Question:
Now that I've bought some new speakers (Wharfedale Diamond) and a new Amp (Denon 1802), I find myself playing a lot of CD's on my Sony NS700.
But am I better off buying a dedicated CD player? Will I notice a big difference in terms of sound quality? My budget is around £150.
Thanks.
Its down to you mate, what do you think? are you happy with the sound your getting now? if so why waste money? the best thing to do is get a demo of cd players in your price bracket and make your won mind up, for me i have a different CD player connected to my AV amp, because i find the sound far better quality. i would imagine this may be the case for you. but if i didnt already have my cd player i wouldnt bother with a new one as the quality of cd playback from my marantz dvd player is excellent, but not as good as the cd player, but still for me its not worth the extra cash as the increase in sound quality wasnt that much.:o
I had an old and originally fairly expensive NAD player (10 years, £250) alongside my Toshiba SD2109, but when I upgraded to a DV646 I replaced both of them. The sound was at least as good, and it was a lot more convenient:D
HTH
Sorry to crash your thread but I have a question. Please don't take the micky but I'm not really too hot on this hifi lark. I have my Philips dvd player connected to my Yammy amp via a digital coax lead. I've never tried, but if I were to play an audio cd throgh the dvd would the sound come out of all 5 speakers or just the front 2?
Or do you need to connect the dvd to the amp by another means?
Cheers
I've never tried, but if I were to play an audio cd throgh the dvd would the sound come out of all 5 speakers or just the front 2?
Doesn't matter whether it's connected via digital or analogue it'll still come out the front two (if it's a regular CD of course) - but you can force it through all of them if you wish by using one of the amp's heinous dsp modes..
Thanks Baps - another question then - I have satalite speakers and as such all are set to small on the amp If I were to replace the front 2 with 3 way speakers would I get bass through those for music but still have the sub in use for dvd's etc?
So you still play cd's using the dvd input on the amp? you can't connect it twice somehow and use the cd inputs??
As the speakers are set to small you should get music pumped through the front sats *and* the sub..
Doesn't matter whether you use the digital DVD input or not as it'll sound exactly the same as the CD one, but if you wanted to you could connect the analogue out on the player to the analogue CD input on the amp and use that - might sound better even. Try it..
So you guys that have big front speakers and subs in your setups have your bass pumped through both for music and films.
I haven't got a sub.. :nuts:
But, you can specify whether you want the bass pumped to the mains, sub or both if you do have one..
Thanks againm8 - Sorry to be a pest, but thats my name, can I set bass to fronts for music and then all bass to sub for films??
You might be able to do it for different inputs, depending on your amp, or if it's got a '2ch direct' button or similar use that..
In response to the original question, try and borrow a CD deck and arrange a blind test if you can.
I happen to have 2 copies of one album and so on my bedroom system I tried out playing both CD's in sync and switching blind between them (got a mate to do it, and then switched for him to see if he could tell).
The system is the following :
B&W Vision Speakers
Denon PMA350 Amp
Sony CDP XE900e CD player.
LG DVD 4710 DVD player.
Cheapish interconnects and Gale Speaker cable (the one thats about a quid or 2 a metre).
Now, my system downstairs is pretty nice, and my mate has Linn kit right through, so we are both aware of better hi fi, but neither of us found it at all easy telling the DVD player from the CD player. The DVD player is one of the 100 quid jobbies from earlier this year, and the CD player was about £300 a few years ago, so should be no slouch.
My mate, much to his embarrassment, actually chose the DVD player as the better of the two when pushed.
Maybe, in a more revealing system it would be more obvious, but the amp and speakers I use upstairs are both well respected budget kit that would compare well to current stuff.
Even though both sound excellent, and I know there is no appreciable difference in sound, I still find myself playing CDs on the CD player, because percieved wisdom tells me I should!
So - to repeat, I would strongly advise trying a blind test yourself before shelling out any money on a budget CD player, as you may actually not be able to tell the difference!
Warren - how did you have the players connected to the amp? If it was via analogue, then I'm a bit surprised your mate chose the DVD player, but as you say with 'budget' kit the differences are relatively minimal..
Anyway, at the end of the day a demo should always be carried out before parting..
Originally posted by Bapapapa
Warren - how did you have the players connected to the amp? If it was via analogue, then I'm a bit surprised your mate chose the DVD player, but as you say with 'budget' kit the differences are relatively minimal..
Anyway, at the end of the day a demo should always be carried out before parting..
Yup - we were surprised as well. Both were connected with the analogue as the amp is a straight (well regarded) stereo one.
The connections used the same (relatively poor) interconnects, so the DVD wasn't helped by better connections.
The sound was well rounded and the soundstage excellent. I could pick out the DVD player, but that was because I knew that the percussion was slightly more forward on the CD player.
I've never tried blind testing before, but I was surprised how much difference my expectations made - and still make....as I said, I still tend to want to use the CD player even though I know that there is little difference.
As far as Demo's go - try a blind one - I think it's an interesting excercise whatever the results. My mate refuses to do one on his Linn kit on account of spending in excess of £1000 on the CD player alone!
By the way - the CD player wasn't really budget in its day - its lower mid range I would guess.
I use my sony DVP NS300 as a cd player.
It's an old saying, but true non the less,,No point having a £1000 of Hi-Fi equipment if you only have £50.00 ears!!,,puritans pay mega bucks on cabels, Speakers and stuff,and they're never happy,,Why??,,because there is only so much purity their ears will except,, then they see or hear something else a year down the line that they think will sound better,,,!but if your happy with the sound that comes out of your stuff,,fine,,a DVD player will player your CDs just Dandy!,,
I've got a Pioneer DV-747a and the CD playback is stunning. :)
my pioneer 444 plays just beautiful :)
Originally posted by cobefn
It's an old saying, but true non the less,,No point having a £1000 of Hi-Fi equipment if you only have £50.00 ears!!,,puritans pay mega bucks on cabels, Speakers and stuff,and they're never happy,,Why??,,because there is only so much purity their ears will except,, then they see or hear something else a year down the line that they think will sound better,,,!but if your happy with the sound that comes out of your stuff,,fine,,a DVD player will player your CDs just Dandy!,,
Not sure this is entirely true.
My wife professes that she can't tell the difference between a cheap and a good hi-fi, but since we've been upgrading our kit she comments on other hi-fi not sounding very good. You quickly get used to a good system, and it's very hard going back. I think people can learn what to listen for in a good system. This may not be a good thing as it spoils you!
I think that there is a level that most would find acceptable, and the purists seem to want to go way beyond this to the point where the actual music no longer matters. I've been there myself - you find yourself sitting there, straining to hear any possible flaws in the system, when you ought to be kicking back and enjoying it.
I use my Sony player for my Stereo, it even has the option to turn off non-vital functions when CDs are being played
Originally posted by Building better worlds
I use my Sony player for my Stereo, it even has the option to turn off non-vital functions when CDs are being played
Like what? I, too, have a Sony 700.
I have a pioneer 444 and couldn't really tell a difference between that and a marantz cd63 ki sig something or other.
Does anyone if using the DACs onboard the DVD player is better than using the DACs in the AMP? (In my case I have Marantz SR4200)
Originally posted by monkeyWRENCH
Like what? I, too, have a Sony 700.
If you check page 80 of the manual, theres an option called CD Direct,
Eliminates the use of unnecessary circuits when playing CD's
Or am I misreading it?
Originally posted by gz5ztg
I have a pioneer 444 and couldn't really tell a difference between that and a marantz cd63 ki sig something or other.
Does anyone if using the DACs onboard the DVD player is better than using the DACs in the AMP? (In my case I have Marantz SR4200)
The DAC in my Sony 725 is definitely better than the one in my cinema amp - yamaha A5. Gives a more open soundstage.
I now use the 725 analogue outs going to a NAD C370 amp, and only use the A5 for movies (driving the fronts from the pre-outs on the Yammy, to the Video in on the NAD).
QUOTE]Originally posted by Warren Alexander
I think that there is a level that most would find acceptable, and the purists seem to want to go way beyond this to the point where the actual music no longer matters. I've been there myself - you find yourself sitting there, straining to hear any possible flaws in the system, when you ought to be kicking back and enjoying it. [/QUOTE]
Yeah!,,been there as well during my Vinyl years!,,along came CD and my Ears couldn't believe it,,,Replaced my whole back log of stuff on to CD and sat in Audio Bliss,,,then made the mistake of hearing my brothers QAD (or is it Quad?,,Hmm),,thing was,,he then heard someone else's system,,,much better of course and so it starts again!!,,you'd drive yourself crazy (and broke) if you let it get a grip!,,I now just enjoy what I have and what with the arrival of DVD I hope my purist Ghost stays dead and buried and doesn't come back to haunt me,,,,I can't afford to keep him!!!
PS. I wonder how many people out there threw their hands up to the Gods in praise when they bought their first DVD player and vowed never to watch VHS again,,,and are now picking holes in their much loved DVD player and saying to their partner "Yes love,,,but this other one in Dixons does this,,and that,,,, and gives a Much better picture !!?
I use my Pioneer 444 as a Cd player also. Couldn't tell any difference between that an the Technics Hi-fi deck I had before.
But am I better off buying a dedicated CD player? Will I notice a big difference in terms of sound quality? My budget is around £150.
Thanks.
Answers:
Its down to you mate, what do you think? are you happy with the sound your getting now? if so why waste money? the best thing to do is get a demo of cd players in your price bracket and make your won mind up, for me i have a different CD player connected to my AV amp, because i find the sound far better quality. i would imagine this may be the case for you. but if i didnt already have my cd player i wouldnt bother with a new one as the quality of cd playback from my marantz dvd player is excellent, but not as good as the cd player, but still for me its not worth the extra cash as the increase in sound quality wasnt that much.:o
Answers:
I had an old and originally fairly expensive NAD player (10 years, £250) alongside my Toshiba SD2109, but when I upgraded to a DV646 I replaced both of them. The sound was at least as good, and it was a lot more convenient:D
HTH
Answers:
Sorry to crash your thread but I have a question. Please don't take the micky but I'm not really too hot on this hifi lark. I have my Philips dvd player connected to my Yammy amp via a digital coax lead. I've never tried, but if I were to play an audio cd throgh the dvd would the sound come out of all 5 speakers or just the front 2?
Or do you need to connect the dvd to the amp by another means?
Cheers
Answers:
I've never tried, but if I were to play an audio cd throgh the dvd would the sound come out of all 5 speakers or just the front 2?
Doesn't matter whether it's connected via digital or analogue it'll still come out the front two (if it's a regular CD of course) - but you can force it through all of them if you wish by using one of the amp's heinous dsp modes..
Answers:
Thanks Baps - another question then - I have satalite speakers and as such all are set to small on the amp If I were to replace the front 2 with 3 way speakers would I get bass through those for music but still have the sub in use for dvd's etc?
So you still play cd's using the dvd input on the amp? you can't connect it twice somehow and use the cd inputs??
Answers:
As the speakers are set to small you should get music pumped through the front sats *and* the sub..
Doesn't matter whether you use the digital DVD input or not as it'll sound exactly the same as the CD one, but if you wanted to you could connect the analogue out on the player to the analogue CD input on the amp and use that - might sound better even. Try it..
Answers:
So you guys that have big front speakers and subs in your setups have your bass pumped through both for music and films.
Answers:
I haven't got a sub.. :nuts:
But, you can specify whether you want the bass pumped to the mains, sub or both if you do have one..
Answers:
Thanks againm8 - Sorry to be a pest, but thats my name, can I set bass to fronts for music and then all bass to sub for films??
Answers:
You might be able to do it for different inputs, depending on your amp, or if it's got a '2ch direct' button or similar use that..
Answers:
In response to the original question, try and borrow a CD deck and arrange a blind test if you can.
I happen to have 2 copies of one album and so on my bedroom system I tried out playing both CD's in sync and switching blind between them (got a mate to do it, and then switched for him to see if he could tell).
The system is the following :
B&W Vision Speakers
Denon PMA350 Amp
Sony CDP XE900e CD player.
LG DVD 4710 DVD player.
Cheapish interconnects and Gale Speaker cable (the one thats about a quid or 2 a metre).
Now, my system downstairs is pretty nice, and my mate has Linn kit right through, so we are both aware of better hi fi, but neither of us found it at all easy telling the DVD player from the CD player. The DVD player is one of the 100 quid jobbies from earlier this year, and the CD player was about £300 a few years ago, so should be no slouch.
My mate, much to his embarrassment, actually chose the DVD player as the better of the two when pushed.
Maybe, in a more revealing system it would be more obvious, but the amp and speakers I use upstairs are both well respected budget kit that would compare well to current stuff.
Even though both sound excellent, and I know there is no appreciable difference in sound, I still find myself playing CDs on the CD player, because percieved wisdom tells me I should!
So - to repeat, I would strongly advise trying a blind test yourself before shelling out any money on a budget CD player, as you may actually not be able to tell the difference!
Answers:
Warren - how did you have the players connected to the amp? If it was via analogue, then I'm a bit surprised your mate chose the DVD player, but as you say with 'budget' kit the differences are relatively minimal..
Anyway, at the end of the day a demo should always be carried out before parting..
Answers:
Originally posted by Bapapapa
Warren - how did you have the players connected to the amp? If it was via analogue, then I'm a bit surprised your mate chose the DVD player, but as you say with 'budget' kit the differences are relatively minimal..
Anyway, at the end of the day a demo should always be carried out before parting..
Yup - we were surprised as well. Both were connected with the analogue as the amp is a straight (well regarded) stereo one.
The connections used the same (relatively poor) interconnects, so the DVD wasn't helped by better connections.
The sound was well rounded and the soundstage excellent. I could pick out the DVD player, but that was because I knew that the percussion was slightly more forward on the CD player.
I've never tried blind testing before, but I was surprised how much difference my expectations made - and still make....as I said, I still tend to want to use the CD player even though I know that there is little difference.
As far as Demo's go - try a blind one - I think it's an interesting excercise whatever the results. My mate refuses to do one on his Linn kit on account of spending in excess of £1000 on the CD player alone!
By the way - the CD player wasn't really budget in its day - its lower mid range I would guess.
Answers:
I use my sony DVP NS300 as a cd player.
Answers:
It's an old saying, but true non the less,,No point having a £1000 of Hi-Fi equipment if you only have £50.00 ears!!,,puritans pay mega bucks on cabels, Speakers and stuff,and they're never happy,,Why??,,because there is only so much purity their ears will except,, then they see or hear something else a year down the line that they think will sound better,,,!but if your happy with the sound that comes out of your stuff,,fine,,a DVD player will player your CDs just Dandy!,,
Answers:
I've got a Pioneer DV-747a and the CD playback is stunning. :)
Answers:
my pioneer 444 plays just beautiful :)
Answers:
Originally posted by cobefn
It's an old saying, but true non the less,,No point having a £1000 of Hi-Fi equipment if you only have £50.00 ears!!,,puritans pay mega bucks on cabels, Speakers and stuff,and they're never happy,,Why??,,because there is only so much purity their ears will except,, then they see or hear something else a year down the line that they think will sound better,,,!but if your happy with the sound that comes out of your stuff,,fine,,a DVD player will player your CDs just Dandy!,,
Not sure this is entirely true.
My wife professes that she can't tell the difference between a cheap and a good hi-fi, but since we've been upgrading our kit she comments on other hi-fi not sounding very good. You quickly get used to a good system, and it's very hard going back. I think people can learn what to listen for in a good system. This may not be a good thing as it spoils you!
I think that there is a level that most would find acceptable, and the purists seem to want to go way beyond this to the point where the actual music no longer matters. I've been there myself - you find yourself sitting there, straining to hear any possible flaws in the system, when you ought to be kicking back and enjoying it.
Answers:
I use my Sony player for my Stereo, it even has the option to turn off non-vital functions when CDs are being played
Answers:
Originally posted by Building better worlds
I use my Sony player for my Stereo, it even has the option to turn off non-vital functions when CDs are being played
Like what? I, too, have a Sony 700.
Answers:
I have a pioneer 444 and couldn't really tell a difference between that and a marantz cd63 ki sig something or other.
Does anyone if using the DACs onboard the DVD player is better than using the DACs in the AMP? (In my case I have Marantz SR4200)
Answers:
Originally posted by monkeyWRENCH
Like what? I, too, have a Sony 700.
If you check page 80 of the manual, theres an option called CD Direct,
Eliminates the use of unnecessary circuits when playing CD's
Or am I misreading it?
Answers:
Originally posted by gz5ztg
I have a pioneer 444 and couldn't really tell a difference between that and a marantz cd63 ki sig something or other.
Does anyone if using the DACs onboard the DVD player is better than using the DACs in the AMP? (In my case I have Marantz SR4200)
The DAC in my Sony 725 is definitely better than the one in my cinema amp - yamaha A5. Gives a more open soundstage.
I now use the 725 analogue outs going to a NAD C370 amp, and only use the A5 for movies (driving the fronts from the pre-outs on the Yammy, to the Video in on the NAD).
Answers:
QUOTE]Originally posted by Warren Alexander
I think that there is a level that most would find acceptable, and the purists seem to want to go way beyond this to the point where the actual music no longer matters. I've been there myself - you find yourself sitting there, straining to hear any possible flaws in the system, when you ought to be kicking back and enjoying it. [/QUOTE]
Yeah!,,been there as well during my Vinyl years!,,along came CD and my Ears couldn't believe it,,,Replaced my whole back log of stuff on to CD and sat in Audio Bliss,,,then made the mistake of hearing my brothers QAD (or is it Quad?,,Hmm),,thing was,,he then heard someone else's system,,,much better of course and so it starts again!!,,you'd drive yourself crazy (and broke) if you let it get a grip!,,I now just enjoy what I have and what with the arrival of DVD I hope my purist Ghost stays dead and buried and doesn't come back to haunt me,,,,I can't afford to keep him!!!
PS. I wonder how many people out there threw their hands up to the Gods in praise when they bought their first DVD player and vowed never to watch VHS again,,,and are now picking holes in their much loved DVD player and saying to their partner "Yes love,,,but this other one in Dixons does this,,and that,,,, and gives a Much better picture !!?
Answers:
I use my Pioneer 444 as a Cd player also. Couldn't tell any difference between that an the Technics Hi-fi deck I had before.
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