davidf
Well-known member
Never knew that was the case. Having said that, I’ve nor read any reviews, which I guess would’ve uncovered that info…
manicm
Well-known member
Gray
Well-known member
Neither did I.
And, funny enough, I've just this minute been looking at this review.
Ken Kessler describes it as better than the best cartridge he's ever heard (and he's heard a few).
For the price (with its necessary equalizer) I wouldn't expect any such limitation.
Not sure whether this plays coloured vinyl - nor did I read the entire review, so I don't know if it was mentioned.....but perhaps it should have been:
DS Audio Grand Master EX Cartridge
How to upgrade the 'ultimate' optical pick-up? By fitting the Grand Master with a single-piece diamond cantilever and stylus. We take the GM Extreme for a drive... It's too easy to presume, just because only one change separates a new model from an earlier one, that assessing it will be a...
Oxfordian
Well-known member
Awesome, thanks for posting this, if they do follow this at all times then they have no excuse.This is how WHF review kit so not a quick listen at home.
How we test and review products on What Hi-Fi?
Fair, honest and accurate reviews, brought to you by the most experienced team in the businesswww.whathifi.com
Oxfordian
Well-known member
I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, I ask a simple question and get this as a response.
Sorry but you have left me totally confused.
manicm
Well-known member
It's basically shoddy software, that's becoming more prevalent.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVEmahyfhQU
Even that cheapo Grundig effort does gapless !
As demonstrated with the CD being played it is essential for certain music types...
podknocker
Well-known member
It is shocking. The integration of firmware, with the transport's optics, servo and laser, shouldn't be an issue these days. CD is (yawn) 41 years old.
If a £50 portable stereo can manage gapless, then your swanky £5000 player should.
It's a sad fact, but many people are drawn towards expensive kit, under the impression that it must be much better quality and fit for purpose.
I've been there and had my fingers burnt many times. I'm so wary and careful these days, but sometimes you do need mistakes to learn from and they can be expensive ones.
If a £50 portable stereo can manage gapless, then your swanky £5000 player should.
It's a sad fact, but many people are drawn towards expensive kit, under the impression that it must be much better quality and fit for purpose.
I've been there and had my fingers burnt many times. I'm so wary and careful these days, but sometimes you do need mistakes to learn from and they can be expensive ones.
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Banana man
Active member
mjrussell
Active member
I bought a CD5 in May 2024. It wasn't installed with latest firmware update 6.4 so i installed it from the Arcam website. Easy. Gapless playback works fine now. I tested my Karajan/BPO recording of Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring and tracks flow seamlessly. However, CD text is not available. This seems crazy for 2024. I emailed Arcam support - they replied quickly, confirmed it isn't available and they're working on it - it should be available in a future software update.
My impressions. I was upgrading from a Marantz 6006. The Arcam sounds better. More detailed and generally a brilliant sound. I'm keeping it and am very happy with all its audio aspects. But everything else is way worse than the Marantz. It's as if Arcam thought, let's design the most fantastic sounding CD player for 2024 and give it the worst feature set we can think of. The remote is useless - you can't locate tracks by number - i wanted to play track 26 on a classical CD and had to manually hit 'next track' until i got to 26. On the Marantz controller it has numeric input and this would have taken 2 seconds. The 'repeat all' feature i use often - there's no indication on the CD player that it's on or off. And you have to click a few buttons to access the menu of the controller. Again, on the Marantz easy - 1 button on the controller with an icon on the 6006 display. The CD5 display is hopeless - the main display strip is as if it's behind a layer of cotton wool and the other displays are so dimly lit it's hard to tell whether they're off or on. I tried the 3 digital filter settings and opted for 'slow' as my favourite. But again not so easy to access from the feeble remote. So i recommend the CD5 for the sound but nothing else.
My impressions. I was upgrading from a Marantz 6006. The Arcam sounds better. More detailed and generally a brilliant sound. I'm keeping it and am very happy with all its audio aspects. But everything else is way worse than the Marantz. It's as if Arcam thought, let's design the most fantastic sounding CD player for 2024 and give it the worst feature set we can think of. The remote is useless - you can't locate tracks by number - i wanted to play track 26 on a classical CD and had to manually hit 'next track' until i got to 26. On the Marantz controller it has numeric input and this would have taken 2 seconds. The 'repeat all' feature i use often - there's no indication on the CD player that it's on or off. And you have to click a few buttons to access the menu of the controller. Again, on the Marantz easy - 1 button on the controller with an icon on the 6006 display. The CD5 display is hopeless - the main display strip is as if it's behind a layer of cotton wool and the other displays are so dimly lit it's hard to tell whether they're off or on. I tried the 3 digital filter settings and opted for 'slow' as my favourite. But again not so easy to access from the feeble remote. So i recommend the CD5 for the sound but nothing else.
nopiano
Well-known member
Thanks for those insightful comments. It’s as though they only understand streaming, and have completely forgotten how CD players actually function.
Hidden away somewhere I have an old Marantz CD52SE which had direct button access to tracks and a really bright blue fluorescent display. The nearest today is my super basic Tascam CD-200 which has traditional remote functions and feels like it’ll outlive me, despite its modest entry price of £250ish.
Hidden away somewhere I have an old Marantz CD52SE which had direct button access to tracks and a really bright blue fluorescent display. The nearest today is my super basic Tascam CD-200 which has traditional remote functions and feels like it’ll outlive me, despite its modest entry price of £250ish.
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mjrussell
Active member
I was seriously tempted to re-install my Marantz 6006 - it's a proper CD player with sophisticated CD functions and a great display, incorporating CD text. It's built like a tank and comes with a remote that has everything to hand and is ergonomic to use. it's just that, to my ears, the Arcam sounds so much better. Begrudgingly i've stuck with the CD5. And i marvel at how much more detail it reveals. Was just listening to a recording of Prokofiev's 5th Symphony and heard some pizzicato strings i'd never heard before.
I use streaming a lot - qobuz and spotify subscriptions - they're handy - but i have a large CD collection and i still love the sound of CD with the benefit of a booklet and info to hand.
Smokiro
Well-known member
It could be arrogant to bring this album close to that player.
Do you like Bono and U2?
Banana man
Active member
speedthing
Well-known member
Smokiro
Well-known member
You sound like a big fan. I dont blame you they very talented.
The Edge, Adam and the drummer.
Smokiro
Well-known member
Do you know that Sonus Faber brought the new Sonetto G2 line?
How is the Guarneri Memento? What did you compare before to get those?
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Banana man
Active member
I'm sure they're very talented. They're not my cup of tea, that's all. I have a fondness for Edge's beanie, though.
Smokiro
Well-known member
Lol I agree with you. His beanie is mysterious. He has his own polished style though.
nopiano
Well-known member
Yes, I follow Sf closely, since I first owned Concertos in 1998. I didn’t compare the Guarneri because they were almost unused, like a ‘barn find’. But I knew the family sound well, especially as these were the last designs of founder Franco Serblin before he parted company with Sf. Nothing’s perfect, but they are very seductive and of course look beautiful. (I also have ATC SCM40, QA 3020i and Mission 760i squirreled away if I fancy a change).
Apologies, off topic.
Smokiro
Well-known member
I remember those times. We used to think about SF that is triumph of form over content but that is who Italians are. They would dress kettle in outfit. Over the years they showed that was untrue.
Sonettos should be theirs most important line. Interesting how the new G2 would stack up versus Novas for example. How big is the gap.
Stuart83
Well-known member
I remember leaving the Acram cdp behind because of it's problems.
Arcam seem to have a trend in selling things with unfinished firmware.
I recall it didn't have a FF or RW function either.
There was a silver lining however as I got the Arcam sa30 discounted because of similar issues with being unfinished.
I liked the sound etc etc so much I hung back on it.
It's that silly to leave out such rudimentary features it becomes actually unexpected to people and can cause those buying mistakes we all make.
Arcam seem to have a trend in selling things with unfinished firmware.
I recall it didn't have a FF or RW function either.
There was a silver lining however as I got the Arcam sa30 discounted because of similar issues with being unfinished.
I liked the sound etc etc so much I hung back on it.
It's that silly to leave out such rudimentary features it becomes actually unexpected to people and can cause those buying mistakes we all make.
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manicm
Well-known member
I don't think I've EVER used FF or RW since I got my first CDP 33 years ago.
But to each their own if this kind of thing is important.
But to each their own if this kind of thing is important.
Smokiro
Well-known member
You didnt consider Marantz 50n? I just checked the price they lowered from initial asking price.
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