Suggestion for Audio CD Player

[Muthusami S]

Dear friends,

My sincere thanks to all of you for your valuable inputs and suggestions in finding out a CD player for me. I am amazed by the quick responses from you.

Thanks a lot.

Regards,
Muthusami. S

 

[Muthusami S]

Muthu:

For the TEAC player, you have to look around in the market. It used to be very popular with recording shops.

The Beresford DAC - I have read that some members here use it. Please look up their web site Home HIFI. Some of the members have ordered online and have paid 7,500 including transportation and customs.

If you are unconfortable with online ordering, talk to Sudhin Prabhakar at Pro Musicals. he may be able to recommend and supply a good DAC for you. He deals with professional equipment. His contact details are 2819 3446 and 2819 3823.

Cheers

Venkat,

I came across the site digital4cheap and found they ship TEAC CD-P1260 CD player worldwide. The cost of the player is $98.99 and the minimum shippling charges will be around $93. They are not sure about the customs duty in India. TEAC players come with different voltage options (110v (US), 230 (Europe), or 110 or 230v changeable (export models). It is not sure which model they will ship to India.

On going through the reviews of this seller, there are mixed opinions from customers; satisfied and very dissatisfied.

Just wanted to share the information.

Regards,
Muthu

 

[venkatcr]

Venkat,

I came across the site digital4cheap and found they ship TEAC CD-P1260 CD player worldwide. The cost of the player is $98.99 and the minimum shippling charges will be around $93. They are not sure about the customs duty in India. TEAC players come with different voltage options (110v (US), 230 (Europe), or 110 or 230v changeable (export models). It is not sure which model they will ship to India.

On going through the reviews of this seller, there are mixed opinions from customers; satisfied and very dissatisfied.

Just wanted to share the information.

Regards,
Muthu

This works out to 191$. Add say 20% for duty, you end up at 230$ or Rs.9800/- I don't think it is worth that price. And add all the hassles of shipping, clearance etc.

For that kind of pricing, if someone is coming from abroad, it will be cheaper to pick up a CA 340C or a lower end NAD. It will be the same price and will be a much better unit.

Cheers

 

[Muthusami S]

This works out to 191$. Add say 20% for duty, you end up at 230$ or Rs.9800/- I don't think it is worth that price. And add all the hassles of shipping, clearance etc.

For that kind of pricing, if someone is coming from abroad, it will be cheaper to pick up a CA 340C or a lower end NAD. It will be the same price and will be a much better unit.

Cheers

That's right. Also the seller does not have a good reputation (The rating is only 6.4 of 10). As you said, this game is patience and I need to wait and search.

Thanks,
Muthu

 

[venkatcr]

Muthu:

Please check this link. At 2,500 a Sony CDP may be able to give you a few years of good service. Since it has only a Analog output, you have to depend upon the CDP's DAC circuitry.

Cheers

 

[Muthusami S]

Muthu:

Please check this link. At 2,500 a Sony CDP may be able to give you a few years of good service. Since it has only a Analog output, you have to depend upon the CDP's DAC circuitry.

Cheers

Venkat,

Link is missing. Please provide.

Thanks,
Muthu

 

[venkatcr]

Here is the link.

http://www.hifivision.com/sale/1597-relisting-sony-cdp-xe-300-a.html

Cheers

 

[Muthusami S]

Here is the link.

http://www.hifivision.com/sale/1597-relisting-sony-cdp-xe-300-a.html

Cheers

Thank you Venkat. I will send a private message to PBR for audition.

Regards,
Muthu

 

[spirovious]

Hi,

What's your opinion abt.connecting cd player to av receiver with coaxial?

How to improve sound quality? cd players digital out to avr or
cd analog out(stereo) to avr?

I am not sure about the specification of the DVP 542K. Most DVD players will have a Audio Out labelled L & R. In some players they will be labelled as Front/Mixed. If you are using the front L & R, these are the right connections for two channel audio.



Well, the Philips also has a DAC, and that is how you are listening to music and movie sound.

What we are discussing here is improving the sound.

External DACs are made for two channel audio, and will certainly work on the Front L & R of movies. The idea is that DVD players and ordinary CD Players do not spend too much money on the DAC and that is why they lose out. Connected to an external DAC, the sound will have more soundstage and clarity The reason that people use a CDP for two channel music is that it does not have the electronics that are needed for video and will have play the CD music better.

As I said you should get an external DAC, connect it between your DVD Player and amp, and see if the resulting sound is good. It will be. After that, when the audio bugs hits you again, you can buy a CD separately to get even better music.

But remember most external DACs process only two channels.



By reading the specs and asking the dealer or retailer. Alternatively, you can give the specs to this forum and we can confirm whether the equipment is analogue or digital. Most branded equipment will have digital to analogue conversion. Craftel does not have as they have not yet entered the digital domain, and makes amplifiers that just amplify analogue signals.

 

[venkatcr]

Hi,

What's your opinion abt.connecting cd player to av receiver with coaxial?

How to improve sound quality? cd players digital out to avr or cd analog out(stereo) to avr?

This depends purely on the DAC specifications of the two units.

Generally, expensive CD players will have a good DAC, and will do what is called sampling of data. That is they will read the data from the CD multiple times till the electronics feel that the data is correct. So they can do error readings, and remove distortion due to aliasing and jitter. External DACs can correct aliasing and jitter, but they can never instruct the player to give them re sampled data.

If the AVR has a better DAC or you are connecting a good external DAC, it will make sense to connect the CD Player through a digital coaxial out.

Most decent CD players will have excellent DAC processors, so it may be better to use analogue out and let the CD player do the DAC conversion.

Cheers

 

[spirovious]

Hi,

If AVR has good DAC ,then will co-axial output of CD player be better
than that of budget DVD player ?

My two basic Q?

1.As coaxial is Raw output from any player(CD or DVD),can CD player
improve sound quality further?

2.If I use analog connection of CD player,then AVR may convert them
in Digital signal for DSP processing,amplifying sound.Then how CD
player can improve sound than DVD playwer?

Pls. reply.

This depends purely on the DAC specifications of the two units.

Generally, expensive CD players will have a good DAC, and will do what is called sampling of data. That is they will read the data from the CD multiple times till the electronics feel that the data is correct. So they can do error readings, and remove distortion due to aliasing and jitter. External DACs can correct aliasing and jitter, but they can never instruct the player to give them re sampled data.

If the AVR has a better DAC or you are connecting a good external DAC, it will make sense to connect the CD Player through a digital coaxial out.

Most decent CD players will have excellent DAC processors, so it may be better to use analogue out and let the CD player do the DAC conversion.

Cheers

 

[Naren]

Hi,

I have a Pioneer DV-686A-S universal player as my CD player besides watching movies.

Later I took CA 640C V2.To my surprise I liked the Sound from Pioneer.
The Pioneer was Rs.7250/- but the CA was Rs.19,000/-.

So believe in you-HAVE AN AUDITION.

 

[venkatcr]

If AVR has good DAC ,then will co-axial output of CD player be better than that of budget DVD player ?

Yes, the coaxial output of a 'good' CD player will certainly be better than a budget DVD player. As I had explained somewhere else before, a CDP is better at playing two channel music as compared to most budget DVD players.

1.As coaxial is Raw output from any player (CD or DVD), can CD player improve sound quality further?

I had thought I had explained this. A CD stores music in Digital form. This has to be converted into analogue form before it is amplified. A good CD player has the advantage of what is called sampling - in other words it reads the data a number of times before it is sure that the data is correct. This sampling ensures removal of jitter and other noises in the CD. That way, a CD player can do better justice to the music that any other system in the chain can. Of course, all this depends upon the quality of the CD Player.

2.If I use analog connection of CD player,then AVR may convert them in Digital signal for DSP processing, amplifying sound. Then how CD player can improve sound than DVD playwer?

When you connect a CD Player to a AVR through the analogue connections, the DSP processing of the AVR is dis-enabled. All the AVR does is amplify the sound and send it to the speaker.

In an AVR, DSP is used mainly for decoding sound signals such as DTS, Dolby, THX etc. In two channel music, it is just conversion from digital to analogue and amplification. Though digital circuits may be used for amplification, that is not DSP but more a part of the amplifier which does not affect the sound in any way.

Cheers

 

[venkatcr]

Hi,
I have a Pioneer DV-686A-S universal player as my CD player besides watching movies.

Later I took CA 640C V2. To my surprise I liked the Sound from Pioneer.
The Pioneer was Rs.7250/- but the CA was Rs.19,000/-.

So believe in you-HAVE AN AUDITION.

Naren:

This is very surprising. Logically you should getter better sound from the CA 640C. That is a very accomplished player. If you are not getting good sound, maybe it is not connected properly or it is not performing to its capabilities. I am saying this because a 640C plus Onkyo 875 beats my Oppo 983, Pioneer 686, and Pioneer 585 that I have. The Oppo is supposed to be very good at music.

Are you sure you have connected it properly? Maybe if you try different ways of connections, you may improve the sound. What amplifier are you using?

Cheers

 

[psychotropic]

Should Muthuswami consider the Cambridge Audio DVD89 as an interim CDP solution that also plays DVDs well? It costs 10k, which is a shade over his budget of 6-8k, but reviews all over have commended the audio CD playback from this unit, and CA products are generally very musical.....could this be a possibility?

 

[spirovious]

Thanks,

How do you rate Marentz, CA azur ,Nad ,Rotel?

mainly sound,durability,better DAC,better transports ?

Yes, the coaxial output of a 'good' CD player will certainly be better than a budget DVD player. As I had explained somewhere else before, a CDP is better at playing two channel music as compared to most budget DVD players.



I had thought I had explained this. A CD stores music in Digital form. This has to be converted into analogue form before it is amplified. A good CD player has the advantage of what is called sampling - in other words it reads the data a number of times before it is sure that the data is correct. This sampling ensures removal of jitter and other noises in the CD. That way, a CD player can do better justice to the music that any other system in the chain can. Of course, all this depends upon the quality of the CD Player.



When you connect a CD Player to a AVR through the analogue connections, the DSP processing of the AVR is dis-enabled. All the AVR does is amplify the sound and send it to the speaker.

In an AVR, DSP is used mainly for decoding sound signals such as DTS, Dolby, THX etc. In two channel music, it is just conversion from digital to analogue and amplification. Though digital circuits may be used for amplification, that is not DSP but more a part of the amplifier which does not affect the sound in any way.

Cheers

 

[RB9]

SuhasG,

I am very much aware of the possibility of using a DVD player as a CD transport. I am myself using a Oppo 983 for Video and an Oppo 980 for Audio.

Cheers

Hi venket, i was just going through this thread & found that you are using DV-983H for movies & DV-980 for the audio. Where as the company says that they have used hi end parts & also changes the audio section to have better audio out put . as per them 983H is the the best of both world (audio & video)......!! can you pls adv as why you are still using the 980 for audio ????
Regards
RB9

 

[venkatcr]

Hi venket, i was just going through this thread & found that you are using DV-983H for movies & DV-980 for the audio. Where as the company says that they have used hi end parts & also changes the audio section to have better audio out put . as per them 983H is the the best of both world (audio & video)......!! can you pls adv as why you are still using the 980 for audio ????
Regards
RB9

Well I originally bought the 980 as a video cum CD player. Then when the 983 came out, I immediately purchased it for the Anchor Bay technology and up-scaling to 1080p,

The two channel audio circuitry of both 980 and 983 are identical. Oppo has not made any changes to that. It has changed only the video circuitry introducing Anchor Bay in place of Fardoudja for the 983.

In terms of two channel music, I can't make out any difference between the 980 and 983. So I am using the 980 for music and the 983 for video. This is more for convenience in terms of connections etc. I have connected the 980 through analogue, while the 983 is connected through HDMI.

I will be replacing the 980 with a dedicated CDP in some time.

Cheers

 

[venkatcr]

Thanks,
How do you rate Marentz, CA azur ,Nad ,Rotel?
mainly sound,durability,better DAC,better transports ?

Well Spirovious, I have never heard the Rotel, so I cannot comment. Between the NAD and the CA, you can hardly make any difference. Both are good brands, and make good equipment. NAD has been in India longer, while CA has been very aggressive over the last two years or so.

The CA 640 pair of CD player and amplifier is a formidable combination in their price range.

Similarly The NAD 320BEE and the 521 CD Player were an excellent pair. The 320BEE was based upon the legendary 3020 amplifier of NAD. NAD has replaced these units with the 355BEE and the 525. These have also been performing well in the market.

In the late 1900's, Marantz had a series of CD Players that had model numbers ending with OSE that were very popular. Then came Marantz's Ken Ishiwata who took the CDPs to a legendary level with his KI signature. This kind of died out around 2002/2003 when NAD and CA started reigning the market. Since 2007, Marantz has retaken the market with their 4000, 5000, 6000, and 7000 series of CD Players and amplifiers.

Ultimately what helps you make the decision? A number of things:

1. Your budget.
2. A specification comparison of the 3 or 4 brands that meet the specs within your budget. Look for DAC, power, connections, types of CD playable, etc. Look for THD and SNR, speaker impedance.
1. You personal audition of the shortlisted candidates with the kind of music you like. This step should never be skipped.
2. The service provided by the dealer from whom you buy the equipment.

Cheers

 

[spirovious]

Hi,

Dont panic,
My thinking-
I may be wrong

1.cd> laser> DAC(sampling)> analoge output

2.cd> laser> Digital output(coaxial)

Then is there any point in investing money for CD player or simply use DVD player?(as no DAC use in digital link)

Secondly are there CD players which can play MP3 also?

Yes, the coaxial output of a 'good' CD player will certainly be better than a budget DVD player. As I had explained somewhere

else before, a CDP is better at playing two channel music as compared to most budget DVD players.



I had thought I had explained this. A CD stores music in Digital form. This has to be converted into analogue form before it is amplified. A good CD player has the advantage of what is called sampling - in other words it reads the data a number of times before it is sure that the data is correct. This sampling ensures removal of jitter and other noises in the CD. That way, a CD player can do better justice to the music that any other system in the chain can. Of course, all this depends upon the quality of the CD Player.



When you connect a CD Player to a AVR through the analogue connections, the DSP processing of the AVR is dis-enabled. All the AVR does is amplify the sound and send it to the speaker.

In an AVR, DSP is used mainly for decoding sound signals such as DTS, Dolby, THX etc. In two channel music, it is just conversion from digital to analogue and amplification. Though digital circuits may be used for amplification, that is not DSP but more a part of the amplifier which does not affect the sound in any way.

Cheers