Dan Driscoll said:
For a site called "Audioholics" I'm somewhat surprised by the lack of interest in in high quality music playback, particularly 2 channel stereo. From what I've seen here the emphasis is overwhelmingly on HT audio, rather than on music. I'm not talking about spending ridiculous sums on uber-expensive gear or esoteric cables, just investing in good quality, high value equipment and getting the most out of it.
I "hear" you Dan.
I mean, isn't all about extracting that last little detail to get as close to that allusive sound in our minds as possible?
If you'll recall, we had a discussion abot the the Sherwood SD-860. BTW, your review was right on the money. at the time I had ordered the SD-860 and the P-965. The 965 was defective, it locked up and I could not get it to function from the front panel or remote, so I still have no idea how this processor sounds. Anyhow, it went back and I ended up forking over the extra bucks for the Arcam AVP-700.
I know some are asking what this has to do with this thread, please hold tight, I'll get there.
I mentioned that I also had a Sony NS999ES DVDP and was fairly happy with it's SACD performance, but that it was lousy with red books. I also tried the digital output to my Outlaw model-950 and the result wasn't any better. Additionally, I wanted a source that would paly DVDA so I could buy the titles available on this format as well.
You said you didn't expect the 860 to be as good as my 999ES and you were right. This unit does video very well, maybe even better than my Sony. It's a great DVDP for the price, but it doesn't cut it for my audio needs, which is what I bought it for to start with. So now I have two very good DVDP's, but am still looking for someting to do a credible job with my audio.
Note: I am very picky when it comes to my music. The Sherwood only cost a tad over $400 and for this price it's a steal. I also have to mention that it doesn't have allot of playing time so it might improve after it burns in for awhile. Bottom line is at this price it's going to be hard to beat and many/most will probably be very happy with it's audio perfomance and as a DVDP for HT it's exceptional. In fairness, I'm trying to get top tier audio performance from a budget machine which was disigned first and foremost for HT.
Enter the Arcam AVP-700. This joker is going to hurt my pocket book big time. Movies and concert DVD's have never been more enjoyable. The sound quality of this processor is exceptional. I'm talking about using the digital output from the DVDP to the Arcam. Also, I can now listen to my redbook CD's in the same manner and am very happy, but I still have to wonder how it would compare to a dedicated CDP with the same DAC's, etc.
So I now have a better HT then ever before and I can listen to my RB CD's again. Progress! I can also get acceptable SACD performance from my Sony, but then I still have a problem with DVDA. And, to make matters more complicated, the Arcam sounds so good that RB CD's are right there with my SACD's. Make me curious how the SACD's would match up if I had a really good RB CDP in my system? Say a Rega Apollo, Naim N5i, Arcam CD-192, etc.
This is what I'm considering. I listen to my music in two channel 95% of the time. The reason I got into SACD's to start with was because of supposedly better resolution and multi-channel.
Might just keep the players I got for multi-channel and HT and try upgrading my source. Better yet would be if I could find a machine that performs as well as those mentioned, but that was also a fantastic SACD.
Does one of these exist that an average Joe and afford? I don't know, but I'm looking.
O.K. so what does all this have to do with this thread. Can he use his DVDP to play back CD's or is he not getting the level of performance that he should? That was the question, right?
He already said he was playing CD's on the machine so he obviously knows he has the capability, but IMO he's wanting to find out if he's getting the best sound he can from his CD's, and with my experience the answer is yes and no. As many of you have already noted, if he uses the digital output he's going to experience the sound his receiver has to offer. If he uses analog he's gong to experience the sound the source has to offer.
This is why I've shared my own experinces and conclusions. Everything is relevant. SACD was my strong suite when I had my Outlaw pre-amp, but now the Arcam is showing me that it wasn't all that and that I could possibly do much better, even with standard CD's.
After many, many years in this hobby I've finally come to the realization that if you want really good sound you cannot overlook the source. I've always believed that speakers made the biggest difference, and they are very important, but I now realize it's all about the source.
The rest of the equipment can only relay what they're given. So to the original poster I say if quality sound is your objective, buy the best CDP you can afford. That's what I'm going to do.
There, that's my 15 cents.