New CD which one, Help

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Hello , my old faithful Denon CD has gone to meet its maker i'm lookng for a replacement price £150-£200 having trawled this magazine and internet i,m confused at the moment i;m thinking NAD C515BEE, CAMBRIDGE AUZUR 340C/540V2, MARANTZ 5001OSE advice and comments would be a appreciated thanks

John G
 
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Anonymous

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Hi Andy my system --good old NAD 3020 , Tannoy speakers don't know the model spec
 

John Duncan

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[quote user="fr0g"][quote user="JohnDuncan"]In which case, go low on the CD budget, and upgrade the amp and speakers as well - amp certainly needs it...[/quote]

Give over. If that things working its a very nice amp, I wouldn't go wasting money of a tight budget upgrading if hes happy with it.[/quote]

Of course, but "If it's working" being the operative phrase - ie if 20 years have not degraded it in any way whatsoever, which it will have. Which is why my Arcam Alpha 2 - a "very nice amp" in its day - sounds absolutely rubbish now and is sat in a drawer. That's all.
 

drummerman

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Ok, lets wind some people up here.

When I walked into a hifi shop about two months or so ago for something my normal outlet did'nt stock they had the two little baby Nad's, player and amp playing through small Nad bookshelf speakers. I was surprised how good that £400 or so system sounded. Even more so because they had some Musical Fidelity components playing through a pair of Proac floorstanders, a 'special' offer but still about 3.5 worth of stuff in the same room. To say it sounded terrible is an understatement! Disjointed, soft with a harsh treble. Now I know it was'nt set up properly but neither was the Nad which sounded coherent, dynamic and fun. It won't go as loud as its neighbour next to it but at normal volumes there was no comparison.

Moral of the story ... for £300 or thereabouts you can have a lovely little starter system/amp/cd that should keep you happy for ages. It matches, looks good and sounded 'better' than thousands of pounds worth of gear next to it.

I'm sure some joker sooner or later will reply that my 'expert' ears need clearing but its easy to make an expensive system sound bad, difficult to make a cheap one sound good.
 

John Duncan

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They don't of course (your ears I mean). If it sounds good, it is. But I thought you were going to jump in in defence of my 3020 comment
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drummerman

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[quote user="JohnDuncan"]
They don't of course (your ears I mean). If it sounds good, it is. But I thought you were going to jump in in defence of my 3020 comment
emotion-1.gif

[/quote]

Sorry, was busy building my own defense
emotion-11.gif
.

Yeah, have to agree with you, its surely passed its best now.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="JohnDuncan"]In which case, go low on the CD budget, and upgrade the amp and speakers as well - amp certainly needs it, and if the Tannoys are of the same vintage they should probably be done first.[/quote]

Not so sure - if they're Mercury's then I think they're jolly good.
 
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Anonymous

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Hi John Green,
Whilst the big boys (sorry chaps ;-))are busy spending your money for you on a full system upgrade, may I recommend the Cambridge 540C v2 as being a lively, sparkly player, exceptional for the money, and which will breathe life into your system even if it is reaching pesionable age. I'd definitely go with that over the 340, as it will withstand an eventual modest upgrade on your other components when you have the money... or indeed if you actually feel the need to. You might well be perfectly happy with the sound you get with a new CD player through your existing amp and speaker combo, regardless of age. Marantz at that price range is also well worth a look.
 

fatboyslimfast

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[quote user="drummerman"]Yeah, have to agree with you, its surely passed its best now[/quote]

Here's where I have to disagree about the age comment. I used to have a Cambridge A5 (quite well reviewed in it's time and still on sale now). I by chance came across a 25yr old Rotel RA820 as part of a bargain ebay system. After just putting it in place of the A5, I was quite shocked.

The A5 went up for sale the next day, and made me more than the cost of the whole ebay system.

Now, I'm not suggesting that the quality of the 3020 hasn't been surpassed by recent designs, but I think applying the age thing across the board could be a little short-sighted...
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="fatboyslimfast"][quote user="drummerman"]Yeah, have to agree with you, its surely passed its best now[/quote]

Here's where I have to disagree about the age comment. I used to have a Cambridge A5 (quite well reviewed in it's time and still on sale now). I by chance came across a 25yr old Rotel RA820 as part of a bargain ebay system. After just putting it in place of the A5, I was quite shocked.

The A5 went up for sale the next day, and made me more than the cost of the whole ebay system.

Now, I'm not suggesting that the quality of the 3020 hasn't been surpassed by recent designs, but I think applying the age thing across the board could be a little short-sighted...
[/quote]
...not really a fair test...
 
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Anonymous

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The Nad is the best one you mention and by a country mile. I listened to them all and it was clear that the NAD sounded best. Buy from a shop that will do you a demo; ebay is a lottery and some of the larger chains only sell their own-brands which is hardly impartial is it? Make friends with someone in a decent independant shop as doing just that has saved me a fortune over the years!

emotion-11.gif
 

John Duncan

Well-known member
[quote user="fatboyslimfast"][quote user="drummerman"]Yeah, have to agree with you, its surely passed its best now[/quote]

Here's where I have to disagree about the age comment. I used to have a Cambridge A5 (quite well reviewed in it's time and still on sale now). I by chance came across a 25yr old Rotel RA820 as part of a bargain ebay system. After just putting it in place of the A5, I was quite shocked.

The A5 went up for sale the next day, and made me more than the cost of the whole ebay system.

Now, I'm not suggesting that the quality of the 3020 hasn't been surpassed by recent designs, but I think applying the age thing across the board could be a little short-sighted...[/quote]
Of course, I made a generalisation, which is by definition false. But I'll bet a 1988 Arcam that the 3020's flat as a pancake compared to a 250 quid amp of today
emotion-1.gif


Of course, the 3020 was about 600 quid in today's money.........
emotion-2.gif
 

John Duncan

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[quote user="john green"]
Hello , my old faithful Denon CD has gone to meet its maker i'm lookng for a replacement price £150-£200 having trawled this magazine and internet i,m confused at the moment i;m thinking NAD C515BEE, CAMBRIDGE AUZUR 340C/540V2, MARANTZ 5001OSE advice and comments would be a appreciated thanks

John G
[/quote]

But to go back and answer your actual question.........drummer's right - the Superfi deal on the NAD pair with some new Tannoy Mercurys (I say again, this applies if your current Tannoys are as old as the amp) looks hard to ignore for 350 quid.........
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="JohnDuncan"][quote user="fatboyslimfast"][quote user="drummerman"]Yeah, have to agree with you, its surely passed its best now[/quote]

Here's where I have to disagree about the age comment. I used to have a Cambridge A5 (quite well reviewed in it's time and still on sale now). I by chance came across a 25yr old Rotel RA820 as part of a bargain ebay system. After just putting it in place of the A5, I was quite shocked.

The A5 went up for sale the next day, and made me more than the cost of the whole ebay system.

Now, I'm not suggesting that the quality of the 3020 hasn't been surpassed by recent designs, but I think applying the age thing across the board could be a little short-sighted...[/quote]
Of course, I made a generalisation, which is by definition false. But I'll bet a 1988 Arcam that the 3020's flat as a pancake compared to a 250 quid amp of today
emotion-1.gif


Of course, the 3020 was about 600 quid in today's money.........
emotion-2.gif
[/quote]

Not true - that Nad sounds great; I have one in my second system (with an ipod) and its cracking by todays standard and probably for the reason you highlighted about it being £600 in todays money. Why do people think they can get something decent for a couple of hundred quid when they'll happily pay more than that for a jacket or a handbag? Makes no sense to me!
 

fatboyslimfast

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I can't argue that a £90 amp in 1983 would be a lot more in today's money...

But again, (as I think we all agree on) it would be worth taking his current amp along to any demo of a potential amp purchase, to make sure that the £250 or so is money well spent.

And Iggle... why not a fair test... a 25-yr old rotel vs a 6yr old Cambridge? Or is it a new purchase price thing? If so, I'm not actually sure how much the rotel was new...
 
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Anonymous

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I just think that the Rotel is much better than the Camb, that's all...I think the Camb is a very basic, budget amp and you get what you pay for...
 

John Duncan

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[quote user="Rev"]Why do people think they can get something decent for a couple of hundred quid when they'll happily pay more than that for a jacket or a handbag? Makes no sense to me![/quote]

I'll have you know I had two people tell me they liked my Primark shirt today.
 

John Duncan

Well-known member
[quote user="fatboyslimfast"]I can't argue that a £90 amp in 1983 would be a lot more in today's money...

But again, (as I think we all agree on) it would be worth taking his current amp along to any demo of a potential amp purchase, to make sure that the £250 or so is money well spent.

And Iggle... why not a fair test... a 25-yr old rotel vs a 6yr old Cambridge? Or is it a new purchase price thing? If so, I'm not actually sure how much the rotel was new...[/quote]

Yes, he should take it along, I just say that the difference will *almost certainly* be obvious. If it's not, then huzzah, no money spent.

The rotel would have been sub-200 quid, maybe even sub-£150 - in 1988, I bought an 820bx2 (or something) before I got it home and found it too bright, took it back and swapped it for my in-the-drawer arcam. That was 200 quid, which as I often point out to my wife was a third of my salary at the time (just for comparison purposes).
 
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Anonymous

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Hi John,

I recently got the Marantz 5001 and the Marantz PM 4001 on special at from Richer Sounds for £150 (it's worth looking at their website, their ads in hifi mags and the web in general for a best price, which they will beat). I know they're only "budget" but through a pair of Wharfedale Diamonds 9.1 on Apollo stands they sound great. The CD player on its own IMO is worth the £150. If your on a budget, like me, it is worth checking out the Friday Ad and Cash Convertors (also online) if you have them in your area, as they often have some great bargains and are often overlooked in favour of Ebay. Plus Cash Convertors have a three month guarantee with their electrics.
 

drummerman

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I can't believe there's a thread two pages long about whether a twenty year old budget NAD can hold its own today.

If you like your amp, fair play, I'm not trying to convince you otherwise but have a thought for the plebbs that pay seventy quid or so on ebay for one of the dinosaurs only to sell it on two weeks later ... quality. If you sell yours you are half way there for a new one, not a bad deal.
 

drummerman

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[quote user="fr0g"]Strange that. He hasn't come back... I wonder why...? Original question "Can you recommend a £150-£200 CD player... The result, suggested full system upgrade. Enough to scare away anyone :)[/quote]

Perhaps but an amp upgrade (even if not asked for) would be an entirely logical step in view of what he has. He will never hear the benefits of (even) a humble modern player such as NAD's C515 (my choice at the price) with the 3020. I dont want to slag it off ... alright then I will ... its well past its sell by date in sound, looks and facilities.

There you go, helpful advise, sometimes you have to read a bit between the lines.
 
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Anonymous

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Hi thanks to everyone for thier responses and time to my query i'm more confused than I was before so i'll have to go and have listen .

What about a Cambridge 340C with a 340A SE ?

Or suggestions on what amp to put with the NAD C515 BEE, or a Marantz CD5001OSE

thanks again its most appriciated

John G
 

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