What CD player to replace my old Marantz CD63 mk2?? Would a Cyrus CD6SE be too good for my amp?

[admin_exported]

Hi all - this is my first post.

I need a bit of advice. I listened to a couple of AV amps on demo as I was thinking of upgrading my Denon AVC 10SE but I couldn't justify the £2500 outlay for an Arcam AVR500 or an Audiolab processor/power amp combo that was suggested as I couldn't hear any real improvement in sound quality although I wasn't able to listen to them back to back to compare directly.

So I setup my Denon again from scratch and it sounds really good now and I have added a new Sony S760 Blu Ray connected via the 6 channel analogue connections using the Sony to decode the newer HD sound formats. So now I am looking for an upgrade CD player that will improve the musical sound over my existing Marantz CD63 mk2 that is a bit old. I have the Denon hooked up to Tannoy Revolution R3 fronts, Revolution R2 rears and a Yamaha YST-SW320 Sub with a new Spendor C5e centre speaker on its way.

So what do you think? Will a Cyrus CD6SE be too much as I have seen them for £599 which seems a good deal for what appears to be the 'best cd player on the market'? Or one company suggested a Marantz SA7003 at £350 which also seems good for the money? I would like an improvement in CD sound quality but from reading other posts I get the impression that it is possible to have for example a CD player that is too good for the amp to be able to appreciate it so I want something that will work well with my existing kit. I listen to all sorts of music from rock (not too heavy) to jazz funk so a good all rounder I guess is needed.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think the CD-6SE would be "too much" for any system, but it may be the springboard to a step-by-step upgrade of your entire system, which, as always, will only be as "good" as the weakest link.

 

[Anonymous]

I guess so. It's just that I'm sure I read a post a while back that told someone that the CD player they were considering was way better than the av amp they had and that they wouldn't get as much benefit spending loads of cash on a really decent cd player as the output through the amp wouldn't do it any justice. So the advice at the time was to spend less on the cd player and get one that was better suited to the amp.

I could get a decent (poss Cyrus) two channel amp for the music alone at a later date if it didn't sound as good as I hope it would through my av amp but I thought that I would pose the question and see if anyone has had a similar experience before I start shelling out more cash.

 

[Anonymous]

yes thats right what you have now is fine the cyrus would be overkill

 

[Anonymous]

I've owned both CD players. Neither was very good, but both would be limited by your AV amp. Just use the Sony blu-ray.

 

[Anonymous]

One off - So are you saying that if I get a better cd player, I won't really hear
any difference because the amp is lacking for 2 channel audio stuff? On this basis, my only choice is to get a decent two channel amp and cd to match if I want an improvement in sound or are there any other options?

Ken - why didn't you like either of these cd players? What do you have now? Have you found a machine you like?

 

[Anonymous]

Marantz: harsh, digital, no finesse

Cyrus: thin, weedy, no bass

I use an old Victor (JVC) player, but it's in a whole different price range.

 

[Anonymous]

Does that mean you don't agree with the star ratings given to these machines? Are you not a fan of the current equipment of the moment?

 

[Anonymous]

Ha, ha those star ratings mean nothing. I bought a Cyrus system based on star ratings, wasn't happy with it, spent lots upgrading through the Cyrus range until I hit the top and still wasn't happy.

Selling the whole lot and buying older, no-star, non-Cyrus kit for less money was a revelation.

Old vs new? Some new kit is great, but don't expect that everything new will be better just because it is new.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah - I guess you could be right. I have listened to some stuff that was 5 star rated and it didn't sound anything like I thought it would even though the sales guys were praising it to the hilt.

The biggest thing I found was that it can also depend on the type of music played. The music shops are clever and know that playing jazz tracks on display systems can make a system sound really nice and it highlights the type of sound you want but the same system doesn't sound as good with what say I might listen to.

So do you buy new but discontinued equipment or do you get secondhand gear? If so, do you you audition it before you buy? Me personally, I like a deal and I believe a quality sound is a quality sound no matter whether it's the latest kit or not. Hence why I kept the Denon for av use cos it still sounds good - even better now I added a blu ray and decent centre speaker. But I really want to have a nice sounding music system too so if my amp isn't going to be good enough for a good stereo sound, then I'll have to get one just for the music to go with a good cd player.

But I wanted to start with a new cd player and go from there cos until I hook one up to the Denon, I won't know whether the sound I have now is as good as it's going to be.

 

[Anonymous]

Cyrus kit tends to be highly detailed, which can make the bass sound "thin", but it depends as much on the source mix as anything else. When I bought my first Cyrus CDP, a CD-8X I too found the bass "weak" until I played a few CDs where the sound engineer had actually used the mixing desk to produce a mix for hifi and not the dreaded iPod. Speaker choice, too, is important with Cyrus kit. A speaker with a weak bass will emphasise any perceived weakness in the bass area. I've traded my £850 Mordaunt Short Mezzo 6 speakers (WHF 5-stars) for £1500 ProAc Studio 140 speakers for just this reason and also run a Mordaunt Short 309W active subwoofer for extra "oomph".

If you're not expecting to shell out mega-bucks upgrading everything, A Cyrus CDP might not suit, therefore, and you might be better off with one of the more mainstream products.

 

[Anonymous]

kcdionysus:
One off - So are you saying that if I get a better cd player, I won't really hearany difference because the amp is lacking for 2 channel audio stuff? On this basis, my only choice is to get a decent two channel amp and cd to match if I want an improvement in sound or are there any other options?

Ken - why didn't you like either of these cd players? What do you have now? Have you found a machine you like?sorry missed this yes thats right you wont see the benefit until you have a stereo amp although if you have one of the top market and expensive av amps then you would see benefits

i tried three separate cd players prices from cheap to budget going through my budget av system and couldnt tell the difference except with one that also played sacds

 

[the record spot]

Ken McBlain:
Marantz: harsh, digital, no finesse

Cyrus: thin, weedy, no bass

I use an old Victor (JVC) player, but it's in a whole different price range.

Can't speak for Cyrus, no experience, plenty with Marantz and "harsh" and "no finesse" is a nonsense as a general, across the board term in relation to their gear.

For the OP, I'd suggest if you can snag the 7003 and you like it for £350 then it's worth considering. Likewise my player which you might be able to get for similar money - another poster recently picked one up ex-dem for £325. Very fine player the SA7001-KI, albeit lean - definitely not harsh and with plenty of finesse. A very capable player.

Don't listen to our Ken, except for that bit about vintage kit obviously...he's on the money there!

 

[Anonymous]

Like I said, for av stuff, it sounds really good. Back in the day, this was Denon's one under the flagship model av amp and was regarded pretty much as good as it got for av as well as pretty good for music.

But I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and buy something and connect it up. If I do this and it doesn't sound as good as I would like it to, then I'll have to get a stereo amp as well just for music.

So I need to hear a cd player and matching amp, buy the cd player and try it with my amp with a view that if the sound isn't where I would like it to be, then buy the amp afterwards....I think??

Incidently - I have seen a couple of Marantz SA7001 KI for sale that is old stock. The current KI stuff is mega money cos of his 30th year with Marantz or something!!

 

[Anonymous]

Make sure you can chain your AV processor into the hifi amp. That way you'll only need one pair of front speakers - driven off the stereo amp - for stereo and AV. I suspect if your AV processor has RCA outlets for tape monitoring or feeding to a separate power amp you should be okay.

 

[the record spot]

http://www.diyhi-fi.co.uk/marantz_sa7001_ki.shtml

This one looks very interesting - modified 7001KI for £499 including delivery. Maybe worth checking to see if you can get this on approval?

 

[Anonymous]

Found one for £462 in London - un modified. I need to see if I can get an audition of one or as you say - try one on approval. Didn't know anyone did this.