| Author |
Thread: New cd player or tweak old one? |
    
|
| Posted on Saturday, August 28, 2004 - 10:15 am: |
|
Hi there,
I'm not happy with the sound of my cd player, which is the Marantz cd 5000.
It's fairly neutral, but a bit too bright in the upper midds.
The sound is also a bit too delicate, easy to distort; especially vocals can sound rather thin.
I'm using the recently bought Marantz pm 7200 amplifier which adds some warmth , control and refinement to the sound (many times my Marantz cd 5000 sounds gorgeous and is given a new life thanks to this amp), but I can do better.
For $150 (150 euro) my cd player can be tweaked by a store who puts valves in them and it will then go through life as a Heart cd 5000, but I don't know what it will sound like and how it rivals with a new $500 cd player. (Marantz cd 7300 or NAD 542)
Any suggestions?
|
|
|
|
|
| Posted on Saturday, August 28, 2004 - 10:33 am: |
|
The tweak will cost $300, not $150
Sorry for that. |
|
| Posted on Sunday, August 29, 2004 - 01:23 pm: |
|
Everything you've got is crap.
By a new set up.
Cheers! |
|
| Posted on Wednesday, September 01, 2004 - 07:32 am: |
|
mmm, a real charmer!
Isn't there anyone who can help me out? |
New member Username: David_p
Post Number: 6
Registered: Aug-04
|
| Posted on Wednesday, September 01, 2004 - 06:31 pm: |
|
I am researching DAC outboards now. It seems that a good one is almost the same cost nowadays as a good cd player that already has one on board. I mention this only because I am trying to "tweak" or add now myself. |
|
| Posted on Wednesday, September 01, 2004 - 08:26 pm: |
|
But do you think a good (outboard)DAC will be better than a new cd-player when both cost the same? |
|
| Posted on Friday, September 24, 2004 - 03:25 pm: |
|
Without a shadow of a doubt!
A good outboard DAC is designed to be transport independant. Therefore with the right DAC a $50 CD player and $700 DAC will outperform any $1200 CD player.
The trouble with combined players is they have to get everything in under a budget. Compromises are made. An independant DAC has only to convert a digital signal to analogue and do it well.
If you have a half decent transport why buy something that uses the same basic components as you already own? Most $500 CD players are pretty much the same with only minor differences in sound especially in the mass market ranges.
Look to a second hand DAC. MF Trivista, TAG DAC 20, MF A3.24. There are plenty more but these are some of the best. All can be had second hand for about $600 or less. You've also got the advantage of adding in any other digital source just by plugging it into the DAC.
|
|
