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75.35.0.45
Hey all,I recently binged on Audiogon and got my long dreamed of, Dynaudio 1.3SE. I picked up a Plinius 8200 mkII int and a Classe CDP-10 along the way. (Wires are Speltz all around).
While I'm a happy guy now, there's something kind of distant and recessed about CD playback (usually). My biggest suspicion is my room, which is horrible. Whole other topic.... but assuming I might do well to change CD players, what are some good ones to listen to? Maybe something more detailed, more articulate (vs. the Classe "smooth" sound)? I'm just groping, learning. A local place has an Apollo, so I'll try that. I'd like to keep it under, say, $1200 or so. I might be willing to buy used again, but I'd need some pretty strong recommendations. Yes, I realize that $1200 new is a way lower price point than the CDP-10 when it was new. Worth a shot, though, right?
My tastes are pretty broad. Blakey to Brahms to Massive Attack.... So I better pick a sound to shoot for, right? OK, I'll sacrifice some punch in loud rock in favor of articulate, involving, transparent sound. But a little more *presence* than my current system has. Nothing with a veil over it. My guess is, not especially warm either. I've heard the Dyns (back when) at the dealers, driven by various stuff (MF and other - wish I could remember). They simply seemed to transmit the music. Is this leading in any directions at all?
BTW I have the Stereophile test CDs. If there's anything on 'em I should pay attention to, while I audition, let me know. Piano is a biggie with me.
OK, too long already - thanks and happy new year.
Follow Ups:
My strong recommendation is simply to add a Benchmark DAC1 (revision I or later) to your Classe CDP. Buy used or new, as you prefer; may be able to pick one up for $800.The Classe should be strong as a transport, but to me "kind of distant and recessed" IS the classic Classe sound: the ultra-transparent DAC1 should balance it out nicely.
Works for me, anyway.
Cheers,
Joel.
Thanks, wouldn't have thought of that. Dumb question for you. The Classe can decode HDCD. Is that still true if I use it as a transport? Or is that all done downstream.
Awacs,Not a dumb question! I'm no tech, but I'm pretty sure HDCD decoding is a function of the DAC chips and has nothing to do with the transport section. (Other, more informed posters may wish to confirm or refute this.)
As far as I can tell from the exceedingly detailed Benchmark DAC1 manual, it does not decode HDCD. On the other hand, I'd wager that the quality of conversion of the DAC1 is sufficiently high that you'd still find substantial improvements in dynamics and transparency over the onboard Classe DACs and output stage no matter what type of CD you play.
I should add, and acknowledge, that the DAC1 is not the only candidate for using with your Classe CDP; some prefer the Lavry Blue or Black, for example. I mention the Benchmark because I've got one and have been very impressed with it. I'd also add that it's imprortant to get a Revision I or later, since Benchmark has made something like 11 small, but significant improvements since the DAC1 came out in 2002. Finally, there's quite a body of argument and evidence that it's beneficial to use a 1.5 metre digital interconnect to minimize reflections in the transmission of the digital signal from the transport to the DAC.
Happy listening!
Joel.
As cables can be just as system dependent and for the amount you drop on a new CDP you could certainly have some room to play on that front...I've heard cables really shine in one situation and those same cables completely thrash a decent system...perhaps if you could borrow some cables from a friend or audition some from the Cable Co. to see if they get you where you want to go...for a deposit you can do an in-home audition...or post up on the Cable Asylum to see if anyone has experience/recommendations for what you are looking for??
No affiliation with Cable Co., just my 2 cents...
It could be a mismatch between your equipment. I stopped using my much modded Tosh 3960 when I switched pre-amps. It just sounded hollow and washed out. I know this isn't the same level of player, but it just showed me that sometimes things don't work together. I went from a Foreplay pre-amp to an Aikido based one, the FP being a kit and the Aikido kind of a Franken-pre made from available parts, some originally in the Foreplay. Considering both are tube units I thought it would be fine.Maybe try playing with the attenuation level in any series resistors.
That doesn't sound like the Dynaudio 1.3SE at all, and it would be hard to blame the Plinius.Certainly, if you can audition the Apollo without a commitment, it would help shed some light on the situation. But it's probably the room too. Good luck.
Regards,
Geoff
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