I'm looking for a decent high end CDP. I will be auditioning the Meridian 507 and the 508.24(discontinued). I would appreciate any thoughts from people who have listened to one or both. Also are there any differences in the transport mechanism used by both? What other players in that category would be worthwhile listening to.
George.
have heard that many exotic CDP uses CD transport mechanisms intended for PCs. Another option is to get an excellent Rotel CDP or any good commercial CDP and mate it with an external DAC like those of Musical Fidelity or Delius. You may want to google search on these brands.
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Cheers from an audo/video enthusiast. Life is too short to enjoy all the DVDs and CDs out there. Life is too short to waste on mediocre gears.
Take a look at SONY XDP-777ES which is legendary for its quality as well as the excellent sounding Yamaha CDX-1060 which was rated way above other players priced much higher due to its neutral, transparent nature.
__________________ Yamaha NS-1000M, NS-1000x, Yamaha MX-1000 and MX-1 power amp, Yamaha CDX-1050 CDP, Accuphase DP70V CDP, Canton Ergo 120 speakers, Technics SL-1200 Mk-II TT. For HT, Yamaha Z9 with three Yamaha subs, two YST SW800 and one YST SW320 in rear, for mains, Yamaha NS-300 with 300C and for surrounds, NS-100 in rear, front effects handled by NS-90. For DVD duties, Yamaha DVD-S540 and for SACD Yamaha DVD-S2300 Mk-I. Also have Yamaha EQ-550 equalizer and Yamaha KX-932 deck.
If you don't have tubes anywhere in the chain, the CDP is a great place to put them. Usually only 2 low-power (cheap) tubes that last a long time.
Preamp is also a great, easy place. Hey - I have 'em in both!
Tubes are one of the best things to ever happen to digital. Different tubes will help you "tune" your player to your system too - much more effective AND cheaper than using cables for that purpose.
My CDP is a modded unit from Modwright but there are killer choices OEM too. Check out the Unison Research Unico CD. Classy and great, for about $2k.
The only CDP I know of that uses a CD-ROM transport is the Creek CD-50 mkII. Creek reports that it reduces jitter considerably and the player is well reviewed. Computers generally don't have jitter problems, so it does make some sense. No tubes though.
I'm looking for a decent high end CDP. I will be auditioning the Meridian 507 and the 508.24(discontinued). I would appreciate any thoughts from people who have listened to one or both. Also are there any differences in the transport mechanism used by both? What other players in that category would be worthwhile listening to.
George.
Why are you looking for an expensive, stand alone CDP player? Just curious
It should be noted that tubes introduce low-level harmonic distortion. This is why they sound nice, they add some pretty harmonics. Is this bad? Depends. If your goal is the most accurate reproduction of music, then no. If you're going for pure enjoyment and find the tubes do this for you, then they're worth it.
Before I get attacked, I realize that many recording studios use tube preamps for their microphones, such as the Groove Tubes VIPre. At the same time, these are used because they are known to impart a certain sonic effect on the signal from the microphone. Just as the sounds of synthesizers can be modified to fit the user, a tube preamp modifies the sound coming from the microphone to the liking of the engineer or artist.
There are many great high-end players out there. While you're at it, and you feel an itching to drop a lot of cash, you may want to check out Wadia.
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You're probably aware that newer tube topologies are breaking down the barriers of the old-soft-slow regimes. Mine sounds clean and fast and powerful (low-level, I have SS amps). They do soften some of the etch I hear from my friends' all SS affairs.
Yamaha NS-1000M, NS-1000x, Yamaha MX-1000 and MX-1 power amp, Yamaha CDX-1050 CDP, Accuphase DP70V CDP, Canton Ergo 120 speakers, Technics SL-1200 Mk-II TT. For HT, Yamaha Z9 with three Yamaha subs, two YST SW800 and one YST SW320 in rear, for mains, Yamaha NS-300 with 300C and for surrounds, NS-100 in rear, front effects handled by NS-90. For DVD duties, Yamaha DVD-S540 and for SACD Yamaha DVD-S2300 Mk-I. Also have Yamaha EQ-550 equalizer and Yamaha KX-932 deck.
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