CD player/transport suggestion

[pyroponic]

Denon DVD-2900, Rotel RMB-1095, Rotel RSP-1068, Crossover-modded RF-7 x 2, RC-7, RB-75 x 2, RSW-15 (all cherry Klipsch)

The above is my current system. Originally meant as an largely HT set up, ever since I upgraded my RF-7's i've been listening to much more music than before. So I think it's time to retire the Denon player for CDs and get a dedicated player. Any advice is appreciated.

[DrJRapp]

Your setup is very similar to what mine used to be. Actually, the Denon 2900 wasn't too bad for CDs when using the 2900s own internal dacs but I found that the DAcs in my 1098 were just as good. Then I went ahead and bought as Shanling CDT100 just for the wow factor and found that the improvement in SQ was monumental.

With the Xover mods to your RF7s (mine were DeanG's) you can descern the subtle differences between different CD players. The Rotel RCD 1072, while a nice piece, basically will sound very similar to the Denon. With your gear I would recommend the Cambridge Audio Azur 640C. Scott (Orangepeel) has that exact setup...you may want to give him a shout, or search for his comments on the CA from last month.

[pyroponic]

Yeah I'll definately check out that Cambridge, my main candidates are the Arcam CD73T and of course Rotel RCD-1072. I agree with you 100% on Dean's upgrades, they are absolutely fantastic. Is there anything I should look for in particular in terms of specs/construction?

[DrJRapp]

Is there anything I should look for in particular in terms of specs/construction?

High s/n ratio and high dynamic range. Low jitter will help both of those specs.
Specs can only tell part of the story, the sound character of the DACs in the device can make a difference. One of the reason's that I like the CA players is that they use the same Wolfson DACs that some $3-$4K players use.