CD Player $1000-2000 Give or Take
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New member Username: QueuecumberPound Ridge, NY United States Post Number: 1 Registered: Sep-05 | I am currently trying out a Rotel RSD-1072 and a Arcam FMJ CD23 and I am wondering what other CD players I should consider buying. I also tried out the Rega Planet, the Naim CD5i and the Linn Genki at the store. Does anyone have any suggestions on great CD players in the general range I am looking in? I am looking for a dedicated CD player and also want the ability to play HDCD. If I plan on moving into the higher resolution formats quickly as they stabilize is it worth spending more than $1200 on the CD player? Can I get as much quality sound out of a $2-3k player as I would out of SACD/DVD-A/etc (stereo) with all of the upsampling and advanced DAC techniques available on the $2-3k CD players, or is there no substitute for those higher bandwidth mediums? I brought home the Arcam FMJ CD23 and the Rotel RCD-1072 to test on my system and both sound excellent. The Arcam sounds a bit fuller throughout the entire sound range, but it really shines when I play old recordings that weren't recorded well. The deal is, I'm getting the Arcam as a floor/demo model with a full warranty at $1100 price tag, while I am getting the Rotel at $599 as a floor model (but brand new because they couldn't find the floor model remote, so they said they would cut me the same deal on a new one). The Arcam seems like a great deal at this price (plus I need HDCD - I play a lot of Grateful Dead Dick's Picks Bootlegs, etc). Should I jump on this deal and forget about going higher in price? I checked out the Linn Genki at around 1900+ and I didn't notice any differences that would justify paying $800 dollars more, but I had only so much time in the store to go back and forth testing the equipment. My other equipment include: Bryston SP1.7 Bryston 9B STT Pioneer Elite DV 59AVi B&W 7 series surround speakers (703, 705, HTM7, AVS 750) Thank you. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 1689 Registered: Feb-05 | The Rotel is a nice player but for my money the Arcam runs circles around it. I'd bet that the Arcam will give you the greatest long term satisfaction. Great sound, good deal and with the audio principle of diminishing returns you are likely to have to spend significantly more for a slight improvement. Buy the Arcam and enjoy the music. Just my opinion, your mileage may vary. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 5771 Registered: May-04 | " ... I plan on moving into the higher resolution formats quickly as they stabilize ..." Do you know something the rest of us don't? From what I can see of the hi-rez formats, the only way they are going to stabilize is when they finally get put in their grave. SACD and DVD-A have been around for six years now and haven't made a dent in sales. The numbers show there were more LP's sold last year than either of those formats. They are being supplanted by DualDisc, which is its own disaster. I would recommend, if you do not already have a hi-rez library, spend your money on the CD format for now. As to which player to choose, your ears have to decide what matches your system, music and tastes. Our ears can't do that for you. |
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New member Username: QueuecumberPound Ridge, NY United States Post Number: 2 Registered: Sep-05 | "... As to which player to choose, your ears have to decide what matches your system, music and tastes. Our ears can't do that for you. " Yes, but considering the amount of players out there, and considering my time constraints, it makes sense to ask for some advice on brands and models in the range I am exploring. I'm not asking you to pick my equipment, I'm asking you to recommend CD components worth investigating or to help justify or disqualify spending over a certain amount of money. Finally, I am asking whether or not the Arcam FMJ CD23 deal would be stupid to pass up at this point in time. As far as hi-res formats, I've been buying both when an album I like, and don't have, is released and can play on both formats (mostly SACD dual layer), but I do have a few DVD-A discs as well. Obviously the DVD-A format has more potential for full 5.1 hi-res, so it upsets me to support a competing format that is inferior just so I can be safe about my purchase's lifespan, but what else can I do... "Do you know something the rest of us don't?" There is no need to be obnoxious... |
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New member Username: QueuecumberPound Ridge, NY United States Post Number: 3 Registered: Sep-05 | Oh, and thank you for the advice Art and Jan. I bought doubles of one of my favorite CDs so I could switch back and forth between the Arcam and the Rotel quickly (in analog 2 channel bypass mode). The arcam does bring a lot more depth out of the CD (sounds are fuller, the soundstage is vaster, and the instruments are less compressed together on the soundstage). I think I will probably keep it, but first I am going to check around and see if any other dealers around the area have any comparable deals on floor models I can test at home. |
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Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1420 Registered: Feb-04 | I bought doubles of one of my favorite CDs I think copies would constitute fair use... |
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New member Username: QueuecumberPound Ridge, NY United States Post Number: 10 Registered: Sep-05 | I decided to scrap all the low end decisions and took home a Meridian G08 to try out. I loved how well it played music but it seemed to soften singing and recede it into the background in a lot of recordings. So I finally decided on a Wadia 302 which I should receive in a week or two. Happy hunting!  |
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Bronze Member Username: GioPost Number: 41 Registered: Jun-04 | Sounds like a good move. Enjoy ! |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784USA Post Number: 709 Registered: Nov-04 | you need to upgrade that tv jeff. 36" is way too small. |
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Bronze Member Username: PlatoWoodbury, NJ Post Number: 13 Registered: Oct-05 | Jeff, did you get the Wadia? How do you like it? |
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Gold Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 1152 Registered: Jun-05 | The Wadia players are at the top of the list,I would love to have one myself congrats! |
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Bronze Member Username: QueuecumberPound Ridge, NY United States Post Number: 18 Registered: Sep-05 | Nope, I ultimately returned the meridian G08 demo I was trying out, cancelled my Wadia order (the audio place I deal with was having difficulty dealing with them) and put the money towards something else. I traded in all my 7 series B& W speakers and used the $4k from the CD player plus another few thousand to buy B&W 802D speakers. I'm going to have to spend time and save up for a surround system with the 8 series speakers in it. the $12k was worth it for these speakers though. I absolutely love them and the dealer gave me full value back on my old speakers for the trade in since I didn't have them very long. I'm using my Denon DVD-5910 as my CD/Media player, and honestly it sounds worlds better than the Meridian G08 did on my old speakers. The Meridian always made the vocals sound like they were recessed back too far into the music, it made it hard to hear lyrics in many songs. I never got a chance to listen to it with these 802D speakers though, so I can't quite compare them... |
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Bronze Member Username: QueuecumberPound Ridge, NY United States Post Number: 19 Registered: Sep-05 | So, i.e., my new system is composed of: Bryston SP1.7 Bryston 9B SST A pair of B&W 802Ds (bi-amped - rather bi-channelled for now on the 9B SST) Denon DVD-5910 |
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Bronze Member Username: QueuecumberPound Ridge, NY United States Post Number: 20 Registered: Sep-05 | As far as the 36" TV is concerned, that is one of the next considerations once prices drop on the 1080P 60" TVs (most likely SONY). I am going to be able to get one for 10% off MSRP through my dealer. For now I have about two weeks till I pick up my pre-ordered XBOX 360, so the TV upgrade is definitely moving to the top of my priority list quickly. |
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Bronze Member Username: PlatoWoodbury, NJ Post Number: 15 Registered: Oct-05 | Anybody had any experience with the Jolida JD-100 tube player? It seems like an interesting option for about $900. What do you guys think? |
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Gold Member Username: T_bomb25Dayton, Ohio United States Post Number: 1226 Registered: Jun-05 | The Jolida is very good for the money and it will compete with anything up to $2000,and it will have fuller balance than most rivals and you can mod it thru www.responseaudio.com |
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Bronze Member Username: PlatoWoodbury, NJ Post Number: 20 Registered: Oct-05 | TW, thanks for the advice. My other option is the Rotel 1072, which is also a little cheaper. In your opinion, how do they compare? Are the mods worth the money on the Jolida? Also, I was looking at the Jolida tube DVD player. It offers HDCD and dvd-a playback, which makes it very attractive. Do you think that CD playback quality would be a lot worse than a dedicated CD player? |
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