Back from Portland with a new toy. Teri at Stereotypes was gracious and took back the NAD T763 in trade for exactly what I paid.
Heard some incredible gear. Listened to the Prima Luna Prologue driving a pair of Naim Arriva speakers with the $1700 Arcam CD player. Very nice setup.
I decided to trade for a better CD player and the competition was between the Arcam CD73 and the Audio Refinement Complete. Both sounded fabulous. I took several musical selections, 2 pairs of my custom interconnects, and I asked that my pre amp (NAD C162) be used as they sell it. We used 2 different power amps, the NAD C272 and the Audio Refinement Complete. Teri new that my Hafler was better than either but her next amp up trumped my Hafler.
The Arcam was really more of the same as my NAD C542. Very similar presentation but more detail better overall imaging. Good rhythm and pacing with tight refined bass. The high end could get a bit dry and sibilant but not usually.
The Audio Refinement is an altogether different beast leaning way over to the warm side. This CD player made the Naim Arriva's sound similar to what I heard a few moments earlier with the Prima Luna tube amp. The Audio Refinement has less detail but instead relies on it's natural presentation of timbre and scale. The piano is less detailed than on the Arcam but has more appropriate scale. It sounds like an instrument capable of very low notes which all too often isn't the case with CD players.
Neither player is perfect which was made all too clear as I was standing in the presence of cd players by Naim and Simaudio. Teri assures me that she knows where to get a mod (and usually hates mods) that will make the AR sound better than any player she sells minus the high end 3k Naim.
This is posted under receivers as well as it is part of the whole NAD T763 transaction.
BTW this is the Audio Refinement Complete Alpha. Retails for $995 + $50 for the remote (which you have to buy seperately). She also threw in an expensive Cardas power cord (laugh if you like but I can testify to the difference it makes), and the ceramic feet which go for $40 (I'm using my vibrapods instead but I figured what the heck).
Yes, Stereotypes is an NAD dealer obviously and they had C542 on the shelf. We listened to the C542 first as it was available and provided immediate reference. We never went back to it because it's a player that we both know very well. The C542 is no slouch and is not bested by anything else near it's price that I am aware of.
Heard the Sim may times but I only had a 4 1/2 month old NAD T763 (which I paid $1100 for) to trade in, not quite enough for the Sim. If I had enough I would've bought the Naim not the Sim anyway. Teri assured me that with the mod (which I have not done yet) the ARC sounds better than anything she carries except thw 3k Naim. She and I have similar tastes so that was music to my ears. It does sound fabulous in my system.
I don't mean to hijack your topic, but I've been looking for a good CD player for a while and read many reviews/forums/opinions on several players.
The point is: I have a NAD T163 AV preamp with a NAD T533 DVD player, which is a combination that sounds very good. I've been thinking of buying a NAD C542 CD-player because it is obviously a very good player and also visually matches my other equipment. However, I'm also thinking about buying an Arcam CD73 because I've heard Arcam stuff before and many say the CD73 is a bit better than the NAD C542. People who say so sometimes claim that the Rotel 1072 is even better, but according to you the contrary is true.
I know that this is all a matter of personal taste, but can you explain to me why you like the C542 so much? You're not helping me in finally deciding ;)
NAD pissed me off a little bit for one reason: the 599 euro T533 DVD player is cheaply built with a plastic front and mechanically it's worse than many cheaper players (noise). The NAD C542 also has a plastic front, whereas Arcam has an all-metal casing. Together with the widespread opinion about the CD73 being a bit better than de C542, I think I would like to buy a CD73.
The NAD C542 seems a bit better balanced than the Rotel. It's very musical and never gets in the way of the music. The Rotel is also very good but can a bit too forward. The Rotel is however a bit more detailed and images a little better than the NAD. The Arcam is better at all of it than either player but agian by just a bit. But when you combine the fact that it (the Arcam) is more detailed, is better balanced, images better and is more musical you get one hell of a player. I give 2 thumbs up to the Arcam.
A week later and this ARC is one fantastic player. It's so much different than the NAD's and Rotel's that I am used to. In typical audiophile fashion it makes me long for a Cary or Ayre player but for now this player has me pulling out all of my favorite music for a fresh listen.
With the ARC you hear and see deeper into the music. Instruments have a more organic sound. Voices are fuller and more room filling. This is not a clinical or analytical player so if you are the type of listener who sits around listening for every detail it may not be for you. But if you value listening sessions where you just get lost in the MUSIC the ARC is just the ticket.
It took a couple of listening sessions to identify a key difference in the sound of this player. The ARC paints a full musical picture in front of you where you can easily pick out where instruments are being played in the studio and when the instrument is being moved from one mic closer to another. This differs from that NAD in that with the NAD the player distinguishes first between the L/R channels before engaging the recording. You get the leftover detail after the obvious "this is a stereo statement" has been made by the player.
Just a couple of observations. Now it's time to get back to Dave Douglas' "Strange Liberation" CD.
An update as promised. I've been listening to the Arcam CD73 for about 3 weeks now. Even right out of the box it seemed to sound better than the NAD combo and after a break-in period of 2 to 3 weeks I started comparing them.
The result of comparing them: it made me less happy with my NAD equipment. When I connect my Arcam CD player directly to my stereo amp, it sounds better than when having the NAD T-163 preamp between them . The NAD makes the bass less tight and less dry and I guess that's why people say NAD sounds 'warm'. Also the stereo imaging is less accurate, or in other words: the sound stage is poorer and fuzzier. Comparing the Arcam DACs with the T-163's DACs is another story...
So the good thing is that I'm extremely happy with the Arcam CD73. The bad thing is that I want to replace my NAD stuff with Arcam stuff in the near future ;)
