wallflower Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Could you all make some recommendations on CD players up to the $1,500.00 mark? I'm wanting it to be as analog sounding as possible. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPM Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Could you all make some recommendations on CD players up to the $1,500.00 mark? I'm wanting it to be as analog sounding as possible. Thanks! Wallflower,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> If by analog you mean having a smooth, natural, uncompressed, detailed, and dynamic sound, then look no further than the Rega Jupiter 2000, Theta Miles, or CEC TL-Z5100 CD players. All three are renowned for having an "analog" sound, and will cost a lot less than the $1,500.00 budget youve allowed yourself. I have owned all three of these players at one time or another, finally settling on the Jupiter 2000, so I can unequivocally vouch for this claim. All three of these players retailed in the $1500.00 plus, price range when new, so they should fit very nicely within your budget forecast, while saving you a good amount of money in the process. The Jupiter 2000 can still be found on the used market today; however, the Theta Miles and CEC players are going to be a bit harder to find, though are worth every penny of their typical $600.00 to $900.00 asking prices. There are some really great CD players for ridiculously low prices, these days, but do they have analog sound? That is for your ears to decide. I think you will find that, for the money, the three players Ive listed above will bring you closer to that perceived analog sound than most others out there. Good luck in your search. Let us know what you decide on. William Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Wallflower......The Jolida 100 modded or not can be found on Audiogon frequently for $700 and has that nice tubed output section. Hey William is that a new avatar and can I assume that is you in the picture? Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revjac Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 I flipped into the K forums just as I was looking up from "The Absolute Sound" picks for 2006 product of the year. Page 51 actually - Digital Sources of the Year. And staring back at me from the page as I was looking up at your message was the Rega Apollo CD player - US$995. This isn't the only time I've seem some very heady reviews about this rig. The general impression I get from reviewers is that it does perform well above its price point. May be well worthy of your consideration Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPM Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Wallflower......The Jolida 100 modded or not can be found on Audiogon frequently for $700 and has that nice tubed output section. Hey William is that a new avatar and can I assume that is you in the picture? Chuck Hi Chuck, If it means all the wisdom, grace, and power come with it then, yes, the pic in the avatar is me! LOL. William Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Wallflower...I was negligent in not welcoming you to the forum. Welcome! You can meet some very fine folks here like William and get some very good information too. All the cds recommended are probably very good. I own a Jolida and am pleased with it but all the Regas are very good. William and I share some of the same equipment and I have enjoyed his comments on tube rolling in his Quicksilver Audio Horn Monos. It seems like yesterday when I first posted but I am now on my second set of La Scalas and over 140 post. Let us know which player you decide on and your impressions. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Again I am remiss....welcome revjac. Post number 5! Good recommendation on the Rega. Lots of help on the forum with any question. I certainly have learned a lot these past two years. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Could you all make some recommendations on CD players up to the $1,500.00 mark? I'm wanting it to be as analog sounding as possible. Thanks! I have an AH! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 "super" player with all options (feet, power cord, upsampler) that also has stock Philips tubes, a pair of Russian rocket logo tubes and a pair of Amperex PQ White label tubes (1963 vintage). New this package would be past your $1500 budget with the tubes but I will be selling for way less. Drop me an email if you are interested. It is a really sweet player that is very well respected and known for being a "giant killer" It is very "analog" sounding. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 The new Rega Apollo has received some excellent reviews recently. Not all of them are online. As a new option it would have to be top pick. There's always the option of going used as well, as suggested above. But I like the Apollo. Here's a link to an online review... http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/606rega/ Here's a pic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Another new option is the Cambridge Audio Azur 840C. It's a little more expensive than other Cambridge Audio products though. Here's a link to a review: http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/assets/documents/Hi-FIChoiceNov06840Clicensedreprint.pdf Here's a pic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallflower Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 O.K., Ive done some auditioning of a few CD players and these are my observations, so far. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> A week ago I went to a high-end audio shop and auditioned the Cambridge Audio 540C, 640C and 840C. Among those CD players the 840C clearly won out. It was the only CD player of the bunch with upsampling and thus I deduced that that was the key ingredient as to why it sounded better? The 840C had better detail in the high end and much better bass extension than the 540C or 640C. Yesterday I went back to the same shop and made some more comparisons. They had a very high end CD player (I think it was a JSC or maybe a JCS??). Ive not heard of the brand (probably because I dont play in that kind of rarified audio space) but it was a $14,000 CD player. It was truly awesome. It had everything; great detail, great extension, very lively, great presence, excellent dimension and depth, very analog sounding and it was exceedingly musical. Compared to the JSC/JCS (spelling?) the 840C sounded positively lifeless. It was a real disappointment after my previous weeks listening... For reference the system had the following equipment: Conrad Johnson 350W <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />SolidState Power Amp Conrad Johnson tube pre-amp Wilson Audio Sophias (Note: I much prefer Klipsch heritage speakers to the Wilsons) Power Conditioner First class power cables, interconnects and speaker cables For grins I asked the salesperson to try the Arcam CD 73 (no upsampling). We were both very surprised that the Arcam was much more musical than the Cambridge Audio. In fact it had many of the same qualities that the JSC/JCS (spelling?) exhibited. Clearly it wasnt a peer to the JSC/JCS, but it did have some similar attributes. This listening involved multiple changes from one CD player to the others keeping interconnects the same and output levels the same. Actually I think the salesperson was shocked when he heard the difference between the Cambridge Audio and Arcam. When I first suggested trying the Arcam he kind of scoffed at the suggestion because he was certain there wouldnt be any competition since the Arcams price point was one half of the Cambridge Audios. But after I made him repeatedly change back and forth he too was convinced of the superior sound of the Arcam. What did the Arcam offer that the Cambridge Audio didnt? It had a similar image and depth to the JSC/JCS. It had a warm and analog-ish sound, which the Cambridge Audio 840C did not have. While it lacked a bit of the high end detail of the Cambridge Audio it made up for it with its breadth of sound stage and analog presence. The Cambridge Audio sounded digital, cold and lifeless comparatively speaking. From that listening it would have been hard to justify the $14,000 JSC/JCS, although it did sound significantly better than the Arcam, but for $13,300 difference and a little time adjusting to the sound, my ears could be pretty happy with the Arcam CD 73. So what does all this mean? Im not exactly sure. One thing for sure is that unless youre able to compare these players head to head there can be no real way to determine their differences. Also, while I liked the warmer, less digital sounding Arcam, some may prefer the high frequency detail of the Cambridge Audio. To each their own! Next week Im going to audition the Arcam CD 192. That should be interesting. I would like to know if anyone has compared, head to head, the Arcam CD 73 or CD 192 against the Rega Apollo or the Jolida JD 100?? That would be very helpful information. Please advise and thanks in advance for any information you can provide! Best Regards, Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Jeff...there is really no way to be sure which will sound better unless you take them home and plug them up in your system and in your listening room. There are just too many variables to control. What are your other components? What size is your room? Carpet or hardwood floors? What is the thickness of your billfold? I guess I would be tickled to have a great sounding player especially if I got it at a good price and had money left for some audiophile recordings. I don't think my ears are good enough to appreciate a $14,000 player but my Jolida was humming some great sounds today when Bluesboy brought over my new xovers that he built from a custom design by ALK Engineering for my hybrid LS. You may have to buy your favorite and if it doesn't please you then take it back if your retailer allows or sell on Audiogon. Upgrading is a necessary process in building the ultimate system which will be the ultimate for a only a short period of time if you are like most of us. Today I am at a good place where I am happy with my system but it has taken much trial and error to get there. Good luck in your journey. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 Its so hard to tell. A pair of the worst sounding speakers that I have ever heard were brand new B&W 802D's (something like $9K) at a dealers showroom. They were not broken in and obviously somehting was wrong. That being said, the same day I heard B&W 805's (bookshelves) hooked to an Arcam preamp (FMj?? - it was about $2500) and an Arcam CD player (pretty expensive one) and it was really nice! I went with a Musical Fidelity preamp but that Arcam was a realy nice piece. A friend of mine has an Esoteric that he is going to let me test drive for a few weeks. Really nice player but teh sticker shock will definately get you. Good luck in your search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 I ultimately concluded that getting a nice musical sound from a CD player on any particular system can be a crapshoot. For example, a friend of mine has excellent musical CD sound from an NEC CDP, an old NAD receiver, and 10 year-old B&W 805's -- and NEC hasn't made CD players for at least 15 years. So, I agree with the statement above that you should try a CD player in your OWN system. Otherwise, you can't tell how it's going to sound. Unfortunately for me, I kept finding that my "digital ear" was constantly being educated -- to the disadvantage of each CD player I was trying out! Boomac has recommended his Eastern Electric Minimax CD player, and I strongly agree! I really liked its analog musical sound quality on his BAT pre and amp and his Cornwalls. See if you can't find one to audition if you're still up in the air. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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