CD player - stick or twist?

[ntoolan]

Hi all,

Newbie here, but long time Hi-Fi enthusiast.

I've recently upgraded the speakers on my setup to the Tannoy DC6SE and whilst these are still running in I've been most pleased with the improvement they have made to the overall sound of my set up. However as a result of all the looking and researching I've recently stumbled across a few cd player bargains that are tempting me to part with more cash as this is currently the next piece of equipment due for upgrade. Said players are Roksan Kandy K2 for £499 and the Audiolab 8200 cdq for £549

My current cd player is the dated but still very good Marantz Cd63 mkII - KI Signature, it's been an excellent machine that has served me well for over 15 years and I've always liked it's neutral but warm sound that I got with the partnering PM6010 KI signature amp. However the amplifier developed a fault 12 months ago and I replaced it with the Marantz PM6005 which made a notable (if not significant) increase in sound quality, esp in the low end frequencies. On this basis I'm thinking that a step up to the cd6005 is probably not worth the outlay to replace the perfectly good cd63 KI Sig, yet the next step in class in machines tend to be out of my price range, until now.

My listening genres centre mainly around rock, indie, blues, americana with a sprinkling of soul and hip hop.

I'm hoping a few folk will have an opinion on both / either of these machines and whether you think the outlay is worth it as a replacement for the cd63 KI Sig based on my current set up. My budget is only £500, so the Audiolab is really stretching it at £549 but appreciate that this is a significant reduction on list price.

Current set up:

Marantz PM-6005, Marantz cd63 mkII - KI Signature, Tannoy DC6 SE, van den hul the name, project debut III

 

[Dommer]

Have you thought about a used Audiolab 8200CD ? I'm sure they can be found for less then £500

 

[BigH]

I would stick with what you have until it goes wrong. Modern cdps dont seem to last so long and in my auditions I did not find a big difference between my 63SE and ones around £800-£1000. If you can borrow one from a hifi dealer for home demo I would try that.

 

[marou]

Buy this now - at the price quoted it's a steal. Good DAC/pre-amp with CD transport attached, future-proofed with more than enough digital and analogue inputs. What's not to like?

 

[davedotco]

Buy this now - at the price quoted it's a steal. Good DAC/pre-amp with CD transport attached, future-proofed with more than enough digital and analogue inputs. What's not to like?

It's an Audiolab....?

 

[ntoolan]

Thanks all,

After some deliberation, I plumped for the audiolab 8200cdq. Fresh out of the box this afternoon and now housed in the rack.

First impressions are good, there is definitely some tightening and control of the bass and lower midrange compared to the marantz and the top end is a little sweeter too. All in all the music seems to be a little more cohesive and a slightly bigger soundstage.

I've still got the marantz hooked up too and I've found an optical cable around so plugged that into the output of the marantz to run it through the audiolab. I can see I'm going to have some fun and many hours of listening over the next few days.

 

[Dommer]

Enjoy the new setup!

 

[marou]

I'd be interested in your impressions once it's bedded in - might buy one myself.

 

[dim_span]

I would have thought that the Marantz CDP was better .... I owned one for over 10 years and was well impressed

 

[Pistol Pete1]

I still have and use one.....great cd player!