dan2017 Posted August 27, 2005 Share Posted August 27, 2005 I have a harman kardon AVR125 hooked up to two RB-35 klipsch bookshelves. right now all i have is my digital out onj my audigy running to the digitial in on the reciever. i can play cds and mp3s on my computer and have it play out the divgital out but would i be better off getting a nice cd player (one with HDCD decoding).....? how much better would it sound? thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazytubepower Posted August 27, 2005 Share Posted August 27, 2005 Yes...it would, however I would look into getting a turntable. You could get a $300 turntable and it would still sound better than a $1200 cd player, of course that is IMO. as for a cd player, I would look into the new rega planet 2000's, It is a great budget cdp, with great, sound, for a cdp that is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviserated Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Not much better. Make sure the store you buy it from has a good return policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaaaz Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 there are several good budget cd players out there,used planets,nad 541i used or 542 new both have hdcd,also the music hall cd-25 has hdcd,,have seen the new planets go for 500 used the 541i 150-200,542 400 new,cd-25 300 used 400-500 new.lots of stuff out there.enjoy your search Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbsl Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 If you decide to buy a cd player what is your budget? I have a NAD C542 which has HDCD but that format in the US seems to be almost gone. I know ebay has a lot of HDCD titles from Asia so I guess it was more popular there. If on a budget and really want HDCD watch Audigon and ebay for a used NAD C541i. A new C542 should cost between $400-550. Xman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Nix on the Planet. It changes the sound from what is on the CD to something else with rolled-off highs. It sounds pleasing to some, but it's not even attempting to be accurate. Plus any you find will have many hours on them. Plus plus it has a serious design flaw in that (at least some claim) just by having its LED on, the sound is notably worsened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 "will a good CD player make a huge difference?" YES!! but...... A good CD player will definitely improve the sound quality of CDs. It will of course have no impact on MP3s etc. In addition: While the source material ( ie. The recording ) component is the primary determinator of the potential sound quality, there are other factors to consider. By this I mean that the ultimate sound quality depends first on the quality of the source material,then upon the quality of the player,thence upon the quality of the amplifier and finally upon the quality of the speakers. I have no experience with your receiver ( although most of the Denon product is well regarded ). Conventional wisdom suggests that, assuming that the source material is decent , one will derive the greatest benefit from upgrading the player. Generally speaking the maker of an all-in-one receiver has to balance cost ( and therefore final retail pricing ) and features against the competition. Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that compromises will need to occur in the final product. When one pays perhaps $800.00 for a receiver which includes a CD player it is reasonable to assume that CD subsystem included within that unit is as good as could reasonably included at that price point but that it will be unlikely to be nearly as good as what would be found in a $500.00 + standalone CDP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 I'll have to disagree with you, Lynn. Speakers will make a more noticeable difference than anything else in the audio playback chain. There's nothing subtle about speaker differences, although of course people have different preferences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 I agree with Parrott. Upgrading speakers will give the most significant improvement. Having a good CD player "could" give a marginal improvement. The improvement would be noticeable AND especially appreciated if you find your current source unacceptable, ie grainy or harsh. Otherwise, whether the bang is worth the buck is a completely subjective question. It is entirely possible to spend more money and hear NO noticeable improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlieboy Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 You could always look into a good DAC and use your computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 I have 4 CD players in 4 different systems in my house. 1. Garage system--ANCIENT Kyocera--weighs a ton, built like a tank--first CD player I ever bought back in 1992, still working great. Terrible sound when compared with any other CD player I own. 2. Rega Planet. In my wife's office system. Lightyears better than the Kyocera--excellent build quality--really does have a unique sound--makes older, really crummy sounding CDs sound better than they should. A great value used for second systems or for those who don't listen to CDs as the primary source. I think the LED on/off thing is BS--you can't hear any difference. 3. AH! Tjoeb from the late 90's. Really terrible build quality--it's a bottom of the line Marantz that was hot-rodded by the guys at AH! with a tube output. I paid under $400 for this one new, delivered from Europe and it was in the main system for several months. Despite how cheap it looks and feels, it sounds great--different from but surely the equal of the Rega--doesn't have that ability to make 80's crap CDs sound OK, but has a more lively sound. I like it--it's in the kitchen/breafast room system and gets daily duty. 4. BAT VK-D5. Purchased new in 2000 for more money than I have ever spent on any piece of gear. Magnificent player--warm, a bit on the "dark" side some would say, but lightyears better than any CD player I have ever heard. I went from playing about 1 or 2 CDs a week to about 20% CDs after buying the BAT. As close to vinyl, especially with jazz CDs, as I have ever heard CDs sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Very interesting Alan,....from the research I've done thus far the new Ah! Super Njoe Tjoeb 4000 is supposed to be the cats meow. It's reported to be significantly better than the artistic Shandlings new SCD-T200C, but I haven't read a comparison with their even newer CD-T300. Actually, from what I've read, the shandling's can be significantly improved with just a few hundred more in better electronic parts, and by removing the volume control. Shoot, anyway, I was readying myself for the new Ah!, but now you've thrown a wrench into the mix.....I'll start doing some research now on the BAT VK-D5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Parrot The quality of the speakers in a system is of course extremely important but that said,the quality of the signal presented to the speakers ultimately determines the final sound. Garbage In = Garbage Out! In any event given that we both own Klipschorns I suspect we are on the same page more or less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Of course, garbage in garbage out. But I would submit that the differences between CD players are not extreme. I wouldn't call even a Planet "garbage," just different. Whereas the differences between assorted speakers can absolutely be extreme. Wouldn't you rather take a step or two down in your CD player than give up your Klipschorns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Your current amp willl inhibit the effectivenes or a good CD player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psg Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Any comments on the Rotel RCD-02? I was looking at buying a NAD C521BEE or C542, or a Cambridge Audio 540C (or 540D DVD player that is supposed to be very good with CDs as well). But I have a lead on a used Rotel RCD-02. Currently happy playing CDs on a 5 year-old Pioneer DV-333 DVD player... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Just out of curiosity... Has anyone seen any bit error rate (BER) comparisons of the various CD/DVD players? Or for that matter, has anyone ever seen a data stream analysis of any digital device in audio!? Strange that this practice common in the digital domain seems so obvious in it's absence in audio! This would address 98% of the discussion. ...Although without the emotional basis, many would be very upset![][6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpm Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 bs Nix on the Planet. It changes the sound from what is on the CD to something else with rolled-off highs. It sounds pleasing to some, but it's not even attempting to be accurate. Plus any you find will have many hours on them. Plus plus it has a serious design flaw in that (at least some claim) just by having its LED on, the sound is notably worsened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazytubepower Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 i second the bs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 The BS is in Rega's marketing of their magical "proprietary circuit" that somehow makes poor-sounding CDs sound great. Must be an amazingly smart machine, that it can determine if the CD has been badly mastered and transform it, all without the owner so much as pushing a "Roll Off The Highs" button. And of course it's smart enough to know not to change anything with a well-mastered CD. LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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