Please suggest a CDP for Onkyo 606 AVR

chella

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Hello Friends,

I have gone thru all your postings in the CD player section before posting this question.Eventhough I couldn't find a correct answer for my search.So Please don't scold me for repeating the similar question here.

I have a Onkyo 606,Oppo 980 and HK HT Speakers.It is very nice to Watch and hear DVD's in this setup. However I am not satisfied abt its SQ while I listen my own burned CDs and Original CDs.So I decided to buy a Good dedicated CDP within 20K range.

My question is:

1.Can I get good SQ using Dedicated CDPs+AVR? If it is which CDP is better CD5001/AZUR 540?
2.What connectivity mechanism should I use from CDP->AVR? Digital(Co ax/Optical) / CDP's L+R connection?
3.Is the CDP good for Surround sound also if I choose DTL/Dolby option in my AVR?

I would appreciate your valuable suggestion..

Cheers,
Chella
 
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hi

You have raised a very relevant point here.
There are many of us on this forum who are disappointed with the music quality we get from a AVR.
It is difficult to pinpoint where the weak link is.

You have a good AVR and a better universal DVD player. According to many pundits on this forum the Oppo gives as good a audio quality as a average dedicated entry-mid level CDP such as that you have mentioned.

One solution would be to connect a DEDICATED INT AMP to the PRE outs of your AVR.

Seems can't mix music with movies..... have to sacrifice one ??:?:rolleyes:
regards
 
Cannot fault your Oppo. It performs as well as any CDP unless you are looking at the very high end CD players. Two options here... 1st get a stereo amp and BS to have a separate setup for music. 2nd get a DAC to improve SQ and this (depending on the DAC) should be cheaper than the 1st option, but wait till you hear from others with more experience in using DAC in a 5.1 AVR. I have used a DAC only in a 2 channel setting and not with a Home Theater 5.1 AVR like Onkyo or others so I am not really sure how much a DAC will improve SQ in such a setup.

Also, in your Onkyo AVR use the Dolby Pro II Music Mode as this generally improves the SQ for music/mp3, etc.
 
I have a Onkyo 606,Oppo 980 and HK HT Speakers.It is very nice to Watch and hear DVD's in this setup. However I am not satisfied abt its SQ while I listen my own burned CDs and Original CDs.So I decided to buy a Good dedicated CDP within 20K range.

My question is:

1.Can I get good SQ using Dedicated CDPs+AVR? If it is which CDP is better CD5001/AZUR 540?
2.What connectivity mechanism should I use from CDP->AVR? Digital(Co ax/Optical) / CDP's L+R connection?
3.Is the CDP good for Surround sound also if I choose DTL/Dolby option in my AVR?

Hi Chella,
Your problem is not the Oppo 980. As I have read and as very experienced people like venkatcr and SuhasG have suggested to me in this forum, it should have at least the audio quality of a say CA 540c. Now in this thread, bazee and moserw also have said in favor of the Oppo.

Obviously then your other equipments are causing it:

1) Your Onkyo AVR: Obvious solution is to replace it by a two-channel integrated stereo amplifier. But if your AVR is of a good quality (I have no idea about about AVRs), you could also try the following: configure the AVR so that the input audio from the oppo is not processed through the whole AV circuitry, but bypasses all that for a 2-channel amplification only. I believe this is possible in most decent AVRs who pay some attention to the audio part. Please forget about surround etc if you want good music from your oppo. Good music is always thru 2 channel stereo.

2) Your HK HT speakers: I have no idea what sort of quality do these speakers have for music. I believe the front two will be used for stereo music.

You should use a digital connection (thru coaxial or optical) from your Oppo or CDP to the AVR only when you are sure that the audio D/A converter(s) in the AVR is better than the the one on your Oppo, which I doubt in this case. I think you should connect your Oppo with the AVR thru a reasonable quality 2channel RCA analog interconnect.

Moser, I do not think a DAC would do anything to help here, because I do not think the audio D/A conversion in the Oppo is the problem here.
 
Your weak link could also be your HT spks.
I presume they are satellite spks for all channels.
the sound of movie is loud and covers flaws of small spks.

Consider replacing front two satellites with good floor-standers / bookshelves to achive good two channel music.

regards
 
Moser, I do not think a DAC would do anything to help here, because I do not think the audio D/A conversion in the Oppo is the problem here.

Ok, thanks for pointing out. I have used a DAC primarily with an iPod dock. Tried it one time with my budget Philips DVDP and it really improved the SQ of plain Jane mp3s too on the Philips DVDP.
 
Chella:

The Oppo 980 and the Onkyo 606 are both very good products. I get excellent music from the 983 which has the same circuitry as the 980.

As has been mentioned by many people, the weak link seem to be the speakers and possibly the connectivity. Generally sub/satellite system sound good for movies, and the sub works to create the sound stage and provide the base. When you play the same system in 'Stereo Only' mode, there could be no signal going to the sub, and the speakers will sound tinny.

Here are few questions and suggestions:

Questions
1. What is exact model number of your speakers?
2. Is the connection to the speaker satellites directly from the AVR or through the sub woofer?

Suggestions
1. Get a good quality branded stereo RCA cable and connect it from the "Front/Mixed L&R" of the 980 to the "CD/Stereo In" of the AVR.
2. Get good quality speaker cables and connect the 'Front L&R' from the AVR to the individual Front Left and Right speakers. The speaker cable should be at least 12 AWG and OFC. Disconnect all other connections to the AVR.
3. Using the AVR functions set your front speakers to 'large'.
4. Insert a good quality original CD (not burnt or CD-RW). I would suggest a simple song without too many instruments and non electronic music.
5. Set the AVR to 'Stereo Only' mode or 'Pure Audio' mode.
6. Play the CD and listen carefully.

If you discern any improvement in sound quality, you are on the right track. What you do next is to get a pair of good bookshelves on loan from a friend for a few days. Use these for the Front L&R positions. If you find further improvement in sound, you have solved the issue.

The investment you make in the interconnects and the speaker cables will never go waste as they can be used even if you end up buying a CDP later.

Cheers
 
My question is:

1.Can I get good SQ using Dedicated CDPs+AVR? If it is which CDP is better CD5001/AZUR 540?

A stand alone CD player is always a step above universal players since its made to do one job effectively (its like a specialist). The trick to getting to thsi stage is being able to setup and fine tune your system with suitable quality of components, AVR, speakers, level settings, room environment etc.

From the 2 above I used to own a 5001 before and was very impressed with it.

If you are OK to sacrifice a bit and go for a universal player with an option of getting close to 80 - 90% the CD player quality along with lots of DVD & multi-format options (CD-R, DVD RW support etc.) Oppo is the next best choice though it may end up being pricier.

Bottom like is both will sound better than stock CD or upconverting DVD players.



2.What connectivity mechanism should I use from CDP->AVR? Digital(Co ax/Optical) / CDP's L+R connection?

The preferred option is coax or toslink cables from CDP -> AVR. If you use a power amp, then you shoudl go CDP -> power amp (RCA) cables.

For Oppo it could be RCA (analog output) + coax or toslink cable (they both work the same quality). Now you see the additional options for Oppo?

3.Is the CDP good for Surround sound also if I choose DTL/Dolby option in my AVR?
 
The preferred option is coax or toslink cables from CDP -> AVR. If you use a power amp, then you shoudl go CDP -> power amp (RCA) cables.

For Oppo it could be RCA (analog output) + coax or toslink cable (they both work the same quality). Now you see the additional options for Oppo?

If you connect CDP or DVDP to AVR by a digital connection (coax or optical), the digital to Analog (D/A) conversion takes place in the AVR. If you connect them by a stereo RCA interconnect then the D/A conversion takes place inside the CDP or the DVDP.

Since the audio circuitry of the Oppo980 is a decent one, it is supposed to do a decent D/A conversion. For this reason, both venkat and I in the above have suggested Chella to make a stereo connection thru RCA between his Oppo and the AVR, then set the AVR in the pure audio mode so that it bypasses all other (irrelevant in this case) circuitry. Other significant suggestion was to look into his front speakers.

Marsilians, would you kindly explain why are you suggesting a digital connection between Chella's Oppo and his AVR?
 
Cannot fault your Oppo. It performs as well as any CDP unless you are looking at the very high end CD players. Two options here... 1st get a stereo amp and BS to have a separate setup for music. 2nd get a DAC to improve SQ and this (depending on the DAC) should be cheaper than the 1st option, but wait till you hear from others with more experience in using DAC in a 5.1 AVR. I have used a DAC only in a 2 channel setting and not with a Home Theater 5.1 AVR like Onkyo or others so I am not really sure how much a DAC will improve SQ in such a setup.

Also, in your Onkyo AVR use the Dolby Pro II Music Mode as this generally improves the SQ for music/mp3, etc.

If you still have DAC,then can you try with Onkyo avr & post review.
As you know I m also searching DAC for my Onkyo.Pls try & answer.
 
If you still have DAC,then can you try with Onkyo avr & post review.
As you know I m also searching DAC for my Onkyo.Pls try & answer.

Unfortunately, I don't have the DAC with me, it was borrowed from a friend. I am planning on the Beresford TC-7510 simply because of the cost factor. Will keep you posted about it.
 
If you can stretch some, you can look at the Usheraudio CD-7 Normally it is priced ~ Rs 35K + VAT but with our xmas specials coming, we will have significant reductions. In addition, you are in BLR so you can audition it for yourself at ARN, Hitachi showroom on Coles Rd. IMO its a much nicer player than the 5001 (since we sell this one too).

cheers
[email protected]



Hello Friends,

I have gone thru all your postings in the CD player section before posting this question.Eventhough I couldn't find a correct answer for my search.So Please don't scold me for repeating the similar question here.

I have a Onkyo 606,Oppo 980 and HK HT Speakers.It is very nice to Watch and hear DVD's in this setup. However I am not satisfied abt its SQ while I listen my own burned CDs and Original CDs.So I decided to buy a Good dedicated CDP within 20K range.

My question is:

1.Can I get good SQ using Dedicated CDPs+AVR? If it is which CDP is better CD5001/AZUR 540?
2.What connectivity mechanism should I use from CDP->AVR? Digital(Co ax/Optical) / CDP's L+R connection?
3.Is the CDP good for Surround sound also if I choose DTL/Dolby option in my AVR?

I would appreciate your valuable suggestion..

Cheers,
Chella
 
Unfortunately, I don't have the DAC with me, it was borrowed from a friend. I am planning on the Beresford TC-7510 simply because of the cost factor. Will keep you posted about it.

Where from will you get it?I m also searching DAC.
 
Unfortunately, I don't have the DAC with me, it was borrowed from a friend. I am planning on the Beresford TC-7510 simply because of the cost factor. Will keep you posted about it.

Check for CA DAC-magic.
 
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Marsilians, would you kindly explain why are you suggesting a digital connection between Chella's Oppo and his AVR?

I suggested both connections for Oppo - analog out for music and digital for DVDs. Sorry if this did not come out as I intended.
 
Specs look great and so do the reviews and also the cost at twice the Beresford. Will take a call on either of the 2 soon. Shall keep you posted.

Advantage of CA over Beresford-

1.DAC- wolfson(used in highend CDp)
2.If 5.1 digital signal is input,DAC automatically out put through coax.(which can be connected to AVR)so no need to change chords.
 
Advantage of CA over Beresford-

1.DAC- wolfson(used in highend CDp)
2.If 5.1 digital signal is input,DAC automatically out put through coax.(which can be connected to AVR)so no need to change chords.

Ok. Thanks for sharing. My friend is getting one. Shall pay him a visit to audition and carry mp3s ripped at 128 kbps to check the output. Have high expectations after reading reviews online.
 
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