cd players?

[woodster]

Hey,

Too much choice, but what I want is bang for my buck.......

I need a new cd player to match my b&w 685's and Roksan Kandy L3....... any help is great

 

[Craig M.]

i think there's some great deals on rega players at the moment. usually get great owner reviews. the kandy mklll would be the obvious choice, but it has a touch of brightness to it and you can probably get a better alround performer.

 

[d_a_n1979]

It'd be handy to know what your budget is and what music you generally listen to?

IMO CDP's to consider would be:

Rega Apollo
NAD C545BEE
Arcam CD192 (2nd hand via eBay)
Cyrus 6/8SE CDP
Roksan Kandy III CDP

 

[Anonymous]

Thats a very good list, just depends what presentation tpye you like in your music.

 

[the record spot]

Yamaha AS-1000 or AS2000 both available on good deals currently, also the Harman Kardon HK990 CDP. The latter shares much of the Cambridge 840C unit's spec, but for substantially less (seen it for £299-399). Well rated too by all accounts.

 

[woodster]

I listen to everything from 80's electro pop to, editors, manics, metallica to opera, so quite a range. A full , wide and dynamic sound is where I want to be, I dont want it forced, but powerful. My budget, well not so great actually, around £300, hmm not so good eh.

 

[the record spot]

If the budget is £300 then I'd stick with the HK990 recommendation (if you can find it for that price, it was originally £500), or failing that the existing CDP with Musical Fidelity V-DAC on top.

Use the Blu Ray player for HD Audio too incidentally, though not sure if your amp streams HD Audio from it (more experienced heads will no doubt advise on that one!).

 

[Anonymous]

Id definately go with the Rega Apollo. It may be bout £75 over your budget, but well worth the bit extra cash.

 

[d_a_n1979]

Unfortunately the Rega Apollo is £175 over budget (£475 new currently)

I'd deffo take a nosey for an Arcam CD192 via eBay. Superb CDP and will work very well with your system and taste in music.

If you want brand new I'd go down the NAD C545BEE route. Solid CDP with plenty to offer and will gel well with your system

 

[Anonymous]

d_a_n1979:Unfortunately the Rega Apollo is £175 over budget (£475 new currently)

I'd deffo take a nosey for an Arcam CD192 via eBay. Superb CDP and will work very well with your system and taste in music.

If you want brand new I'd go down the NAD C545BEE route. Solid CDP with plenty to offer and will gel well with your system

You'd maybe have to persevere a bit to get a good Arcam CD192 on ebay for £300 - it might just take you over budget unless you're willing to bide your time till the right auction. The Nad can be had for as little as £250 ex-dem or £275 new if you shop around. Maybe some of the guys would know how the Audiolab 8000CDE would marry up with your system as it's available for £280 currently. If tip-toeing over the budget, the Pioneer PDD6 CD/SACD is available for £350 and it might be an interesting option. Definitely best to audition yourself though if at all possible.

 

[Anonymous]

I would stick with the rega apollo choice

It maybe £175 over budget new but via ebay you should get one for around £300 ish.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

d_a_n1979:Unfortunately the Rega Apollo is £175 over budget (£475 new currently)

I'd deffo take a nosey for an Arcam CD192 via eBay. Superb CDP and will work very well with your system and taste in music.

If you want brand new I'd go down the NAD C545BEE route. Solid CDP with plenty to offer and will gel well with your system

I would go with a 192 as well. They were originally £900 and were very well received at that price. I'm sure I saw new ones selling for £499 not that long ago so £300 on ebay is possible I would suggest.

 

[d_a_n1979]

The Arcam ?DiVA CD72 would also be worth considering; it'd be below your budget so maybe some pennies saved for new speaker cable or interconnects as well

 

[Anonymous]

d_a_n1979:The Arcam ?DiVA CD72 would also be worth considering; it'd be below your budget so maybe some pennies saved for new speaker cable or interconnects as well

Yes, I was tracking Arcam CD72, 73 and 192s on ebay when I got my Marantz at the beginning of this year. From memory, the 72s and 73s can be got for £120 - £150. The 192s were, again from memory, more like £400, maybe a touch more. If they'd been £300, I'd have got one ! Is the 73 not a better bet than the 72 if you can pick one up? You might I suppose find prices have fallen now that Xmas pennies aren't burning holes in pockets?

 

[Gerrardasnails]

athenry:
d_a_n1979:The Arcam ?DiVA CD72 would also be worth considering; it'd be below your budget so maybe some pennies saved for new speaker cable or interconnects as well

Yes, I was tracking Arcam CD72, 73 and 192s on ebay when I got my Marantz at the beginning of this year. From memory, the 72s and 73s can be got for £120 - £150. The 192s were, again from memory, more like £400, maybe a touch more. If they'd been £300, I'd have got one ! Is the 73 not a better bet than the 72 if you can pick one up? You might I suppose find prices have fallen now that Xmas pennies aren't burning holes in pockets?

I think the 192 is a big step up from the 73 and well worth the extra money.

 

[Anonymous]

Gerrardasnails:ÿ
I think the 192 is a big step up from the 73 and well worth the extra money.

Yes...but I was only comparing the 73 to the 72, assuming the 192 is over-budget. If the £300 can stretch to £400 then absolutely concur with you.

 

[Anonymous]

PS. On consideration, and with specific reference to another thread today on Marantz CD Players, I would be cautious if Marantz were to enter your thinking. Mine is fantastic on vocal, acoustic, prog rock, older recordings. But not so hot on really fast or heavy stuff so electro pop isn't going to be particularly outstanding, and I can tell you from experience that I've taken a wee bit of a sonic hit on my old Iron Maiden, Rainbow, DP and ACDC discs. For my overall taste it's definitely worth the trade-off for the musicality, but from what you've said of your own taste above, Marantz might not hit the spot for you and there should be better options.