keyboardman_uk Posted July 26, 2014 Posted July 26, 2014 Hi guys and girls. Any recommendations for a CD player that would be an upgrade from my Arcam 73? It's about 5 years old, still sounding great, but I reckon for slightly more money there are probably a few things worth taking a listen to by now. Is it worth trying a Naim CD 3.5 or 5 ? Rest of system. Epos 12.2 speakers and Creek amp (pending), Cyrus amp currently.
buddyev Posted July 26, 2014 Posted July 26, 2014 (edited) There are a couple of current threads on this that are worth a look http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/68380-high-sq-used-cdp-advice-please/ http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/68630-simply-a-cd-playersuggestions-up-to-2500/ Probably best to repost this in 'digital, dacs and computer audio' section Edited July 26, 2014 by buddyev
Audionutz Posted July 26, 2014 Posted July 26, 2014 There's a California Audio Labs CL-15 on here somewhere for sale? Hard to beat under a few $k, also doubles as a Dac and has remote volume. Cheers 'Nutz
PKay Posted July 26, 2014 Posted July 26, 2014 It depends on your budget. There are a few high end cd players on sale at hifi stores as people are moving more into streaming/dacs.
keyboardman_uk Posted July 29, 2014 Author Posted July 29, 2014 Thanks for the help and the questions. Probably secondhand only, around $1000. It has to be really good so that I can sell the Arcam without crying about it, it's been pretty damn good I have to say. The idea of owning a Naim for that money is some kind of dream - just don't know whether I'll actually prefer it. Anyone got one for sale or to listen to? I read the other threads and they mainly seem to be discussing Marantz, which I don't think I'd ever go back to from both sound and reliability issues. There also seems to be some kind of war going on haha! Rega would seem like a great bet, and then of course Naim is supposed to be King if you like Rega....that's what I've heard. Thoughts? R Funny thing was as soon as I had posted this in the wrong section people were going..."How much for the Arcam? I've been looking for one for ages...."
was_a Posted July 29, 2014 Posted July 29, 2014 (edited) That Arcam is actually a pretty good player. I've heard it hold its own against much more expensive models, especially for bass reproduction and the old 'toe-tapping' factor. And if your replacement loses out to the Arcam in the bottom end (that foundation that so many CD players abandon in pursuit of 'transparency' etc) you really will be crying! In my experience, since around 2005 when the development of DACs made leaps and bounds and sub-$1500 players started sounding really good, the playing field evened out among mainstream brands. Nowadays, switching to another brand in a similar price bracket will get you a 'different' result rather than an improvement in sound quality. For that improvement you have to shop in the next class, $5000 ($3000 second-hand), or you simply won't be satisfied, Edited July 30, 2014 by was_a
Mondegreen Posted August 6, 2014 Posted August 6, 2014 Check out Lukasz Fikus' thoughts and measurements on the lampizator website. There's a list of CD players he rates very highly , as well as many high end players he does not. You should know that he rates the Arcam 73 very highly. He looks at the quality of the square wave they output above all, which is a great way to go about it. Distorted square wave output = bad sound. Makes sense. The Arcam in question: http://lampizator.eu/lampizator/references/ARCAM%20CD73/Arcam%20Diva%20CD73.html His thoughts on a ton of CD players: http://lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/CD_ALPHABETICAL.html A bit more: http://lampizator.eu/lampizator/references/references.html Hope that helps a bit
Guest Misterioso Posted August 6, 2014 Posted August 6, 2014 Check out Lukasz Fikus' thoughts and measurements on the lampizator website. There's a list of CD players he rates very highly Thanks for the link. Nice to see that someone shares my enthusiasm for the BAT VK-D5SE player ("This is one of the best CD players ever made.").
frankn Posted August 6, 2014 Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) And he likes modding my ol' Meridian 506.20. Does anyone on SNA knows who does these mods in Oz? Meridian 506.20 I never knew what to think about the Meridian players untill I examined one closely under the bonnet. Open kimono time! Is it built like a tank? No Is is a bolid ? No Does it have a granite floor, and 40 kilograms of electronics? No. But this is one of the best built machines period. If I was an engineer given a task to build a decent player, that's how I wish I could design it. ALL MONEY is spent where it matters. Good mechanism (althought it IS NOT a CDM1, 2 or even 4 - it is the 12, SORRY) Decent simple box SUPER COOL display, which has just enough information and not more Excellent PCB, with top class regulation, filtering etc. Good digital filter excellent DAC chip - all trully balanced (voltage output) 20 bit IC, which surprised me with its sound. Lampization is easy, the signal points are very easy to reach, no need for I/U conversion. Since there was no room inside for the lampizator, in fact NO ROOM for anything at all for that matter, I opted for the external lampizator in a wooden box. The beautiful box (matching the rest of the living room furniture) was made to measure exactly the same as the Meridian and thus forming a perfect base platform. "............... Before the lampization the sound was OKAY, but nothing to write home about. ( I dunno it sounds good to me, Frankn). Even despite the fact that they use just one op-amp at the output. After lampization (straight from the positive phase legsL+ and R+ ) the sound opens incredibly. Soundstage explodes, literally. Voices are natural, and above all - the amount of details and small clues is unheard of. The details are not tiring, they are very very natural and pleasant. This is the player that will make you stay up all night and re-discover all your collection. Edited August 6, 2014 by frankn
Mondegreen Posted August 7, 2014 Posted August 7, 2014 I've been keen to do a few of Lukasz' mods but never have the time. Though I did build a PS1 CD player, kitted out to the gills. Expensive capacitors etc. Interesting but not as good as my current combo. Bit dark sounding if anything. I'm interested in doing his squeezebox duet mod, this looks easy. A great and very cheap music server? We shall see.
ThirdDrawerDown Posted August 7, 2014 Posted August 7, 2014 I read the other threads and they mainly seem to be discussing Marantz, which I don't think I'd ever go back to from both sound and reliability issues. There also seems to be some kind of war going on haha! I'm not reading it as a war. What are the sound and reliability issues you experienced? (I suspect the model or price point might be relevant here)
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