Dedicated CD Player VS Premium Sound Card

[prithivi]

I am here in a myth of confusion to buy a CDP or a Premium sound card such as ASUS xonar

CDP
Ex :Marantz CD6002 (as for consults we may not consider higher brands such as rega apollo , musical fidelity)

According to my ears i really like marantz and the sound that the marantz delivers it is really superb sound and every audiophile likes to own it
and it is priced decently so any one could offer for it

Premium Sound card
These sound cards have very high quality Burr Brown D/A(Famously known for its quality) and they have on board DTS Encoding Capabiltity
and even they can enhance normal DTS movies
to optimistic sound



so i would like you people to comment and give your opinion on this as this topic would be useful for me and everyone on the same road. . .

 

[iaudio]

Prithivi, I think for a level playing ground it would be better to compare entry level CD players and stereo sound cards.

 

[shershah]

I am here in a myth of confusion to buy a CDP or a Premium sound card such as ASUS xonar

CDP
Ex :Marantz CD6002 (as for consults we may not consider higher brands such as rega apollo , musical fidelity)

According to my ears i really like marantz and the sound that the marantz delivers it is really superb sound and every audiophile likes to own it
and it is priced decently so any one could offer for it

Premium Sound card
These sound cards have very high quality Burr Brown D/A(Famously known for its quality) and they have on board DTS Encoding Capabiltity
and even they can enhance normal DTS movies
to optimistic sound



so i would like you people to comment and give your opinion on this as this topic would be useful for me and everyone on the same road. . .

hi prithvi,

i am completely optimistic that premium sound card is much better than marantz entry level cdp

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Prithivi, I think for a level playing ground it would be better to compare entry level CD players and stereo sound cards.

That depends on the stereo sound card. What if you had just spent around 70,000 on a stereo sound card. Would you compare it with an entry-level CD player then?

Well, I never spent so much, nor will I (on any piece of hifi kit --- I'm sure I would if I could!) but, about eight or nine years ago I had a Cyrus CD player. I bought an RME stereo sound card, connected it, and it sounded so much better than the Cyrus!

rough costs (at least gives an idea of the proportions)...

Cyrus deck: 600 UK pounds; reduced to 300, ex-dem.
RME card: 200 UK pounds; reduced to about 100, end-of-line.

A PC comes with all sorts of other problems like keeping its own fan noises down, lack of remote, etc. If you ended up building a PC to use as a source, maybe you might as well have bought your Marantz, which you are pretty sure you'll like, anyway. Also: it's hard to audition a sound card.

 

[prithivi]

Prithivi, I think for a level playing ground it would be better to compare entry level CD players and stereo sound cards.

actually i opted cd 6002 because it is around 20-26K

and a premium sound card needs a decent processor ram power supply and even decent hdd for processor all together the premium cd is also 26K i hope yu get my point

 

[murali_n]

Hi Prithvi,

If you have all your Music in Cds and MP3s in CD then CDP is a good choice.

If most of your music is in MP3s in Hardisk and FLAC format and if you need to archive Vinyl or cassettes once in a while then sound card is the way to go, of course given that, you already have a Desktop or laptop PC in place. Otherwise I feel the latter is a better choice.

Just my 2 Rupees.

N.Murali

 

[prithivi]

A PC comes with all sorts of other problems like keeping its own fan noises down, lack of remote, etc. If you ended up building a PC to use as a source, maybe you might as well have bought your Marantz, which you are pretty sure you'll like, anyway. Also: it's hard to audition a sound card.

i am glad to see another vote on pc sound card

this pc sound card can encode it to DTS and it can alse be used for both movies etc
a pc can be used to play rips and remote is not an issue media center is there vice versa a wireless mouse is available for min Rs 550

and nower days asus introduced silent features in its mother board so no issues in it as even i felt that

 

[prithivi]

Hi Prithvi,

If you have all your Music in Cds and MP3s in CD then CDP is a good choice.

If most of your music is in MP3s in Hardisk and FLAC format and if you need to archive Vinyl or cassettes once in a while then sound card is the way to go, of course given that, you already have a Desktop or laptop PC in place. Otherwise I feel the latter is a better choice.

Just my 2 Rupees.

N.Murali

thank you for your reply
will that sound card will be an equivalent competator to a Marantz CDP

i use FLAC very often

and i have also burnt loseless Audio cd from FLAC

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Not so much a vote, more of a it-depends!

I am saying that you can get very, very good analogue sound straight out of a PC , but you have to consider the cons to that as well. It also is not going to come particularly cheap.

If you really, really want my vote, I'm afraid it's probably going to be....






both. :lol:

 

[murali_n]

Hi prithvi,

It all depends on the quality of the sound card, I think M-Audio or other professional brands may give a equivalent or better SQ than a CDP (read entry level).

But other extl disturbances as highlighted by Thad should also be considered before taking a call.

N.Murali

 

[spirovious]

If you have a lot CDs ,then CDp.
If your music is mp3,wav,flac,then Soundcard.
Now if you are still confused,then go for USB DAC(even ext SC) which will a good option.

 

[venkatcr]

Let me put it this way. I have heard a Marantz 6002 through a Benchmark DAC1. I have heard a number of other CDPs such as NAD, CA, Primare, Creek etc.

In the recent past, I have also been troubled between the choice of going for a CDP or looking at a serious PC based music system. I experimented with a Core2Duo PC using an Asus Xonar STX. Using cPlay, and FLACs and routed to an 'ordinary' amp using an Arcam rDAC, I very strongly feel I have achieved my sonic nirvana. The kind of sound stage and three dimensionality I heard from this combination, I have never heard before excepting in the 6002+DAC1 combination. But, in that case, the amp and speakers were at least five times more expensive than what I used with the STX + rDAC.

I will be writing a detailed review after I overcome some issues in terms of OS and ability to play at the kernel level using ASIO drivers. In my mind, at least for me, the CDP is dead.

At the same time let me warn people. The PC route can deliver wonderful music. But this path is wrought with dangerous steps and need a high level of commitment, and the ability to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Cheers

 

[Kittu]

If you have a lot CDs ,then CDp.
If your music is mp3,wav,flac,then Soundcard.

Nice and Practical answer .... I like it....

 

[iaudio]

That depends on the stereo sound card. What if you had just spent around 70,000 on a stereo sound card. Would you compare it with an entry-level CD player then?

Well, I never spent so much, nor will I (on any piece of hifi kit --- I'm sure I would if I could!) but, about eight or nine years ago I had a Cyrus CD player. I bought an RME stereo sound card, connected it, and it sounded so much better than the Cyrus!

rough costs (at least gives an idea of the proportions)...

Cyrus deck: 600 UK pounds; reduced to 300, ex-dem.
RME card: 200 UK pounds; reduced to about 100, end-of-line.

A PC comes with all sorts of other problems like keeping its own fan noises down, lack of remote, etc. If you ended up building a PC to use as a source, maybe you might as well have bought your Marantz, which you are pretty sure you'll like, anyway. Also: it's hard to audition a sound card.

Thad, you got me wrong! My point was about 'stereo' sound cards, i.e sound cards which have two channel audio as their priority rather than surround sound.
And the mention of 'entry level cdp' is because the OP is comparing with the Marantz cd6002.

actually i opted cd 6002 because it is around 20-26K

and a premium sound card needs a decent processor ram power supply and even decent hdd for processor all together the premium cd is also 26K i hope yu get my point

Yes,I do get your point.

 

[spirovious]

I will be writing a detailed review after I overcome some issues in terms of OS and ability to play at the kernel level using ASIO drivers. In my mind, at least for me, the CDP is dead.

Sirji,did you try unixonar drivers?new 1.30ver launched.

 

[gobble]

actually i opted cd 6002 because it is around 20-26K

and a premium sound card needs a decent processor ram power supply and even decent hdd for processor all together the premium cd is also 26K i hope yu get my point

18K was the price I got it at. You paid 26K?!!

--G

 

[sachin_k5]

I personally find the whole routine of starting a pc, searching for music file, play it..switch off the monitor to save power etc. very tedious and boring...especially on lazy sundays.

CDPs are more fun.pick out you favorite cd..pop it in and start.

By the way i am using a dvd player and am saving up for a CDP

 

[venkatcr]

Sirji,did you try unixonar drivers?new 1.30ver launched.

Not as yet Spiro. I will be doing it ASAP.

Cheers

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thad, you got me wrong! My point was about 'stereo' sound cards, i.e sound cards which have two channel audio as their priority rather than surround sound.
And the mention of 'entry level cdp' is because the OP is comparing with the Marantz cd6002.

I have a blind spot, because I am not a movie watcher: I forget all about 5.1, 7.1, etc. To me, if a sound card has multiple channels, it is made for multi-track recording in a studio. Either way, I try to maximise the focus of my spend by going for the simple two channels that I actually want!

 

[prankey]

I would personally go with a BR Player which could play FLACs and MP3s with ACDs. I personally trust the DAC on my AVR and am happy with the SQ.

I have a Audigy 2 ZS and onboard 7.1 sound card based on ADI 1988B chipset. While listening to music through my PC, I ensure that I choose digital output from onboard card as it supports 44.1kHz, 88.2kHz and 176.4kHz. Both cards support DTS Connect encoding (I am not interested in compressing Audio to pass through SPDIF though).

Audigy 2 has a serious digital output issue as it resamples all Audio to either 48kHz or 96kHz. This significantly reduce the quality as they are not multiples of 44.1kHz (typical of Audio CD, FLAC or MP3s, etc).

I personally do not prefer a FANCY DAC to convert the Audio to Analog, pass through a preamp before getting to AVR as it introduces another layer of preamp and loss through the analog cable till it reach the AVR. Even if the DAC is of superior quality, the additional analog layers spoils the purity of Music (by changing frequency response characteristics, add THD and Noise) which otherwise would not happen if I pass the original 44.1kHz to my AVR UNADULTERATED.

I do not like the fan noise created by several fans on my PC (as I need an OS to play compressed music, hence my mobo will fully power my components unlike newer ones), hence prefer getting a decent Samsung or Sony BR player which can also act as a universal media player.

Personally the above configuration with a decent AVR and Speakers makes me happiest. I prefer good Amp (with digital input) and Speakers to a fancy CD player or an external DAC.