very best cd player to use

[markyboy156]

hi

i have just setup a roger sound labs 5.2 speaker package and two cg4s connected to a denon x6200w the two main fronts and centre connected to a xpa3 amp i will probably be adding roger sound labs c34e in ceiling speakers using blue jeans cables with a panasonic ub900 4k player

my question is i want to add a very high quality cd player to the above setup i want it to sound amazing what do people reccommend thanks

 

[macdiddy]

What is your budget for your "very best cd player" ?

*music2*

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Cyrus Signature transport plus Cyrus Signature DAC or better yet DAC-XP linked directly to your power amp.

Re-route your front left and right RCA outputs from your receiver to AUX RCA inputs on the Cyrus pre-amp.

Even in 2016, routing proper stereo CD players through an AV receiver's amplifiers won't reap anything near the benefits of using "proper stereo" kit IMHO. You might as well just use your Blu-Ray player and be done with.

Price? GBP1750 for the transport and GBP2995 for the DAC/pre-amp. Not sure if either can use (or benefits from) a PSX-R2 but you can frequently pick those up for half MSRP on Fleabay.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Or you could join the rest of us in the 21st century and rip all your CDs to FLAC files and plug a portable USB hard disc into your receiver...

 

[Nathan]

For that setup given the investment you've made, I would go for a Roksan Blak CD player

 

[MajorFubar]

Or you could join the rest of us in the 21st century and rip all your CDs to FLAC files and plug a portable USB hard disc into your receiver...

He could, but equally, depending on the size of his CD collection he might not want to spend six months or more ripping CDs. Mind you, it's the right time of year to start if he's in the northern hemisphere.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Or you could join the rest of us in the 21st century and rip all your CDs to FLAC files and plug a portable USB hard disc into your receiver...

He could, but equally, depending on the size of his CD collection he might not want to spend six months or more ripping CDs. Mind you, it's the right time of year to start if he's in the northern hemisphere.

I've been out of work for ten months.

450 movies, 500 CDs.....

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

For that setup given the investment you've made, I would go for a Roksan Blak CD player

Not sure why you would go for CD player with an integrated amplifier, rather than a pre-amp, given the OP has got a very good 3-channel power amp.

I suppose he could use the 3-channel amp to drive his surround sound centre and two sides or two rears, but it might well sound a bit odd. Better, IMHO, to keep all three front AV channels going through the same power amp, which is why I recommended the DAC-XP signature rather than a CDP and integrated (whether in one unit or two).

Any other CD transport with a separate DAC / pre-amp (Chord, perhaps, others???) wired up the same way, i.e. with the pre-amp "outs" from the AVR FL and FR going to the analogue Aux "ins" of the pre-amp, thence to the XPA3, with the centre going directly from the AVR to the third channel of the XPA3, would be good too.

The only downside I can think of is if the AVR to pre-amp to power amp route caused an appreciable sound delay compared to the other channels.

Plenty of other CDPs to choose from, but like I said, IMHO if you take the most expensive, finest money can buy, not even the modest critical WHF journo could find fault with, puts the kettle on half-way through, CD player or even just transport, and pump the signal through a mid-range AV receiver like Markyboy's, you're wasting your time and money.

 

[emperor's new clothes]

Not familiar with your speakers - are you US based? Agree with Benedict. As good as the 6200w is with bitstream input, whether 24/96 DTS HD master from Bluray audio, SACD or movies/tv, I find PCM from Cds etc a little less musical/dynamic for some reason - perhaps my disc player's output as the Marantz SR7007 was the same, but I am being picky here. BTW I find the on board amplification more than adequate for my speakers.

For the best CD player - PS audio of Boulder, colorado could sell you a perfectwave transport and Directstream DAC for circa $10000. Converts all formats into high speed DSD. Marantz is about to launch the SA10 which does the same for £5500 in one box and Hegal a conventional CD only Mohican player.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Since this board doesn't disclose even basic info about us users, it's hard to tell.

For the record, I'm an ex-pat Brit living on the northwest edge of Houston, TX.

 

[bigboss]

Since this board doesn't disclose even basic info about us users, it's hard to tell.

For the record, I'm an ex-pat Brit living on the northwest edge of Houston, TX.

No I don't think so. I think he has mentioned where he's from, before.

 

[markyboy156]

yes all i am from the uk