wuzzzer Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 I was happy to see my CD player delivered to me at work today (Model D300). The seller had everything that came with it, remote, box, manuals, styrofoam, etc. I had switched between my Sony and my Denon CD players a few days ago after I put them up on eBay to see if I could notice much of a difference in sound. I thought I could hear a slight difference between them, but they were probably 99.5% the same sound. I noticed in the manual for the Cambridge that it recommends the CD player be turned on for 15-30 minutes before you do any serious listening (to warm everything up). I put a CD in right away and started listening to it... I now realize how important it is to have a capable CD player in your audio lineup. Everything about every song on every CD I played sounded better. Bass is deeper and tighter. Vocals truly sound like vocals. Treble is clear, clean. I heard vibrato in recordings that I never knew was there. I was able to distinctly follow and pick out every specific acoustic guitar through the entire Patience by G'n'R song. This is the least 'digital' sounding CD player I've ever heard. I found myself listening to music much louder than I previously could. With my old CD player(s), if I listened to music at loud levels I would have to turn the treble down 3-4 dB from 1kHz-16kHz in order to reduce the painfully harsh brightness that it seemed many CDs had. Unfortunately by doing that a tremendous amount of the depth and dynamics of songs was significantly reduced. With the Cambridge I ran my EQ flat as a board, put in Def Leppard's Vault and cranked 'When Love and Hate Collide.' I've never heard music sound so good. Full, clear, detailed. The sibilance and digital harshness that I thought was due to a poor recording was in fact due to the CD players I had been using! I know that the weakest link in my audio chain now is my receiver. Many have said that the best they've ever heard RF-7s was with DeanG's magic touch and a killer pre-pro setup. All I can say is that considering how awesome my stereo sounds now, I can't even begin to think how blown away I'd be with the above mentioned improvements. BTW, the sound did improve the longer I had the player turned on. It did take a good half an hour or so and then everything really livened up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Thanks for the review Mark. You guys are edging me towards a new CDP slowly but surely. I'll have to see what Santa brings. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwhaples Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Wuzzer, Nice read. Thanks for sharing! CD's I don't have,but to enjoy a new peice of equipment and really hear the change is always good.Then you get to start saving for the next upgrade. Never seems to end![] Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 That's great Wuzzer,nothin' like gettin' a deal and being pleasantly surprised,nice review.You described what I hear and the difference just about perfect.Now you get to spin those cds you haven't listened to for a while,enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turntable3 Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Have fun with your new CD-player. Cambridge is a good choice. The player will even get better during the next days. Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Congrat's, Mark ....[] I had the same sort of epiphany going from Yamaha to th Jolida 100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 I bought the Cambridge Audio 640C off of audiogon for $250 and it was a dam fine upgrade. I plan on bringing it to Hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whell Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Wuzzer - glad to hear you're diggin' the Cambridge. Damn fine player for the $$$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Sounds pretty good through the SONY....EH?.......Good Deal...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Nice read Wuzzer[ip], I am curious to know how your particular Cambridge would sound compared to my #2900 Denon player. I know my 2900 is much better than my old Sony but it may be a different story compared to your new player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted June 11, 2006 Author Share Posted June 11, 2006 Its been very enjoyable listening to CDs I've had, especially ones I've had for years. There still are some discs that sound so-so in the brightness area. I've found that most compilation CDs that feature songs from several different artists tend to sound the worst. Not sure why, they just do. As I was listening to it the first night I got it, my wife even commented on how much better it sounded than any of my previous CD players. That's a pretty amazing observation, considering she's more than happy listening to her little Aiwa boombox that is powering a pair of Bose 401s. [:$] Thanks again to whell, who gave me the heads-up on the player over at a'gon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Nice read Wuzzer[ip], I am curious to know how your particular Cambridge would sound compared to my #2900 Denon player. I know my 2900 is much better than my old Sony but it may be a different story compared to your new player. I'll give you my take on the 2900 vs the 640c.The 2900 to me has always been just ok on redbook,not bad in any way,just not outstanding either.The 2900 does do a pretty nice job on dvda-sacd,that is its strong point on the audio side,imo. The 640 kinda brings cds to life,good cds sound fantastic and even poorer recordings are a little more listenable.I'm the last guy you'd want to use audio terminology but larger soundstage,blacker backgroud and more depth are a few terms that struck me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkBK Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Wuzzer, Congrats on the Cambridge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted June 12, 2006 Author Share Posted June 12, 2006 The 640 kinda brings cds to life,good cds sound fantastic and even poorer recordings are a little more listenable.I'm the last guy you'd want to use audio terminology but larger soundstage,blacker backgroud and more depth are a few terms that struck me. That's also what I've experienced. Poor recordings are not as painful to sit through. Excellent recordings have incredible dynamics, and the realism of voices and instruments is something that I have never experienced before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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