CD player for PSB-B25 & NAD 355.

[snkumar]

Hi All,

I have PSB-Image B25s speakers. I had bought them based on my home audition around 4 months ago. I also sought advice from posts of the members here, magma, physhotropic..

For my home audition NAD C515 and NAD 355 were used. I was impressed with the entire combination and really enjoyed the audition.

Though i was initially confused about which amplifier to choose, i finally decided to go ahead with NAD 355s. Basically i am not gettign time and i am running out of patience! .

Neverthelss, the main reason for this post is to get suggestions for a CD player for the combination of NAD355 and PSB B25s.

Budget is around 20K but wouldn't mind spending some more if it is VFM.

Since audition happened with NADC515, it is a front runner. Another option is the NAD 545.

But the lack of USB option hurts. But will players with the USB option have compromised on sound quality ?

Are the Opps universal players comaprable in sound quality especially the 981s ?
How about the Marantz 6003 ? Both the above Opps and the Marantz have USB.

I am very little knowledge and reviews tend to confuse. Hence this post for suggestions.

I am sorry if similar threads already exist, please do point me to them if possible.
thanks.

 

[iaudio]

Marantz cd6003 would be a good bet for you, as it can play wavs and mp3s from usb. Go for oppo if you want to play dvds, but I doubt availabitily.

 

[rallynut]

the CA DV99 would be a good allrounder,and well within ur budget.then again,its not a dedicated cdp,so if thats what ur looking for maybe any of the usual suspects could be zeroed on.havent heard nad/nad combos so will let senior and more experienced members comment on ur choices.enjoy,cheers

 

[iaudio]

Rallynut, You are right, I forgot the CA dv99, that would be a good choice too.

 

[spirovious]

I have heard Nad entry level CDP with 315/326 with psb synchrony BS & it sounded nice with no extra sharp treble,Bass was good ,overall warm sound.
But if you like details,then Mar6003 as said before is good one.

 

[snkumar]

Does anyone know about the contact details of a Marantz and OppoDigital dealer in Bangalore ?

 

[magma]

snkumar
ive heard your amp with your speakers

the B25's i think produce the most amount of bass from many bookshelf speakers ive heard
they produce tremendous weight. (for me it was too much weight) Also the nad b25 combo is very slightly cloudy for my tastes

i would strongly recommend a cd player to you that is open and has an airy feel to itthese properties would complement your speaker and amp
ideally i would like to hear a cyrus with this combination
however your budgetwise the marantz 6000 series would not be a bad choice


note : the above are my personal feelings, im just a noob in audio

 

[Asit]

snkumar
ive heard your amp with your speakers

the B25's i think produce the most amount of bass from many bookshelf speakers ive heard
they produce tremendous weight. (for me it was too much weight) Also the nad b25 combo is very slightly cloudy for my tastes

i would strongly recommend a cd player to you that is open and has an airy feel to itthese properties would complement your speaker and amp
ideally i would like to hear a cyrus with this combination
however your budgetwise the marantz 6000 series would not be a bad choice


note : the above are my personal feelings, im just a noob in audio

Great suggestion, Ali. Do not call yourself a noob any more. In that case I am also a noob, I would suggest exactly the same as you have.

Regards.

 

[magma]

Asit ji
thank you for the support

but its common knowledge that seniors like you, audio eng,dinyaar, SG ,suri, sangram and so many more probably have heard music and experienced equipment since the time i was running around in my underwear
P.S pls dont take it in the way that youre old - its just to say you guys a far more experinced!)
just the other day i was taking a crash course from sangram about class d amplification
i didnt even know how it worked

 

[snkumar]

Magma,

Thanks for reply. To be frank i never knew about PSBs until i read your thread of various audutions. So thanks a lot for your detailed threads. They are indeed a boon to novices like me.

Actaully i haven't yet got the AMP (NAD 355) delivered. It is apprently still being shipped.

I was actually quite confused about which amp to take.

Based on a sugesstion from Phychotropic and others friends i went to for audition Arcams with my speakers PSB-B25s.
1) Arcam Solo Mini,
2) Solo Music,
3) Arcam CD-17 and Arcam FMJ-18 combo (there was also a possiblility of paring the old Arcam Diva CD player and FMJ-A18 which i did not try.)

Since the audition was in the dealer's place i cannot really make a comparison with NAD combo.
Arcam Solo Mini was good but i felt a bit under-powered while the Solo Music was really excellent. The separates Cd-17 FMJ-18 combo was just about marginally better then Solo Music.

So in a nutshell, the Arcam Solo music really was impressive. Also the bass seemed better, more controlled, in Arcams than in the NAD.
But the Arcam devices are really expensive!

The basic thought behind choosing the NAD was
1) The audition at home was quite impressive.
2) I believe the PSBs are tested with NADs by manufacturers, so i thought (i could be wrong here) that the PSB's are probably more tuned to the NAD settings.
3) Ofcourse the price!

I did not get the chance to audition the PSBs with Marantz 7001 as u had suggested. I just don't knwo whom to contact for Marantz in Bangalore.

I just finally gave up and chose the NAD. Don't like the speakers to lie idle at home.

I would like to know the thoughts of folks on Arcam Solo Music. I feel there is still a chance that i can cancel my NAD amplifier and instead go for the Arcam. There is a possibility that i can get the Arcam from UK thru a friend. But i am sceptical bcos the power source of UK products will be differnt and i will have to get a adapter. I am not sure whether, with an adapter, the device will perform properly.

 

[magma]

Magma,


Since the audition was in the dealer's place i cannot really make a comparison with NAD combo.

The basic thought behind choosing the NAD was
1) The audition at home was quite impressive.
.

what ive marked in bold is the most important thing while selecting musical equipment in my belief
if youve heard the combo and liked it specially at home how can you even think about buying something youve not heard

hearing for yourself before you buy is most improtant rather than guessing or taking any others opinion
trust your ears- its you who will hear your rig

Dinyaar has heard a few Arcams and has also heard the B25 a couple times
dont know whether hes heard the exact combo
hope he reads this post and guides you if youre intrested in the Arcams

 

[gopi]

kumar,
products from UK do not need anything special in india. At the max a plug point that can take flat ping compared to our round one as they are also 220V. I have used the dacmagic bought from UK with no problem. also, no problem affecting the sound.
regarding the arcam solo - i have not heard arcam solo, but have heard arcam integerated and cd players and NAD as well. Now, arcam is a step up from NAD in my books. But, Arcam sound signature is different from NAD.
NAD has more punch but its high frequencies are a bit rounded off giving a warmth to the sound but at the cost of details. Bass is boosted with NAD but not bloated , just making it more fun.
Arcam on the other hand has a more smoother presentation but still quite detailed (more than NAD) and doesn't have the bass that NAD has.
I would like a Rock song in NAD but a Jazz song in Arcam.
Also, never heard PSB mated to Arcam and so not sure how that will work.
Arcam Solo Music is available for about 1000 pounds in UK which in current rate comes to an attractive 70k. A local NAD amp + CD player will cost you about the same.
One additional thing is that Arcam Solo Neo has been introduced which can accept data streamed wirelessly in case you are planning for an expansion computer based.
I am not suggesting you one over the other, but merely giving you different things I know about them.
Finally, I think you can do better by mating the Arcam with a better speaker than those PSB's, but then thats for probably sometime in the future. I think Arcam can scale up with better speakers than the NAD.