CD player -- £300 - £600?

[unhalfbricking]

What's a good CD player, £300 - £600, with a bright, open sound, detailed mid-range and plenty of bass grip, where you can hear the snare-drum spit, the guitar-strings ring and the sound doesn't get cluttered and 'mushy' when the sound-stage starts to fill up. At the moment I have a NAD 515BEE. It's great for quiet songs but tends to 'condense' the sound when the going gets busy. What would be a meaningful upgrade?

 

[John Duncan]

http://www.richersounds.com/product/blu-ray/cambridge-audio/azur-751bd/camb-751bd-blk

 

[FennerMachine]

I second JD's recommendation.

I have a 751BD. After having it for a few weeks I sold my Cyrus CD7Q with PSX-R.

The CD7Q had more bass but overall the 751BD was/is better at everything else in my opinion.

More does not always mean better. In my circumstances the decrease in overall bass is a good thing. When the music warrants it quality bass is present!

 

[Overdose]

I see that 2 ch or 7.1 can be selected. Is there an option for selecting 5.1 on the analogue outputs?

 

[John Duncan]

Yes.

 

[bluedroog]

Have you considered a DAC instead? Since you already have the NAD CDP (which appears to have digital outputs) you could use this as a transport but also have the added usability of a DAC. At the top of your budget is the Audiolab M-DAC which is pretty much the sound you describe. The M-DACs strength lay in detail and separation.

 

[BigH]

I second JD's recommendation.

I have a 751BD. After having it for a few weeks I sold my Cyrus CD7Q with PSX-R.

The CD7Q had more bass but overall the 751BD was/is better at everything else in my opinion.

More does not always mean better. In my circumstances the decrease in overall bass is a good thing. When the music warrants it quality bass is present!

I have not heard the 751BD but did hear the 752BD and I thought it was better than the Roksan Kandy, but not a very good demo as in Richer Sounds, not sure how much better the 752 is than the 751. I went to buy a 651bd but neither would work and they did not have any 751s in stock. Interesting that you think its better than a Cyrus? Only problem with BD players is they seem rather slow in loading.

 

[FennerMachine]

I had a Cyrus CD player & pre amp with 2 power amps.

It served me well for a few years but it was too forward/bright and fatiguing with many CD's.

I ended up going through a few changes, different speakers and amps, until I ended up with my current system in my signature.

Personally I found the 751BD gets more detail out of music without being harsh compared to the CD7Q.

Cyrus CD players are good, I just prefer the 751BD, plus its a fantastic Blu-ray and DVD player.

 

[unhalfbricking]

My only problem with the 751DB is that the telly and hi-fi are in different rooms, so its talents would be wasted in my system. Would the 651C be the CD player equivalent, though? All roads for CD players under £500 seem to lead to the Marantz CD6004, and I'm just wondering if there's something worth looking at a slightly higher price point without going the whole hog and splashing out on an Audiolab 8200, which is too much money for me. I have an Arcam A-18 amp and Kef Q-300 speakers.

 

[BigH]

No the 651DB is not so good SQ wise as the 751DB unless you are putting it through an ext. DAC, the dacs in the 751 are better. The 651 is in short siupply now, not sure you will get a new one. No point in buying a BD player just for cds I don't think. You could look at the Rega thats £500 or there is a CA about £300. You maybe able to find a Marantz 7001 KI for about £500 or 7001 for £300.

 

[p_m_brown]

Have you tried an Arcam CD17? Very detailed with great spacious sound and decent bass.

The other thing to do would be to check out Dacs as someone else has mentioned. This will provide you with a more future proof upgrade path should you decide to stream music in the future.

 

[BigH]

Have you tried an Arcam CD17? Very detailed with great spacious sound and decent bass.

The other thing to do would be to check out Dacs as someone else has mentioned. This will provide you with a more future proof upgrade path should you decide to stream music in the future.

That is £650, if that is OK I would suggest you consider the Marantz Pearl Lite.

 

[the record spot]

If you want a dedicated CD player, then the Marantz CD63-MkII KI some of which are in excellent shape. Fast, attacking player, good bass on it. There's pleny on Ebay just now and they sit around the £120-180 mark. The SA7001-KI doesn't come up quite as often, albeit there are two on Ebay currently, one being the KI model, the other the standard one. Why not try and find the original Exposure 2010 or 2010s, both of which apparently will deliver what you're after.