What is an audiophile CD player?

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#61
Arcam FMJ, with the Ring DAC and the Pacific Microsonics HDCD decoder/filter. 😎

The latest Sony SCD-XA5400ES CD/SACD multichannel player (digital HDMI output), for only $1,499 is a very decent "audiophile" CD player.
...And a good player to mod as well.

And the ModWright Oppo 105 (with premium tubes and separate power supply) for $3,500 is a great "audiophile" Universal CD (SACD, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Blu-ray, DSD & hi-res audio files music streamer, ...) player. ...And much much more of course. ...A good DAC? ...That too.
 
#62
KatieandDad said:
Have you read the thread "The Shigalone Story"? It just goes to show how much you can achieve on a budget.

You start with a good CD transport - which with the Shigalone came out of a hundred buck portable boogie box. Then you add a decent DAC.

I haven't any experience of the Shigalone but it has quite a following.

The Sony PS3 also has a reasonable CD/DVD transport system in it but it's more difficult to implement as a standalone.
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I built a shigaclone based on the more complex RC32 boombox, and was quite impressed with the performance of the thing, and had a lot of fun doing it. (I posted extensively early on in the original thread about this variant.) I recently gave it to one of my closest friends where it soldiers on. I have ripped pretty much my entire CD collection to flac and it now lives on my second media server. In addition I have a few hundred HD files in the following formats dsf (standard dsd) and 2488, 2496, and 24192 flac files. I play these through a commercial xmos asychronous USB to spdif interface I purchased a couple of years ago to interface with my diy dac which supports all the way to 24192 pcm. (Mono mode PCM1794A driven by a TPA 8804 spdif receiver, I/V conversion by resistors and Sowter IV transformers into choke loaded, battery biased 5842/417A) The media server easily matched the performance of the shigaclone and Sony SCD-777ES SACD player when used as a transport so I felt a CD player was redundant and much less convenient. I am very happy with the overall performance and convenience of this set up.

I use J River Media Center 17 and remote control it with my android phone over wifi. (Galaxy SIII)
 
#63
NorthStar said:
Arcam FMJ, with the Ring DAC and the Pacific Microsonics HDCD decoder/filter. 😎

<snip>
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I was just given an old Rotel with a PMD-100 HDCD digital filter IC in it along with some PCM63 dac. I think you probably have an idea what I am going to do with those.. 😀 I used to own a PS Audio Ultralink II, it was outclassed by the cheap Zhaolu 2.5A I modified on 16 bit PCM, but still managed pretty good performance with HDCD format files on my media server..
 
#66
kevinkr said:
I was just given an old Rotel with a PMD-100 HDCD digital filter IC in it along with some PCM63 DACs. I think you probably have an idea what I am going to do with those.. 😀 I used to own a PS Audio Ultralink II, it was outclassed by the cheap Zhaolu 2.5A I modified on 16 bit PCM, but still managed pretty good performance with HDCD format files on my media server..
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I still have both my Rotel RCD-991 and RCD-971 CD players. ...They still both work too. 🙂

kevinkr said:
I'm wondering the same thing, perhaps the Ring DAC is no longer available to competitors?
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...Or too expensive? ...Or some ringing? 😉

=> http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue17/arcamcd192.htm ...A 2004 review of the Arcam DiVA CD192 CD player.

* PS Audio Ultralink II, with HDCD, is also mentioned in that review. ...And Wolfson and dCS's Ring DACs.
 
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#67
I also had a Lambda Drive (first gen) and the Ultralink II, a nice combination in its day.. Long since been outclassed. I was soured by what I considered the premature failure of my Lambda Drive in the early 2000s - I ended up unloading all of my PS Audio gear and started to diy my own digital - no regrets now.. Fun and pretty good performance. Funny you mention PFO - I've been associated with them for over 20yrs now, but hardly ever write any more. No time or energy for it.

I did not have much money in those days so I scrimped and saved for those PS Audio components, both were low hour dealer demos and were well taken care of.. I think if I was going to buy something today it would pretty much have to be dCS, but I am happy enough with my current toys..
 
#68
Some CD players from yesteryear are "audiophile" music reproducers and can be obtained for not much @ all now (if in perfect working condition of course).
If not people from this site can resurrect them, and improve them.

So, all in all a perfect world to be living in today. 🙂
 
#69
For me, I prefer to think of an audiophile as an enthusiast of high quality sound reproduction. It has nothing to do with price but everything to do with the art, science and craft of producing equipment that brings that certain joy of great sound reproduction.

Experienced DIY craftsmen are creating great sounding stuff without a lot of $.

For me, DIY digital server is the way to go. If you need a CD then following Lampizator suggestions work well. I get reasonable sound from an old Rotel 855 with tube output. Very little effort and borderline audiophile.
 
#70
wlowes said:
For me, I prefer to think of an audiophile as an enthusiast of high quality sound reproduction. It has nothing to do with price but everything to do with the art, science and craft of producing equipment that brings that certain joy of great sound reproduction.
Click to expand...

Do you like the band Daft Punk, and their creative music?

Experienced DIY craftsmen are creating great sounding stuff without a lot of $.

For me, DIY digital server is the way to go. If you need a CD then following Lampizator suggestions work well. I get reasonable sound from an old Rotel 855 with tube output. Very little effort and borderline audiophile.
Click to expand...

Digital Music servers; more music choices, more expansive world (International), high resolution audio, multichannel, more way to go in a world where often we feel left behind. ...And for valid reasons; it's the price to pay for having been born in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

:2c:
 
#71
marce said:
LOL so patronizing. You don't know what I have use or listen to so you cant comment, but it is the usual response, along with cloth ears etc.

To be quite honest if they engineered the products properly for the price (and some do, multilayer PCB with multiple ground planes for the digital) instead of adding Audiophile drool items, such as Bybee slipstreems etc. then I may not be as cynical, oh and maybe a bit more reality in there marketing rubbish.

A competent CD player, is one that is engineered to do the job:
A drive mechanism that is both reliable and reads discs with the minimum of errors, a digital/analogue section that is on well laid out multi-layer PCBs to optimise the signal integrity. A power supply (linear or SMPS) that is up to the job.

LOL anyway back to listening to my £100 high street junk, ho ho ho, by the way is that cost to cover my whole system.......
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But if you do not sell it for $20000, no one who call them self audiophile will buy it 😀
 
#72
NorthStar said:
Do you like the band Daft Punk, and their creative music?



Digital Music servers; more music choices, more expansive world (International), high resolution audio, multichannel, more way to go in a world where often we feel left behind. ...And for valid reasons; it's the price to pay for having been born in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

:2c:
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Re Daft Punk, I am likely the only guy on the the planet who had never hear of them. Listened to a few of their cuts and I can see why they have been so popular, but I remain more of a Jazz/classic/folk fan. Born in the 50's..
 
#74
"What is an audiophile CD player?"

...it has to have a look, like this for instance:
 

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#77
Nice unit, though currently outside my league and a bit more sophisticated than just a music streamer.


Some of the upgrades to a stock player to make it an audiophile player!!!!
These are the things that I am on about, the Audio Magic stuff is great😀

•Upgraded Furutech cryo-treated IEC.

•All signal wire = 99.9999% pure, cryo-treated solid-core silver wire from Cardas metals.

AUDIO MAGIC PULSE GEN ZX UPGRADE
•The Pulse Gen ZX operates on the principle of noise absorption in the space surrounding the internal power supply within the player.
•It simply it adds more dynamic and detail, due to a further lowering of the noise floor.
•The Pulse Gen ZX upgrade option is $400.
•For more information: Audio Magic :: Xstream
 
#79
The sad thing is that all this mumbo jumbo distracts from what is really important in sound reproduction!
Note there are no technical explanations, or none that I can find, but some 6 moons revues (a guarantee that alien physics is involved.)
 
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