Hi,
First of all, pardon me for a detailed post.
I wanted to give as much information as I can about setup + thought process + research so that it will be easier for the GURUs here to comment / suggest.
OPTIMUM = best possible w.r.t. budget & needs
* Needs mostly are somewhat universal so hopefully the discussion will help many other FMs.
* The budget can be flexible depending on
a) how much better & future-proof the gear / solution would be
b) If buying will be step by step instead of all at once
Also given numbers to the questions so that anyone can answer one or more questions with a reference.
I will much appreciate comments/suggestions (or solutions even with a paradigm shift
) . Thanks a ton in advance. :clapping:
Current Setup :
Amp : NAD 325bee
Speakers : Wharfedale diamond 9.2 (BS)
source 1 : Sony DVP
source 2 : Philips DVP
Room size : 13 ft x 21 ft .
Listening / Viewing distance : 10-11 ft.
[ADDED]Listening Preferences : Original CD collection (or CDs burnt using FLAC). Very rarely MP3s etc.
Problem :
My earlier DVP (earlier Philips model) was giving me reasonably good quality and that being my first setup I was (very) happy with the sound. Somehow it was a perfect harmony. After that dvd player died few months back
, the problem started.
I bought sony dvp and found the sound too bright (was informed by a friend it is a problem with all sony products including TVs). So just for the audio, as a quick fix, I bought current philips dvp. A rare impulsive buy from me. But no luck ! bit of improvement on the 'brightness' but the sweet vocals, balance in base/trebble , harmony in general has gone for a toss !
Today am not happy with the sound quality and mostly the 'source' is the reason (hopefully amp & speakers are alright. Fingers crossed)
This might a perfect example of how much important is the 'source' !
Goal :
Phase 1 :
A) Audio : Add appropriate gear to get the best sound (Budget : 20-25K)
B) Video: Add appropriate gear which can render hi resolution video (discs : blu ray/ dvd; formats: mkv, avi, mpg etc) budget: 15K
Will be upgrading to HD 3D LED TV in Mar 2013. (3D because mostly I will go for Sony and higher refresh rates (Motionflow) are 'tightly coupled' with 3D models else have no use/fancy for 3D)
Phase 2 :
A) Audio : Add turntable and appropriate amp with phono stage. Optionally add floorstanding speakers.
The questions are about Phase 1 only. But naturally, with the above clear objectives, I will be buying gear kpeeing a reference to the 'dream system' to avoid redundancy / obsolescence. Fortunately, for buying decisions, Phase 1 and 2 are mutually exclusive.
Options considered / researched (Phase 1 only) :
1. CD player
2. Sony DVP as transporter + External DAC
3. FLAC files + Media Player + External DAC
4. I have an old PC but its a very unattractive option for me. Also not researched about upgrades required for sound card / connections etc.
Questions:
1. Technical:
a) Sony SR 750H DVP has coaxial Digital output. Can I use it as a CD transporter ?
b) There has been lot of discussion on various forums. So the million dollar question is :
Other things (amp, speakers) remaining the same can CD/DVD Transport + External DAC of reasonably good quality give Same OR Better sound quality as a CD player
c) Does a media player have a DAC ? If so, how it can be (if at all) used as a mere 'transporter' / player for FLAC files on connected HDD (to be connected to external DAC).
If not I guess DAC in low/mid range media players will be sub-standard ?
c) How important it is for a media player to have the facility to update the firmware (to support future codecs). How does it affect budget (separate league ?)
2. Gear:
a) For CDP my budget would be 17-18 K (for lack of versatility ) : I know Marantz CD5004 available on hifimart. Not sure if NAD CDP is within budget. Also, doubtful about the durability of both (read about problems for both viz. 'disc not sensed' etc.)
b) Oppo bdp 93 with shipping comes to 35K (ebay). Will its DAC do the job of providing excellent sound quality (compared to CDP / external DAC) ?
(I am ready to sacrifice the convenience of media player for audio, and don't mind burning CDs using FLAC files. I convert flac > WAV and then use Imgburn to burn audio CDs)
This will also serve me for playing blu ray discs in the near future ( once some sanity is introduced in the price range, cause of mass production )
c) For media player solution considering :
* Kaiboer K3 . Around 5K. But 5 star rating in all aspects by AV Max magazine. Kaiboer K3
* WD media player (yet to do full research)
* Others yet to be explored
Thanx !
Cheers !
Rahul
First of all, pardon me for a detailed post.
I wanted to give as much information as I can about setup + thought process + research so that it will be easier for the GURUs here to comment / suggest.
OPTIMUM = best possible w.r.t. budget & needs
* Needs mostly are somewhat universal so hopefully the discussion will help many other FMs.
* The budget can be flexible depending on
a) how much better & future-proof the gear / solution would be
b) If buying will be step by step instead of all at once
Also given numbers to the questions so that anyone can answer one or more questions with a reference.
I will much appreciate comments/suggestions (or solutions even with a paradigm shift
) . Thanks a ton in advance. :clapping:Current Setup :
Amp : NAD 325bee
Speakers : Wharfedale diamond 9.2 (BS)
source 1 : Sony DVP
source 2 : Philips DVP
Room size : 13 ft x 21 ft .
Listening / Viewing distance : 10-11 ft.
[ADDED]Listening Preferences : Original CD collection (or CDs burnt using FLAC). Very rarely MP3s etc.
Problem :
My earlier DVP (earlier Philips model) was giving me reasonably good quality and that being my first setup I was (very) happy with the sound. Somehow it was a perfect harmony. After that dvd player died few months back
, the problem started. I bought sony dvp and found the sound too bright (was informed by a friend it is a problem with all sony products including TVs). So just for the audio, as a quick fix, I bought current philips dvp. A rare impulsive buy from me
. But no luck ! bit of improvement on the 'brightness' but the sweet vocals, balance in base/trebble , harmony in general has gone for a toss !Today am not happy with the sound quality and mostly the 'source' is the reason (hopefully amp & speakers are alright. Fingers crossed)
This might a perfect example of how much important is the 'source' !
Goal :
Phase 1 :
A) Audio : Add appropriate gear to get the best sound (Budget : 20-25K)
B) Video: Add appropriate gear which can render hi resolution video (discs : blu ray/ dvd; formats: mkv, avi, mpg etc) budget: 15K
Will be upgrading to HD 3D LED TV in Mar 2013. (3D because mostly I will go for Sony and higher refresh rates (Motionflow) are 'tightly coupled' with 3D models
else have no use/fancy for 3D)Phase 2 :
A) Audio : Add turntable and appropriate amp with phono stage. Optionally add floorstanding speakers.
The questions are about Phase 1 only. But naturally, with the above clear objectives, I will be buying gear kpeeing a reference to the 'dream system' to avoid redundancy / obsolescence. Fortunately, for buying decisions, Phase 1 and 2 are mutually exclusive.
Options considered / researched (Phase 1 only) :
1. CD player
2. Sony DVP as transporter + External DAC
3. FLAC files + Media Player + External DAC
4. I have an old PC but its a very unattractive option for me. Also not researched about upgrades required for sound card / connections etc.
Questions:
1. Technical:
a) Sony SR 750H DVP has coaxial Digital output. Can I use it as a CD transporter ?
b) There has been lot of discussion on various forums. So the million dollar question is :
Other things (amp, speakers) remaining the same can CD/DVD Transport + External DAC of reasonably good quality give Same OR Better sound quality as a CD player
c) Does a media player have a DAC ? If so, how it can be (if at all) used as a mere 'transporter' / player for FLAC files on connected HDD (to be connected to external DAC).
If not I guess DAC in low/mid range media players will be sub-standard ?
c) How important it is for a media player to have the facility to update the firmware (to support future codecs). How does it affect budget (separate league ?)
2. Gear:
a) For CDP my budget would be 17-18 K (for lack of versatility
) : I know Marantz CD5004 available on hifimart. Not sure if NAD CDP is within budget. Also, doubtful about the durability of both (read about problems for both viz. 'disc not sensed' etc.)b) Oppo bdp 93 with shipping comes to 35K (ebay). Will its DAC do the job of providing excellent sound quality (compared to CDP / external DAC) ?
(I am ready to sacrifice the convenience of media player for audio, and don't mind burning CDs using FLAC files. I convert flac > WAV and then use Imgburn to burn audio CDs)
This will also serve me for playing blu ray discs in the near future ( once some sanity is introduced in the price range, cause of mass production
) c) For media player solution considering :
* Kaiboer K3 . Around 5K. But 5 star rating in all aspects by AV Max magazine. Kaiboer K3
* WD media player (yet to do full research)
* Others yet to be explored
Thanx !
Cheers !
Rahul
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