After buying a new amp and the B&W 685 home theatre package, I found I've been listening to quite a few more CD's recently. The CD player I have is a Denon DCD 670 and is around 20yrs old I guess. Anyway, after such a big outlay on the speakers and amp, I'm a little limited in what I can spend. I plan on purchasing a Sony 370 Blu Ray player, though I am wanting to know if the cheap Blu Ray players will outperform my old Denon DCD 670 CD player?
Sound quality: old CD Player or use BluRay Player?
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The answer is probably not, the Denon should out perform a Blue Ray player.
I have the Sony player you mention, but run it through my DAC for CD playing purposes.
I have the Sony player you mention, but run it through my DAC for CD playing purposes.
I have the S370 as well and would highly recommend it as a standalone player. Superb performance for the money. I use it with a DAC as well, but it's not massively shy of the SA7001-KI from memory. The downside is it can be slightly noisy as a transport and this might be a problem for some. You need the remote as well as the buttons on the fascia are limited.
the record spot:I have the S370 as well and would highly recommend it as a standalone player. Superb performance for the money. I use it with a DAC as well, but it's not massively shy of the SA7001-KI from memory.
That's a massive endorsement for the S370!
What DACs are you guys using?
That's a massive endorsement for the S370!
What DACs are you guys using?
manicm
Well-known member
Operative term 'with DAC'. Without a DAC the 370 just plays CDs like your usual cheapie i.e. not great.
manicm:Operative term 'with DAC'. Without a DAC the 370 just plays CDs like your usual cheapie i.e. not great.
Not at all, it's really rather good.
Not at all, it's really rather good.
manicm
Well-known member
Well I have the player - and I find it OK for cds, no more really. I don't have a dac though. It's no match for say, my 9 yr old Pioneer DVD spinner.
manicm
Well-known member
Well it's all what makes one's ears happy really. It just doesn't match any spinner I've had, not least my first Technics (a really budget model which I bought 2nd hand decades ago) or my Solo Mini.
But hey, if it sounds good to others then I won't argue.
EDIT: I'm not surprised really, and it's not fair to the 370 as it's range-bottom, and in yonder Pioneer et al tried to pay some attention to CD replay in DVD spinners - I mean, and this in pure sticker price terms without inflation, 9 yrs ago I paid about GBP320 for my Pioneer!
But hey, if it sounds good to others then I won't argue.
EDIT: I'm not surprised really, and it's not fair to the 370 as it's range-bottom, and in yonder Pioneer et al tried to pay some attention to CD replay in DVD spinners - I mean, and this in pure sticker price terms without inflation, 9 yrs ago I paid about GBP320 for my Pioneer!
Fascinating that some people can barely tell a difference, those same people use 'generic' cables as they cant tell a difference with those either
Categorically the Denon will be much better.
Granted it is very long in the tooth (getting a laser to last that long is rare), and CD technology is very much better understood today, but it cannot get away from the fact that, regardless of whether you use a DAC with it or not, a cheap Bluray is a cheaply manufactured piece of mass produced components designed with a laser assembly that has a significantly different wavelength, optimised for the pit depth and pitch of Bluray discs. CD replay is a mere afterthought with it. A DAC cannot recover lost data that the machine has already interpolated before even leaving the machine.
Just keep you fingers crossed the DEnon last a few more years (keep it powered up at all times - it will keep it stable and avoid the stress of powering up and down)
Granted it is very long in the tooth (getting a laser to last that long is rare), and CD technology is very much better understood today, but it cannot get away from the fact that, regardless of whether you use a DAC with it or not, a cheap Bluray is a cheaply manufactured piece of mass produced components designed with a laser assembly that has a significantly different wavelength, optimised for the pit depth and pitch of Bluray discs. CD replay is a mere afterthought with it. A DAC cannot recover lost data that the machine has already interpolated before even leaving the machine.
Just keep you fingers crossed the DEnon last a few more years (keep it powered up at all times - it will keep it stable and avoid the stress of powering up and down)
aliEnRIK:Fascinating that some people can barely tell a difference, those same people use 'generic' cables as they cant tell a difference with those either
Of course, everyones hearing is different.
As for myself my hearing has been damaged so I suffer from hearing loss which really makes my opinion not much use to other people.
Of course, everyones hearing is different.
As for myself my hearing has been damaged so I suffer from hearing loss which really makes my opinion not much use to other people.
CD players are always better than cheap bluray players. The servo and drive in a CD player is higher quality (Sanyo, Phillips, Toshiba, etc) than in a bluray player. Higher grade Japanese capacitors will also be used in place of cheap Chinese capacitors. And finally, the DAC is much better in a CD player, usually a Burr Brown or a Wolfson. If you are feeding it into a high-end A/V receiver or a separate dac, the sound will be improved but a CD player is still the choice for audiophiles.
i have a 10 years old NAD dvd player T550 and its cd playback is superb it is not far behind the nad c542 cd player, it has plenty of grunt and drive..its not connected to a dac it doesnt need to be...but like all old dvd players they dont upscale dvd video and dont have hdmi., but as a cd player its great and way better than the ps3.
aliEnRIK:Fascinating that some people can barely tell a difference, those same people use 'generic' cables as they cant tell a difference with those either
I'll assume this is directed at me Rik so apologies if not, but you'd have been better off properly reading what I said above, or better still, understood what it meant. Hence you could've asked for clarification. Still, the following should put you right.
I said the Sony isn't "massively shy" of the Marantz I use, which is not to say I notice no difference at all therefore. Yep? It was intended to give the OP some confidence in the abilities of the Sony player, which punches above its weight in my view. Given I've tried this player through a DAC, standalone and against the Marantz directly, I think I'm reasonably comfortable in my conclusions.
My view on the cables I've used remains unchanged.
EDIT: to AlanNorak - the cheaply assembled view is one thing, but were the Sony produced in limited quantities, the price tag would be higher. Sony's muscle as an organisation permits economies of scale and that's reflected, at least in part, in the price you pay. Bryston's BDA-1 (I think it is) is rather surprisingly comprised of an empty box with some circuit boards inside. Price is around £1000. Or was I think. The image below came from the Inner Ear Mag website. You could apply a similarly critical view to the Bryston - e.g. what're you getting for your money here and so on?
I'll assume this is directed at me Rik so apologies if not, but you'd have been better off properly reading what I said above, or better still, understood what it meant. Hence you could've asked for clarification. Still, the following should put you right.
I said the Sony isn't "massively shy" of the Marantz I use, which is not to say I notice no difference at all therefore. Yep? It was intended to give the OP some confidence in the abilities of the Sony player, which punches above its weight in my view. Given I've tried this player through a DAC, standalone and against the Marantz directly, I think I'm reasonably comfortable in my conclusions.
My view on the cables I've used remains unchanged.
EDIT: to AlanNorak - the cheaply assembled view is one thing, but were the Sony produced in limited quantities, the price tag would be higher. Sony's muscle as an organisation permits economies of scale and that's reflected, at least in part, in the price you pay. Bryston's BDA-1 (I think it is) is rather surprisingly comprised of an empty box with some circuit boards inside. Price is around £1000. Or was I think. The image below came from the Inner Ear Mag website. You could apply a similarly critical view to the Bryston - e.g. what're you getting for your money here and so on?
AlanNorak:Categorically the Denon will be much better.
Granted it is very long in the tooth (getting a laser to last that long is rare), and CD technology is very much better understood today, but it cannot get away from the fact that, regardless of whether you use a DAC with it or not, a cheap Bluray is a cheaply manufactured piece of mass produced components designed with a laser assembly that has a significantly different wavelength, optimised for the pit depth and pitch of Bluray discs. CD replay is a mere afterthought with it. A DAC cannot recover lost data that the machine has already interpolated before even leaving the machine.
Just keep you fingers crossed the DEnon last a few more years (keep it powered up at all times - it will keep it stable and avoid the stress of powering up and down)
AlanNorak, please disclose your trade status in your signature/bio, as required by House Rules, or your account will be closed - Mods
Granted it is very long in the tooth (getting a laser to last that long is rare), and CD technology is very much better understood today, but it cannot get away from the fact that, regardless of whether you use a DAC with it or not, a cheap Bluray is a cheaply manufactured piece of mass produced components designed with a laser assembly that has a significantly different wavelength, optimised for the pit depth and pitch of Bluray discs. CD replay is a mere afterthought with it. A DAC cannot recover lost data that the machine has already interpolated before even leaving the machine.
Just keep you fingers crossed the DEnon last a few more years (keep it powered up at all times - it will keep it stable and avoid the stress of powering up and down)
AlanNorak, please disclose your trade status in your signature/bio, as required by House Rules, or your account will be closed - Mods
Interesting discussion. I'm also looking for a good BR player that can also double up as a reasonable CD player.
Currently looking at Marantz UD5005 or OPPO BDP93. (Reasonable CD player = Marantz CD63SE range).
Advises ??
Thanks in advance.
Currently looking at Marantz UD5005 or OPPO BDP93. (Reasonable CD player = Marantz CD63SE range).
Advises ??
Thanks in advance.
Thanks guys for all your responses. I am probably best to purchase a good value and quality BDP like the Sony 370 and keep running my Denon. Once I get a BDP, I can compare the CD playback quality directly with the Denon.
I must say, the Denon's life span has surprised me!
I must say, the Denon's life span has surprised me!
Hi,
I have read on a couple of forums that the sony s370 has a wolfson dac if so it would be a pretty good sounding unit. The arcams and cambridge use that branded dac.I had a look in my manual on the sony s370 and couldnt find that information - can anyone confirm that it has a wolfsan dac if so which model and how many dacs?
Cheers
Steve.
I have read on a couple of forums that the sony s370 has a wolfson dac if so it would be a pretty good sounding unit. The arcams and cambridge use that branded dac.I had a look in my manual on the sony s370 and couldnt find that information - can anyone confirm that it has a wolfsan dac if so which model and how many dacs?
Cheers
Steve.
manicm
Well-known member
The 370 is a bottom-range model, and so seeing what brand DAC it has is futile. If CD replay is important spend a bit more on a Marantz or Denon or CA.
No mistake, the 370 sounds stunning in movies, but I find it merely adequate for CD duty.
No mistake, the 370 sounds stunning in movies, but I find it merely adequate for CD duty.
Why do u believe a cd player will sound different than a blu-ray for playing cds?
All the BD does is read the pcm from the disc and send it via HDMI to your receiver for processsing. As long as the tracking is accurate as the data is read off the disc I'd expect it to be fine.
All the BD does is read the pcm from the disc and send it via HDMI to your receiver for processsing. As long as the tracking is accurate as the data is read off the disc I'd expect it to be fine.
TechMad:
Why do u believe a cd player will sound different than a blu-ray for playing cds?
All the BD does is read the pcm from the disc and send it via HDMI to your receiver for processsing. As long as the tracking is accurate as the data is read off the disc I'd expect it to be fine.
Aah! You're forgetting a CD player doesn't work that way. It does the processing, not the receiver, so you could expect a difference in sound.
Why do u believe a cd player will sound different than a blu-ray for playing cds?
All the BD does is read the pcm from the disc and send it via HDMI to your receiver for processsing. As long as the tracking is accurate as the data is read off the disc I'd expect it to be fine.
Aah! You're forgetting a CD player doesn't work that way. It does the processing, not the receiver, so you could expect a difference in sound.
RobGardner
Well-known member
I think you already have the answer, try them alongside each other, if the Sony does the job as well as the cd player then you can sell on your Denon. My experience of CD players/DVD players and Bluray players suggest to me that you will probably keep both. I would love a single box that got the ultimate performance out of each format but I have yet to find one.
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