need new cd player-budget is tight this winter


hi all
check it out! the budget is killing me right now and i realy want a better cd player.
the rig right now is

arcam alpha 7 cd//audioquest cable
linn pretek preamp//nordost blue heaven cable
linn powertek amp//linn lk400 biwire cable
pair linn tukans

i listen to acoustic to pink floyd ,hendrix and new metal, techno

i liked the alpha 7 but its time to upgrade and i cant afford the linn genki i wanted this year so alls can do is go about $450 for a used cd player for this winter CAN anyone help/RECOMEND a player that would be a GOOD UPGRADE from the arcam for $450 used-cymbals on the alpha7 get splashy and music gets muddled when complex i want more air round the instruments/seperation/foward guitars and bass strings
thanx j
joolz

Showing 2 responses by seandtaylor99

Hi Joolz, have you auditioned any "better" CD players in your home rig ? The reason I ask is that you already have a pretty reasonable CD player, and I think that you might be expecting too much from a CD player upgrade. Personally I have never found changing the CD player to have any more than a subtle effect on the sound quality. I know I risk being flamed by those with high-end CD players, but after I home auditioned a Meridian player I just couldn't justify it since it was only very slightly better than my Marantz CD67SE, and cost $2k more. I'd recommend a home audition before laying out any cash ... do you have a friend with a supposed top-notch player ? You might be surprise at how little difference it makes.
Do you have a well damped listening room ? I have previously had a lot of success with drapes and curtains in damping muddled music and splashy cymbals. And it cost me less than $100.

Hope this helps ... I'm not deliberately trying to go against the grain ... rather save you some cash.
Hi Joolz, a fellow brit eh ? I'm now living in California with my US wife, who's from Boston. We're planning to move either to New England or back to Old England next year.

Here's a suggestion which has worked well for me : make yourself a pair of interconnects for the CD player. For about $50 you can make a knockout pair of interconnects. I recently did just that, and the effect it had on the sound of my Marantz was more profound than changing to the Meridian player, even though my existing interconnects (also home-brew) were not too shabby in the first place.

The cable I used is on Maplin electronics in the UK:
www.maplin.co.uk

look up code RG214 ... silver plated OFC MIL spec RF cable. Get some BIG phono connectors to attach to it (and I mean big ... the cable is 8mm in diameter) and then spend a happy evening soldering. This cable is a bit of a pig to solder, but the resulting improvement in sound was much more than I expected ... space and definition definitely improved, cymbals (I play tenor sax in a local blues band, so I know what cymbals really sound like) now have that shimmer that they should have.

Again, just a suggestion. For about $100 I made 3 sets of interconnects and they sound great. I don't think you'd get the same level of difference for anything under $1000 spent on a CD player.