CD player or ext. DA-converter?

[cha_indian]

seems like the group buy decision is put off...

 

[nirrej]

yea i too guess the same.
why would anybody want to buy something
from someone who takes an offensive stance
rather than an inviting one..
even if it is just a small article worth just Rs.5
the way the seller treats you is more important
than the actual product itself..

 

[gobble]

And considering that the CA products are offered at a decent price in comparison to many other brands, it is even a better buy.

Really? The 640c was quoted to me @24K, is that a decent price?

I would have picked up and walked away from the showroom in my first visit after only a 10 minute listening session, but the difference between International pricing and the INR quote held me back, esp considering that international pricing includes local customs duty also.


Can somebody clarify with examples of the "fair" pricing on CA products? I am really curious.

Regards

 

[anm]

true! why buy from such a person. Really shameful. No one asked about your personal life! Venkat asked only asked about the product and the company. When I buy salt for 5 rupees, I will not buy from any TD&H just because he claims to have better salt. Maybe he is repackaging salt from TATA and overcharging for "mods" on the wrapper.

Salt reminds me of Chinese milk powder! Be very careful of people repackaging it and selling it under different brand names.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...Africa_European_Union/articleshow/3543430.cms

 

[anm]

what is the US pricing?
I see it as $558.99 on amazon - which comes exceeds Indian pricing.

Amazon.com: Cambridge - 640C v2 - CD Player - Black: Electronics

regards

Really? The 640c was quoted to me @24K, is that a decent price?

I would have picked up and walked away from the showroom in my first visit after only a 10 minute listening session, but the difference between International pricing and the INR quote held me back, esp considering that international pricing includes local customs duty also.


Can somebody clarify with examples of the "fair" pricing on CA products? I am really curious.

Regards

 

[gobble]

I know that the 2006 price for 640c v2 was 750SGD. I would have expected a price drop for a 2 year old product.

Anyways the mindblock was set for me there and ultimately worked in my favor coz I got the cd6002 and am quite happy with it for 6K less

Cheers,

 

[RahulH]

I have a Denon DVD-1920 which I am using with the Parasound A23/P3 combination and Bose 901 speakers. The DVD player is used purely for stereo.
I do listen to MP3 as well and thought that the DAC would improve the sound quality for both.

Would it improve the sound (MP3 and CD) if I use the DACMagic?

 

[venkatcr]

I have a Denon DVD-1920 which I am using with the Parasound A23/P3 combination and Bose 901 speakers. The DVD player is used purely for stereo. I do listen to MP3 as well and thought that the DAC would improve the sound quality for both.

Would it improve the sound (MP3 and CD) if I use the DACMagic?

Rahul, am I hearing this right? You have a Parasound A23/P3 pair and you have paired it with Bose speakers, and a DVD Player? And to top all this you listen to MP3 on it?

This is like having a Ferrari, putting square wheels on it, and trying to run it with Kerosene.

Pardon my saying so, but your system needs a major overhaul. Get a good CD Player and a pair of wonderful speakers and see how your music opens up. You don't need a DAC. And please, please, please don't listen to MP3. If you have to listen to PC based music, let it be WAV or FLAC.

Cheers

 

[gobble]

And please, please, please don't listen to MP3. If you have to listen to PC based music, let it be WAV or FLAC.

Cheers

Sorry WAV is very poor too. Stick to FLAC.

Cheers

 

[grubyhalo]

Sorry WAV is very poor too. Stick to FLAC.

Cheers

Care to explain that? I always thought WAV was uncompressed and that FLAC was 'loss-lessly' compressed audio. From my layman's view, it would seem to me that WAV should be atleast as good, if not better than FLAC...

 

[grubyhalo]

I have a Denon DVD-1920 which I am using with the Parasound A23/P3 combination and Bose 901 speakers...

Among all the 'breakthrough inventions' of the Bose Corp., the 901's are probably the only hi-fi(!) product I'd dare consider if it would fit my needs. Though it's lacking big time on the 'fidelity' side of things, I've always felt it would be a nice set of speakers for non-critical, ambient listening, for instance in a bar. One other characteristic of these babies that I found appealing at times is it's ability to pressurize the listening space. Works really well with rock, metal recordings where forceful impact would matter more than fidelity.

But, yes, as it's being pointed out, in your setup, the bottleneck is definitely the speakers. I would suspect you would enjoy the music much more if you replace them first and then consider the DAC part of your system chain...

 

[marsilians]

I have a Denon DVD-1920 which I am using with the Parasound A23/P3 combination and Bose 901 speakers. The DVD player is used purely for stereo.
I do listen to MP3 as well and thought that the DAC would improve the sound quality for both.

Would it improve the sound (MP3 and CD) if I use the DACMagic?

Rahul

You dont need a DAC, your buying priorities (starting immediately)

* should be to upgrade the speakers
* tune your system if not already done
* add good universal player like an Oppo 980

These will improve sound tremendously. Though DACs have a place within a HiFI system, they will not matter much for your setup.

The Paradigm is a potent component and when tuned well with the right source will sound fantastic to say the least. Its fine to hear to MP3s though I would assume its not your primary source. Spend the same money as you would spend on DAC to get some quality CDs and you will see the difference.

 

[moserw]

@Cranky - If you can tell the difference between WAV and FLAC then wow you have golden ears. I certainly cannot tell the difference.

Gobble probably meant FLAC is easier to store and manage since it takes up less space compared to WAV... unless he has some additional information that I have not come across in which case even I would be very much interested in knowing about it.

 

[marsilians]

wav is arguably one of the best unadultrated formats and thats the reason you also have dts encoded wav files.

 

[gobble]

I think I confused WMA lossy with WAV since both are primarily Windows based.

Pardon me.

Regards

 

[RahulH]

Rahul

You dont need a DAC, your buying priorities (starting immediately)

* should be to upgrade the speakers
* tune your system if not already done
* add good universal player like an Oppo 980

Hello Marsilians, Venkat,

The Denon DVD1920 is actually good for music too and can also playback SACD and DVD audio. Its probably as good as the oppo that is being recommended.

Overall the sound from my system is quite good. The 901 speakers are also not as bad as people make them out to be .
However, my kids do play MP3 files using an iPOD or sometimes from my laptop. I have heard the same mp3 files from both sources and was amazed at the sound quality difference when it was played back from my laptop (HP DV9507tx : infinitely better sound than through the iPOD) presumably because of the sound card.

I have recently purchased the Parasound and have exhausted my budget for the moment :sad:for a big upgrade to another CD player.

Under the circumstances, I thought I may kill two birds with one stone if the DAC can improve the sound further for all sources.

In any case, if the DAC doesnt serve the purpose, what do you think should be the next CD player that I should look at (assume the budget is approx Rs 50K). Do you think CD players like the Marantz PM6002 / NAD C545BEE would substantially improve the sound?

Marsilians: Could you pls elaborate what you meant by "Tune the system"? I would like to do such tuning , if I understand how to go about it.

Lastly, sigh. I am looking for a place in Mumbai from where I can source good recordings. Unfortunately, our music companies do not believe that good recordings are needed. I have had difficulties in finding the music that I want from Planet M or Rhythm House.

Thanks guys, really appreciate your input.

Rgds,
Rahul

 

[venkatcr]

I will leave it to Marsilians answer most of the questions. But I just wanted to add these points.

The Denon DVD1920 is actually good for music too and can also playback SACD and DVD audio. Its probably as good as the oppo that is being recommended.

There is no denying the Denon is a good universal player, and I would not even look at the Oppo as a replacement. The improvement the Oppo 980 would provide would be marginal. On the other hand, a dedicated CD Player with a good inbuilt DAC, one costing even 20K, would take you to a different level with the Parasounds. If you are serious about music, the Parasounds have to be paired with a CD Player. No universal player with even the best DAC in the world will do it justice. Yes, you can use the universal player for SACD and DVD-A, but remember, the Parasounds are two channel equipment.

Overall the sound from my system is quite good. The 901 speakers are also not as bad as people make them out to be .
However, my kids do play MP3 files using an iPOD or sometimes from my laptop. I have heard the same mp3 files from both sources and was amazed at the sound quality difference when it was played back from my laptop (HP DV9507tx : infinitely better sound than through the iPOD) presumably because of the sound card.

I have recently purchased the Parasound and have exhausted my budget for the moment :sad:for a big upgrade to another CD player.

Under the circumstances, I thought I may kill two birds with one stone if the DAC can improve the sound further for all sources.

The Parasounds are serious equipment, and the chain has to be perfect to bring out the immense musicality of the Parasounds. If you are serious about playing PC based music as well as iPod based music, a DAC would make sense.

I would suggest you borrow a CD Player from a friend or take one from a dealer for a few days and try it out. See what difference in you get in playing standard Redbook CD. After that you can take things one step at a time.

If you are going to go in for a DAC, get a good docket for the iPod such as the iTransport.

Cheers

 

[spirovious]

I will leave it to Marsilians answer most of the questions. But I just wanted to add these points.



There is no denying the Denon is a good universal player, and I would not even look at the Oppo as a replacement. The improvement the Oppo 980 would provide would be marginal. On the other hand, a dedicated CD Player with a good inbuilt DAC, one costing even 20K, would take you to a different level with the Parasounds. If you are serious about music, the Parasounds have to be paired with a CD Player. No universal player with even the best DAC in the world will do it justice. Yes, you can use the universal player for SACD and DVD-A, but remember, the Parasounds are two channel equipment.

Cheers

Well Denon DVDp1930 comes close to CDp & has Flauridja chip can perhaps do better than Oppo980.

 

[grubyhalo]

Well Denon DVDp1930 comes close to CDp & has Flauridja chip can perhaps do better than Oppo980.

The Faroudja chip, which I believe is the one you're referring to, is not going to help much with the SQ as it's job is to process the video and not audio. I personally have not seen the Denon model in question, but I'd bet that it would make a very good transport, perhaps even better than the Oppo. If it was me, I'd look at getting my hands on a not-so-expensive DAC like the Buffalo, DacMagic or the Beresford and start saving money for a good pair of speakers...

 

[spirovious]

The Faroudja chip, which I believe is the one you're referring to, is not going to help much with the SQ as it's job is to process the video and not audio. I personally have not seen the Denon model in question, but I'd bet that it would make a very good transport, perhaps even better than the Oppo. If it was me, I'd look at getting my hands on a not-so-expensive DAC like the Buffalo, DacMagic or the Beresford and start saving money for a good pair of speakers...

Yes,I was trying to compare with oppo980 & video processing is additional advantage on Denon.
I was trying to get best of universal players.