Advice on CD Player

[bonsaiguitar]

I'm pretty set on a Marantz CD5003 due to budget, specs, and reading extensive reviews. My question is; is there really that much difference sound wise between a CD player and DVD player?

I have a really nice Harmon Kardon DVD27 that seems to sound fine to me. But I've read people posting that they don't sound as good as a dedicated CD player. Of course I caught the bug again and bought a tube amp that I'm waiting to get in. Right now the power source is a Harmon Kardon AVR340 through Klipsch RF-82's which I love. I'm also building a couple of sets of speakers which I will get into later.

I remember when CD's came out and the difference in sound back then. But that was before DVD's came along. So is it worth paying $285 additional for? I'm also 46 so my ears no longer hear what I once could.

Thanks

[blackraven]

I think that a good CD player will add a great deal tmo the sound. Whats your budget?

Here are a few CD players and Blu-Ray players that cost under $1k

Marantz 5003 about $350 a great budget CD player with a warmer sound
Music Hall 25.2 - $550 very detailed, slightly pushed back sound with good air and transparency
Emotiva ERC-1 - $399 and a great buy, probalby the best buy in the group if money is an issue, compares to players in the $1-2K range, this is the only one I have not heard, but people on this forum love it.
Cambridge Audio 640c -$600
Oppo BD-83 bluray universal player-$499 a stereophile magazine Class A rating. One of the best Blu-Ray players available.
Oppo BD-83SE-$899 improved analog playback and SACD play, even better than the one above, would be a great choice as a stand alone CD/SACD player and its one of the best Blu-Ray players available
Cambridge Audio 740c $1k well worth the money, very detailed sound with excellent treble, tight bass, great resolution. Would pair well in a tube system.
Marantz SA8003 SACDP- $1k nice warm rich sound on CD play and better on SACD, most tube like of the bunch.
Rega Apollo- $900 another great bargain, does everything well, compares to players costing hundreds more.

These are just the one's I've heard and feel comfortable recommending.

[bonsaiguitar]

About $350, though I did find the Marantz for $285 new shipped. Thus the heavy lean in that direction. And the reviews were amazing. I've nver heard of the Emotiva until recently but that's a close second. I also have a Samsung Blueray player. I guess I'm trying to decide more if I need one or not. I am leaning towards a purer sound audio only system and that's what this would be for. Heck, come to think of it I also have a Sony DVD recorder/player and Sony 5 disc changer but they've been in boxes for a few years.

Would you buy a new dedicated single CD player or just use one of these?

[blackraven]

I would buy a dedicated CD player as most of the members here would. Which ever you decide, make sure you use some quality RCA IC's to connect the CD player to your preamp. Check out www.bluejeanscable.com $30 for good IC's. The speaker wire and HDMI cables are excellent too.

I would buy the Emotiva if you can swing the extra bucks! Just take a look at how much it weighs, about 18#'s. Reviews have been very good.

[Mr Peabody]

How is your HK DVD player hooked to the receiver. If using a digital connection the digital to analog conversion is done in the receiver. When using the digital connection to the receiver you probably will not hear a difference between any players. When using the digital connection the player feeds the digital signal to the receiver and it does the decoding. Where the improved sound for music comes into play is when you buy a CD player that has better sound than the receiver, you'd then use the analog output. When using the analog output the digital to analog conversion is done in the player. Generally, a CD player will have better playback sound than a DVD player. Although some of the universal players can sometimes break that rule. It just really depends on the players.

Which tube amp did you get?

[bonsaiguitar]

That's the way I was leaning. The HK is connected digital. I think it sounds pretty good. But it's in a different system. I'm going ahead with the Marantz CD5003. It fits more into what I'm doing with this setup. The tube amp is a handmade kit with EL34's. 20 watt per channel. I'm building a speaker kit with some Dalquist parts and boxes from parts express and some other odds and ends. I also have some Pinnacle bookshelf’s I can try. I'll probably do a lot of experimenting with this system.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Mr Peabody]

The 5003 is a stand out unit in it's price range with a warm sound, it should have good synergy with the tube amp.

[bonsaiguitar]

Thanks