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Bronze Member Username: Ward2400Post Number: 20 Registered: May-06 | Dear all - I am not an audiophile, but am looking to enjoy my cds through my current audio system. I currently use my dvd player to listen but am considering getting a dedicated cd player. Have read the reviews here and am considering the Marantz cc4300 of possibly a refurbished NAD C542. My current set-up is as follows: Yamaha HTR-5850 Denon DVP1730 Polk Audio RTi8 L&R Polk Audio CSi3 Center Mirage Nanosats SL & SR (odd room configuration and these seem to work well with flexible placement) Thee real issue for me is the basic question of whether I will hear any difference by going to a dedicated cd given my equipmet? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 925 Registered: Dec-03 | Threshold question: do you currently connect your DVD player with a digital (coax or toslink) or analog (RCAs) connection? If you currently use a digital connection, adding a dedicated CD player will do next to nothing, IMO, for your sound because the Yamaha receiver will still be doing the digital to analog conversion, so the sound will not appreciably change. If you use an analog connection, using a dedicated CD player can have a huge improvement, depending upon the CD player chosen. You will not hear much improvement through the Marantz. Marantz CD players in North America are quite pedestrian sounding. However, the NAD would be a huge improvement that I would have no doubt you would hear it. In fact, if you are currently using a digital connection to the receiver, changing to an analog connection with the NAD would be a major improvement. The NAD simply uses much better D/A converters than does your Yamaha. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 3993 Registered: Dec-04 | Not much to add to Hawk's very appropriate response, but this. Try a few players if you can. My own experience would put a Rotel 1070 or 1072(hdcd) in the same class as the Nad. Another player might start to run up the bill for similar quality of delivery. Rega is selling a lot of Apollo's. If you follow Hawk's advise above, the path will clear itself. |
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Bronze Member Username: Ward2400Post Number: 21 Registered: May-06 | Hawk and Nuck - Thank you for your very sound advice. I am going to start investigating the NAD and the Rotel models you suggested. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 3998 Registered: Dec-04 | There are others to be sure, D. I think Hawk and I are quoting from personal experience, though there may be a great player out there that fits your ears/budget. The better ones ain't cheap. If you go the refurbed route(who does Nad refurb?) you might get a unit hand tested. Or you might get a problem child. Brand new, you might get a problem child. Good luck, do let us know would ya? |
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Bronze Member Username: Ward2400Post Number: 22 Registered: May-06 | Nuck - I found the NAD refurb at http://www.spearitsound.com/nad/C542.asp |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 3999 Registered: Dec-04 | Cheap. Hard to beat that player for that outlay. Again, the refurb is always a Q-mark, but the seller is well known. Nice. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4000 Registered: Dec-04 | D, did you confirm your current connections, as Hawk advised? Rather inportant, in fact. |
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Bronze Member Username: Ward2400Post Number: 23 Registered: May-06 | Nuck - Yeah, I am using digital-optical from the dvd player to the receiver. When I started setting up my home theater I rediscovered a somewhat dorment love for music. While my CDs sound good with the current set-up, they don't sound GREAT. I am hoping that bringing in a CD player I will bring out some more detail in the sound. I realize that a great deal also has to do with the speakers, but the RTi8s sounded good to me and was in my price range. Do you think the NAD C542 connected via analog will achieve a more detailed and clean sound? Thanks for all your help. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4002 Registered: Dec-04 | D, give it a try! Ya gotta maximize your current setup to have a reference for a new one. And clean your discs! Pledge clean and wipe anti static spray on a super fine cloth or chamois wipe inside to out. Really! |
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Bronze Member Username: Ward2400Post Number: 24 Registered: May-06 | Nuck - I have started thinnking about a new direction and would welcome your input (feel free to tell me I'm crazy). Instead of getting a dedicated cd player (NAD C542) should I upgrade the DVD player to one that has higher quality sound output and SACD capability (do not have any SACDs at the present time)? I have read some good things about the Cambridge dvd89. Thanks again. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4004 Registered: Dec-04 | D, the cambridge 89 is a very vapable unit, Larry is very happy with his, and he did his homework. Again, I will stess that a uni-player or dvd will give away a ton of quality as compared to a cdp. Period. You already have a capable dvd player, when the time comes to seperate sound and vision, it is done with a sharp sword. A cdp will make all the differece in the world. Listen to a few. |
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Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1811 Registered: Feb-04 | It's my recollection that Edster bought that marantz CDP at some point based on AZ's recommendation, would still rated the NAD 542 above the Marantz but liked it. Will you hear a difference? Hard to say until you try (as it also depends on the DVD player you were using in the first place, and I don't know that model). But please do come back and let us know. Your DVD player has Burr-Brown 24-bit/192kHz audio DACs for high-resolution sound so you would compare the sound you get using the RCA analog outputs from the DVD to an analog input on your receiver. Also try the 6/8 channel direct inputs on the receiver if it has them. They bypass lots of digital processing. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4012 Registered: Dec-04 | A BB DAC does not guarantee a proper resolution, Peter, the guts and wires before and after are key. If the guts are working to feed more than the original 2 channels, you may as well use a maytag wringer/washer for the task. |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 776 Registered: Nov-05 | Based on my experience, the Marantz CC4300 will surpass the average DVD player for CD playback. The NAD C542 easily surpasses the CC4300 and is also little better than the Denon DVD-2900 universal which costs 3 times the price here in Aus. If I was given the choice of owning one of the above only, it would be the DVD-2900 for all around format quality and versatility. So it depends what is personally important - CD quality vs format versatility. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4013 Registered: Dec-04 | MR, you guys must hate when we here say Oz. Aus is more accurate, I shall try to use this abbreviation from now on. The 542 cdp is the only option for stereo playback, 'ceptin the Rotel 1070, u'course. Yowsa! |
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Bronze Member Username: Ward2400Post Number: 25 Registered: May-06 | Thank you all. Based on Peter's suggestion, I connected my Denon DVD using analog cables and did an AB with the digital connection. I could not notice a real difference. Once again, both sounded good but not great. Looks like its time to try a cdp. |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 777 Registered: Nov-05 | Nuck, OZ, Aus, downunder, where the hell's that, etc, doesn't matter to me. I know where I am. At least for now. DMW, we shall await your reports. |
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Silver Member Username: Uback007Post Number: 123 Registered: Mar-06 | I would also have a listen to the Cambridge Audio 640c V.2. It will set you back $500.00 - but its getting a lot of great reviews. It has separate Wolfson DACs for each channel. Also the original v.1 of the 640c sounds pretty good as well.. one can be had at Spearitsound.com for about $369.00 Have a listen to each and see what they do for your ears... Amazing :-) |
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Bronze Member Username: Ward2400Post Number: 26 Registered: May-06 | Just to make my life more confusing - what do you guys think of a B-stock Onix xcd-99 for $319? How would that compare to a B-stock NAD c542 for $369? Thanks and I promise to make a decision shortly. |
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Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 786 Registered: Nov-05 | Sorry, DMW - haven't heard the Onix and I doubt I will here downunder. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 938 Registered: Dec-03 | DMW: I have never heard of the Onix player, so I can't opine. However, it is not a brand that has any reputation at all, to my knowledge. I will observe that the NAD is a much sought after player because it has earned a great reputation for great sound. This is because NAD's engineers spent quite a bit of time working with different parts until they got the sound quality they wanted--they didn't just use stock parts from the lowest cost vendor. For all I know, Onix is another mass produced, lowest cost parts machine, such as your Denon. What kind of D/A converters does it have? Does it have a separate power supply for the D/A conversion like the NAD, or just a single power supply? Are the analog output stages electrically isolated from the digital stages? These are some of the issues NAD addressed when it designed the 542 in order to get better sound. So, my question to you is: What do you want? Are you looking for great sound or are you just looking for "good deal"? How you answer this question will determine the CD player you should buy. |