If you do not want spend $1k to upgrade the DAC, consider this. For $350, you have DAC, remote (volume), and preamp. Coupled with a capable DDC, the combo almost sound as good as BiFrost II and Harmony uDAC.
Need a new CD player. Suggestions please.
The past 3 years I've put together a modest new system including a NAD C538 that is failing. It doesn't sound as good as it used to even with an external DAC and if you skip a track it doesn't play the first few seconds of the next track.
Looking for a replacement has been frustrating. My last CD player was a Sony ES 400 disc changer that played everything including SACD. I almost wish I hadn't let it go when I moved.
The CD players that appeal to me are in the $3k to $5k range. I'm not sure I want to spend that much. Can somebody recommend a new CD player for $1k or less? I'm fine with a transport and don't mind using an external DAC. I have a smattering of SACD's but a non SACD player wouldn't be the end of the world.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
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Could I suggest something along the lines of the Shanling ET3 transport? Use for now with your DAC and then down the road - add in a DDC I2S - such as a Denefrips Iris. It just slides in around your budget - and I can vouch for the impact of a DDC/I2S combo. Love CD but currently pulled to my MacBook Air, USB-C into the DDC, I2S out to the Pegasus DAC, and wow... downstream I have a modest Rega pre and Shanling 80 tube amp and Maggie 1.7s. |
Sigh.... So complicated compared to when I put together my first system in '83/84. Not many choices back then and no internet shopping. Ended up with the Aiwa clone of the Sony at the time. Worked well until I finally upgraded to a SonyES. Used Sony players until a move 3 years ago and purchased the NAD player that now needs to be replaced. I may just order the Onkyo 6 disc changer and take a breath and do some reading. I miss my stereo shops.
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I appreciate everyone's contributions and welcome further discussion about how to find something that will suit me. It also seems if I'm going to get what should be an upgraded player/transport I will have to find a new DAC to compliment it. I have a whole bunch of questions on that subject. Don't know if my system would have any impact on my choices... |
If you have a device containing DACs that takes HDMI input, then Sony makes a universal disc transport that reads just about any silver disk (CD, SACD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra Blu-ray) including multiple high resolution sound formats including Dolby Atmos. It is less than the cost of most interconnects or power cord upgrades! In Australia, it is available new as the UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player with Dolby Vision | UBP-X700 | Sony Australia. It is on Sony’s US website Sony 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player with Dolby Atmos, HDR, and Wi-Fi for Streaming Video | UBP-X700 Note that a new model has just been released with fewer smart TV features. Despite Sony’s description, technically these are transports, not players, as they have no analogue outputs. I have two of these which I bought on special at A$250 each. One is at my partner’s place in Sydney, and the other is taped down in my motorhome. They are amazing value-for-money and I suspect the digital output is indistinguishable from far more expensive transports. The remote is pretty basic, for example you cannot directly dial track numbers. I feed one HDMI audio output to a Marantz AV-8802 pre-processor which has eight AKM 2-channel DACs, which natively process DSD. The Marantz tells me exactly what it is being fed |
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