Step Two: Ask the Forum

[admin_exported]

Alright so I'm sick of this NAD. It sounded great with the Nait, but I got rid of that and now it's putting me to sleep with the Jolida. (on the plus side the vinyl sounds unbelievable).

So I've had a snoop 'round the nearer HiFi shops. And now it's time to ask the venerables here.

Bearing in mind a budget that maxes out firmly at 800CAD/USD. What CD player should I buy? The only caveat I have other than price is it can't be warm, warm source mixed with tubes equals snoozes. So NAD and Arcam are out unfortunately.

This is the list so far and my thoughts:

Marantz SA7001 - Technically over-budget but within reason if I twist an arm.
Audiolab 8000CDE - I don't know much about audiolab decks. How does it sound?
Cambridge Audio 640Cv2 - Comfortably within pricerange, good build quality. I like, but don't love the sound.
Rotel RCD 1072 - Haven't heard it on anything but Bower's through rotel amplification... so hard to say how I feel about it.

Anyway those are the candidates right now. Poke, jab, ridicule and maybe praise whichever you'd like. And if there are any I've missed let me know!

 

[Anonymous]

How about the Exposure 2010S Cd player, Rich?

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1218946292

That ad has been on audiogon for awhile now, and I bet he'll go down to $800. He's in Calgary and will be able to split the shipping with you (I was enquiring about the 2010S amp he had for sale, but he sold it the same day he posted it!).

The Exposure kit is Naim-like with good PRAT, it may be an ideal solution for your system. The only problem is you'd have to audition at a dealer first b/c the used one is in Calgary.

Good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Ray. How about a Cyrus Cd6 or Roksan Kandy mk3. Not sure about Canadian prices but I'm sure these would be provide the exra bit of liveliness you're looking for. From your list I like the Audiolab the most but not sure about compatabilty with your tubes. I heard it with the matching 8000 amp. Not heard the others though I suspect the Marantz would suit well.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

raypalmer:Alright so I'm sick of this NAD. It sounded great with the Nait, but I got rid of that and now it's putting me to sleep with the Jolida. (on the plus side the vinyl sounds unbelievable).

So I've had a snoop 'round the nearer HiFi shops. And now it's time to ask the venerables here.

Bearing in mind a budget that maxes out firmly at 800CAD/USD. What CD player should I buy? The only caveat I have other than price is it can't be warm, warm source mixed with tubes equals snoozes. So NAD and Arcam are out unfortunately.

This is the list so far and my thoughts:

Marantz SA7001 - Technically over-budget but within reason if I twist an arm.
Audiolab 8000CDE - I don't know much about audiolab decks. How does it sound?
Cambridge Audio 640Cv2 - Comfortably within pricerange, good build quality. I like, but don't love the sound.
Rotel RCD 1072 - Haven't heard it on anything but Bower's through rotel amplification... so hard to say how I feel about it.

Anyway those are the candidates right now. Poke, jab, ridicule and maybe praise whichever you'd like. And if there are any I've missed let me know!

What about the Cambridge 740C? Very good player by all accounts with the added bonus of having digital inputs.

 

[stevee1966]

raypalmer:This is the list so far and my thoughts:

Marantz SA7001 - Technically over-budget but within reason if I twist an arm.
Audiolab 8000CDE - I don't know much about audiolab decks. How does it sound?
Cambridge Audio 640Cv2 - Comfortably within pricerange, good build quality. I like, but don't love the sound.
Rotel RCD 1072 - Haven't heard it on anything but Bower's through rotel amplification... so hard to say how I feel about it.

Richer Sounds have offer on ex-demonstator Cambridge Audio at £120 (but only in black).

http://www.richersounds.com/productlist.php?cda=productlist&sgroup=CDPLAYERS

Scroll down to bottom of page.

 

[Anonymous]

"Admiration for a quality or an art can be so strong that it deters us from striving to possess it. "

That is a great signature, Ray! Who said that?

 

[Anonymous]

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher, classical scholar, critic of culture. Friedrich Nietzsche, S„mtliche Werke: Kritische Studienausgabe, vol. 2, p. 525, eds. Giorgio Colli and Mazzino Montinari, Berlin, de Gruyter (1980). Mixed Opinions and Maxims, aphorism 370, "The Danger in Admiration," (1879).

 

[Thaiman]

Warm but exciting on the budget read like Exposure to me 🙂

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting stuff. On the CA 740 I just can't think when I'd ever use the digital plugs (I'm super old-school), and other than the plugs it's pretty much the same as the 640. I'm interested in the exposure but I've gotten burned buying used decks before. I have a lot of trouble buying CD players with no warranty, all those moving parts...

I'm pretty torn here, the CA is widely heralded as fantastic value for money, and it's the cheapest option on my list. The Marantz is pricier but is bulletproof and well regarded. I need to hear the audiolab still...

I hate making these decisions...

 

[Anonymous]

raypalmer:
Rotel RCD 1072 - Haven't heard it on anything but Bower's through rotel amplification... so hard to say how I feel about it.

I own the predecessor, the 1070, and used to run it through Arcam amplification and B&Ws. It now feeds an audiolab pre/power to the B&Ws.

It rocks, is all I'll say. It's not a sleepy player at all, and gives some more expensive (think up to £1000) players a serious run for their money.

 

[drummerman]

Rega Apollo. Not warm, not sterile. Neutral as it gets at the price or some Denon's. Underrated but very good..

 

[Mike_Schmidt]

Hey Im from Western Canada so I understand about pricing, the cyrus etc is out of range but I did have the cambridge 640 and thought it was a steller player, maybe your dealer could move you into the 700 range. Rega appolo i heard is good too but Cambridge at the price is hard to beat

 

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately the Apollo is about five hundred overbudget. It would be a whole 'nother ball game if I could buy in the 1300 dollar market. I'd be buying Primare and never looking back.

 

[Anonymous]

Could you wait a little while and then get the Primare? It'd be worth it!

I'd understand if you couldn't wait though, I'm as impatient as they come.....(I wait until the day I don't at the greener grass on the other side, as if that will ever happen!...).

 

[Mike_Schmidt]

another thing to, I know its hard to break away from a dealer but there are lots of deals around.