Is A CD Player Really Better Than A DVDP For Stereo Music?

Bold statement? It's the plain and simple truth.

I have tried a few combinations in the run up to building the system. I certainly feel a difference with a dedicated CDP. The plain and simple truth is yet to encounter me; maybe i am walking backwards.
 
An eyeopener indeed :) Wonder what these people were thinking! Not to mention the foolish components that make up this awful stack.

You do know what they say about snake oil, don't you?

I have tried a few combinations in the run up to building the system. I certainly feel a difference with a dedicated CDP. The plain and simple truth is yet to encounter me; maybe i am walking backwards.

You're telling me that you can make out the difference between a CD player and a DVD player connected digitally to a receiver? Perhaps you have ears made of the finest gold, which some of us mere mortals lack, perhaps that's why the plain and simple truth eludes you. Or perhaps my ears are made out of the worst tin, that's why I clearly hear the plain and simple truth.
 
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You're telling me that you can make out the difference between a CD player and a DVD player connected digitally to a receiver?

I would like to correct you. My statements were in response to your claims that the digital signal stream is the same whether it comes from DVDP or CDP. There is no AVR in this argument of yours.

Yes, i can make out a difference between a digital out from a DVDP and a CDP,

and why so much anguish about golden and tin ears. If you cannot make out a difference, i think you should stay happy since you are not slipping on snake oil like others are.
 
I would like to correct you. My statements were in response to your claims that the digital signal stream is the same whether it comes from DVDP or CDP. There is no AVR in this argument of yours.

No there wasn't BUT the context was about connecting a CD player to an AV receiver digitally, when we were discussing this a few posts earlier, was it not?

Also, can you prove that different players produce different data streams - which was your argument, wasn't it? Are there any papers on this (and not by the snake oil guys)?

Yes, i can make out a difference between a digital out from a DVDP and a CDP,

Okay. If you say so. :)

and why so much anguish about golden and tin ears. If you cannot make out a difference, i think you should stay happy since you are not slipping on snake oil like others are.

Oh I'm happy, all right!

But do you not think that the poster wanting to know whether it sounds the same or not should actually hear the CD player first on his receiver and see if he hears a difference or not before he puts down his 20K on a player? After all, it's his 20K, not yours or mine.
 
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hear the CD player first on his receiver?

a dedicated (and good) cd player should not be allowed to waste its potential - how? - by not connecting it to an av receiver -

if one is passionate about two-channel stereo reproduction using a cd player - then it must needs be connected to a dedicated pre-amp/power-amp or a good integrated- and real passion would involve independent (equal) amplification for both the channels.

this discussion about connecting a cd player to an av receiver - and the comparisons that follow - are not mainstream
 
a dedicated (and good) cd player should not be allowed to waste its potential - how? - by not connecting it to an av receiver -

if one is passionate about two-channel stereo reproduction using a cd player - then it must needs be connected to a dedicated pre-amp/power-amp or a good integrated- and real passion would involve independent (equal) amplification for both the channels.


this discussion about connecting a cd player to an av receiver - and the comparisons that follow - are not mainstream

I would agree with you. But the poster wanted to know if it would make a difference a few pages back.
 
a dedicated (and good) cd player should not be allowed to waste its potential - how? - by not connecting it to an av receiver -
Well, its a start... Might buy an Int.Stereo amp later on..

if one is passionate about two-channel stereo reproduction using a cd player - then it must needs be connected to a dedicated pre-amp/power-amp or a good integrated- and real passion would involve independent (equal) amplification for both the channels.
I just want to enjoy my music dude.. besides, 90% of my music is made up of Mp3s( ripped @ 320 kbps as far as possible), which i transfer to a pen drive and connect to the DVDp USB. So, a dedicated pre-amp/power-amp is quite expensive for now (as far as i am concerned) and thats why i was apprehensive about a dedicated CDp. But still, I wud lik to make the best of a recording when I am in the mood for an 'audiophile' listening session :)

But do you not think that the poster wanting to know whether it sounds the same or not should actually hear the CD player first on his receiver and see if he hears a difference or not before he puts down his 20K on a player? After all, it's his 20K, not yours or mine.
Thanks man! I think i shud listen to it and judge for myself :)
 
Re: ? Is CD Player really make difference over DVD Player for Stereo Listening?? nvas

This has been discussed many times before but let me recap.

1. The number of pits that make a bit/byte is much more in a DVD as compared to a CD. Consequently, a DVD read/write head has to move in smaller steps to read the larger number of data pits. How does this matter? By the simple fact that a read head is a electromechanical device and is always prone to making errors. While reading from a CD, it could skip a few pits giving you erroneous data.

2. The amount of electronics in a CD player is much less, again leading to lesser interference.

3. A DVD player does not have a very good DAC, as it is expected that the decoding and DAC conversion will be done externally. A CD player, on the other hand, has a very good DAC as it mostly sends analogue data.

4. Given the price and the amount of material inside, a CD player is usually made of better parts. Some of the companies such as Cyrus make their own drives. A DVD player is a mass market item, and in general is just assembled from outsourced items. Though Pioneer is an excellent DVD player, if you open it, you will find more third party labels than Pioneer inside.

5. A DVD player has a short life cycle in terms of design and technology. A CD player, on the other hand is usually designed to last for 5 years or more.

Enough? Of course, whatever I am saying makes sense if you are serious about music. As Spiro and other have said, companies such as CA, Oppo and others have made DVD player that double up as excellent CD players also. I use my Oppo 983 only for playing music.

If I remember right, someone is selling a Oppo 981H for 8K. That is an excellent purchase.

Cheers
The comparision here is primarily between the mass market dvd player vs a dedicated hi fi cd player. What I have felt is that most of the mass market dvd players sound somewhat harsh in comparision to hifi cd players. A cd player's audio output is much better, clean and smooth.

Now amongst the mass market players, Onida dvd player's audio output is good, infact much better than the other mass market dvd players. But unfortunately, Ondia is perhaps not manufacturing dvd players any more. Since it is not possible for all music lovers to be able to buy hifi cd players, one has to contend with a dvd player, and Onida is a good choice if it is still available.

Here a question arises, how do the boom box cd players from Philips / Sony, sound in comparision to dvd players. Boom boxes do not have rca outputs, so the headphone out has to be used, and again all boom boxes do not have headphone outs. Headphone outs also have problems with impedance matching with the line in of amplifiers. But if somehow a boom box cd player can be connected to the line in of an amplifier, then I think the result will be better than what one gets from using a dvd player.

A 16 bit dac will produce better results than a 24 bit dac.

Those who are technically well versed can throw more light.
 
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Re: ? Is CD Player really make difference over DVD Player for Stereo Listening?? nvas

1. Now amongst the mass market players, Onida dvd player's audio output is good, infact much better than the other mass market dvd players.

2. But if somehow a boom box cd player can be connected to the line in of an amplifier, then I think the result will be better than what one gets from using a dvd player.

3. A 16 bit dac will produce better results than a 24 bit dac.
Thanks vinyl for the info.
Have some questions.
1. If Onida DVD player produce good output, then how about Pioneer?
2. What is Boom box CD player?
3. A 16 bit dac will produce better results than a 24 bit dac. ---- Why and How?

Thanks
 
Science and Technology behind the operations of a CD player and DVD / Bluray player are same. I also believed that my Pioneer BDP-170 Bluray player (Cost about (16,000/-) is doing the best when I started using it.
One of my friends strongly suggested to take a look at a dedicated CD Player for my Audiophile setup. I tried and got surprised. The CD Player I bought is Yamaha CD-N301 Natural sound network CD player. It is producing amazing sound out of it. This is what the practical observation I did. I always used to try both digital out (co-axial and optical) and analog outs.

So, CD players are made for CD music. where DVD and Bluray players are having additional sections like video, surround processing etc., and made for HD and 3D video and more in addition to the Audio. Also they literally need television screen to select menus and configuring settings. Very slow in detecting audio CD tracks and heavy latency in switching between tracks.

low-end bluray players cost about 8,000/- are even worse in playing Audio CDs. Pioneer BDP series bluray players are well known for their sound quality. But, not always better than dedicated CD players. That is the reason why the dedicated CD Players are so costlier than bluray players even though they don't have video/surround section circuits.

An year back I was also searching in this forum to know whether my bluray player is enough or not. But, after experiencing a dedicated CD player, I have concluded that CD player cannot be practically replaced with DVD and /or bluray players.
 
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Science and Technology behind the operations of a CD player and DVD / Bluray player are same. I also believed that my Pioneer BDP-170 Bluray player (Cost about (16,000/-) is doing the best when I started using it.
One of my friends strongly suggested to take a look at a dedicated CD Player for my Audiophile setup. I tried and got surprised. The CD Player I bought is Yamaha CD-N301 Natural sound network CD player. It is producing amazing sound out of it. This is what the practical observation I did. I always used to try both digital out (co-axial and optical) and analog outs.

So, CD players are made for CD music. where DVD and Bluray players are having additional sections like video, surround processing etc., and made for HD and 3D video and more in addition to the Audio. Also they literally need television screen to select menus and configuring settings. Very slow in detecting audio CD tracks and heavy latency in switching between tracks.

low-end bluray players cost about 8,000/- are even worse in playing Audio CDs. Pioneer BDP series bluray players are well known for their sound quality. But, not always better than dedicated CD players. That is the reason why the dedicated CD Players are so costlier than bluray players even though they don't have video/surround section circuits.

An year back I was also searching in this forum to know whether my bluray player is enough or not. But, after experiencing a dedicated CD player, I have concluded that CD player cannot be practically replaced with DVD and /or bluray players.
Very detailed explanation. Thanks.
 
Hello Folks,

Is CD Player really make difference over DVD Player for Stereo Listening?

Can I not buy a DVD Player which can also give better sound for my Stereo System (B&W Speakers and NAD Stereo Amp)?

Do I really need to buy CD Player to get real best sound for Stereo Listening or even a good DVD Player gives me better sound quality for Stereo System?



Please give me information.

Nirav
Hi,
Yes CD player is definitely better, but you can also use digital out of your DVD player & play through a good DAC.
 
I
Re: ? Is CD Player really make difference over DVD Player for Stereo Listening?? nvas

I think in Chennai Venkat had a shootout of the Oppo 983,CA DV 99 and a marantz CD player. Well the Oppo and CA may be DVD players but would also qualify as good for playing CDs also as compared to the mass market DVD players. I for myself have used the Samsung 1080 PK DVD player, Oppo 981 H, Onkyo Liverpool CD Player and the Marantz 6003 at different points over extended periods of time and I would conclude that the audio quality was differing in all of these cases. Of course the rest of the chain stayed the same. I would rate them as follows

Samsung < Oppo = Onkyo < Marantz
Imo it depends on the rest of the chain and synergy between the player and amp. Every equipment has its own colouration and sometimes it adds up to a nice signature. May be just changing one component over other might end up in overall signature. But it doesn't mean the equipment is inferior.

I have a old CD 63 se which sounded very soft with vocals on a technics SUV 900 amp, but when I swapped the amp to a marantz pm 80, vocals became very aggressive and I had to add more cushions around to avoid fatigue. But, surprisingly an old iPhone 5 directly connected to it sounded more natural(less powerful) and had an obviously wider soundstage than the CD player. Marantz had more tighter punch and loudness but the phone was more listenable. If I am a person who likes soft sound to me it will be better. Also, between CD player and a DVD player, the DAC implemention is what matters for its signature and power, not what spinner it has got and the lens. May be they affect the noise floor due to drawing power supply

It's pointless to just to compare few samples of random CD players and DVD players on the same system. The last time when I went for changing the lens of the CDP at a very experienced techbician, he showed me a simple Philips DVD player which sounded wider and smoother on vocals on his system which had a small pioneer amp with sansui speakers. His definition of better is wider and smooth, mine is detailed fast and tight. So again, it's a nice excercise to try out but dumb to conclude.

There will be hidden gems everywhere in the end.
 
it depends on your demands
I downloaded many movies to my computer (yeah, I am a movie fanatic), maybe the movies are too much that the hard drive capacity of my computer is not enough, but I don’t want to delete any one of them. Some movies are in MP4 format, is there any MP4 to DVD converter recommended? I think it will be wonderful to burn my loving movies to disc for storage.
 
You can buy a DVD player with optical and coaxial digital output and an external DAC like the hi resolution ones from topping which will sound great. Or you can buy a Blu-ray SACD DVD audio capable player from pioneer or oppo with great internal DACs. I have both and like the former approach.
 
I downloaded many movies to my computer (yeah, I am a movie fanatic), maybe the movies are too much that the hard drive capacity of my computer is not enough, but I don’t want to delete any one of them. Some movies are in MP4 format, is there any MP4 to DVD converter recommended? I think it will be wonderful to burn my loving movies to disc for storage.
freemake.com
Be careful when installing the software. It tries to install some other softwares as well. No need to worry. Use custom install option and deselect additional softwares.
 
freemake.com
Be careful when installing the software. It tries to install some other softwares as well. No need to worry. Use custom install option and deselect additional softwares.

I just downloaded and installed the video downloader. When I tried to DL a vid, I encountered a message that I cannot download > 3 mins vid and I need a premium pack to do so! I thought of uninstalling it, but, to my surprise, the video started downloading with a message that I can DL 50 vids without any time limits & it's a gift pack from freemake. Seems lossless too. So, this s/w remains for a while!

Thanks!
 
I just downloaded and installed the video downloader. When I tried to DL a vid, I encountered a message that I cannot download > 3 mins vid and I need a premium pack to do so! I thought of uninstalling it, but, to my surprise, the video started downloading with a message that I can DL 50 vids without any time limits & it's a gift pack from freemake. Seems lossless too. So, this s/w remains for a while!

Thanks!
Did you want a converter or downloader? Freemake has both.
 
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
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