A lttle help
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Bronze Member Username: DrewquanPost Number: 30 Registered: Aug-08 | nad c525bee $270.00 nad c542bee $299.00 nad c515b33 $249.00 marantz c5003 $349.00 cambridge azur 340c $329.00 all of these are in my price range and all seem to be well reviewed by many. can anyone give me some feed back on which might be the better buy. they are all with in a hundred dollars from each other . are there many differences between them. i am looking to pair up with the KING REX t20 amp and pre amp along with the power supply. i am also looking for new speakers. currently using a pair of old polk rt800i. right now just looking for a new cd player. it is impossible for me to listen to any of these. my listening habits are mainly blues and jazz. like a smooth sound not overly bright |
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Silver Member Username: HawkbillyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 388 Registered: Jul-07 | "Smooth" can mean different things to different folks. My own take would be that an Oppo disk player would be cheaper than all of the units you have listed and perform just as well if not better. I've read of some issues here with certain Oppo models though (not reliability issues, but quirks not desireable for music playback). Might be worth a look. They are not "bright" at all, but I would describe the NAD's that way, especially if paired with low-end amplification. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 8116 Registered: Feb-05 | The C542 for $299 is a steal...take it and run. The The best Oppo for music is also the quirkiest, I sent mine back and only have an Oppo for HT...even that is beginning to develop issues...no more Oppo for me...no free lunch. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkbillyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 389 Registered: Jul-07 | I know you've had issues with yours Art, which is unfortunate. I've had mine trouble free for over a year doing double duty as a transport and for movies, so it gets lots of use. My old 541i wasn't superior at all to the Oppo in overall sound quality. More detail yes, but at the expense of pronounced digititis. If someone took my DAC away, I'd rather listen to the Oppo than my NAD. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 8126 Registered: Feb-05 | Actually I've 2 and had trouble with both. The best of the Oppos players cuts off part of the beginning of each soun...fact not fiction and not acceptable to me. If it weren't for that I'd still have it. The folks at Oppo told me that they were aware of the problem and there is nothing they could do about it and graciously took mine back. The problem is still there and the player is still flawed. If you don't mind a bit less sound quality the player I presently have in the HT doesn't have that same issue instead it has an intermittently noisy transport. The 980H was the player I sent back and the 981HD is the player I have in my HT. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkbillyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 390 Registered: Jul-07 | Some quality issues for sure. When they get it right, they make a nice product for the money. |
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Bronze Member Username: DrewquanPost Number: 31 Registered: Aug-08 | chris when you say low end amps you mean low power or cheap amps. |
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Bronze Member Username: DrewquanPost Number: 32 Registered: Aug-08 | Chris,I am trying to understand if this statement is some sort of typo."Oppo models quirks not desirable for music playback)" I want it for music play back i also see that you have a NAD and you use a DAC. What model CD and DAC are you using? I was hoping someone who has listen to some of the cd players i listed would be able to give me some feed back. i just dont have the the chance to see any of these cd player in person. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkbillyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 391 Registered: Jul-07 | The "quirks" Art could speak to better than I. I believe one of the models of Oppo he had for a bit had an issue where it would kick out, and then back in late on the dead space between tracks on a cd. This I think caused you to miss the first few seconds of every song. Not good for music playback, and obviously an oversight from a manufacturer focused on dvd playback. Mine doesn't do that, but it's a year older model. The NAD cd player I have is stored in the basement, and hasn't been used for almost a year. It's a 541i. The Oppo sounds better as a transport than the NAD does, so I switched. The DAC is a CI Audio VDA-2 with the VAC-1 power supply. Awesome combination. I shouldn't be too hard on NAD as I know their cdp's aren't bad value. It all depends on your listening tastes. Mine agravated me from the time I purchased it. Just wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't suit someone else just fine. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkbillyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 392 Registered: Jul-07 | I just realized I missed your other post. By "low end" amps, I mean cheap amps that don't have enough thrown into components and power supplies. Best Buy or Future Shop type stuff, although I'm sure they sell some decent stuff as well. |
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Bronze Member Username: DrewquanPost Number: 33 Registered: Aug-08 | chris, thanks for your input. what i am trying to do is put together a low budget system that is made up of quality gear. i started with the king rex amp,power supply and pre amp based on great reviews on 6 moons web site. now i am looking for a cd player and then some speakers. i have been looking for advise on some budget cd player(quality) i do not have the local stereo stores that sell these kind of players. i dont know how you guys hear so many units, but you have much more knowledge than i do. i have also come across the bada 19 player with tube output. any take on bada 19? i am new to the audiophile world and can use help finding out as much as possible before i purchase anything. i will most likely be buying off the internet and would like to avoid return shipping fees. as this could become costly in auditioning lots of cd players. you also mentioned using a dac. while i know what they are and how they work, i think i am missing one point about the dac. what would make one cd player better than another as a transport? also what makes for a good DAC? again i would never be able to find a large selection of DAC's in my area. thanks for your help |
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Silver Member Username: Jazzman71Phoenix, AZ USA Post Number: 356 Registered: Dec-07 | chris, thanks for your input. what i am trying to do is put together a low budget system that is made up of quality gear. Sorry, a bit of an oxymoron I'm afraid, especially in terms of source. The "quality" stuff in my opinion starts at $500-600 used. I happen to believe that you put a bit more into the source gear because that is where you get the most bang for your buck. Of course, that is my perspective on "quality". Your results may vary. You are starting right by looking into the CDP first. You would be surprised how many buy speakers and then try and match everything else up to them. Don't do that, IMHO. That is like buying a guitar amp and then going looking for a guitar that sounds good with it. Has anyone heard this one? Could this be an option for Andrew to consider? http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1231452929&/Music-Hall-CD25.2 Andrew, if you must stick to the sub-$400 price range, my advice would be to try and find an excellent used one and go up the ladder a little. Many of us in this hobby tend to upgrade, sometimes literally within days of receiving new gear.  Thus, used gear comes on the market, often in mint condition, for 50-75% of retail. The current economic situation will only make used gear even more cost-effective, as the retailers lower prices and offer everything from zero interest to two-night hotel stays in Las Vegas to lure buyers and stay in business. Used gear sellers must compete with this by lowering their prices as well. If quality used gear is not feasible for you, I would find a new one with a liberal return policy since you state you cannot listen to them before buying. Where are you located? |
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Silver Member Username: HawkbillyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 393 Registered: Jul-07 | while i know what they are and how they work, i think i am missing one point about the dac. what would make one cd player better than another as a transport? also what makes for a good DAC? I'm far from the expert on what technically makes one cdp better than another as a transport. I just listen to them and decide which sounds better. I expect it has to do with power supply, internal clocking, the output stages, and other things. What makes a good DAC comes back to what your ear prefers. Many people think the Benchmark DAC1 is a very good DAC....which I suppose it is. It was not to my tastes however. Very lean sounding to me, although others rave about the accuracy and detail. Again, it's all in perspective. Neil makes some good points. Be patient and keep reading. You're on the right path. You'll find something that matches your ear and pocketbook, it it's just a little harder to come by in that price range. |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 3338 Registered: Sep-04 | Of the three NADs in your list, my pick is the C542 (there is no C542BEE yet as far as I know). It's a very good player for the money. |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 11098 Registered: Dec-04 | The 542 is a standard in the price range for good reason... |
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Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 2019 Registered: Nov-05 | I concur with Art, Frank and Nuck. I had the C542 only to be bettered by an Apollo, and Naim CDi. That's more than two to three times the price when the C542 was $699 here. The others are better to my ears, but fools like me pay a lot more for little increments. For a budget, the C542 at the price you quoted is an absolute no brainer. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkbillyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 397 Registered: Jul-07 | I'm not saying that the 542 isn't a deal at the price. My point is that the original ask was for "smooth sound not overly bright". That's not how I'd describe that player. JMO. |
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Bronze Member Username: DrewquanPost Number: 34 Registered: Aug-08 | has any one listen to the bada 19 |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 3357 Registered: Sep-04 | Incidentally, NAD have a new model which I believe is a replacement for the C542 - it's called the C545BEE. I have not heard it and I very much doubt I will get the opportunity to do so (moving away from NAD). |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 8152 Registered: Feb-05 | Going back a couple of days. The Oppo quirk was that it cut out the first split second of every song...not so good. |
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