CD6003 or NAD C545BEE or DACMAGIC

[sunster]

CD6003 or DACMAGIC Upgrade!!! Which is better???

Hello all,

What would be more sensible to upgrade to:

Marantz CDP6003 or

Cambridge Audio DACMAGIC to which Pioneer DVD Player and PS3 get hooked.

Difficult to upgrade to both. I was thinking of going for the CD6003 and then later add the DACMAGIC. Any help/ comments?

Thanks

Sunny

 

[spirovious]

Re: CD6003 or DACMAGIC Upgrade!!! Which is better???

DAC magic has lot of options from connecting to DVDp to PC/Lapy.

 

[vinod_david]

Re: CD6003 or DACMAGIC Upgrade!!! Which is better???

Cambridge Audio DACMAGIC to which Pioneer DVD Player and PS3 get hooked.

:thumbsup:

 

[sachin_k5]

Re: CD6003 or DACMAGIC Upgrade!!! Which is better???

Hello all,

I was thinking of going for the CD6003 and then later add the DACMAGIC.

:thumbsup: My reasoning is that mass market dvd players use cheap electronics. Their power components and clocks reduce the clarity with with the CD is read. So even if you have a good DAC, you will still be sending it bad data.

 

[gobble]

Re: CD6003 or DACMAGIC Upgrade!!! Which is better???

Hello all,

What would be more sensible to upgrade to:

Marantz CDP6003 or

Cambridge Audio DACMAGIC to which Pioneer DVD Player and PS3 get hooked.

Difficult to upgrade to both. I was thinking of going for the CD6003 and then later add the DACMAGIC. Any help/ comments?

Thanks

Sunny

Dont waste money buying both 6003 and dacmagic. Neither is a substantial upgrade over either. Buy any one. An upgrade will have to come from a product in a seriously different league altogether in terms of sonic quality.

Regards

 

[prashanth14485]

Hi all,

So I have finally decided to build my first proper budget stereo setup and need my advise from experts in the house..

I am planning to start with a CD Player purchase and then get an Amp and Speakers in a couple of months (I presently have a Sherwood AVR, Jamo HT Speakers and Pioneer DVD player). So I'm planning to hook a dedicated CDP to my sherwood and jamo for now until I can afford an AMP and BS..

I dont have a great deal of knowledge and neither am I technical, so I need you guys to help me decide if I should go for Marantz CD6003 or NAD C545BEE or (CA DACMAGIC to use it with my existing Pioneer DVD player).

I listen a lot of music and am looking for a setup that won't cause fatigue during long listening sessions.. I want the sound to be real, pure and should fill my room with music, tight bass, mids should be crisp and clear and that would sum up my requirement..

Which among these three should I go for as my budget doesn't allow me to think any beyond..

Thanks again for helping a confused soul like me..

Prashanth

 

[square_wave]

Go with the marantz player.

At these kind of budgets, avoid DAC/Transport combos. The transport is very important in the chain.

If you are going the PC/Dac way, it is a different story

 

[magma]

i suggest the CDP too over the dac unless you will use a PC transport later
however i like the NAD flavour

 

[madbullram]

My take would be a DAC purely from convenience stand point. My old generation DAC has really helped me realize lot of dreams and I use it with multiple inputs, DVDP, Media Player, PS2, and Laptop.

 

[Dr.Bass]

SW is right. At this price point single box CDP gives the max VFM in terms of sound. However I prefer the NAD sound when it comes to CDP. They offer something special in the mids. Marantz is good but somehow I have not been able to like the new generation Marantz CDPs. They try to sound like "no comments". Even their higher end CDPs like the CD-17 sounded just okay to me.
OTOH, NAD does something to the sound which I feel is special. Listen to it and see if it appeals to you.

 

[dillihifi]

It all depends if you have a large collection of good quality CDs otherwise a good DVDP like the CA DV99 coupled with Dacmagic would be the best pick of the bunch as you will having flexibility with regard to future upgrades. Currently I have the CD 6003 and the HRT music streamer (USB DAC) for PC based playback. Have not heard the NAD so cannot comment.

 

[subhobh]

Hi all,

So I have finally decided to build my first proper budget stereo setup and need my advise from experts in the house..

I am planning to start with a CD Player purchase and then get an Amp and Speakers in a couple of months (I presently have a Sherwood AVR, Jamo HT Speakers and Pioneer DVD player). So I'm planning to hook a dedicated CDP to my sherwood and jamo for now until I can afford an AMP and BS..

I dont have a great deal of knowledge and neither am I technical, so I need you guys to help me decide if I should go for Marantz CD6003 or NAD C545BEE or (CA DACMAGIC to use it with my existing Pioneer DVD player).

I listen a lot of music and am looking for a setup that won't cause fatigue during long listening sessions.. I want the sound to be real, pure and should fill my room with music, tight bass, mids should be crisp and clear and that would sum up my requirement..

Which among these three should I go for as my budget doesn't allow me to think any beyond..

Thanks again for helping a confused soul like me..

Prashanth

Hey Prashanth,

I believe this is a really important part, and I kind of disagree with lot of people regarding this. Dont wanna argue but I have different point of view.

I am not including anything beyond those three gears that you have mentioned. So I am giving you me points one by one.

Marantz CD6003: Entry level CD player with all china made capacitors and other parts. Decent sound with HDAM and Entry level Single Cyrus Logic 4398 DAC chip, iPod and Usb connectivity is a really good addition. Value or money at 22-25K, but not the best solution if you are only focused upon the overall sound quality.

NAD C 545BEE: Great CD player. Unlike Marantz it has decent Toroidal Power supply and up sampling single Wolfson WM8740 24bit/192KHz DAC Digital to Analogue Converter (Love it!!) which is better than Cyrus Logic DAC chips. And sound quality? Anyways I am always in favor of European sound tuning, though its a Canadian product but still have an European sound tuning. You will get a decent hold over Mid range. Good buy CD p but yeah flat 7-8K over Marantz CD6003. You get what you pay.

CA DacMagic: WOW, what a utility product. 32 bit Texas Instruments DSP, Twin WM8740 high quality DACs, up sampling 32/44.1/48/88.2/96kHz, Analogue balanced output seems like I am buying a reference series CD player costing over a lakh.. And sound? Already told you that I am always in favor of European sound tuning, and look at the What Hi-Fi and other reviews, you will always find five starts. You can always plug it with your digital gadgets and computer. Is it it really a good option at 25K.

I believe you already have a pioneer DVD player, so I dont think you will face much problem about transport or U-clock. Cause if I see the technicality though its not a dedicated audio only transport but still it should have decent quality digital data extraction capability and the built in U-clock wont ditch you.

I would strongly say to go with CA DacMagic and feel the pride of being an owner of a mid segment CD player. Cheers!!

SB

 

[prashanth14485]

Thanks everyone.. Clearly shows that each one of you possess tremendous knowledge in this field..

I request each one of you to pick the one that you'd buy if u were me out of the 3 models.. As I mentioned, i'm so not technical so half of what is written goes right over the roof.. lolzz..

I'm gonna consider your pick and also rely on my ears a bit to arrive at a conclusion..

Again, thank you all so much for this help.. I will let ya all know when i make up my mind and buy THE ONE..

Prashanth

 

[gobble]

Hey Prashanth,

I believe this is a really important part, and I kind of disagree with lot of people regarding this. Dont wanna argue but I have different point of view.

I am not including anything beyond those three gears that you have mentioned. So I am giving you me points one by one.

Marantz CD6003: Entry level CD player with all china made capacitors and other parts. Decent sound with HDAM and Entry level Single Cyrus Logic 4398 DAC chip, iPod and Usb connectivity is a really good addition. Value or money at 22-25K, but not the best solution if you are only focused upon the overall sound quality.

NAD C 545BEE: Great CD player. Unlike Marantz it has decent Toroidal Power supply and up sampling single Wolfson WM8740 24bit/192KHz DAC Digital to Analogue Converter (Love it!!) which is better than Cyrus Logic DAC chips. And sound quality? Anyways I am always in favor of European sound tuning, though its a Canadian product but still have an European sound tuning. You will get a decent hold over Mid range. Good buy CD p but yeah flat 7-8K over Marantz CD6003. You get what you pay.

CA DacMagic: WOW, what a utility product. 32 bit Texas Instruments DSP, Twin WM8740 high quality DACs, up sampling 32/44.1/48/88.2/96kHz, Analogue balanced output seems like I am buying a reference series CD player costing over a lakh.. And sound? Already told you that I am always in favor of European sound tuning, and look at the What Hi-Fi and other reviews, you will always find five starts. You can always plug it with your digital gadgets and computer. Is it it really a good option at 25K.

I believe you already have a pioneer DVD player, so I dont think you will face much problem about transport or U-clock. Cause if I see the technicality though its not a dedicated audio only transport but still it should have decent quality digital data extraction capability and the built in U-clock wont ditch you.

I would strongly say to go with CA DacMagic and feel the pride of being an owner of a mid segment CD player. Cheers!!

SB

The CS4398 is considered is the most regarded DAC chip by many .. ofcourse the implementation makes all the difference ...

 

[afj]

the nad is a little warm but gives a lot of flavour and musicality to the sound.

why dont you first decide on the amp and speakers and then decide on the cdp

 

[gobble]

My recent listening experience with a TT convinced me of this - it is less useful to compare one CDP to another than to compare a CDP with a TT - if you can get an LP of the same album as the CD and do an A/B comparison. Ofcourse impossible in the normal course of events. But now I have decided that a TT at home is a must as a "gold standard" to judge everything by ... even if the variables like quality of phonostage mislead, the end-result is still to be considered as a reference for comparison. This will give you a fair idea of how good or bad the DAC implementation is ...

But ideas aside, I am not buying a TT this year for sure ...

-Gobble

 

[subhobh]

The CS4398 is considered is the most regarded DAC chip by many .. ofcourse the implementation makes all the difference ...

- Agreed. Thats true.

 

[subhobh]

Re: CD6003 or DACMAGIC Upgrade!!! Which is better???

Hello all,

What would be more sensible to upgrade to:

Marantz CDP6003 or

Cambridge Audio DACMAGIC to which Pioneer DVD Player and PS3 get hooked.

Difficult to upgrade to both. I was thinking of going for the CD6003 and then later add the DACMAGIC. Any help/ comments?

Thanks

Sunny

http://www.hifivision.com/cd-players/12921-cd6003-nad-c545bee-dacmagic.html

 

[Dr.Bass]

My recent listening experience with a TT convinced me of this - it is less useful to compare one CDP to another than to compare a CDP with a TT - if you can get an LP of the same album as the CD and do an A/B comparison. Ofcourse impossible in the normal course of events. But now I have decided that a TT at home is a must as a "gold standard" to judge everything by ... even if the variables like quality of phonostage mislead, the end-result is still to be considered as a reference for comparison. This will give you a fair idea of how good or bad the DAC implementation is ...

But ideas aside, I am not buying a TT this year for sure ...

-Gobble

Gobble I like your enthusiasm about TT. But take it from me, the day you have a decent TT at your place, the chances that you can accept digital playback anymore is very less. You will have to upgrade to very sophisticated levels in digital domain to get any kind of satisfaction from digital sound. Even there you will miss things but you may be able to adjust because a lot of your favorite music is in digital format. However life will be difficult with digitalhyeah:. So, comparing entry level DACs to TT in most cases will leave the buyer highly confused:

1. First of all the music reproduction through both these mediums are so different in flavors that finding similarities is like splitting hairs. It is always advisable to find similarities between products from the same stable. At least you know their functionality is the same.

2. In most cases the comparison would end up so heavily in favor of TT that every product in comparison would sound badly disappointing. Are you saying one should find out which product disappointed him the least ?

Please remember I am talking about entry level digital devices here.

I too love TTs. The only reason I have not DARED to get into that domain is because I know I will have a tough time listening to digital after that. Either I have to quit digital playback or keep improving them from time to time to keep the excitement alive. I am not ready for this at present. I will do it some time, when I am prepared.

 

[vaibhav.gadade]

Re: CD6003 or DACMAGIC Upgrade!!! Which is better???

well....i have burnt my "ears" with the maverick audio DAC (and samsung DVDp combo) and have placed an order for the cd6003. then again, i do like CDs over mp3s and dont mind buying CDs. yes i do end up paying more that way in the long run and as a musician i do feel music should not be so expensive, but for now the quality of a few CDs kinda sweep the my entire mp3 collection. from your post i believe that you too are looking for CD playback and would recommend a better CD player over adding more components in your audio chain.