[fried]

So, I'll be back in the U.K for Christmas and as usual will try to benefit from the ridiculously low price of consumer goods in the U.K. I really need a CD player 'cos at the moment I'm using my laptop for this purpose and having a decent amp and speakers would like to get full use from them. I have a large collection of CDs plus a lot of music in MP3/4 format on my laptop. I first of all considered  a Cambridge Audio 340c, then a Marantz 5004 then the 6004, then I thought why not get a player with an integrated DAC like a Cambridge Audio 740c, getting a CD player plus being able to run my laptop through it. Now I'm all confused. I started off planning on spending a hundred quid now it's possibly 300. Any thoughts? Is that DAC going to improve the quality of my MP3s by that much.

Sorry for the rambling, I'm in bed with a cold and have just started my third large Cognac.

Oh, My amp is a Cambridge Audio 340A SE, the speakers are Infinity Primus.

I probably should ask on a Hifi site, but they're just such weird fuckers

[Jim]

and boulderers are normal?!
My old arcam alpha 5+ is still a belting cd player and am using as a transport through a delta black box 500.
kept meaning to upgrade to a delta transport but its more than good enough.
I'm not up on any new hifi stuff tbh.

[GCW]

I used to have an Arcam Alpha 1, now on the Arcam CD72.  Always been pleased with their stuff, superb.  The rDAC may well be worth a look.

EDIT:  I'm of the opinion that you should get one tool per job, rather than something that tries to multitask.  MP3 can't compete with CD in the seperates world.  Lossless maybe, but not MP3.

[cheque]

Is that DAC going to improve the quality of my MP3s by that much?

No. A separate DAC isn't worth it for mp3s.

90% of the sound of a hi-fi is dictated by the speakers and the acoustics of your room: don't spend more than £200 max on a CD player.

[GCW]

90% of the sound of a hi-fi is dictated by the speakers and the acoustics of your room: don't spend more than £200 max on a CD player.

Sorry, but that's balls.
I agree that you need a decent system ie CD player, connects, amp, speaker cable and speakers.  But to say  a decent CD player makes no difference is nonsense.  A 400 quid CD player is better than a 200 quid one every time.  You can limit it by having a 20 quid amp, but if you balance the system the benefits are clear.

[cheque]

I didn't mean that a £200 CD player is the best it's possible to make, just that spending more than that wouldn't be a good investment given the rest of Fried's setup.

Didn't explain that very clearly, though: with hindsight I confused the meaning of my post by chopping too much out of it before I submitted it!

[GCW]

OK, fair enough.

[Jim]

you got the new arcam stuff then gareth?
was under the impression it went downhill after they did the fmj stuff?
agreed about the speakers being the most important bit of kit

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

I've got one of the original CA Azur CD players and really rate it. Looks from the Richer Sounds site they are selling off the 540/640 range super cheap as they have all been upgraded. I'd nip into Richer sounds and see what they have in stock, have a listen to the new ones and old ones and spend between £70 and £500 depending on what your ears and wallet are telling you.

http://www.richersounds.com/products/hi-fi-separates/separates/cd-players-recorders-dacs/?products=ALL

[duncan]

... why not get a player with an integrated DAC like a Cambridge Audio 740c, getting a CD player plus being able to run my laptop through it.

I've heard a pal's 740C and it sounds very good indeed through Quad electrostatic loudspeakers.  He's an 'audiophile' in remission, has had some expensive kit in the past, but is very happy with this.

Is that DAC going to improve the quality of my MP3s by that much.

I think it probably will, assuming the Infinity speakers are half-decent.  The difference will be more noticeable if your MP3s are a higher bit rate eg 320kbps.  A different pal has the DACMagic - essentially the DAC part of the 740C in a separate box - and plays MP3s from a macbook via decent B+W speakers and a cheapo amp.  It's a great sounding set-up.

[GCW]

you got the new arcam stuff then gareth?
was under the impression it went downhill after they did the fmj stuff?
agreed about the speakers being the most important bit of kit

Not personally Jim, but I know people with the newer stuff that like it.

[fried]

Thanks guys. I'll most certainly be using RicherSounds and tring to get a decent price on the older models. The problem is that the stock is getting pretty thin on the ground and it won't be possible to compare all the models. I'll have to reserve it in advance then drive to collect it. If I can get the AZUR 340C I think I'll snap it up, although currently only 2 in the U.K.

I agree that I don't want to expensive kit and start thinking I need new speakers. The Infinity Primus are the 150 model book-shelf speakers and so are decent (in their price range), but don't have an awful lot of bass.

I'd really like to hear the AZUR 740c in action though....

And just for information all players have DACs, it's just that this model allows you to input into it. And upsampling technology which sounds.......

I just need to stay strong.

[GCW]

If you are planning to upgrade other components then there's no reason you shouldn't stretch the budget slightly, future proofing.  If you spend 300 on a CD player, that would stand up well for any speaker/ amp upgrade in the future.

[fried]

I'll have a good system but bad acoustics in the doghouse

I'm already a salesman's dream customer.

[GCW]

It's the way you sell it the her indoors.  It's an investment, savings in the long run etc

[Jim]

depends a lot on what sort of music you listen to. I've always had big sounding speakers (b&w 601, ae 109's) and I find my old arcam stuff works really well with them.
currently the ae 109's are in the front room as part of a home cinema set up and I inhereted some opera bookshelf speakers that have a really good sound for the delicate stuff but are generally pants for much else.
I've always thought the marantz stuff was a bit too soft for my tastes and the cambridge audio stuff a bit hit and miss but generally good value for money and a half decent sound

[GCW]

Jim's right, it's all about personal preference.  I still run my ancient Cyrus 3i Amp into bi-amped Cyrus powers.  Used to have an Arcam Alpha 9 CD spinner, now the CD72, Ruark Scimitas on decent (old) 100kg Target stands.  Quality interconnects.

The thing you need to do is go to a decent shop and listen to them through a similar set up to your own so you can assess.  Can be difficult if you're going to upgrade other stuff later, but it's the best way. Take several CDs of various music to test all aspects of the sound.  I used to take Prodigy, some classical and something metal based.

You wouldn't buy a pair of rock shoes without trying a few on, would you?

[fried]

So, after talking to the man at Richersounds I went away with the Cambridge Audio 350c, I'm still running it in but 'wow' what a difference after using my laptop. Now I have to buy all the music that I 'borrowed' to listen to on my computer.

[slackline]