best cd player around 1000?

hi there, i'm looking for an upgrade from my nad 521 cd player. i think i have around $1000. what's the best i can get? i use redbook cd only. i don't much about cd players around that price range but i audited cambridge 840c sometime ago but i didn't think i like them a lot. thanks

You have lots of options in the range.... My two favourites would be the Marantz 8001 and the Rotel RCD-1072......

But I think the Rega Apollo and the Arcam CD72 are also in your price range...

the rega apollo would be the best you can get in that range...

but a marantz SA-8001 is a very good one too, and it does sacd as well!

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

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Originally Posted by bonethugz

hi there, i'm looking for an upgrade from my nad 521 cd player. i think i have around $1000. what's the best i can get? i use redbook cd only. i don't much about cd players around that price range but i audited cambridge 840c sometime ago but i didn't think i like them a lot. thanks

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What does it mean to 'audit' a CD player?

So far the others have all mentioned some great units...I would like to add the following...


MUSIC HALL Maverick SACD/CD player
PARASOUND D200 New Classic
NAD T585
CREEK Classic CD 50 (might be a bit over 1K)
CREEK Evolution CD (under 1K)
ROKSAN Kandy KC1 (also a bit over 1K)

I think he means audition

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Originally Posted by PeruvianSkies

What does it mean to 'audit' a CD player?

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"Audit" = listen to.

I'll second the Rega Apollo -- I purchased one! But it depends on what's important to you. IMHO, what I like about the Apollo is that it gets "prat" right, and very little else wrong -- the spin-up time is a little long, and it's pretty sensitive to scratches and mars on the surface, and even more sensitive to CD-R's, so if that's important to you, then I would recommend getting something else.

I'd go with the MUSIC HALL Maverick...that sucker is Saaweeeeeeeeeet!!! Check it out.

MUSIC HALL Maverick? i like the mavs but i'm a hawks fan:) you guys are great and very helpful.

i've been searching on the internet for a while now. i did hear/read some good things about creek evolution, arcam 72/3 and rega apollo too. too bad i had my eyes on some naim cd player(over my budget). they look so good and i heard/read they sound very very nice too. have you guys heard about some chinese cd player? some eastsound e5 and some cayin cd player rumor to be very good for the money and they're about 7/8 hundred dollars.


i guess i should've included a little background so you guys can help me better. i'm very new to this high/higher end stuff. i listen to only through my headphone, of course with a couple of headphone amps. i know my next step will be speaker once i got my headphone rig setup(or if i can have enough money). i know i got a rap group name but i don't listen to rap, or at least not as much as i used to. now i'm a jazz fan. anything i need to tell you guys? thanks guys

I like my SA-8001 and its headamp is pretty good for my ATH-AD1000 but not great. I need to get a tube/valve headamp soon. Do you have an external headamp and what headphones are you using?

oh and it sounds great in my system. No experience with any Rega or MH. I just know who I can trust on this site, but not sure about who they trust.....

D2JRA

i have a akg k601, beyer dt990 pro, ultrasone hfi550 and some more using a meier audio headfive headphone amp, project headbox mk ii amp. will be getting a chinese tube amp darkvoice 336i soon.

I apologize for getting off the topic.. have you considered the kit from Bottlehead? I've considered these http://www.pacificvalve.us/Headphones.html but http://www.bottlehead.com/et/adobespc/S.E.X./SEX.htm is getting some great reviews.

I have yet to hear advices on keeping the exisiting player and getting an external DAC. Have you considered it? If so, why would you rather get a new CDP instead?

D2JRA

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Originally Posted by bonethugz

hi there, i'm looking for an upgrade from my nad 521 cd player. i think i have around $1000. what's the best i can get? i use redbook cd only. i don't much about cd players around that price range but i audited cambridge 840c sometime ago but i didn't think i like them a lot. thanks

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Maybe the Consonance CD-120 Linear.Getting good reviews.

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Originally Posted by Death2Jrhymeammo

I like my SA-8001 and its headamp is pretty good for my ATH-AD1000 but not great. I need to get a tube/valve headamp soon. Do you have an external headamp and what headphones are you using?

oh and it sounds great in my system. No experience with any Rega or MH. I just know who I can trust on this site, but not sure about who they trust.....

D2JRA

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If your looking for a great tube amp look at the Yarland P100 at www.tsto.com It's a new Chinese amp that recently came out .Also,I'm a member of Head-fi and several people bought it by my reommendation.

...I love it...gasp, snort, chortle...a collection of thousand dollar toasters...

Out of curiosity, what does one get in this price range beyond a transport that reads the ones and zeros? Some industrial sculpture? A brand-specific sonic signature? Are they one hundred times better than my GPX port ($7USD after rebate) or ten times better than the 3-disc Onkyo changer that is part of their MC35TECH mini system or my JVC DVD/CDP?

jimHJJ(...no...seriously...I mean it...)

It reads the ones and zeros better, more consistently, with less jitter, and then puts them out at the DAC more accurately, and then doesn't destroy the resultant sound with cheaper op-amps. To my ears, it takes less effort to listen to, and that's the important thing, because I spend quite a bit of time listening to them.

A friend owns a Jolida JD100A, at under $900, it's sweet.

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Originally Posted by Resident Loser

...I love it...gasp, snort, chortle...a collection of thousand dollar toasters...

Out of curiosity, what does one get in this price range beyond a transport that reads the ones and zeros? Some industrial sculpture? A brand-specific sonic signature? Are they one hundred times better than my GPX port ($7USD after rebate) or ten times better than the 3-disc Onkyo changer that is part of their MC35TECH mini system or my JVC DVD/CDP?

jimHJJ(...no...seriously...I mean it...)

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It makes little sense to me why you are even on this forum if all you are going to do is laugh at people who invest in their hobby. There is nothing wrong with people wanting to spend their hard earned money into something that they feel is worthwhile. Just because you are content with your stuff does not give you the right to put others down for doing what they want with theirs. If you can't tell the difference between the high-end and the low-end than so be it, but don't try to mock the rest of us for indulging ourselves in this hobby!

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Originally Posted by PeruvianSkies

It makes little sense to me why you are even on this forum if all you are going to do is laugh at people who invest in their hobby. There is nothing wrong with people wanting to spend their hard earned money into something that they feel is worthwhile. Just because you are content with your stuff does not give you the right to put others down for doing what they want with theirs. If you can't tell the difference between the high-end and the low-end than so be it, but don't try to mock the rest of us for indulging ourselves in this hobby!

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My, my, my...touchy aren't we? While I disagree with DCs response, it was an answer to my question, unlike your rather defensive response...

Last things first...Who exactly did I mock? How do you presume to understand my experience with the hi and lo of it all? When did I put anyone down? When did I tell folks what they should or shouldn't spend their money on? Riddle me that , Batman...

I am a hobbyist...but unlike most so-called hobbyists (gearheads actually) my most important investment is a working knowledge of the hobby...I simply don't throw money at supposed problems or for "improvements"...

Do you have any inkling as to how a CDP actually works? Have you ever seen a block diagram for one? If you had, we probably wouldn't be having this tete-a'-tete...That they are divided into two main segments: one is the optical deck and the other the data processing circuitry. Are you familiar with CIRC? That's Cross Interleaved Reed-Solomon Code, for the uninformed...Any idea of what it is or how it's implemented? That it is a part of the "circuitry" that is always working, looking for error bursts in the data...it's not like Scotty or Worf diverting power to the forward shields due to an attack from the Klingons or the Borg...it does not divert anything from any other part of unit. Error correction is always looking for corrupt data mostly (but not exclusively) in the form of "bad" discs.

And what about jitter? Much ado about nothing...any decently designed CDP dumps data into it's RAM buffer and is parsed-out of said buffer as it becomes full as part of the timebase correction...This process is completely independent of transport speed variations and data-reading hardware...Anything to the contrary is marketing based on psuedo-science and audiophool fears...

Now if we want to get into more robustly-built transports or discrete components vs. ICs/op-amps, I'm all for it...but if your taking an off-the-shelf "drive" and coupling it with a DAC tweaked to fit your sonic signature and packaging it something whose aesthetics appeals more to your sense of style than to any improved level of audio performance, just know what it is that you are actually paying for...not that there's anything wrong with that...snort...

The reason I do what I do, whether it's this subject or wires or any other bit of ignorance-based hype is to show the noobs the flip side of the coin...

jimHJJ(...that quality sound doesn't have to cost big bucks...)

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Originally Posted by Death2Jrhymeammo

I have yet to hear advices on keeping the exisiting player and getting an external DAC. Have you considered it? If so, why would you rather get a new CDP instead?

D2JRA

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In addition to what RL just said, it seems like D2JRA gave a pretty good option too.

i maybe new(a little over a year) to this hi-end audio stuff but i've done some search so i've read about dac vs cd player(i forgot the name). in this hi-fi stuff, it's like ghost, you have to hear it, experience it and feel it to really know what it is. so my next step is a high, higher end cd player first. then next next step is to get a higher end dac so i can see or hear if a higher-end cd player really worth the money.

you guys have been great. more cd player suggestions is appreciated. i'm thinking should i go even like naim cd5? the cd player look so good

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Originally Posted by Death2Jrhymeammo

I like my SA-8001 ...oh and it sounds great in my system. No experience with any Rega or MH. I just know who I can trust on this site, but not sure about who they trust.....

D2JRA

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I think the SA8001 is a great choice, D2JRA, because it plays SACD, (abeit only stereo). Since we're talking players, I have to say I would only ever consider a SACD player, never CD-only player.

Rather, I would look for a DAC. That upgrades both a mediocre player used as a transport, and your computer playback. Since I listen mostly to ripped music, I'd have to be nuts to consider $1000+ CDP.
...

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Originally Posted by Resident Loser

I am a hobbyist...but unlike most so-called hobbyists (gearheads actually) my most important investment is a working knowledge of the hobby...I simply don't throw money at supposed problems or for "improvements"...

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Now if we want to get into more robustly-built transports or discrete components vs. ICs/op-amps, I'm all for it...but if your taking an off-the-shelf "drive" and coupling it with a DAC tweaked to fit your sonic signature and packaging it something whose aesthetics appeals more to your sense of style than to any improved level of audio performance, just know what it is that you are actually paying for...not that there's anything wrong with that...snort...

The reason I do what I do, whether it's this subject or wires or any other bit of ignorance-based hype is to show the noobs the flip side of the coin...

jimHJJ(...that quality sound doesn't have to cost big bucks...)

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These are the kind of issues that really intrigue me.... I started another thread to support this debate (for fear of taking over this thread which is really about $1K CD player recommendations)... but anyway, I've always wondered about the relevance of more expensive CD players.

I have no doubt that components can sound "different" but is that really improvement and value for money or just as RL said a "DAC tweaked to fit your sonic signature"?

Part of what has me wondering, is reading product claims from major manufacturers and the supporting professional reviews. For example: Musical Fidelity constantly claims that their X Series Components sound just as good as their top of the line KW Ultra expensive gear.... AND the reviews seem to support these claims.... NOW for an integrated amp I can understand this, since the difference between the KW and the X series is that the KW has about 10 times the power output... So I can I see where the extra cash is going... More Power, without additional distortion... but for the CD Players? What accounts for a 3:1 difference in price??? Since they are supposed to sound the same???

Also, products like the Musical Fidelity X-Dac V3 and the Marantz CD8260 which cost only $1k (compared to $5K - $10K CD/Transport/DAC) are both Stereophile Class A rated... Not sure what The Benchmark DAC1 is rated but it is also regarded as highly as the Marantz and the MF... So how can three RELATIVELY cheap CD Players/DACs be in the same category with ultra-expensive gear??

It all just makes me wonder whether there really is a reason to buy an expensive CD Player....

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Originally Posted by Resident Loser

And what about jitter? Much ado about nothing...any decently designed CDP dumps data into it's RAM buffer and is parsed-out of said buffer as it becomes full as part of the timebase correction...

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Very few CD players -- and even fewer DVD players -- do this. I am aware of one Sony (professional) that does this, and it does it because it has some fancy DSP in it (pitch-shifting and beat-matching for the DJ's), IIRC.

There's a simple enough reason for this: in DVD players, the sound needs to sync up to the video, so neither are buffered. In CD players, I think it's just done to minimize spin-up time. (Yes, you and I realize that it is an infinitesimally small amount of time, but from a designer's perspective...well, let's just say it's a leftover from the old days, when memory wasn't quite so cheap as it is today.)

I had this argument with someone -- mtrycraft? -- years ago, and I fell for it then because I didn't know any better, but have since learned otherwise.