All CD Players Sound The Same ............Right?

Elliot Thompson

Well-Known Member
Please forgive me for my ignorance.


Unlike a turntable stylus, there isn't a difference in
lazers from a Lenoxx Sound CD Player to a Krell
Player in terms of frequency range correct?

Don't all CD Players sound the same?

I'm not a huge CD Buff, so I don't know. :dunno:


Thanks!
 
Hi Elliot. No, all CD players do not sound the same. But like everything else in audio...price is not indicative of performance.

take care>>>>>>>>
 
I can attest to that! The best sounding portable CD player I ever heard was none other than the Electrobrand QCD-1000, which I got for $47 in 1996, at the time that was about as cheap as one could get one. So good is the Electrobrand I bid nearly $80 on the last one to surface on ebay to guarantee it was gonna be mine.
 
No, they all sound different. But if a seller claim that CD player X sounds better than yours ask them to prove it by connecting the two players toghether and comparing them with two identical cd's.
 
But they do sound enough alike to cause one to seriously consider price, too.
Despite my recent experience with the Yamaha cdplayer, I cannot really tell much difference at all that isn't from the speaker systems. But, they are in separate systems, so I can't give a fair A/B.
 
Depends. If you are comparing most off-the-shelf units - there's not much difference. Add a unit such as the Jolida JD100 to the mix and you will hear a night and day difference. Most Circuit City and Best Buy stuff cannot even compare to a moderately priced unit such as the Cambridge Audio D500se either IMO. So, yes there is a difference between run-of-the mill and higher-end quality players. Course, the quality of your system as a whole will impact how much of a difference you will hear.

-Dave
 
I agree with Dave,I have a Phillips,a Proton, and a 300se in my system.They all sound good but they all have a diifferent sound.
As Dave said alot depends on what other gear you are using

Alan
 
Just adding my .02.

It may be hard to tell a difference between CD players in the under $500.00 (example) range, but when you get into the mid and high end players the difference is obvious. It's not only the DAC's, but case construction, transport design, board layouts and jitter clocks. Also tubed or SS makes a world of difference.
 
Thank You! :D

So, Tube Cd Players...........................


Are we talking 12 AX7's or 12 AU7's in the
preamp section. Or are we talking a full
blown Tube ensemble CD Player.
 
Elliot,

Not all SS CD players sound bad, some are quite amazing. Others have their SS players modded with tubes in the output stage, what tubes I don't know. Mine uses four 5703 triode mil-spec tubes in the output stage from the factory.

Jesse
 
I just scored a Jolida JD100A. Gain stage utilizes two 12AX7A vacuum tubes.

This player sounds nicer than my old Sony, as well it should. I hesitate to use various audio cliches but damn if the music isn't "breathing" more. More detail, too.
 
Jolida JD100A was the best investment I ever made. Try some good NOS tubes in that puppy CincyJack, talk about air and detail! :yes:

-Dave
 
Yes, CD players sound different. The better your system, the easier it is to hear the differences. Right now, I have a home, a Sony XA7ES, Levinson#39, Philips SACD 1000, a shanling T-100, and a Cary 308T. They all sound amazingly different.
As for tubed players, some like the Shanling use tubes (396A) as buffers, where as others like th Cary 308T uses tubes(12AU7) as the amplification step instead of Op-amps.
Which is best, is a matter of taste.
Also, moderately priced CD players have gotten alot better over the last few years.
Jack
 
Assume everything created equal, is there a sonic difference between tube and ss CD players? I find it is hard to believe, folks. :dunno:

I think I can hear a difference between a 2X sampling and a 4X sampling CD machines, but to tell the truth I can't tell much between a 4X and a 48X ! I can't hear a difference between my Rotel RCD855 (4X) and a 48X Legend DAC 960/Esoteric transport combo (10X more expensive) using the same setup in my room. Is there something wrong with my old ears?
 
Don said:
I can't hear a difference between my Rotel RCD855 (4X) and a 48X Legend DAC 960/Esoteric transport combo (10X more expensive) using the same setup in my room. Is there something wrong with my old ears?

Not that it's really any of my business, but what's the point in owning something ten times more expensive if you can't hear a difference? How do you justify the price difference? Perhaps it looks ten times nicer?

Rich
 
I have tried a few over the last year or so. Demo'd a Sony XA777ES and thought it was very uninvolving, hve no idea what the hype is with that unit. Also had the Granite Audio stealth tubed cd, very analog like, though a bit warm for me. Have heard Rotel, nice, though a touch sterile. Also heard a PS Audio Transport/Dac from about '96 which I liked very, very much.

In the end, I ended up settling on an Audio Note 2.1x Tubed CD player. Really nice in my system, but I've read this player is more system dependent than many others. I'd like to try the 3.1x if I find one cheap enough. If the 2.1x is an indication, I'm sure the 3.1x is pretty damn nice.

Thought I'd offer some thoughts, enjoy!
 
Dickard,

It is simple. While the list prices are 10 to 1 I got the expensive units at a dirt cheap price. You know an audiophile folk passed away and I was lucky ...
 
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