Marantz CD6005 upgrade

[rainsoothe]

Thanks for the response guys

I would certainly be interested in any of the Naim gear with digital outs, but sadly my budget is lacking in that department.

I wouldn't feel comfortable about buying a top cd player second hand to be honest with you. No guarantees on long-term use. I'm looking at a long term cd player that are well built and with give me sonic gains over my current player.

Yes i would certainly be open to a standalone dac. How would you describe the Chord sonic signature.

Also what other dacs would be a leap up in performance to my CD6005. Thanks

Haven't heard it yet, will do in a couple of weeks. BUT a very high percentage of Naim users (on the forums) prefer the Hugo to Naim's dac, because it sounds more natural than the dac in the NDX or even Naim's Dac. All reports seem to be in consensus about it, and say it sounds very natural, detailed and great with rhythm (quick but weighty bass), unlike the 2Qute and the Mojo, which can sometimes be a bit sharp or shouty. The Qutest is basically the Hugo 2, but without the headphone amp, and made for hi-fi usage (as opposed to mobile). Give it a go (I forgot to mention that whatever you do, you should try to audition before buying, preferably in your own system).

 

[WhatTheTech]

Thanks for your speaker recommendations but when i bought my Kef Q150s over Christmas i got the chance to try the Concept 20s, Elac B6 and the Dali Z3's.
For me and my tastes the Q150s was the better speaker. I would need to spend at least £600 on new speakers to better the performance of the Kef Q150s.

 

[WhatTheTech]

@rainsoothe's

That's great insight regards the dacs. Cheers
I'am very open to a standalone dac. I do prefer a natural sonic signature overall. I don't like the look of the mojo, the mojo sounds a bit edgy. I will certainly demo as much gear as possible! Ideally i'm trying to add up a shortlist before i do my testing. It's great to get different alternatives from more experienced people on what route to take

 

[Macspur]

Another DAC to put on your list is the Audiolab MDAC+, a very natural organic sq.

Did you look at the Rega Apollo R CDP?

Mac

www.realmusicnet.wordpress.com

 

[rainsoothe]

@rainsoothe's

That's great insight regards the dacs. Cheers
I'am very open to a standalone dac. I do prefer a natural sonic signature overall. I don't like the look of the mojo, the mojo sounds a bit edgy. I will certainly demo as much gear as possible! Ideally i'm trying to add up a shortlist before i do my testing. It's great to get different alternatives from more experienced people on what route to take

That's what I'm saying too, maybe there's some confusion because of the names Chord use, but the Qutest is different from the mojo and the 2Qute, and is essentially identical to Hugo 2 (it just lacks the headphone out, and I think it's meant to be plugged into a wall socket, instead of running on batteries). The new Audiolab seems to be very well appreciated as well. I don't like the Rega, but you might, so...

Also, a high caliber DAC will be useful if you wanna go streaming at a later route - just add a cheap streamer with good functionality and robust control (and digital output, of course), and yoy're set.

Of course, there's also the option of using a streamer that can also act like a Dac, and plug a cd player into that (like Cambridge Audio CXN or 851N, or Linn or whatever)

 

[BigH]

My reply got lost. Anyway I would consider DACs by Metrum and Young, these come out among the top DACs in that price range on other hfi forums. John Kenny (order direct) is another DAC that gets great reviews. Yes the Chord Hugo is well regarded also. Another option would be a use Audio Note DAC, if you can find one. If you are near Essex there is an Audio Note dealer near Harlow. With your sort of budget I may consider used Audio Note for the whole system.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

I’d put your money into speakers then look at the CD player. Don’t spend unnecessary amounts on sources. The analogy is put a budget 4K blu Ray player with a £4K 4K screen, and the difference isn’t that marked to a range topping blu Ray player.

 

[chebby]

I’d put your money into speakers then look at the CD player.

I think the CD player is a priority from what the OP said in his first post ...

Anyways my current player is now skipping 90% of my cd collection, even brand new discs.