AMR CD77 vs Ensemble Dirondo Drive/Dichrono Hi-DAC

Thanks for the replys.

The Ensemble is a 'precise' sounding player with good controlled bass but the the overall sound is rather light.I would prefer a fuller sound.I prefer my Marantz CD12 (unmodified)to the Ensemble.The DAC in the AMR is the same as the Marantz (but is a non crown version of the TDA1541a).

How much difference do the filter setting have on the AMR?

Does it get hot?

It does get a little warm, but certainly not hot. You can touch any part after hours of play without any sort of discomfert. The chamber for the transport seems to get slightly warmer than anything else.

The filter options is kinda cool, in that you can change on the fly while the music is playing, the change is instantaneous and without any thumps or pop sounds.

For the most part the Master II default is definately the prefered setting. I have found that on some remastered cd's that were recorded in the 50-60's, especially jazz or rock that were recorded with close mic;...that the 2x or 4x filter is a nice improvement, especially with regards to soundstaging being more natural. I also have some 24bit/96kHz remasters where I use the 96 or 192 filter.
But I use the Master II with 90-95% of my cd's.

I have it paired with set amplification and 101dB speakers, and I believe the ditributor Darren of Avatar Acoustics mates it with Karan ss amps. Either he or Thorsten could talk volumes over the difference between the crown & non-crown version of the TDA1541. Or do a search on the AA site, there was some intelligent post's from last year. I haven't heard the Marantz CD12 that you have.

If you have the oppertunity to demo, make sure that it has 500+ hours, big difference.

Hope this all helps.

Cheers

I'm getting an AMR CD77 for a week home demo

Love to hear what think after a week.

Sounds good so far on Digital Master 1 or 2

The transport on this demo unit is a little noisy when it searches for the next track or when you press stop and the mechanism returns to the default position.It's quiet when playing tracks