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76.185.88.25
My priorities:1. Outstanding redbook -- this precedes any universal SACD/DVDA capabilities -- will consider a redbook only player if outstanding in performance.
2. Potentially universal capabilities -- but I only own just a few SACD/DVDA discs
3. Must be able to be balanced & compatible with my equipment (see profile)
4. Tubes or SS -- not particular
5. Excellent manufacturer with excellent customer service.The only manufacturer no longer in consideration is: Ayre Acoustics. I want to move away from something different.
Thank you for your consideration and recommendations.
DDM
Follow Ups:
I have not read through all the posts. It may have already been mentioned. Try to audition a BlueNote Stibbert.Paul Lam
P.L.C.Lam Consulting Inc.
A used Wadia then get it modified by GNSC or Great Northern Sound Company.
By far the best I’ve heard in terms of replicating vinyl. Additionally, the only one where I heard the strengths of OS and NOS combined in a single unit.
Believe what your ears say - not hearsay.
By all reports the Reimyo is a great single box solution. But, isn't the price of the Reimyo a little, make that a lot, outside of his range?
The base design of this CD player is similar to that of the JVC XLZ1050 CD player. The JVC was one of *very* few players that does not lose the emotional character of the performance, that is often neutered in the digital process. If the HF is more refined while retaining this quality, it would be a slam dunk.
My exposure to the CDP-777 was not in familiar circumstances but I too came away very impressed. Arranging a controlled comparison of the likely contenders outside of NYC and maybe a couple other cities is not going to be easy. I would love to hear a head-to-head of the Reimyo CDP-777, the EMM CDSA, ARC CD-7, Audio Aero, Esoteric, Audio Note and the various modded units.
The Abbingdon Music Research CD-77 is another CDP option I'd like to compare to those above.
The few times that I’ve heard the Reiymo were in very controlled situations set up to go head to head against a turntable. I was told, like other in its’ class requires a bit effort with a/c, cables, etc. for optimal performance. If true, getting one dialed in, let alone two or more for an a/b comparison, without a doubt is going to be tough. That a serious list of hardware, from which have only heard the AA Capitole. Different time and setup, but unless I formed a bad impression on the AA…the Reiymo is most definitely several notches above. BTW, there’s a thread on A’gon that worth searching for. I recall descriptions of one of the modified (APL?) units against some of the heavyweights that may have included something from your list.OT, your moniker and profile mentions plants, gardening, landscaping . What’s the best way or tools to maintain the weeds in a cut flower bed?
Believe what your ears say - not hearsay.
I emailed you but on rereading your post I don't think I paid enough attention to it being a cutting bed. Usually cutting beds allow a little more working room than strictly ornamental beds. If that is the case a stirrup hoe is probably the best tool. These Swiss stirrup hoes are the best ones I've seen but the blades will rust if not properly maintained.
Thanks, were using somesort of shuffle hoe that looks pretty similiar. The major problem is wifey likes that english country garden effect which to me is an overplanted mess. Going in between, under, over each plant by hand is very time consumming and seems to cause new weeds to grow. I usually PREEN the heck out of it, but am growing concerned about using too much chemicals.
Believe what your ears say - not hearsay.
I have to buy new tires for my mobile home to move it cause my neighbor don't like my 6 barking dogs and my 3 cars that are in my front yard that I'm restoring.My kid needs her Ritalin prescription filled cause every now and then I borrow a few.Being an adult don't mean you don't have deficiency in attention.If ya know what I mean.
Where was I??
Oh yeah.
I figure when ya get that fancy record player to go with yer new cd player that instead of upgrading the tone arm cable,god knows you can't be an audiophile with a rekerd player that has a stock tone arm table,ya can float me a few Gs and we can set up a payment system.Maybe I'll put them new tires on the old trailer,throw some bungee cords around it so she holds together for the long trip south and mover down yer way!!!That way I can pop by to make the payments in person and rifle yer medicine cabinet and drink yer alcohol.
I also forgot to mention my one eyed mother in law that just moved in is in need of a new prosthetic leg.Ifn it weren't for bad luck I wouldn't have no luck at all!!
Gotta go to WalMart and greet some folks.Maybe when I move by you I can get a job at yer WalMart.
I will give ya a helluva deal on my Phillips 880 that I got in 1989.It's kinda noisy when it does work but the sound is very liquid.Or some audiophile shit like that.
YECHy
I've missed you from the former good ole days at RR. 'Member me? At one time you had a fine table (Nottingham...am I remembering that correctly) that made mine sound like a tin can in comparison. ;-) Did you sell it? Did you sell all your wonderful LPs? I still have many of the wonderful comps you sent me and always will be grateful for the great music that you introduced me to.Good to see you still hang around here. If you get get down to the land of Road Warrior or DDM, you've got to give us a call.
I hope all is well with little Yech, Mrs Yechy and Brian.
Kind Regards,
DDM (AG on RR)
Somehow I seem to think you don't have a lot of mobile homes in yer heighberhood.By god,that leaves me to be the first.Don't worry dear.It's a fancy one with one of them expandos in the livin room.And the paneling isn't even peeling off the walls.Yet.Nottingham Spacedeck was it.With a Dyna 20X-H,or some shit like that.
Damn fine table and highly reccomended,allthough I no longer have it.I glued my mother in laws afghans,rugs not dogs,to the walls for sonic benefits.Luckily everything was color co-ordinated sos it looked good.The Mrs,MissBigass as I lovingly refer to her,likes to have a perty mobile home.The cob webs in the corners are accent pieces I guess.Digital??Listen to that Kreiger fella.Yer thinking of spending way more than needed.
Just slip some of that southern money,consider it reparations even though I ain't black,and send it up here.Gotta run Little YECHs goin thru the garbage trying to look for treats.
AR??Ohhh Acoustic Retards???
YECHierthanyou
It's nice to know that some people retain their sense of humor through this crazy hobby. No cement ponds, Yechster. Heck, I'm lucky to have a little backyard with this garden home. :-)Be sure to call if you get down to the South.
Your fan,
DDM
Same requirements are previously stated. Thank you.
Before spending the $$$, try Don Allen's modified Philips carousel changer. It could change your way of thinking regarding expenditure vs. performance.Of all audio components, digital sources have the least correlation between price and performance.
I was listening to an all Naim system driving Raidho Eben X-3s. I believe it was a CD5X with the external power supply. Was the sound exquisitely detailed? Yes. Was it lacking in weight? Yes. Can a Pioneer CD player sound better than a Naim? Yes. I just ordered a power cord for the Pioneer, let's see how it responds.
.
It was very revealing, with intense detail. Not my cup of tea, but I can see how someone might go ga-ga over the Naim sound with the Raidho speakers. I briefly flirted with the idea of a Nait5i / CD5i combo but went with separate amp/preamp. Could not consider Naim separates due to cost. I have not ruled out a CD5i, however, I would have to audition one at home. I'll be looking at CD players soon, but the Pioneer continues to hold its own quite nicely! It works very well in my system.
The 112X/5X combo must have sounded like a skeleton going into the X3.
What did they use for an amp?
A 150? :\Anyways, one of the nicer sounding mullet system I have heard was Crimson 710 into an active ATC SCM 50 driven by a 50$ Pioneer DVD player.
Audition the Cambridge Audio 840C. It only costs $1500, but compares with far more expensive players. There are also two digital inputs effectively allowing it to serve as a high performance DAC as well as a CD player. See my review here at AA and do not be afraid to spend less than you had planned. Good luck!
If it was me I'd certainly give a listen to the
Don't piss on my shoe and tell me it's raining.
Check the Muse Model 10 player or the combination of Erato transport and One Ninety Two DAC.Highly musical and ugradeable. My experience in terms of service is excellent.
Happy listening!
For wonderful musicality the Pathos Endorphin should be considered.
Redbook only, hybrid valve/SS. Stunning looks too.
My previous cdp was the Meridian 508/24 which was pretty good
but the Pathos is in another league altogether.
jazz1
Hi DDM,See link below to reply to your similar post in Vinyl Asylum...
(The post covers "thought-processes" rather than technologies)Some questions need answering (and expanding due to options):
a) Current collections on CD vs LP vs SACD vs DVD-A
b) Listening balance between CD vs LP vs SACD vs DVD-A
c) Plans for new music sourcing (CD vs LP vs SACD vs DVD-A)Coming back to CD replay, it is my opinion that the DAC is the really critical element and that jitter is not far behind.
I have a real preference for the "sound" achieved using Theta's CDP-based DAC's and, although currently using a GenVa, I've long had a hankering to move to the GenVIII (particularly after auditioning one for a couple of hours) - but, unfortunately, current priorities for disposable income don't permit that little indulgence.
So, I'd strongly recommend that you audition a Theta GenVIII plus their Compli as a transport (or select a decent dedicated CDT from someone else).
PS: Why the difference in budget between the two posts? More deviousness? :-)
"Don't roll those blood-shot eyes at me!"
Devious Person???? That's a fairly strong allegation, Devil. Have a bad experience with a woman, eh?Actually, you will notice that the two posts were made on two different days, and the overall subject matter is slightly different. Since my previous post on VA (aka the first post), I have decided to potentially upgrade EACH of my sources (digital and vinyl). Having said that, can you offer any worthwhile advice rather than making accusations?
I feel I have offered enough insight in the original post here by specifiying that redbook is the priority. If you believe you have something worthwhile to add, please do so. Otherwise, please take your allegations somewhere else. Like "Outside", perhaps?
And, by the way, those bloodshot, rolling eyes have got to go. Maybe they are familiar to you but they are repulsive.
... as no insult or offense was intended.I guess I should remember that what may sound like humour when spoken with both inflection and body-language cues that light up like a sign saying "this is a tongue-in-cheek comment", doesn't necessarily work when viewed in written form.
In addition, what may be common behaviour/usage/practice in one country/culture, may be viewed by another as being offensive.
Finally, I had not really considered the aspect of gender and had assumed that the moniker was a play on words (much like my own) and had no gender significance at all. Now that I've (just) viewed your inmate profile, I realise that your moniker does indeed have a gender significance.
I considered handling this process via e-mail, but felt that the original slight(s) had occurred in an open forum and that - out of courtesy - any apology should be made in the same manner - so, please accept my apologies for any offence given as a result of unclear communication and/or motives, cultural differences and perceived gender-based slights... ... and my assurance that there will be no repeat.
Look! No "signature line"!
Please see my comments which are attached to your original apology. Thanks, DE!
X
.
DevillEars
X
DE.You are such a gent.
I Would have told her to fuck off. lol. :P
... and you still don't bother to mince words either...Consistency is a rare commodity these days!
:-)
DevillEars
even if he/she wanted to tell me to **** off.:-)
Still think the majority of posts are a worthwhile read, even if I disagree with a few.
What about Naim? Two, first-rate, absolutely different, sounds from $2K up to $50K (and more).
Here is one of many PC based options that should meet your requirements, except for SACD. I think they will play DVD-a disks, just not store them.The upside of this product is that they have done all the heavy lifting, and are there to support you after the fact if needed. Plus, the convenience factor is worth it just for not having to find another cd, not to mention the improvement in sound quality. Systems like these are the future.
Fantastic sounding player, and the redbook playback is wonderful. With the recent board upgrade, they have solved the bugs from the first edition units.
have you checked out Art Dudleys review on the Linn Magik? seemed quite happy with it and was comparing it to Musical Fidelitys $ 6500 briefly and didnt say too much as they are on a good "professional relationship"
.
Simply because it meets the $ prerequisites? Have you auditioned it...and if so, please provide your sonic findings, particularly compared to lesser CD players.Thank you, Kuma!
But got to listen to their CD3 which I thought was excellent for the money and goes well with the rest of their kit.I've listened to it with LS17 & 26.
It seems that you get more out of both when you use the same make preamp and source.They seem to have an excellent factory support, too.
Krell's Evolution universal player also is in your ball park and it has a balanced connection.
but on subsequent listens, I prefer the Ayre CX7e evolution. i'll have to check to it out tomorrow after more "break in" has occurred.
.
after hearing it directly against the glorious Burmester 969/970 pair. While it lacked some resolution and extension at both extremes, it nevertheless fared very well. It's 4 volt / 75 ohm output lends itself very well to dispensing with a preamp altogether. That alone is worth something.rw
Though its chassis isn't as heavy as other tank-like players, the DV-60 does look clean in silver. It sports a full bevy of connectors, and its balanced output must be around 4V. I.e., it doesn't go overboard, as do other balanced CD players.Video quality is fine. Cables do make or break the DV-60's sound, but that's the character of a good hi-fi product. The display is informative, but is too small to read, unless you're standing right in front of the unit. But it can be dimmed. Remote works well enough. However, my wife hates the DV-60, because it omitted shuffle play, a feature she uses with (a) baby music, or (b) her compilation CDs.
The DV-60 has three audio filters, each with its own sound. Whether or not listeners like those sounds is, of course, entirely up to them. Overall, the DV-60 sounds "refined" in a faux way. It's in the same vein as the Meridian G08, but with a silvery, rather than bronze-y, tonal signature. It's certainly not "organic" as in the way the EAR Acute interprets the music.
Interestingly, if you load a redbook CD, the DV-60 recognizes it right away, and is ready to go. If you load a DVD or SACD, load time is like a standard DVD player - long.
It has three fast forward speeds, all of which are too slow for my tastes, but probably adequate for most other people. The DV-60 does not run hot, and sounds fine when simply plopped on a good shelf.
While I haven't directly said much about the DV-60 on my blog below, you can find many pictures of it there.
-Lummy The Seahorse
In your vast experience, Lummy, I realize you will probaby know the answer to this much better than I. Does a video component have a detrimental effect on a unit? I do not need, nor will I ever need, video capability. I am only looking for a unit to complete a 2-channel, non-video package.Your thoughts?
Esoteric's SA-60 is supposed to be the DV-60 without video. But I and those I know have not seen or heard the SA-60.You can turn off the DV-60's HDMI output. This supposedly results in better sound, but at least with the gear I have, I don't hear much, if any, difference. I consider this a non-issue.
I have no use for the surround channels. So all of the listening that's important to me revolves around the DV-60's two-channel audio. And it's quite good, though not to everyone's taste. My friends and I A/B'd it against several CD players, and the two viable alternates (assuming you don't need video) are the EAR Acute and Simaudio Supernova. The Acute is a polarizing device. Some people love its organic (for digital, that is) way of bringing out instrumental textures, others hate it for its lack of snap, and razor focus. I thought it was a wonderful match for the more forward-balanced Simaudio I-7, for example. It was too much of the same with the layered-soundstaging of the BAT VK-300x SE.
The Supernova is in play ONLY if you get a proper RC-5 remote for it. It comes with a preamp remote, the same as on my P-8. If you want your dance tracks to sound KILLER, but without that ubiquitous warmed-up midrange, rolled-off highs, and pumped up midbass, the Supernova does so naturally.
Take, for example, Starpoint's "Object Of My Desire." Through th Supernova, chances are, it'll sound as if the song were made in 2007. The sonics are simply awesome. But through the Acute, it's as if you are transported to 1984 or so, and you can smell the old school vibe. If you draw a scale from -5 to +5, and artificially stick the Acute at -5, and the Supernova at +5, I'd put the DV-60 at +1.5 or +2.0.
If you ask me, my honest opinion is that, on sonic grounds, these three, while not sounding alike, all belong to the same general class. Alas, sound isn't everything. If the unit doesn't work properly for you, then sound doesn't matter. Does lack of shuffle play preclude the DV-60? Does the Acute's small display eliminate it from your contention? Does the Supernova's slower "fast search" drive you nuts? Only you can answer these questions. Now that I have clued you into these anomalies, it is up to the prospective buyer to check them out.
I have one friend who ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE a large, legible display. For her, the only real choice was the Supernova. Having seen the big letters and numbers, the husband then needed no kicks in the nads to be convinced of the display's usefulness. Another friend never even looks at the display, so this is a non-factor. He likes closing his eyes, and swaying to the music, so the Acute is his Lite Rock Queen. Me? The DV-60 is versatile, quiet, looks classy without being pompous, and loads fast enough. If I outgrow it (or my wife banishes it, due to lack of shuffle play), it will kick ass at my parents' place. Either that, or my infant son will use it to watch DVDs. Still yet, I have a colleague who adamantly states that "all of these are overpriced pieces of junk," defaults to the EE Minimax CD, and by and large sticks to vinyl.
I will be re-visiting the Acute in about a month. I will have the opportunity to do some tube-rolling. I'll most likely report about that on my blog.
For now, my audio priority is to find a worthy turntable/arm for the Koetsu Jade Platinum my friend recently brought back from Japan. It's obvious that my Basis 1400 Sig/RB900 is the limiting factor. I'll get back to CD players later. Sorry. In the mean time, the Esoteric DV-60 is a well-rounded player, and, FWIW, made me completely forget about the Cary CD 303/300, Meridian G08, Naim CDX2/XPS2 I/we used to have here, at the office, and in the studio.
Altmann Attraction with a good transport, Dick Olshers says it all.
Two things that affect sound in a player (in simplistic terms). Jitter in the digital signal and DAC/Output stage. Just changing the DAC is like getting a different flavor. A low jitter digital input is what will change the fundamental characteristic (digital edge, tightness of bass, treble extension) of the player. A DAC/output stage difference affect only the quality of the analog signal. I am not sure, I am getting this across correctly. Low jitter player can be paired with a tube buffer or preamp to modify the nature of the output, but a high jitter player will be flawed in playback totally.
Jitter can creep in anywhere. For maximum effectiveness the de-jittering should therefore be as close to the DAC IC as possible.
Mel,
If you transmit the clock separately the cable will not cause jitter. The I2S connection with the Northstar transport/player accomplishes this. BTW, the Northstar is a popular transport in the mod circles. I feel people who get their electronics modded really have an ear for the sound and are not swayed by brand names. Ofcourse, one aim is to reduce costs with mods. But these people are paying $50-10K and I feel this is a good price to equal the cost-no-object, state of the art.
Thank you for your response. Could you provide some specific examples for me to demo/audition?Many thanks,
DDM
If I wanted to spend this much money, I would go with this combo. No SACD though. But CDs are going to be around for a while. You can also mod this transport, if you want to. Otherwise, just some power conditioning and power cords will squeeze the last bit of performance out of this.
http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/northstarcd_e.htmlI am not into Cd transports/players anymore, as I feel, that Computer based playback is the way to go (using a Bolder modded Squeezebox now, a modded Lavry DA10 is in the future).
This will also take care of cable introduced jitter, as the I2S connection transmits the clock separately. So the cable will not introduce jitter.
using the Revelation Audio Labs I2S cable. Upsampling at the transport to 24/192.I a considering the Empirical Audio mods for this combo, but having so much fun listening to it right now I don't want to send it off just yet.
The new AA Capitole Reference has a slightly Higher MSRP, but I wouldn't count it out for auditioning purposes.
If I were you, I would be looking into an Exemplar or APL modified Denon 3910. Not all on the used market are balanced, but some are. I'm not sure if Exemplar and APL are continuing to modify 3910s (although I don't think they are), but both may have something else in your price range if you want to go with a new unit. The other new player you might want to consider is the EMM CDSA. I don't think that it's balanced, though. It's retail is slightly higher than the top of your range, but maybe you could get a deal. Good luck.
Yes, it has XLRs for the balanced outputs.
Regards,
Geoff
1. Audio Aero Capitole mkII SE
2. Naim CDX2
3. Sim Audio Super Nova
Buy used. Nothing depreciates more than a cdp.
why are you not considering Ayre anymore?I was going to add the cx5e for you until I saw your note there.
I see you had a CX7e... does the ayre stuff just not work well with your Audio Research equipment?
Like I said... .I'm just curious. If I had 4k-8k to spend with your priorities listed... the CX5e would be at the top of my list.
I have had the opportunity to compare the redbook performance of both Ayre players and did not find the CX5e a significant improvement over the CX7e (this was in an all-Ayre system run balanced, as well as an audio research system run balanced). As mentioned above, the redbook performance is the #1 priority for this purchase, and I am looking to make a dramatic step up in redbook performance, not just an incremental one.Having said this, I think the CX5e is a very capable player but IMHO does not warrant the significant dollar differential from the CX7e. YMMV.
Yep! - I agree that that the C5-xe is not a significant improvement over the CX-7 in terms of Redbook performance. Yes, there are differences between the two machines but one is not really "better" than the other, I believe. They are certainly very highly rated machines and both sound "good" but as I and some others have pointed out before, CDs played on these machines are often not very exciting and leave to me wonder where the emotional involvement with the music has gone.
I never stated that the CX7e evolution or the C5xe were not "exciting". In fact, I believe they are both incredible performers. Quite frankly I have to question your statement, "...and leave me to wonder where the emotional involvement with the music has gone." Both players have emotion, are excellent performers. What was the associated equipment used (as I recall, you owned both units)? Did you use balanced? If so, what was your associated equipment/cables for each?Make no mistake, I am not stating that either of these lack emotion. I am looking to maximize my dollars and investigate in a change after many years of wonderful performance from the Ayre CX7e evolution. I have demo'd quite a few units at this point and nothing moves me to want to move forward with the sale of my CX7e. (It is sold to a coworker if I find a unit that I believe supercedes it's performance).
ts, it appears you may have an axe to grind with Ayre. Care to expound? I will have to admit that I have my own axe but it has nothing to do with Charles Hansen, Michael, or the majority of the staff at Ayre. Contact me offline if you'd like to discuss.
No axe to grind -- just didn't care for the machines period. Purely a personal and entirely subjective opinion. I did use the balanced configuration and matched both machines with the Ayre AX7e integrated amp and Merlin TSM-MX speakers, Acoustic Zen cables (don't remember specifics). OK - I will concede that maybe in a different system configuration, I might have reached a different conclusion, although curiously I seemed to like this particular system better when I switched back in an older Creek CD player. I later sold everything except the CD player, which I now use as a transport for an external DAC/headphone amp and AKG phones. I now find myself enjoying the music more and not worrying so much about the hardware -- I think this may happen with a lot of people.
but more of a SACD point of view.I wouldn't upgrade just for redbook either...
Balanced Audio Technology's VKD 5 SE would seem to meet all your requirements and sounds just spectacular.Mostly changed my feelings about digital, and I am a diehard LP guy.
Best of Luck,
I had a small collection a sacd's(about 30). I gave up my sony xa777es to buy the BAT vkd5se. It has made every single cd sound so much better. I highly recommend this unit.
Rich, full-bodied, extended, harmonically ripe...ease coupled with plenty of detail. Glare and lack of involvement are simply not on the menu.
"Your liver suffers dearly now for youthful magic moments...so rock on completely with some brand new components"
1. This player will be used in a strictly 2-channel environment (no Home Theatre).
2. Video capability is not needed nor desired.
3. And, yes, the Ayre CX7e evolution is already sold.Thanks again.
DDM
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