CD Players

[turbokuo]

I just got N802's a few weeks ago and need a CD player of decent/good quality (been using my Xbox while researching). Any recommendations? I really don't feel like spending more than 400 bucks.

Thanks a bunch!

[ti33er]

I had a "Cambridge Audio 640C" CD Player a while ago, I thought this was really good for the money?

[Kens1]

Cambridge Audio 640c for me too. You have to jump in price by a thousand dollars to get much better than this. It would retail for $400.00 - $500.00 US.
Great sounding cd player - audition one.

[turbokuo]

Guys,

Do CD players make that big a difference?

What's the difference between the Cambridge Audio 640c and a $150 Sony DVD/CD player since the Cambridge uses Sony optics?

Suprising but my Xbox doesn't sound that bad but then again I have nothing to compare it to.

[ti33er]

The DACs are what make the difference ...I also used my Xbox with my Nautilus initially and when I changed over and it took me a while to really notice the differences - the sound from the CA was smoother and less clinical, also more depth to some tracks (and no annoying whining noise from that nasty Xbox fan!)

[turbokuo]

The DACs are what make the difference ...I also used my Xbox with my Nautilus initially and when I changed over and it took me a while to really notice the differences - the sound from the CA was smoother and less clinical, also more depth to some tracks (and no annoying whining noise from that nasty Xbox fan!)

Hehe, ya the whining/spinning noise is annoying. When comparing DAC's what am I looking for? Bit number and/or DAC brand?

[herotongtong]

same here

I also got the "Cambridge Audio 640C" great CD player , very details, no complain at all .

[Jeff]

There is more to performance than bit numbers and dac mfr. I auditioned the Rotel RCD-1072 in my home before purchase. The stats on that are not as good as my dvd player but the Rotel was superior in many ways.

Try to bring the players home to audition. You will likely save youself some second thoughts down the road. Don't forget to bring a first rate pair of interconnect home with the cd player.

When playing the Rotel with a normal Monster 550i interconnects the Rotel sounded like a dvd player you would purchase at Best Buys. I borrowed a good pair of connects from the dealer at the same time...glad I did. It would be like running your N802's from a $1,000 HT receiver. Not a good choice.

The Rotel is very natural sounding with a black backgound. My N802's love it.

[js24]

What I noticed when I was building my current system was that as the quality of CDP went up more layers of 'veil' were being lifted

the difference between ~$600 dennon (don't remember the model #) and MF A5 was crystal clear
don't forget your 802 is ruthlessly revealing :evil:
good luck :T

[Kens1]

I believe the CA 640c also sports the Wolfson DAC's (correct me if I'm wrong) which are used in more high end players. I remember reading a review that stated these DAC's literally suck all the information off the cd and reveal all details.
I noticed way more detail with this player as opposed to the old technics player I was using. I find this player very smooth sounding as well without the brightness the technics had.

[luszer]

More quality players.....

A few other choices that can be had on the used market as well:

Rega Planet 2000

Arcam CD72/73 and possibly CD82

NAD 541i and the 542

[PewterTA]

I'll chime in as well. I've had my CA Azur 640c ($450.00 shipped) for about 2 weeks now and I can say it is amazing. It definitely reveals details that I've not really noticed, but stuff is also very much more "balanced." By that I mean that not only is sounds imaged better, but if a guitar or any musical instrument is supposed to be soft and in the background. It really feels like it's back there, where before it was just equal to all the other sounds. I've noticed that a lot of time vocals are placed either in front of the music and are powerful or behind the music where you focus on the instruments playing over the vocals (which I've not heard before with listening to my Pioneer CD and DVD players).

I think as long as you have one of the CD players listed above, it will definitely improve your music a lot. Just make sure to give yourself and the player (if buying new) about 30 - 60 hours and you will be amazed at the detail.

I just wish I had the N802(D)s to really show off what the CD player can/can't do.

Another interesting side note I should say. Is with the CA 640c I now can easily hear the difference in a CD that was made from Mp3s over an actual CD. I have a lot of CDs that are in Mp3 format and occationally I'll make a CD out of them instead of pulling the image back off my tape drive. Before I thought this sounded fine, could notice a little quality loss, but for driving around in the car and not really caring was fine. Well I popped in two of those discs into the Azur 640c, wow, I could so easily hear it was an mp3 it wasn't even funny. I could tell how flat and "compressed" the sound was, just no dynamics at all. ...and all my Mp3s are 192 - 320 VBR, so the quality is "decent." Time to go lossless I guess.

[herotongtong]

Thats why i sold my rotel 1072 cd player...just keeping my 640C:T .compare to my 640c the rotel really s**k :twistedsorry to saying it ) .

[turbokuo]

Thats why i sold my rotel 1072 cd player...just keeping my 640C:T .compare to my 640c the rotel really s**k :twistedsorry to saying it ) .

Can you elaborate on the differences on the sound quality of both players? What made the CA better than the Rotel?

Thanks!

[PewterTA]

For me, I think the 640c felt a little more detailed. Not that the rotel wasn't by any means...but maybe because the 1072 is a little more warmer, I felt like there was just a slight something missing from it. Now when I say that, I'm talking more in the high's not the lower bass region. To me they both did the bass identical.

Its sort of like if I was here the full 100% of the sound with the 640c, I only heard like 95% of it with the Rotel. They are both very very very close in terms of sound quality...but the price difference, and the fact that I liked the detail and clarity of the 640c a slight bit more, it was worth keeping it.

If you like a little bit brighter of a sound (as they say) then the 640c fights the bill a little bit better than the 1072. I felt like the 1072 was a slight bit too soft in the upper range (now saying a slight bit, I mean a slight bit). If I had not had both units right next to each other, testing back and forth, I would've never known the difference. Even if I had to disconnect the unit to hook up the other unit, that minute or so difference might have nullified any differences. That's how close they are.

So for the 640c being had at $450 over the Rotel's more expensive price tag, I kept (well the 1072 wasn't mine to keep anyways...as it was my friend's) the 640c.

Hope that helps some...

[turbokuo]

Thanks PewterTA!

[bordin]

Hi, I had my RCD-1072 modded. Now I'm extremely happy. Search for threads about mod in Club Rotel.

FYI..