CD player better than Blu-ray player?

[Oldenbroke]

My current system consists of Onkyo 875, Panny BD35 and Denon 1920 (multiregion DVD and SACD use).

I am now listening to more music than the past couple of years and wonder whether a dedicated CD player

would be better than the Panny / Denon? Clearly budget is a consideration but what options should I be

considering up to ~£300? Speakers are Q 2010's so another sonic limitation there.

Any suggestions? Is the Marantz CD6003 a good target?

 

[kevinJ]

Maybe you should consider an external DAC? Or for that budget think about second hand cd-players too.

 

[Anonymous]

It's the DAC that decides the sound from digital sources.

DAC chips are cheap. The DAC's in CD players might (or might not) be better than those in BD players. But a good standalone DAC will always be cheaper than a CD player with a DAC of the same standard.

With a separate DAC you'll also be able to get the same sound quality from a computer, or any sound source with digital output.

In my opinion, buying a separate CD player today is very much like buying an electric typewriter....

 

[Anonymous]

I cannot agree as i use The Amp's DAC for music connected to my DVD player and PS3 and both have a totally different sound, the DVD player has a much bassier sound but at sacrifice of lot more detail from the music on my PS3, so if they both have digital output music how is the final result totally different, I still think that a dedicated CD player will sound better then a BD or DVD palyer.

 

[Sliced Bread]

I agree with xon501. unless you intend to go down the path of PC based music I would go for a cd player. I have a Pioner BDP-320 and I used to own a Denon 1930, yet my 250 pound Cambridge Audio 640C CD player easily beats them both hands down. That is regardless of whether I use the DAC in the AMP or on the player (although the CD players own DAC is more musical than my amps).

A DAC is only as good as the digital signal it is being fed.

Always listen before you buy or buy it from somewhere were you can return it. Alternatively if you want to be sure, why not buy a CD player and a DAC and return the one that sounds inferior.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

My expereince with CD/DAC/bluray sound quality is the following (in the order of SQ increasing):

Sony 350 Bluray playing CD via opt to Teac 580 AV receiver
Teac 300 series DVD player playing CDs
Teac 500 CD player playing CDs
Marantz Dr6000 Cd recorder palying CDs
Sony 350 BluRay player playing CDs
Computer playing lossless (ALAC rip of the saem CD) to Chordette Gem via USB = computer playing lossless via Benchmark HDR via opt or USB

From here one can derive a certain comparison of old DACs and newer ones, built in or separate.

 

[Oldenbroke]

Thanks very much for your responses, I have read a bit about DACs and will try and audition

both a good cd player and a DAC (possibly both CA) with what I have and hear the difference.

If my memory holds up I will post the results!

 

[bigboss]

If you're looking for a blu-ray player that plays CDs well, look at the Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD which has won praises for its musical performance. It won't beat a dedicated CD player, but is no slouch either.

 

[Anonymous]

Or the Rega Apollo for dedicated cd playing. Better than the marantz and CA.

 

[Oldenbroke]

Thanks bigboss, I have read the reviews of the CA machine and was quite tempted, so

an audition is on the cards.

Similarly potboyslim, I do like the Rega...now need to get a day to myself for listening.

 

[Anonymous]

Definitely go for a CD player for better sound quality. Also - you might as well try the Marantz SA8003 that can also play Super Audio just in case you every buy one...

 

[Anonymous]

Isn't it strange how we all hear different things!

Stating the obvious... to start with you clearly need a decent DAC and a decent CD spinner of some sort. In my experience, my humble Panasonic Blu Ray player played via my Benchmark DAC 1 beats any CD player I have heard, regardless of price. BUT.... what do I regard as 'good'? What do other people regard as 'good'?

My system is PMC OB1i speakers, an AVC KT88 'High End' valve amp and a Benchmark DAC 1 all connected with carefully selected cables - a combination which is very revealing of the source. My usual source is ripped WAV files stored on a file server and delivered to the DAC via Sonos (with the volume processing etc disabled). That alone is better than most CD players but spinning the CD on my very ordinary BluRay player lifts it to true audiophile standards - using the Benchmark DAC of course. Don't use the optical connection, coax beats it hands down.

I mainly listen to classical music, this system allows the full power of an orchestra to be portrayed very realistically and it also paints a precise 3 dimensional sonic image with subtlety and delicacy. Well recorded voices, especially females, really do sound as if they are in the room and you can clearly 'see' where she is in relation to the various instruments. Most people do not hear much of this because their systems simply cannot reveal it. It has become standard advice to base your hifi around a good source BUT unless you have a suitable amp and speakers, you will never hear that source properly.

Naim equipment for example is superbly musical but you will never hear what I am describing via Naim amplifiers because Naim have never really bothered about imaging. Naim concentrate instead on timing which is probably great for some people - they certainly are musical amps, just not realistic. Many other amplifiers and certainly many speakers, suffer from the same problem. Do bear this in mind when someone says this, that or the other 'sounds great'. You need to know what they like. Some people talk in terms of 'attack' and 'impact' rather than realism.

So, back to the original question - a BluRay player can certainly be a fabulous CD spinner - and cheap too. Given that BluRay players are capable of retrieving vastly more information than a CD player, none of them will struggle to retrieve the very last digit from a CD. That may explain why they really can provide a 'bit perfect' digital signal to your DAC. Just don't expect their internal DACs to be any good. Even the DACs built in to high end amplifiers are often not very good compared to a good separate one. Just go and listen to a live concert and then a hifi demonstration of the same music. It is staggering what rubbish some shops think is 'High Fidelity', they have obviously never listened to live music. Have you?