Update:
Well first of all, I upgraded my NAD 3020 to QUAD 303 which I use with my old DJ mixer Urei 1620LE. The Quad was recapped (the four big black capacitors) and 180 eur locally so I couldn't resist (even though I said I was happy with my previous system
). The Quad is one of those "instant smile" pieces. I simply love it.
The Urei mixer I previously used with active monitors (Neumann KH 120s). It is rather transparent but a tad warm and adds some weight and 60 hz punch to the sound. It was too muddy to use with the 3020 but with the Quad it works fabulously. Vinyl sounds almost perfect now, warm clear, deep and punchy. But I will keep the lovely NAD 3020 which I will surely want to connect again some day.
So my setup is now
- Urei 1620 LE as preamp
- Quad 303 power amp
- Usher S-520 II speakers
- (a pair of) Technics SL 1200 mk 5, Grado DJ200i carts
This setup is obviously more revealing than with the NAD 3020, so it is also more demanding for the CDP. The PS2 Slim with internal DAC was ok with the NAD but with this setup it sounds so grainy and veiled it is unlistenable.
Now for the CD player:
When I still used the NAD 3020 I decided to get the Naim CD3.5. The idea was to compensate the laid back overall character and slightly shy midrange of the NAD. I also really like the aesthetics of the Naim Olive range. The Naim arrived when I already had my current Quad setup. It is a well built CDP and I could instantly hear its high end sound quality: fluid non grainy highs and mids, very tight bass, great grab of rhythm etc. It was very close to the descriptions I had read on the web. But it didn't work for me in the Quad setup. It was too aggressive and too tight. Not cold or harsh but still very digital and glassy sounding. It sounded almost as if the music had gone through an SSL buss compressor (
). Even my PS2 Slim with my cheap Marmitek DAC, which I use with my blu ray player, sounded nicer. The contrast between the Naim and my lovely sounding vinyls was huge. The Naim did not 'invite' me to listen to CDs. So I resold it.
So now I'm again without a proper CDP. I think I should look for a neutral good quality CDP, slightly on the warm side, but not too relaxed, rather airy and clear would be a plus. Not too punchy in the mids either - the Naim has traumatized me here
. I'm now looking at these two:
- Yamaha CD S300 - Good looks. Modern, I could try and return if not happy.
- Rotel RCD 855 or 955 - After reading a lot about TDA 1541A CDPs one of these seem like a good place to start. Not too expensive, apparently warm, analogue like, but maybe less relaxed than the Marantz CD 50 etc.? But how is the soundstage, air and clarity compared to the modern Yamaha, I wonder.
Still for mainly classical and modern acoustic jazz. For the rest I much prefer vinyl.
Any comments welcome of course.