comparison of the 3

[markyboy156]

hi
can anybody please tell me what has the superior sound quality of the three sony x800 or op;po 203or 205 especially for cd audio playback

my question is i have at the moment
dali ikon 6v2 as fronts
dali zensor 7 as rears
dali vokal zensor centre sp;eaker
2 dali zensor 1 as additional rears
4 dali c1 upfiring atmos speakers
sony x800 4k p;layer
using blue jeans belden 5000ue speaker cable
sony playstation 4 pro 1tb
xbox one x scorpion edition
wii u
nvidia shield console
crown 1002 power amp
4 svs pb13 ultra subwoofers
marantz 7011 amp;
mini dsp 2x4 to connect all 4 subs to 7011 amp;
antimode 8033 to balance the 4 subs for optimum
effect
blue sound node 2 streamer
music fidelity m3i intergrated amplifier
i bi amp my main speakers to the mf and the crown amp; with the mf on the hf and the crown on the lf
where power demands are higher
marantz 7011 to the integrated amp; using the left and right pre outs from the avr in to the ht bypass/input of the intergrated amp;
connect the analouge outputs of the streamer to the anolouge input on the intergrated amplifier
this gives me even better sup;erior sound than the marantz 7011
for streaming music
i have a very large music audio cd collection
i want a perfect partner cd player that will greatly enhance the audio quality of my setup;
i was thinking naim cd5si or something else in the price range that any of you would recommend on the forum

*drinks*

 

[davidf]

It’ll partly depend on whether you’re using the HDMI connection, digital output from the players, or analogue out from the players. The latter will show the biggest differences between them all.

 

[markyboy156]

what do you recommend is the best connection

and then what cd player do you recommend thanks

 

[davidf]

I’ve used HDMI before, and despite many talking about the connection’s tendency to produce jitter, it’s always sounded fine to me. He resulting quality will mostly depend on the DAC in the processor.

Optical or coax digital connections will be better if you’re worried about that, and again, the resulting quality will mostly depend on the DAC in the processor you’re plugging them into.

Using the analogue outputs from these sources will depend on the quality of their own internal DACs. The 205 should be better than the Sony. The last time I compared an Oppo to a CD player was the 103 against an Audiolab 8200CD, which was pretty close, so you’re going to be looking at £1000 CD players if you’re looking at Analogue connections, give or take.

The main benefit of the Bluray players over a CD player, other than cost saving, will be their ability to play the likes of SACD and DVD-Audio - and in multi-channel. IF a CD player plays SACD, it’ll only be two channel stereo. Some of the multi-channel ones sound stunning and offer quality a different experience.

If you want what the Oppo does, but you only want to use it as a ‘digital transport’ and plug it in via HDMI/optical/coax, you could look at the Cambridge Audio one. What Hi-Fi reckon it sounds a bit better in comparison.

 

[davidf]

As you have a Bluesound Node II, I’d be tempted to look into an Innuos Zen Mini or Zen media server onto which you can rip and store your CDs (as well as hi-res downloads)l this can be kept anywhere in your house as long as it is connected to your network - the Node will see it and be able to stream anything you store on it. Store your CDs in the loft and save some space - I’m guessing you need it with four PB13 Ultra subs!

From a playback quality point of view, this will rely on the DAC in the Node, which is decent, and I dare say should be as good as any £1,000 CD player.

 

[markyboy156]

can you or anyone else tell me wuld the cyrus cdi with psx-r external power supply or sim audio 260d or the naim cd5si

do thes have superior dac compared to te oppo 205

if so would they give me much better overall sound quality than the oppo 205 with the setup i have thanks

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

IMHO the purely digital to analogue conversion parts of all DACs should produce the same analogue output. And again purely IMHO it's what happens downstream of the digital to analogue parts of the DAC and in all the subsequent analogue sections that influences the sound. Yes. Even interconnects and speaker cables. And if you don't believe that try connecting your gear up with straightened out wire coathangers and get back to me.

You really need to ask your question in the Hifi section and be prepared to receive a hundredconflicting opinions. It all depends on your setup, your room, your ears, and the type of sound YOU prefer.

All I can say is that Cyrus kit is extremely clinical and needs to be paired with very good speakers to produce a decent sound. Done right though, the results are superb. Others will no doubt say the same about other brands, others will tell you a cheap stereo from Argos or Target sounds just as good.

 

[ellisdj]

respect on the 4 PB13 Ultras that must be insane/incredible for movies.

its confusing how you are planning to wire everything up.
Are you planning to use the Marantz 7011 for music or by pass it?
By passing it makes more sense for music only but how do you then biamp? in and out of the MF to the Crown?

There are some very good all in ones out that on paper might not have the power of the crown but might sound better overall than using 2 amp combo just an idea to consider as well

 

[markyboy156]

hi

you say there are better all in ones what

would you recommend to use as the perfect partner to my setup

 

[markyboy156]

hi

you say there are better all in ones what

would you recommend to use as the perfect partner to my setup

 

[newlash09]

First you have some awesome neighbours, taking all the 4 subs in

I would have been evicted by now.

Coming to your question, I personally can't hear much difference between different dac's. But then it is my personal opinion, and I have a genuine hearing problem.

So please try a few DAC's in richer sounds or seven oaks and first decide if you can hear differences or not.

If you actually like one of the DAC's you audition, then you can go for it. Then feed it from your Sony via optical out and see if it sounds the same way you felt in the store. If you don't then a dedicated transport like the Cambridge cxc is in order. This will save you lots of money. Since you have the dac of your liking, you just need a transport to do the spinning duties. Much cheaper than going for a dedicated cd player or the oppo players if you are happy with the Sony for uhd playback

 

[markyboy156]

hi all in addition tion to mt setup

i want to add a power amplifier to my centre speakr dali zensor vokal centre

taking into account my setup above to greatly enhace the centre speaker

i have already enhananced the 2 front speakers

also i will be using a arcam ir to greatly enhance the music playback from the sony x800 4k player

with the equipment i already have how do you go on about wiring it all up

and is it possible i could add a turntable as well if

what would be the perfect partner turntable with my setup and how would i connect t as well

 

[abacus]

Sorry to disappoint you, but no 2 people perceive sound the same, therefore the only person that can choose is you, which means going to dealers and comparing different combinations until you find one that suits.

Bill