
    Backs- Monitor 40's
    Center-CS 350
    Sub- SVS PB 2000
    Onkyo 607[back up]
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited September 2010
    Transport, analog section, DAC chip, and power supply all matter.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • geebolt
    geebolt Posts: 215
    edited September 2010
    http://emotiva.com/erc1.shtm
    Fronts: Polk RTi A7's
    Center: Polk CSi A6
    Surrounds: Polk TSi500's
    Subwoofer:Polk DSW Pro 500, Emotiva Ultra 12
    Amplifier: Emotiva XPA-5
    Processor/AVR: Emotiva UMC-1
    DAC: Emotiva XDA-1
    CD player:Emotiva ERC-1
    Blu-Ray: Oppo BDP-93
    Turntable: Kenwood KD-500
    Tonearm: Polk-Mayware Formula 4
    Cartridge: Shure M97-XE
    Television: Sony KDL-55EX500
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  • MillerLiteScott
    MillerLiteScott Posts: 2,564
    edited September 2010
    I am selling my Jolida CD player in the For Sale area in your price range.

    Scott
    I like speakers that are bigger than a small refrigerator but smaller than a big refrigerator:D
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  • polkfarmboy
    polkfarmboy Posts: 5,703
    edited September 2010
    MillerLiteScott wrote: »
    I am selling my Jolida CD player in the For Sale area in your price range.

    Scott

    Dam I just saw that but its silver and I like all my stuff black so it matches the rest of my gear. plus it will reflect worse when I have the room darkend for movies on the pj
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  • dorourke07
    dorourke07 Posts: 298
    edited September 2010
    Any opinions on shanling cd players?

    -sorry for the hijack
    Mains - LSi9's
    Center - LSiC
    Surround - pair of TL3's
    Amplification - Parasound 2125
    AVR - Onkyo 706
    CD/SACD - Onkyo DV-SP506
    SUB - MartinLogan Abyss
    55" Panasonic Viera TC-P55GT30 3D
    Bluray - DMP-BDT310 Panasonic
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 27,199
    edited September 2010
    Rega Saturn is a very good player and about your price range. Mine is a Sony ES x33 and i will fix it until they run out of parts to me it sounds that good. In 25 yrs it has had one 5volt cap go bad and one belt break VERY dependable
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  • Erik Tracy
    Erik Tracy Posts: 4,673
    edited September 2010
    I've read on the internet that they all sound the same anyway ;):D

    H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music.
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  • danz1906
    danz1906 Posts: 5,144
    edited September 2010
    Maybe an Adcom 750 Cd player, good player with a digital input.
    Linn AV5140 fronts
    Linn AV5120 Center
    Linn AV5140 Rears
    M&K MX-70 Sub for Music
    Odyssey Mono-Blocs
    SVS Ultra-13 Gloss Black:D
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,250
    edited September 2010
    reported.
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 51,918
    edited September 2010
    polkfarmboy wrote: »
    Dam I just saw that but its silver and I like all my stuff black so it matches the rest of my gear. plus it will reflect worse when I have the room darkend for movies on the pj

    You can buy a black replacement faceplate straight from Jolida. FYI, the silver faceplate is not shiney.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 51,918
    edited September 2010
    Face wrote: »
    Transport, analog section, DAC chip, and power supply all matter.

    Do they ever!
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • cstmar01
    cstmar01 Posts: 4,424
    edited September 2010
    polkfarmboy wrote: »
    Dam I just saw that but its silver and I like all my stuff black so it matches the rest of my gear. plus it will reflect worse when I have the room darkend for movies on the pj

    black electrical tape solves that problem :p
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited September 2010
    everyone has their own favorite CDP, just like cars.. no two people will ever agree on what pleases them sound wise.

    I think if you stick with a brand that keeps getting mentioned here and other places on the net.. then that should lead you into a good direction. as long as it's within your budget.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • sm88
    sm88 Posts: 353
    edited September 2010
    You really want a good DAC, so in the case of CD players I don't feel "old is gold" (I have an old Beosound glass top one from the 80's sitting somewhere, gorgeous 'top of the line' unit but probably not hi fidelity these days). I'd say go for something newer, and optical or spdif out is a big plus so that you have an upgrade path (to skip the DAC section and output to an external DAC).

    Of course, one standard 'everything' rule applies as always; heavy & hefty is good!
    Current System:
    Paradigm Signature S2 v2
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
    Wyred4Sound DAC2
    Audioquest Black Mamba II

    For Sale:
    3x Wilson Cub's
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
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  • polkfarmboy
    polkfarmboy Posts: 5,703
    edited September 2010
    sm88 wrote: »
    You really want a good DAC, so in the case of CD players I don't feel "old is gold" (I have an old Beosound glass top one from the 80's sitting somewhere, gorgeous 'top of the line' unit but probably not hi fidelity these days). I'd say go for something newer, and optical or spdif out is a big plus so that you have an upgrade path (to skip the DAC section and output to an external DAC).

    Of course, one standard 'everything' rule applies as always; heavy & hefty is good!

    Should I then just buy a cdp as a transport and invest in a good dac?

    I like the fact that the jolida cdp face can be switched . If I had the funds available at this moment I would probably buy it
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  • sm88
    sm88 Posts: 353
    edited September 2010
    The nice thing about an external DAC is that you can run your computer off of it as well, so keep that in mind when investing in one. Older transports might be a good investment if they are sturdy and well built, the obsolete part isn't the drive mechanism, it is the DAC. So finding one that can output a digital signal would be quite wise, and a lot cheaper than a more recent CD player. Just my .02
    Current System:
    Paradigm Signature S2 v2
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
    Wyred4Sound DAC2
    Audioquest Black Mamba II

    For Sale:
    3x Wilson Cub's
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited September 2010
    a DAC can really help a mediocre CDP sound a lot better. both are important though.

    a $99 CDP even with a good DAC isn't probably going to get you the sound you like.. both have to be of a good quality build.

    I've been happy with my Bada 22SE. yeah there are a lot better CDP's out there... but it elevated my CD listening and it was within my budget.

    what are you using for a CDP right now?
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited September 2010
    A few aspects that I think make my player great are separate power supplies for the transport, audio, and digital sections of the unit, as well as the digital circuits turn off when you put the player in standby, but the analog circuits always stay powered up to always maintain premium sound quality.
    Jake
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