So many CD players... which to pick?

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I'm looking for a good CD player to go with my Denon AVR4306 & Monitor Audio RS6's and am happy to pay up to around £1,000. There seems to be so many well regarded players around at the moment its difficult to choose and I'm a touch concerned at how well my amp will mix with players in this league? I guess my shortlist at this stage (prior to pricing players here in Aus) would be; Cyrus CD6s Cyrus CD8x (I like the upgade paths available with both of these players) Marantz CD7001KI (worth having SACD or not?) Cambridge Audio Azur 640/740/840c Should I be listening to Arcam, Denon or any other players as well as these? I listen to all kinds of music, from rock, dance and alternative to jazz & classical.
 

Thaiman

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I never heard the CD6s but Cyrus CD8X is very very good for money, I am not sure how it would gel with your MA though.............Marantz is a bit lush for rock and dance................ CA840C is one the best under a grand cdp I have heard but you will need an amp that kick as it can be a bit too polite for some taste. I would spend only half of your budget as the amp wouldn't do a grand cdp justice so from your list it would be CA740C unless you have a plan to go 2 chanel only and get a music amp.
 
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Anonymous

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I thoroughly enjoyed the CD6 for orchestral music. The detail and excitement were terrific but it was irrepressible (and annoyingly) bright for solo piano music. I did enjoyed the Primare 21 which seemed to get the (second) best of both worlds.
 
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Anonymous

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Yeah its a tricky field. Looking at the spec I'm happy to pay for the CD8x over the 6s though as Thaiman points out, I'd heard that the Cyrus players were sharp and could as such be a tad bright for my system. hmmm
I really liked the look of the CA player too though again if its a laid back player? The AVR 4306 is reasonably transparent. You mention that the 840 needs a busy amp - is the 740 more forgiving?
No room for a 2 channel system I'm afraid though this is why I went for the Denon AV amp - its a pretty good all rounder - obviously not comparitive with a good stereo amp but at this stage I dont have room for one, maybe in the future... I guess I've just got to audition a couple of them. Either way I go I'm sure a new player must better my current setup of Denon multi-changer connected to the amp via the optical out. I've struggled a while with going for a dedicated CD player over a good DVD like the Denon DVD3910 though plenty have assured me a dedicated player will be much better. Seems odd that most DVD players play HDCD, SACD etc though CD players supporting these formats are few & far between.

Thaiman - you got any opinions on SACD?
 

Andy Clough

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Hi Damien

Sorry, you've got the other Andrew here but I'll try and help.

Agree with Thaiman on this one, the amp's the limiting factor with a £1000 CD player, so I don't think you need to spend that much. The Cyrus CD6s can sound a little forward in the top-end if not partnered carefully, so I'd be slightly wary about partnering it with the Denon AV amp.

Alternatives to consider would be the Roksan Kandy MkIII (£650), Arcam DiVA CD73T (£450) and Exposure 2010S (£599).

The Arcam has a slightly warmer sound than some rivals, which might suit the amp, while the Exposure has fabulous treble, great dynamics and a weighty bottom end.

I don't think you need to spend more than around £500 on the player as a £1000 model would really benefit from a dedicated stereo amp.

SACD is great, particularly for classical music, and there's now a pretty good catalogue of classical SACD discs available. But it depends on how much you'd want to listen to multichannel music really. Certainly worth investigating, but not essential. Other Andrew might disagree with me!
 

Andrew Everard

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Sort of agree, but with that amp I don't think you even need to pitch your CD player ambitions that high. I'd be thinking more along the lines of the Pioneer Pd-D6-J or the new Marantz CD6002. The latter in particular seems to have created a bit of a buzz among the WHF review crew.
 

rich51080

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If you wanted a brand new player i would reccommend the following

1.Sonneteer Bronte player. It is warm sounding and very good for rock imho as good as the Byron

2.the exposure series is definately worth a demo the 2010s can be had for less than 600 pounds

3.and lastly a Vincent player is worth a look. Great sound and build quality at great prices. A lot of hifi magazines reccommend the Vincent as an all round player.

I personally would go 2nd hand - there are many bargains out there. A linn Genki would be a good bet or even a secondhand Musical Fidelity.
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks all - I'll see what I can get to hear. I'd certainly look at second hand but there's not the market here in Aus that there is in the UK. I strongly suspect that local prices may determine the outcome of this one to some degree also as I've already been put off Cyrus by silly local prices - A$3,100 for the CD8x. Cambridge Audio have a higher circulation thus better prices (and the added advantage that the dealer I got my MA RS6's from stocks it). I'll probably have a good listen to CA's players along with the Arcam and see if I can find the others around Brisbane to check out.

One player the local magazines recommended was the Cayin CDT-17A which I'd never heard of, but again at A$2,500, its too much money for this set up.
 
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Anonymous

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Andrew (Everard).. - Given what you said here, would I be better off looking at one of the better DVD players such as Marantz DV7001/DV9600 or Denon DVD-2930/3930? HDCD, SACD etc, etc (denon link) How would they compare to these players for music? The only reason I'm looking at a CD-only player is for supposedly improved sond quality but can I get the best of both worlds by spending more on a good DVD player?
 
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Anonymous

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After a 2 hour listening marathon (hooked up to RS6's in the store, same as mine!) I settled on the CA740C - phenomenal player. Its leaps and bounds ahead of the other players (including the 640C) in terms of separation and soundstage, amazing piece of kit. Thanks Thaiman - good call.
Got it for a great price too - A$1180, within $30 of the UK price at todays not very attractive conversion rate - unlike the silly price they wanted for Cyrus players over here (A$3,100 or about £1,337 for a CD8x).
Anyone got a suggestion for a good interconnect?
 
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Anonymous

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The 740C is probably the best choice for the money! Enjoy!

As for an I/C, I can highly recommend Van Den Hull Hybrid 102MkIII.
 
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Anonymous

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Congrats Damien, very nice choice! Maybe you can post a pic of your new setup when you've got it all set up, ey?
Tonight I'll be checking out a 2nd hand (2,5 year old) Cambridge 640C V1 myself. I'll be able to get it for about 250 ? (or 'bout 170 quid) , which is about half of what a new one would cost. If it works fine, i'll be in for a change in sound tonight!
 
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Anonymous

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@Shaman - thanks and the Van Den Hul could be a winner - I'm still looking for sensible speaker cable and the dealer I'm getting the player from has VDH CS122 at a sensible price so I imagine its a good match.

@Pim - thanks mate. I'll definitely post a photo once its all up & running and good luck on the 640C. I listened to the 740C alongside a reasonable Yamaha spinner and couldnt really get over how bad it made the Yamaha player (and my multi-changer at home) sound. The soundstage and separation of instruments and vocals is spectacular so if the 740C I heard today is anything to go by, you're going to love that 640C.
Check out the Travelling Wilbury's Collection - I could literally picture them stood around the mic like on the DVD - it was that good.
The other thing was it took everything I could throw at it too - and I tried hard. This was the selection I ran through it.
Travelling Wilburys, Amy Winehouse - Back to Black, Katie Melua - Piece by Piece, Dire Straits - Money for Nothing, U2 - How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb, Wagner - Ride of the Valkyres, Enya - Watermark, Prodigy - Fat of the Land.
It could rock when called upon - fast, awesome timing and it could mellow and chill when the music called for it.
 
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Anonymous

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Hey Damien, I bought the 640C yesterday, it is in top-notch condition. I invited my cousin over to check it out (he's a hifi "enthousiast" too), and it was, in one word, astounding. I connected it to my fathers kit (Marantz PM4001 OSE, Kef IQ5's), he had a Marantz DV4001 player (latest version), and that sounds reasonably good...or so I thought. It always lacked in the bass department, so I always played it with the loudness button on the amp turned on (sort of a hifi violation of the worst degree). When I connected the Cambridge to the set, I figured it would bring more bass, so I turned it off. Stuck in the "best of" disc of The Eagles, and MY WORD what a difference. It also rocked with Creedence, Crowded House, Faithless and some more discs we spun. Pace is excellent, really enthousiastic, it times very well and the stereo image is much much better.

To be frank, I was kind of sceptic about what difference it would make, but now I finally know why WHFS&V liked the IQ5's so much!!! On the DVD player bass was always lacking, imaging was not quite what I expected, though overall "sound" was good. I always blamed the speakers, but now I know better. This truly is 260 ? well spent!
 
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Anonymous

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@Pim - thats great news, looks like you got a bargain - glad you're happy with it. I've descended into cable selection hell now, lol. So many choices / prices / opinions.
 

Thaiman

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Have you bought any cables yet? I would suggest a thick copper cables rather than the silver one with the Cambridge aduio or if you can find any Cardas interconnects over there then try it, even the chepest "Cardas cross" is amazingly good value. Website here.
 
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Anonymous

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I heard the Cyrus CD8X and CD6S recently and frankly, I preferred the sound of the 6S!!!

So I am happy to save £350 :)

Anyone else share my view on this ?

Graham
 

hifikrazy

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I also went for the CD6s. I was told by what I assume was a rather honest salesman (for pushing me the cheaper product) was that the CD8x has a bit more detail, but the midrange on the CD6s is superior. The CD8x apparently needs the PSX to really shine, which increases even further the price gap between the two.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="Thaiman"]
Have you bought any cables yet? I would suggest a thick copper cables rather than the silver one with the Cambridge aduio or if you can find any Cardas interconnects over there then try it, even the chepest "Cardas cross" is amazingly good value. Website here.
[/quote]
I got everything at the same time and ended up with Van Den Hul's 'The Powerline' i/c and 'Tea Track' speaker cables which are the biwire version of the well respected CS-122. I'm running my RS6's bi-amped (using the AVR-4306's surround back channel for this) and even before the CD player's had its customary run-in period, there's only one word for the sound - awesome. Absolutely awesome. I was a tad concerned before as to the RS6's sonics as while using standard cable and my old Denon 3 disc changer, the sound was ok but totally lacking mid-range. The sound from the 740 with the cables is now stunning - beautiful midrange and the bass goes down and down.
Given that I spent most of last night with a stanley knife stripping cables (2 bi-amp + a bi-wire run) I probably should have got them terminated but opted to spend the cost of the plugs on the better interconnect - plus its hard to get a straight answer over what benefit (apart from convenience) banana plugs offer - everyone has a different opinion.
Hey, Thaiman, I know you're a straight cable guy, do you solder or just twist & whack the wire into the hole in the middle fo the binding posts?
Huge thanks to all who tolerated my many queries and helped me narrow my selection down to what has turned out to be absolutely spot on!
 

Thaiman

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[quote user="Damien Buckley"]
Hey, Thaiman, I know you're a straight cable guy, do you solder or just twist & whack the wire into the hole in the middle fo the binding posts?

[/quote]

Twist and whack! sound like a ganster movies.

I have a theory behide my madness, you know. Cable is act as a conductor there for you can not add to it, only take away. So the more get in the way of the signal pass, the less purity of signal will be unless you are using the very same material in banana plugs (or spades). and even if you are using the very best plugs that cost £xxxx , the sound gonna still be as good as your cables. all imho. and yes I am twisted and whacked!, need to see doctor asap.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="Thaiman"]

Twist and whack!
[/quote]
I believe a new HiFi term is born.
 
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Anonymous

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HI Folks

Im new on this forum. Looking for some advice - I have a Niam integrated Nait amp and i had a marantz cd63 for at least 10 years (superb piece of kit at that price), but i would like to upgrade the cd player to complement the Naim amp.

I am happy to spend between £1000 to £20000 (if the player was worth the price) and i have been directed towards a LINN Magik (approx £2000) and a Naim CDi (approx £15000).

Any advice which to buy to complement my amp or any other brand that i havent considered.

Thanks

Michael
 

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