CD player need upgrading?

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jonbhoy67

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I'm struggling where to start here. Around 2 1/2 hours of listening so far and I need to pick my jaw up off the floor. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this kind of improvement. The Cheshire Cat has got nothing on my grin right now!
Biggest initial impression is that, to my ears, it just sounds as though everything has been untangled. All the instruments have their own space but still work together beautifully.I'll go into more detail over the weekend but, unfortunately, I need to come down off the ceiling and get to bed for work in the morning! Suffice to say, I'm a very happy boy so far!
 

Thompsonuxb

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jonbhoy67 said:
I'm struggling where to start here. Around 2 1/2 hours of listening so far and I need to pick my jaw up off the floor. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this kind of improvement. The Cheshire Cat has got nothing on my grin right now!

Biggest initial impression is that, to my ears, it just sounds as though everything has been untangled. All the instruments have their own space but still work together beautifully.
I'll go into more detail over the weekend but, unfortunately, I need to come down off the ceiling and get to bed for work in the morning! Suffice to say, I'm a very happy boy so far!

You know you are going to upgrade your amp now?

Your speakers will take and improve on the way - but a comparible amp will be next.....

Could be placebo though. 'New thing' compromising your ability to hear the truth....etc.

I kid....I kid!
 

MajorFubar

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Thompsonuxb said:
You know you are going to upgrade your amp now?

Your speakers will take and improve on the way - but a comparible amp will be next.....

Yeah it's always easy to spend someone else's money for them isn't it :p
 

MajorFubar

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Thompsonuxb said:
This is how it starts....

lol probably does if you have deep pockets. Thing is though, when do you stop...probably impossible to build a system where no source would benefit from an upgrade. Guess the answer is stop when you get a sound you really like.
 

jonbhoy67

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MajorFubar said:
Thompsonuxb said:
You know you are going to upgrade your amp now?

Your speakers will take and improve on the way - but a comparible amp will be next.....

Yeah it's always easy to spend someone else's money for them isn't it :p

Thompson, you're spot on in what you say and I'll admit I always knew it was going to be the case. The speakers were always capable of more than the Marantz gear could get out of them and will benefit greatly from an amp of a similar quality to the Primare. They have definitely benefited from the CD upgrade but I have to concede the Primare has REALLY highlighted the limitations of the Marantz PM6004 amp.

I should probably have explained in my last post that the gushing praise I was lavishing on the Primare was when listening with the Slee and headphones. They are probably now performing at the peak of their ability thanks to the CD22.

As Thompson rightly points out, my next upgrade was never likely to be far from thought! I had always planned on saving up for a new amp to get the best from my speakers but I'm now torn between this and another option. In my CD hunt I ended up allowing myself a £500 budget. I must have done something right in a previous life as I think I found the bargain of the century and only paid £275 for the Primare!! I know, I know, don't hate me. This leaves me £225 as a great starting point for my amp fund... or does it?

I'm now wondering whether I go for the instant extra benefit of an interconnect upgrade. I'm currently using 2 Chord Crimson Plus (1 for CD, 1 for Slee) which were perfect for the Marantz but not quite fitting for the Primare. With the money saved I could comfortably afford a couple of Chord Chameleon Silver Plus 2 interconnects. I know there will be a FAR bigger difference to the main system with a quality amp but I use the headphones far more often. I suppose it depends how much of a difference the interconnects are likely to make to the headphone sound, the AKGs would certainly benefit from the improved bass of the Chameleon.

I know this is a whole new discussion altogether, I just wanted to put it out there to let you guys know my train of thought. I realise I promised a proper comparison of the CD6004 and CD22 and haven't forgotten about it! It's on my Sunday to do list but for now, it's back to the analysis!
 

Thompsonuxb

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I have nothing against budget kit, but budget kit is budget kit.

Excellent find on what was a £1000 player.

My next piece of advise will be to hold fire on any further spending on kit (that includes cables) and ride your luck - do focus on saving up and seeing if you can bag another bargain for an amp....oh, and mark the lottery, I would.

In the meantime enjoy your new toy.... *GOOD*
 
The chord cables you have at the moment are good cables and a more expensive one ain't going to improve on what you've got,Enjoy your new primare and keep your start up fund towards a new amp . expensive cables really are snake oil.I have had cables at £200-£300 and couldn't hear any audible difference from a decently built £50-£80 one.keeps yer money!

.
 

jonbhoy67

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Firstly, please allow me to apologise profusely for the time it has taken me to get round to posting my promised findings on the jump from my Marantz to Primare. I genuinely have a good reason and fully believe you will all understand...

Secondly... Oh my God, what have I started?!? Not only did I upgrade my interconnects to JPS Superconductor 2 but I am now also the proud owner of a shiny new Primare i22 amp. Just don't tell the wife; "Don't be daft honey, the HiFi was always silver... ahem..."

Yeah, I know she knows but she also knows I know she does the same thing with handbags! The equilibrium works for me! Anyway, I digress, back to the matter at hand.

In order to make a fair comparison, I will only be making a comparison based on all the notes I took prior to buying the new cables and amp.

I think it's only fair to start off by saying how much I appreciated my Marantz CDP over the past 3 1/2 years and acknowledging how much joy it brought me. This was an upgrade from entry level Cambridge Audio kit paired with Kef Cresta 3 speakers. I dearly loved those as well but had goosebumps at the obvious improvements the Marantz brought at the time. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I don't take these upgrades lightly without truly appreciating the difference and making sure I know exactly where the extra money has gone.

The first and most glaring difference to strike me was the ease with which I was able to identify individual parts in a piece of music. Songs I have loved for many years suddenly had to be rediscovered all over again. Listening to Radiohead's Subterranean HSA I found myself stunned at the level of detail I simply never knew was there before. Sticking with OK Computer, I decided to try a track I had always tended to skip before, No surprises. The glockenspiel in this track had always jarred with me, I found it incredibly harsh, piercing and, frankly, a bit irritating. It now comes across as far softer and infinitely more musical.

Switching to Vivaldi's Four Seasons Concerto No. 4, the feeling of winter is conveyed perfectly. The pizzicato of the high strings bringing to mind images of thawing icicles dripping in to slushy puddles and the meandering of the first violin conjuring images of wilted leaves dancing playfully above the snow, at the whim of the wind. Is this what Vivaldi intended to convey? Probably not. Does that matter to me? Not one jot. The fact is that the difference in sound has given me a new perspective on an old classic, created a more immersive "make believe" in which to lose myself and I can't ask for any more than that.

Trying another old favourite with a bit more bite, I opted for Stockholm Syndrome by Muse. Playing it on the Marantz, it was exactly as I had always remembered, fierce, attacking, frenetic and thoroughly enjoyable! Upon switching to the Primare I was astonished at the intricacies I never appreciated in the track before. Thinking it may be down to me listening more intently, I gave the Marantz another spin. To my amazement, a track I had enjoyed so much on the same player only moments earlier had suddenly become "Noise in the Key of D Minor".

Finishing off with some slightly more calming songs, listening to The Cinematic Orchestra, To Build a Home, I would swear I could actually HEAR Patrick Watson's bad posture. Jesting aside, the same recurring theme here... clarity and the fact that everything just seems to be... in its own space and untangled.

I finished off with Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb... I'm sure my wife will be able to peel me off the couch in the morning...
 

jonbhoy67

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Firstly, please allow me to apologise profusely for the time it has taken me to get round to posting my promised findings on the jump from my Marantz to Primare. I genuinely have a good reason and fully believe you will all understand...

Secondly... Oh my God, what have I started?!? Not only did I upgrade my interconnects to JPS Superconductor 2 but I am now also the proud owner of a shiny new Primare i22 amp. Just don't tell the wife; "Don't be daft honey, the HiFi was always silver... ahem..."

Yeah, I know she knows but she also knows I know she does the same thing with handbags! The equilibrium works for me! Anyway, I digress, back to the matter at hand.

In order to make a fair comparison, I will only be making a comparison based on all the notes I took prior to buying the new cables and amp.

I think it's only fair to start off by saying how much I appreciated my Marantz CDP over the past 3 1/2 years and acknowledging how much joy it brought me. This was an upgrade from entry level Cambridge Audio kit paired with Kef Cresta 3 speakers. I dearly loved those as well but had goosebumps at the obvious improvements the Marantz brought at the time. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I don't take these upgrades lightly without truly appreciating the difference and making sure I know exactly where the extra money has gone.

The first and most glaring difference to strike me was the ease with which I was able to identify individual parts in a piece of music. Songs I have loved for many years suddenly had to be rediscovered all over again. Listening to Radiohead's Subterranean HSA I found myself stunned at the level of detail I simply never knew was there before. Sticking with OK Computer, I decided to try a track I had always tended to skip before, No surprises. The glockenspiel in this track had always jarred with me, I found it incredibly harsh, piercing and, frankly, a bit irritating. It now comes across as far softer and infinitely more musical.

Switching to Vivaldi's Four Seasons Concerto No. 4, the feeling of winter is conveyed perfectly. The pizzicato of the high strings bringing to mind images of thawing icicles dripping in to slushy puddles and the meandering of the first violin conjuring images of wilted leaves dancing playfully above the snow, at the whim of the wind. Is this what Vivaldi intended to convey? Probably not. Does that matter to me? Not one jot. The fact is that the difference in sound has given me a new perspective on an old classic, created a more immersive "make believe" in which to lose myself and I can't ask for any more than that.

Trying another old favourite with a bit more bite, I opted for Stockholm Syndrome by Muse. Playing it on the Marantz, it was exactly as I had always remembered, fierce, attacking, frenetic and thoroughly enjoyable! Upon switching to the Primare I was astonished at the intricacies I never appreciated in the track before. Thinking it may be down to me listening more intently, I gave the Marantz another spin. To my amazement, a track I had enjoyed so much on the same player only moments earlier had suddenly become "Noise in the Key of D Minor".

Finishing off with some slightly more calming songs, listening to The Cinematic Orchestra, To Build a Home, I would swear I could actually HEAR Patrick Watson's bad posture. Jesting aside, the same recurring theme here... clarity and the fact that everything just seems to be... in its own space and untangled.

I finished off with Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb... I'm sure my wife will be able to peel me off the couch in the morning...
 
K

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Very cool..thats what hifi is all about..enjoying the music...i started off with a itt record player that had speakers for the lid! Lol..happy days..
 

Vladimir

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And don't forget that you can upgrade your Primare with modules. You can easily fit them yourself.

media-module.jpg


dacboardi22_1.jpg
 

Vladimir

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Al ears said:
Vladimir said:

She would obviously need new shoes to match those handbags. :)

And quite a few of them considering MM30 module is £1300 although I think this is for the i32 amp. The DAC board for the i22 is hopefully cheaper.

These modules install at the back and are out of sight. You may not even report these to the shopping commissioner.
whisper.gif
 
Vladimir said:
Al ears said:
Vladimir said:

She would obviously need new shoes to match those handbags. :)

And quite a few of them considering MM30 module is £1300 although I think this is for the i32 amp. The DAC board for the i22 is hopefully cheaper.

These modules install at the back and are out of sight. You may not even report these to the shopping commissioner.

However, a keen-eyed commissioner might notice the appearance of an aerial.
 

Vladimir

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Al ears said:
Vladimir said:
Al ears said:
Vladimir said:

She would obviously need new shoes to match those handbags. :)

And quite a few of them considering MM30 module is £1300 although I think this is for the i32 amp. The DAC board for the i22 is hopefully cheaper.

These modules install at the back and are out of sight. You may not even report these to the shopping commissioner.

However, a keen-eyed commissioner might notice the appearance of an aerial.

I almost said "She wont know if it was there or not before". Almost!
whew-12123847.gif
 

jonbhoy67

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Right... This has to stop!

Absolutely LOVING the all new sound with the new gear. I know I should get used to the sound for a while and appreciate the improvements in sound before acting further... Except that I'm constantly plotting ways of getting the cash together for new speakers now!!

Proac D18 or D20...

Audio Physic Classic 10 or 20...

Focal Aria 906 or 926???

Best get saving!!!
 
jonbhoy67 said:
Right... This has to stop!

Absolutely LOVING the all new sound with the new gear. I know I should get used to the sound for a while and appreciate the improvements in sound before acting further... Except that I'm constantly plotting ways of getting the cash together for new speakers now!!

Proac D18 or D20...

Audio Physic Classic 10 or 20...

Focal Aria 906 or 926???

Best get saving!!!

Don't you think she'd notice?
 

jonbhoy67

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Hello again guys,

So the final (for now) piece of the jigsaw has been added. I decided to go for the Focal Aria 906 until such times as I can afford to get the floorstanders I want. They were available at a good price brand new and I was incredibly impressed with the sound they produced with the Primare combo.

That should be me quite happy for at least 18 months/ 2 years, I would hope!

If anyone has any questions regarding the Focals, give me a shout and I'll be happy to try and answer them.
 

jonbhoy67

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Good call!

Its gonna make the rest of your kit look 'cheap' though......so, this may just be the beginning.

For a second there I thought these 'experts' would talk you into the standalone DAC route...... *sad*

I genuinely look forward to your findings.

Several years (and thousands of pounds!) later and oh how right you were!!!
 
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