Need help in locating a suitable CD player

If the difference is not going to be much with my current set-up, maybe I go for an average DVD player. Someone is selling Onkyo DVS 525 for RS 6000/-. Should I consider it?

Hello Ashish

I have auditioned Nad , marantz 5001 and CA 640 before buying SA 7001 from Marantz ,

For me the marantz 5001 sounded better then the nad , CA 640 was good but on a brighter side.

Its sure A dedicated CD player will make a difference, even a budget CD player will make you system sounds better then a normal Dvd player.

Tharun.

No, you are on the right track. Getting a dedicated CD player is the right thing to do. It will be better than a budget DVD player as mentioned above. All I wanted to do is caution you in terms of what to expect and to be realistic about it. The limiting factor is your speakers' ability to reveal the full potential of a good (or great) CD player. It will do so to a degree and may not be as dramatic depending on what you had in mind. But yes, it will certainly be much better than a DVD player.

About the Onkyo, I have no experience with them but it certainly doesn't hurt to audition as many players as you can. So if you can, go ahead and hear it. As Tharun has observed, the CA 640C is a bit bright but then this is because the CA amp is warm and thus there is a balance in the combination. With some other amp it may be out of place. Also each of us is looking for something different in our music - some want a warm tone, some want rich bass, some want exciting highs -- so, even with a lot of opinions offered and reviews considered, what will ultimately help you decide is listening to as many CD players as you can and finding the sound you like.

Okay, I am clear now. I will get a dedicated CD player.

Please tell me what is SACD?

Also I might get a pre-owned TS Lim modded Marantz CD67 special-edition for 13K. Will it be good for me?

SACD is one of two high-resolution audio formats that sought to improve on the Audio CD (the other being DVD-Audio). Compared to the CD which stores audio data sampled with a precision of 16 bits and at a sampling rate of 44100 Hz, the SACD stores audio data in a 1-bit format but with a much higher sampling rate, 2.8224 Megahertz. Also while Audio CD data is in PCM format, SACD uses DSD (Direct Stream Digital). In Sony's (co-inventor of the format) own words, "DSD's simplified mechanism for recording and playback results in a frequency response of over 100kHz and a dynamic range over 120dB across the audible frequency range." Finally, it also offers multichannel audio so you can have recordings in stereo and 5.1 formats. SACD enjoys an advantage over DVD-A in that it can exist as a hybrid, i.e. present the SACD data to an SACD player while being playable on a "regular" CD player.

To summarise, it offers improved sound over the regular CD but titles can be a bit difficult to find. It is most popular with Classical music listeners, followed by Jazz as many titles are in these genres. But companies are steadily (re-)releasing titles in Rock and other genres. Bands like Rolling Stones and Genesis to name a few. Also with Blu-ray and other technologies on the horizon it is unclear what its future will be. The Pioneer PD-D6 is a SACD player in your budget if you wish to audition it.

About the Marantz CD67 from square_wave... don't think about it! No, no, I am only joking because I've had an eye on it myself for very long! Seriously, its worth its weight in gold and that is a steal of a price for it. The CD67SE, I believe, was the last of the Marantz players that could be modified to the degree that one has been -- moreover, being a musician himself, TS Lim's modifications appeal to the audiophile and music listener alike. I am sure this player sounds far better than any competition at several times its price. It is a very lucky man who buys it.

Thanks Particleman.

My CA dealer has offered me to upgrade my amp from 340A to 540A, for a very nominal price. Will that improve my listening experience? Remember my speakers are Mordaunt-Short 900i floor standing.

instead of upgrading to 540 try 640V2 , this upgrade will make a audible difference rather then going for 540.

And regarding the used CDP , listen to it before buying , New marantz and NAD are available at a pretty good price .

Tharun.

If the difference in price is acceptable to you, go for it! The biggest advantages will be that 540A has pre-outs so you can connect it to a subwoofer or even a power amp in future. Also it has a multi-room feature that the 340A lacks. More power so it will drive the 906i much better.

Ashish,
Please dont feel offended but i truly dont like CA products. So my views will be biased. The cdps u have mentioned are all good budget players each having its pros & cons. I really feel a marantz player in every category is more musical than its rivals(except the loony priced cdp range).
U mentioned that ur dealer is willing to upgrade ur amp at a cost that seems reasonable? Please go for the bigger amp. Money well spent. Will sound more fluent, less strained and will extract more from ur floorstanders.
Regards

That's the best news you have heard. Get the amp and pair it with a CA 640 CDP. You will be set for a good entertainment for next couple of months.