Superior sound from newer CD players?


I have a 12 year old Luxman DZ-111 CD player(dual 16-bit DAC's, 4x oversampling, 3-beam laser). It still sounds good but I've been putting togeather a new system and want to upgrade my player also. Will most of the newer players give me an upgrade in sound? I'm considering used players like:
Rega Planet 2000
Cal Labs Icon Mk11/HDCD
Creek 43Mk11
Adcom GCD 750
NAD S500
Arcam CD-72
Also considering a new Cambridge D500se(is it in the same league as the others?) One concern I have is that the older Luxman sounds much better(to me) than my new DVD player with
96 kHz 24-bit DAC. The DVD player is a Denon 1500 and when playing CD's it sounds cold, shrill and harsh compared to the Luxman although it has greater detail(or maybe just brighter detail). So now I'm worried that maybe these other player's I've mentioned won't really be an improvement after all. Also I plan on getting a pre/proc like a used Lexicon DC-1 or 2. Won't the dac's in a good unit like this be as good or better than most DACs in the players I've mentioned? I guess you can tell I'm new at this and still confused
say811
Just because a DVD (or CD) player has a 24/96 DAC does not mean it sounds better. There are Chevy's with 16 value 4 cylinder engines, but that does not mean they perform like a BMW or Mercedes with the same basic engine configuration. It is the quality of what surrounds the DAC chip that makes it perform. All things being equal, 24/96 is an improvement over what came before. Your Denon DVD is a typical mass market player, so all things are not equal. The Luxman (or any older high-end player) would most likely sound better. Not to scare you, but that Denon model has a terrible reliability record and will not play some DVD discs. I would replace it.

If you're doing demo's at a dealer, see if they will let you bring the Luxman in for a comparison, or bring one the the new better players home.


The Cambridge D500 is one of the few under $500 players that can compete with the more expensive ones you mention. There is usually a demo for sale at AudioAdvisor.com for between $329 to $349. New there is $429.

I pretty much agree with Sugarbrie. To add to his comments, i have found that every DVD player that i have auditioned at home has always sounded colder, leaner, brighter, etc... than even a "decent" CD player.

The only point that i tend to disagree with Sugar's comments are about the Cambridge pieces. If you read the "general consensus" over at AR ( Audio Review ), there were a LOT of problems with Cambridge cd's in terms of reliability. I know that Listener magazine also liked these units a LOT, but i was "scared away" by reading more than a few negative comments from "the average consumer".

You could always check one of these out courtesy of Audio Advisor. AA also sells Adcom ( another on your list ). If the NAD CD Players are anything like their older models, they sound smooth and warm but are not very detailed. Can't say anything about the others. Good luck on your search. Sean
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I have owned the NAD S-500 for the past 2 years and I will tell you now that it is not the same animal as the past NAD products. Just open it up and you will see a very highend product.( not all the esoteric namey parts but more than suffucient for the price ) I have listened to this CD player with extreme concentration over long periods of time ( I was on disability for a very long time ) and I am always amazed, still. It has that quality where everything sounds great. ( except when it is a rotten recording ) When it needed some minor service this year I nearly had a breakdown. I tried supporting with a Pioneer DVD player and a Pioneer Elite CD player ( I even got desperate and hooked up an X10-D to try to help ). I almost died because I didn't listen to my stereo for 6 weeks. But this is one of those special products that just shines. I like the Arcam, Cal, and Adcom too, but the NAD Silverline was just exceptional. I have not tired of it. It is going to cost me a lot to upgrade from this point. I am also running the S-100 preamp also. I do not know if that has something to do with my satisfaction level but I think that it does. For the $1,500 that this CD player cost, I am certain that I have gotten my money's worth 2 or 3 times over. Dale
If you plan on getting a Lexicon (other than the MC-12) the units you mentioned (DC-1, DC-2) don't have an analog pass through function that would enable you to take advantage of the DACs in a newer CD player. You would be using the DACs in the Lexicon, you should keep this in mind when purchasing the CD player.
There is one inexpensive DVD player that I can highly recommend for CD playback. It's the Pioneer Elite DV-05. A bit light weight in the extreme bottom end but smooth & open. Very enjoyable. A great transport and an even better DVD player. Liked it better than my Icon MKII HDCD and prefer it overall to my DV-09. Old list price was $1000 but you can fetch'em for about $350 used. Good Luck
Say811,

I don't have exactly the same experience that 1953 has, but I preferred my Micromega Stage 2 to the Pioneer DV-05 I had for a month or so. The Micromega was just as detailed, but more relaxed and had fuller bass.

The DV-05 blew away my old Toshiba DVD player, though. I don't watch enough movies anymore to upgrade, though.
The Cambridge Audio CD player is worth trying for the money. Needs a day or so break in. Worth trying from audio advisor, as I believe they have a guarantee.