Cd player upgrade for Arcam / MA kit

[admin_exported]

Can someone recommend a cd player upgrade please. I currently have an Arcam CD82 with Arcam A22 amp and monitor audio RS6 speakers.

The CD player is a few years old now and I have some cash to upgrade (Approx £1000)

I am fairly pleased with my current system but feel it could be improved in the detail and soundtage department.

I intend to audition, but wanted to narrow my audition list down to a handful of players. I was thinking Arcam CD37 or Audiolab CD8200.

Any thoughts?

 

[Macspur]

Can someone recommend a cd player upgrade please. I currently have an Arcam CD82 with Arcam A22 amp and monitor audio RS6 speakers.

The CD player is a few years old now and I have some cash to upgrade (Approx £1000)

I am fairly pleased with my current system but feel it could be improved in the detail and soundtage department.

I intend to audition, but wanted to narrow my audition list down to a handful of players. I was thinking Arcam CD37 or Audiolab CD8200.

Any thoughts?

Hi,

With that budget the Rega Saturn is a must try and would give you what you're looking for.

Mac

 

[plastic penguin]

Can someone recommend a cd player upgrade please. I currently have an Arcam CD82 with Arcam A22 amp and monitor audio RS6 speakers.

The CD player is a few years old now and I have some cash to upgrade (Approx £1000)

I am fairly pleased with my current system but feel it could be improved in the detail and soundtage department.

I intend to audition, but wanted to narrow my audition list down to a handful of players. I was thinking Arcam CD37 or Audiolab CD8200.

Any thoughts?

Yup, as the previous poster has suggested. Rega Saturn is being replaced by 'R' version so the original will be hard to dem. Also look at Naim CD5i-2, Exposure 2010S2.

The Audiolab, although wonderful, may just provoke the RS6's tweeters. Alternatively look at Rega Dac and use the CD82 as transport.

 

[richardw42]

£1000 CDP with RS6s ? That's a pretty skewed budget.

As PP says, perhaps something like the Rega DAC would be all you want, or personally I'd part ex the speakers. Added to your budget you wouldn't be a million miles from something like the Proac 140.

Or something like the Rega RS3 which are under £1k. I had the RS6s for a few years and was quite sentimental about them, but you can get a lot better.

 

[BigH]

How about the Marantz Pearl Lite? Not a huge fan of Arcam cds players, give the Audiolab 8200 a go. Try also Cyrus and Musical Fidility.

Transport has not changed much lately adding a decent DAC maybe a better move.

 

[plastic penguin]

£1000 CDP with RS6s ? That's a pretty skewed budget.

Or something like the Rega RS3 which are under £1k. I had the RS6s for a few years and was quite sentimental about them, but you can get a lot better.

Not IMO - the RS6 are still one of the finest floorstanders below 1k. In terms of pure synergy little beats RS6/MA combo.

 

[richardw42]

That's just my opinion re. The MAs, but as I had them for so long guess they weren't that bad

pi just think sticking a £1k CDP at the front is bonkers.

 

[plastic penguin]

That's just my opinion re. The MAs, but as I had them for so long guess they weren't that bad

pi just think sticking a £1k CDP at the front is bonkers.

Of course it's my opinion - your OPINION is they aren't great, which is fair enough. They aren't flawless, as I've mentioned so many times on here, they can be really tricky to system match due to the metal tweeter. Get it right, however, and they'll thrill like little else below that 1k threshold.

Anyway, the OP asked about a CDP up to a 1k, not speakers and/or source.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, thanks for the replies.

Richard, I get what you are saying about a £1000 CD player, however, my current player is the oldest component in the system and spending a fair bit on a new machine will hopefully future proof later upgrades; namely speakers and amp. If I went Audiolab CDQ, I could later add in power amps and the DAC is there for the move over to music streaming from the Mac

The MA RS6 were not great when I first bought them (Upgraded from B&W 602s3) When I did a demo, I loved the MA's but they just sounded hard in the midrange when I got them home. I couldn't return them because I bought them online at cheaper price than the dealer offered (Lesson leanrned!) I was also running an Arcam A65+ at this time which didn't provide enough juice.

I later upgraded to a second hand Arcam A22 amp, which improved things dramatically, but I still found the problems with the MA's; namely harsh mids. It took me a long time to realise the importance of room acoustics and by investing in a pair of granit chopping boards, using rear port bungs and moving the speakers out from the rear wall and nearer to each other transformed the sound. Now the issue seems to be everything is a little too smooth. However with nicely recorded CD's the system is impressive, paticularly with acoustic music.

My hope is that a new CDP will find a little more detail, increase dynamics but still remain smooth. I am also keen on having a system that will allow music streaming as I think this is the future.

I called in at Nottingham HIFI today (Went to Sevenoaks first, but they have closed for good! Sorry I didn't purchase my speakers from you, looks like online retailers have destroyed a lot of local shops) I was advised that the Audiolab CDQ would be a significant upgrade from my Arcam CD82. He also suggested the Naim player (CD5?) I am popping back next week for a demo and will take my CDP to see if there is much difference. He also suggested the Arcam DAC or Rega DAC using the CD82 as a transport, so suggestions similar to what you guys are coming up with.

Would the Rega or Arcam Dacs provide a significant upgrade from my current CD82?

If we are saying the MA's are the weak link, would a pair of speaker provide more of an upgrade in terms of sound while keeping current amplification and source?

 

[plastic penguin]

The Rega dac would be my choice: The reason is because all good quality CDPs have good dacs already, and the budget rDac (probably) won't give you enough uplift. The Rega, on the othe hand, should give much more cohesion and overall better soundstage.

 

[Anonymous]

Should also add, I don't mind second hand gear.

Looked at the rega Saturn. Weird looking thing!

one other point, I love the way the MA rs6 look. In cherry wood they match my room decor and are therefore more wife friendly. When I looked at the B&W's, they looked like children's coffins!

 

[Macspur]

Regardless of looks, the Saturn is imo as good as, if not better than some more expensive players... I used to have one and the only reason I changed it for a Naim CD5XS was that it took a few seconds to read the CD before playing and I'm the impatient type.

However, if you're thinking of going down the streaming route, the Saturn's not for you.

Good luck in your search and keep us informed how you get on.

Mac

 

[BigH]

I would think carefully about buying a cd player now, there are many other options as the cd is on the way out, ripping your cds and streaming and downloads would be one way. Some say blu-ray dvd players are just as good as cd players.

 

[plastic penguin]

Should also add, I don't mind second hand gear.

Looked at the rega Saturn. Weird looking thing!

one other point, I love the way the MA rs6 look. In cherry wood they match my room decor and are therefore more wife friendly. When I looked at the B&W's, they looked like children's coffins!

The Rega looks quirky and immensely capable.

If you find the RS6s to have hard mids then Audiolab probably isn't the way to go. If you're determined to look at Audiolab the Focal or PMC GB1is would sound great with Arcam amp.

 

[Sorreltiger]

I see there are ex-demo Rega Saturns available for less than £600. When I bought mine it was reduced down to £700 and the new price is a steal IMO. At the time, I compared it to an Apollo and an Arcam CD17 and there was only one winner (by some distance!)

 

[Anonymous]

The rega Saturn sounds to be the most suggested player, but as advised this would limit options later down the road with streaming music. I guess CD players will dramatically fall in price as music streaming gains popularity. Would the rega dac be as good as the Saturn player when used with the arcam CD player for transport?