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CD player to compete with my vinyl rig?

Greetings,

I find that I have stopped buying CDs, which I regret because there is so much great new music out there.

My player is a Cambridge 640c and listening to it just doesn't do the 'suspension of disbelief' thing. It has all the right stuff: black backgrounds, dynamics, PRAT, detail, air, frequency extension, but as soon as the orchestral strings well up or the horns start, I want to turn it off. The timbral qualities are weird (especially massed strings, voices) and the sense of real people playing instruments isn't there. There's a sheen and confusion to the soundscape. My vinyl rig offers by far the more realistic experience. I have multiple copies of Mahler's 2nd Symphony on both CD and vinyl, and I never listen to the CDs any more.

I would like to find a CD player that makes me want to listen to CDs as much as vinyl!

I'm looking at reviews of the Rega Apollo R, the Teac PD H600, Audiolab 8200CD and the Decware Zen triode player. (Yes, around $1000 budget).

My rig: Pro-ject 2 Xperience/Shure V15-IV, Jico SAS, Cambridge 640c, Rogue Cronus Magnum/KT120 tubes, LS3/5a speakers, Kimber, Zu cabling.

Music tastes: Sibelius, Mahler, Bruckner, Bach, fifties torch singers.

I would love to hear suggestions from members!
Thanks
sumaato

Showing 8 responses by sumaato

sumaato OP
98 posts
 
Thanks, I'm of a mind that down the road a bit, CDs are going to enter the domain of media-of-the-past. Since there are so many years of published titles on regular CD, they are going to be available one way or another for decades, new or used. I thought I would concentrate on finding a CD-only player that would shift the listening of CDs into an enjoyable domain! ('Enjoyable' doesn't necessarily mean the highest resolution or the deepest dynamic range). I find that the cost of SACDs is just too high...I would rather buy pristine vinyl at that price.

Is the Jolida JD100A worth considering?
sumaato OP
98 posts
 
Rok2id, your response is reasonable. But I would like to enjoy some of the many recent CD issues. I have a dumb faith that there IS a CD player out there I'll enjoy.

Chuck, I think you are right and streaming is a viable way to go for the future.....I'm considering that as my investment, over a CDP.

Goggiehowser, thanks for your perspective. My ambition is not very high....I don't anticipate finding a cheap-ish CDP that rivals a good vinyl rig, I just want to listen to a player that is 'not unpleasant'.
sumaato OP
98 posts
 
Tgrisham, you say you liked your Jolida tubed CDP......I assume you moved onwards from there. Did you compare it to other players, and can you talk about its sound?
Thanks
sumaato OP
98 posts
 
Lowrider57, I'm really glad to hear of your experiences with the same music that I play! This gives me confidence to look in the Jolida direction, thanks a lot.
The tube CDP option is why I also wondered about the Decware player. It seems to have good build quality. I have not heard any personal reports about it though.

Tomcy6, you are right, the CD was never the heart of my system, analogue is. But I'll be happy just to be able to treat both media with the same enthusiasm, even if they sound different.
sumaato OP
98 posts
 
So far, I like the idea of a CDR with a tube output stage. From comments here and elsewhere, it seems that it might shift the listening experience closer to the joy I get from vinyl. I'm pondering the options, but the Jolida sounds compelling.

I want to be able to surf the thrift stores in ten years time, cruising for CDs like I now cruise for vinyl! Maybe the Jolida will still be working for me then. I'll let you know what gets my money....thanks people.
sumaato OP
98 posts
 
Thanks Realhifi. The Linn DS unit is out of my reach. Perhaps this kind of unit will enter mainstream mid-fi in the future. I hope so.

Do you think the Cambridge 640c kind of presentation is last-generation technology which is now clearly eclipsed by the latest $1000 CDR? I'm wondering if (for example) the Rega Apollo R represents a generational shift in CDR sound, or are the differences minor?
sumaato OP
98 posts
 
I meant CDP!
sumaato OP
98 posts
 
a Neko Audio D100 might be very attractive, paired with my 640c. I wonder how it might compare to the Rega DAC, which is described as having a similar soundscape?

In a DAC-CDP configuration, how important is the mechanical player in contributing to the overall sound, compared with the contribution from the DAC?
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