New CD player

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How do,

I'm looking towards buying a new CD player for my system which consists of Acoustic Energy AE109 speakers, Pioneer A300R Precision amp, Cable Talk 3.1 speaker cable and IXOS interconnect.

I've been looking at the Marantz 6003 and the Nad C545BBE, but also at players such as the Rotel RCD 06 SE and Rega Apollo.

So my question is, would my system warrent a more expensive player such as the Rotel or Rega, and if the Marantz really is the king of the sub £500 players am I best sticking to that?

I've spoken to a couple of dealers. One thinks my system would be somewhat capped at the NAD where as another dealer has said that even with my system I would still get the benefit from a player such as the Rega.

I listen to mainly folk music (Bert Jansch etc) and rock, metal.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Ryan
 

a91gti

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I`m slipping behind the sofa to hide as I type this but as far as I can see any system is only as good as its source. On past experience with the manufacturers listed I`d go for the Rotel. That takes your tastes (particularly rock) into account as well as reliability of Nad cdps.
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks Andrew. I've been reading a lot of good things about the Rega Apollo though, anyone else have any thoughts?

Thanks
 
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Anonymous

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why not add a dac to your current cd player or dvd player something then your equipped to stream music in the future if ever you want to
 
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Anonymous

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It's a 5 year old Pioneer DVD player, I think I'd prefer a complete new player to be honest.
 

True Blue

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Remember that the Apollo has recently had its price reduced. Even at the old higher price it was still one of the best CDP's at its price point.

So go and have an audition of an Apollo
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Right,

I'm booked in on Tuesday to listen to the Apollo and also the Rotel 06 and 06SE. I'm sure I'll end up going for the Apollo but I'd just like to compare them to the two Rotels with my amp.

Can't wait, I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas!

Ryan
 
Banjo Ryan:

Right,

I'm booked in on Tuesday to listen to the Apollo and also the Rotel 06 and 06SE. I'm sure I'll end up going for the Apollo but I'd just like to compare them to the two Rotels with my amp.

Can't wait, I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas!

Ryan

I auditioned the old RCD 06 and ended up with Arcam CD 73T. The Rotel wasn't particularly exciting; not sure why because it's lively enough, just didn't hang together as well as other price-compatible brands. Whether the upgraded SE model is an improvement, obviously you'll find out.

The Rega is a very good machine, personally, for rock music, it's hard to beat Exposure's 2010S. I absolutely love that CDP, and now they've upgraded this model, too.
 

John Duncan

Well-known member
Best 'rock' system I've heard was a Rega Planet (the later model0 and a Mira. Brilliant fun (though quite coloured when playing simpler music).

I disagree that a system is only as good as its source though...
 
JohnDuncan:Best 'rock' system I've heard was a Rega Planet (the later model0 and a Mira. Brilliant fun (though quite coloured when playing simpler music). I disagree that a system is only as good as its source though...

Absolutely - you could have the best CDP in the world, but if the rest of your system isn't up to scratch......
 
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Anonymous

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Banjo Ryan ... I see that you have the pioneer Precision amp ... I bought on on sunday off ebay (cheap: £113) ... for my 16 yr old son's hifi system ...

just out of interest, what colour is the LED on the amp when you power up? (red or blue)

Tom Evans was responsible for some Pioneer CD players which match very well (Pioneer precision cd players) ... not many for sale, but they do crop up on ebay from time to time ...

I will be looking for one on his Eikos cd players sometime next year for my main system ... research google and read about them

If you are after brand new, there have been some good suggestions so far
 
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Anonymous

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dim_span:

Banjo Ryan ... I see that you have the pioneer Precision amp ... I bought on on sunday off ebay (cheap: £113) ... for my 16 yr old son's hifi system ...

just out of interest, what colour is the LED on the amp when you power up? (red or blue)

Thanks, none for sale at the moment though.

Bargain! The LED is red, is yours blue? Maybe the previous owner replaced it?
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Banjo Ryan:dim_span:

Banjo Ryan ... I see that you have the pioneer Precision amp ... I bought on on sunday off ebay (cheap: £113) ... for my 16 yr old son's hifi system ...

just out of interest, what colour is the LED on the amp when you power up? (red or blue)

Thanks, none for sale at the moment though.

Bargain! The LED is red, is yours blue? Maybe the previous owner replaced it?

no ... the LED on mine is red ... not many people know, that the one to go for is the one with the blue LED ... those have had the 'full monty' upgrade ....

if you have a precision with the red LED, you can still have it upgraded by Tom Evans for £550

many say it is worth it? ... I may have my son's done next year (depending on finances) ... and will need to research a bit more ...you do however loose the phono section when having the full conversion
 
T

the record spot

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andrewknight:Meh

Couldn't agree more; most notably when it comes to the belief that the prime move in optimal sound quality in a system lies with the speakers first and foremost. Anyone swapping a few of the other boxes around will soon find out that the components can have as big a variation in sound as that of the speakers from which you hear the music.

Source first, amp next, speakers thereafter for vinyl, and for CD player sourced systems I'd put source and amp on a more equal footing.

Anyway, as to the question, if you enjoy rock, then the original 2010 is highly rated by Thaiman, but the latter was no shrinking violet however. I think the new Cambridge Audio 650C is quite dynamic by all accounts too, however, you might find that the supposed brightness that seems to be hand in hand with the company's trademark sound works less well with folk.
 
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Anonymous

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Howdy Chaps'

I'm now the proud owner of a Naim CD5i (not i) CD player!

Wow!

I called into a dealer on Friday and he had the Rotel and the Rega Apollo in stock.Then he also said he had the Naim CD5i in at £550!

So I booked in to listen to them all on Saturday and took along my amp, speakers and cables.

His listening room was a lot larger than my living room so I put the speakers a touch closer to the rear wall. My living room is relatively small so I give them nearly a meter behind to breath.

First up was the Rotel. I was amazed by the massive soundstage this gave the speakers. Instruments had more presence and the sound was quite rich but with a slightly washy very high end. However, I felt as though my system had grown up with the player and was given what it rightly deserved, instead of hanging its head in shame being fed by a DVD player!

Next up was the Rega Apollo and the sound was more focused and detailed with nice warmth. I was quite amazed! What a difference between the two players. What I thought was a massive soundstage with the Rotel, I think was actually a slight lack of focus.

But next was the Naim!

Just incredible. Instruments were pinpointed into their respective positions yet the soundstage is still large. It possibly has a sound that's just a little restrained compared to the Apollo but I feel in return it's precise and tight. Vocals weren't getting lost any more and acoustic guitars were natural sounding with a really nice richness.

Where it shone as well was with metal. I think the Rega gets slightly overwhelmed with complex music where as the Naim copes fantastically with thick sounding multi layered guitars. Playing the God that Failed by metallica, the bass in the intro sounded like a true bass guitar rather than just a nice low rumble. Next all the rhythm guitars come in, they were tight, each of them can be pinpointed rather than just contributing to a wall of sound. The guitars remain separate to the bass and the same with the vocals - but in a good way, what I mean is that the sum of all of the instruments isn't getting lost into one overall 'haze'.

After a while I stopped analyzing the sound and while the dealer was dealing with another customer I just sat in the listening room 'discovering' my CD's and hearing things I'd never heard before. For example Katy Cruel by Bert Jansch, I heard vocals and subtleties I'd never even noticed before! This player is revealing the true tone of guitars in my opinion.

The other night I listened to Rodrigo J Gabriella live in Manchester / Dublin and the detail in the guitars and 'drumming' was fantastic, and there was a really convincing overall live feel to the sound.

I think there still remains a slight issue with the very high end treble of my system but the Naim has dealt with that very well.

You might think I'm daft getting this player for my system but I've heard the difference it makes on my present system and it also gives me scope to buy a pretty serious amp and speakers at a later date.

Infact I'm getting slightly tempted by the Nait 5i amp!

Ryan
 

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