Harman Kardon CD Player Purchase...

[admin_exported]

I am using a Marantz PM4400 OSE connected to Kef Cresta 2 speakers in my room. My primary audio source has been my iMac up to know (ok, not a brilliant idea!), and now I have decided to purchase an affordable CD Player. My first choice was Marantz CD6002, until I saw Harman/Kardon HD970 this week. What attracts me to this specific cd player, is mainly what I have read about its sound quality, its EISA award, and its digital audio input which lets me connect my computer's SPDIF-out to it and enjoy its hifi DAC (I have a hundred gigabytes of lossless audio files, let alone the mp3s and online radios).

I would just like to know if someone has tried this HK/Marantz combination before, or has any idea about it. Will they sound good together? Has anyone tried HD970's digital-in before?

Thanks

btw, I listen a lot of solo piano, some classical and rock, and the other genres occasionally.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey buddy, upgrade your amp before buying that CD player

That amp would take a lot of shine off the sound you can get from that CDP.

 

[Anonymous]

I own the HK970 amp and its a great amp, able to drive many different speakers. It gets decent reviews in NZ one mag gave it 89/100. I wasnt so impressed with the cd player though, it lacked detail compared to others in its price, such as Cambridge/NAD. Just my 2c

 

[Anonymous]

HK sound is a lot relaxed, at least as against likes of CA.

 

[Anonymous]

Now that I have received my CDP, I really appreciate this suggestion. Maybe I get the HK 970 next year! No money left for now (I spent a fortune on my new lens).

 

[Anonymous]

Happy listening!
Do let us know how are they pairing.

 

[Anonymous]

They are pretty good together, although not too good. I think the amplifier's input is too sensitive for a modern cdplayer. I am experiencing some bizarre noises (extremely rarely, but yeah, that happens), when listening to loud, high-frequency female voice, which can be attributed to overloading. I am sure of the healthy condition of my speakers and I can't reproduce the same behavior by connecting my soundcard's line-out or my iPod to amplifier's auxiliary input. So, it should be something between the amp and the cdp.

HD 970's sound is pretty detailed, and can reveal a lot both about the quality of recording and the quality of amplifier. PM4400's sound looses its sweetness and becomes somehow metallic and artificial at the upper end of frequency range, and at the lower end it is a bit vague (and desynchronized I think). In the absence of a warm and embracing bass (the fact that I am using library speakers doesn't make anything better), the trebles are too much present. Anyway, this should be the problem of all budget amps, and mine is an OSE version, which theoretically should be better than many others. I don't have any complain about midrange. Soft as feather, or velvet or anything. The speakers just disappear when Bocelli sings.

P.S. I found a pair of M1000i interconnects at a bargain price on ebay, and ordered them immediately. I hope they can offer a deeper and more detailed bass. I'll keep you posted about the results, as soon as I receive the cable.

 

[Anonymous]

Sure, look forward to hear more from you.
Also, like I said before, you can also benefit by upgrading your amp.

 

[Anonymous]

As soon as I can gather 500 euros to buy a HK 970. Well, not obvious for a student!

Before that I have to meet some preliminary acoustic requirements in my room. My current speaker stands are only 35 cms tall and this dampens seriously the speakers' sound. I tried mounting the speaker on two stands put on each other, and the sound turned to be much better at 70 cms from the floor. Any recommendation for a pair of budget speaker stands to go with my faithful Cresta 2s? (I live in France)

 

[Anonymous]

I'd think it would be better to hold on that quest for now. Who knows you might want to go floor stander when you upgrade your amp. Then your newly bought stands would be a waste, so would be your money (okay, not all of it).
Personally I always prefer floor standers, even for small rooms. Reason? The enhanced dynamics. Some people opt for bookshelves for the reason that they would be more agile and articulate. But I believe the stronger reason always is that the amp would not be able to drive them. I would always go for a floor stander with from the same line that I am eying a bookshelf from. I would put the money I have for stands and I have a much better sound.
So long as my amp would be able to drive it well enough.