New CD player, but can't really hear an improvement!

[EggsBenedict]

I've got a Cyrus 8 (can't even remember if it's the CD8X). It replaced a Micromega Stage 6, which was a great player, and it sounds (at least to me), better than that. It kind of depends what you want to do now. I feel your pain actually, because now you're wondering whether to upgrade, but you're not sure. Might be worth taking the CD8 to a hi-fi shop and trying it with other gear?

As info, my system is:

Cyrus 8 CD
Krell 300AV Amp
Linn Keilidh Speakers

It sounds good - all 2nd hand but with quality Chord interconnects and dnm speaker cable.

[hman]

varsas said:

hman said:

probedb said:

hman said:

Marantz Cyrus tannoy are all richer sounds type stuff and in my humble opinion are very mediocre.

It's a good reason to fork out and by some nice high end stuff

A man who listens with his eyes and wallet. Specialist esoteric audiophile shops love your sort.

Ok know it all - what system do I have?

You cant answer because you dont know, so take your assumptions and put them up your ringpiece please.

Please see:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/rules.htm

Your post contravenes rule number 1. We're talking about CD players, there's no need.

Shut up ! Were talking about what difference in sound there is through a system using a different cd player I am pointing out that on the op's system it could be very difficult to tell the difference. You have selectively quoted a reply and then quoted an irrelevant rule at me.

As detailled in a later post a lot of cd players are very similar and you could upgrade to a system where you might hear the difference for not a lot.

OK?

[TonyRPH]

outnumbered said:

CD players sound a lot more alike than magazines/review sites/delusional audiophiles on internet forums/ would have you believe.

I don't regard myself as an audiophile - but yet I can hear the difference between DACS and CD players.

And often not just subtle differences either.

Perhaps when you're spending 4 figure sums on a player, then perhaps the differences are negligible I don't know.

But certainly the value goes down rapidly when spending large sums of money - and the expense is mostly justified by the 'high end' engineering of the chassis etc. rather than the electronics as such (which are also high end but in many cases not as high end as you'd expect)
.

[MrLizard]

I spent ages listening to CD players and settled on an audiolab one, I would however say that the type of music i was listening to made a massive difference as does the rest of the system, my humble opinion is dont chase perfect audio tone but rather find a sound that you really love using your favourite music as a baseline

[Vipers]

Have you comsider your anility to hear certain frequencies, depending on your hearing no matter how much you pay for a player, it may not sound and better.

[TonyRPH]

Vipers said:

Have you comsider your anility to hear certain frequencies, depending on your hearing no matter how much you pay for a player, it may not sound and better.

But it's not always about the frequencies you can hear (or can't) it's about detail, imaging and other subtle nuances which for me highlights the differences between various players and DACS.

[Vipers]

TonyRPH said:

Vipers said:

Have you comsider your anility to hear certain frequencies, depending on your hearing no matter how much you pay for a player, it may not sound and better.

But it's not always about the frequencies you can hear (or can't) it's about detail, imaging and other subtle nuances which for me highlights the differences between various players and DACS.

Your right as well, but a comcert pianiest would be able to appreciate a track played on a top of the range than me for example.

Loss of high frequency does nothing to the enjoyment of music though. I have high frequency loss, but as I am not really into music, its not a problem for me. I only know I have the loss following an audiometry for an offshore medical.

[Crackie]

I think that its good, overall, that your new Cyrus sounds similar to your Marantz but with subtle improvements. The best players should all sound very similar to each other shouldn't they ? i.e close to no sonic signature of their own.

I use 4 different CD players regularly and have often compared their performance in the same system; there are a couple of early 90s Technics players which cost about £200-£230 new, a later 90s Exposure which was £1100 and a Wadia from approx. 10 years ago. The Wadia cost 18 times the price of the Technics players but to my ears the improvements the Wadia offers are relatively subtle; if I were to put some arbitrary number on the difference I would say the Wadia is 5-7% better. The Exposure has slightly better bass dynamics than the Technics players but they're very close overall. The Wadia is great but again the bass is the only area where it is way ahead of the others.

Digital and analogue filters both add their signature to the sound of all CD players and DACS. Some designers might favour the flattest, most extended frequency reposnse, but this may compromise transient response slightly. Another designer might favour the best transient behaviour at the expense of a slight treble loss at 20kHz; something that very few adults would ever notice........

Some companies such as Audiolab and Cambridge Audio use switchable filters; this helps their products match a variety of different systems and personal preferences. http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/index.php/cd-dvd-blu-r...

Edited by Crackie on Friday 17th October 08:37

[Revs_Addiction]

Thanks for all the feedback, if not the abusive posts and insults!

I have indeed considered it could be my ears, (See point (a) on my 1st post)!

I'm not looking to upgrade as said before, I'm happy with the sound of my system. Yes I'm sure it could sound better, but I'm not prepared to spend thousands to achieve relatively small gains. Constantly chasing the upgrade route has the potential to leave the listener never satisfied and ultimately never enjoying the music, which is something I want to avoid.

[Esseesse]

Funk said:

castex said:

That Marantz was very highly *1regarded at the time, I seem to recall. Ken Ishiwata, dontcha know.

I don't think he had a hand in the 63SE; the CD63 KI-Signature (and PM66 KI-Signature amp) were his handiwork. Also the CD17 KI and PM17 KI too, they were much higher end though and lower volumes.

Don't forget the MKII's!

The one to have is the CD63 MKII Ki-Sig dontcha know. These players are meant to be very tweak-able as well, not something I have got round to yet.

[probedb]

hman said:

Ok know it all - what system do I have?

You cant answer because you dont know, so take your assumptions and put them up your ringpiece please.

Thanks for the name-calling, how old are you? 4? 5?

I didn't say anything about your system. You said

hman said:

Marantz Cyrus tannoy are all richer sounds type stuff and in my humble opinion are very mediocre.

You gave your opinion, I gave mine. It's a discussion forum, people have different opinions.

[Foliage]

hman said:

Marantz Cyrus tannoy are all richer sounds type stuff and in my humble opinion are very mediocre.

It's a good reason to fork out and by some nice high end stuff

This is interesting, as Marantz brought the 2nd commercial CD player to market, and have consistently released the best quality low budget separate's cd player, being dismissive of a brand because they are sold in certain shops is a tad short sighted, its like saying I wont buy Kellogg's cornflakes because they are sold at asda.


Trollololololololol

[Esseesse]

Foliage said:

hman said:

Marantz Cyrus tannoy are all richer sounds type stuff and in my humble opinion are very mediocre.

It's a good reason to fork out and by some nice high end stuff

This is interesting, as Marantz brought the 2nd commercial CD player to market, and have consistently released the best quality low budget separate's cd player, being dismissive of a brand because they are sold in certain shops is a tad short sighted, its like saying I wont buy Kellogg's cornflakes because they are sold at asda.


Trollololololololol

Yes, also... Tannoy, seriously?

OK, these might be:



But I don't think you'll find a pair of these in Richer Sounds:

[JimbobVFR]

Esseesse said:

But I don't think you'll find a pair of these in Richer Sounds:

Indeed, but TBH I doubt I'd get those through my front door ☺

[legzr1]

Esseesse said:

Don't forget the MKII's!

The one to have is the CD63 MKII Ki-Sig dontcha know. These players are meant to be very tweak-able as well, not something I have got round to yet.

The CD17 KI was a quality piece of equipment and quite a few notches above the 63.

Hell of a lot more reliable too.

Although that's to be expected when it retailed at £1300 (dropping to £1100 before it was discontinued).
Beautiful sounding in most systems but especially when paired with the PM17 KI mentioned in an earlier post.
The system could be completed with a matching cd-recorder (DR17) and fM tuner (ST17).

Copper clad lovelies.

Unfortunately, none where available at Richer Sounds

[TonyRPH]

I have an original CD17 (MK1 if you like) - which I have modified extensively.

I still love the sound of that player, compared to others I've tried over the years.

My budget wouldn't stretch to the Ki version when I bought it. /-:

I have a Mission DAC (DAC 5) which uses the same DAC chip, and even that doesn't quite sound as good as the CD17.

[legzr1]

Even the remote screams quality - as heavy as a supermarket special DVD player!

Keep the 17 - lovely sound with beautiful (IMHO) design and build quality.

I swapped my 17KI pairing for Krell 300i and 300CD - better bass, equal build quality but preferred the top end of the marantz - and all for three times the price.

Oops.

[TonyRPH]

Sadly I only have the plastic remote with mine - I don't know what happened to the fancy silver one (if it was even ever supplied with it in the first place).

[legzr1]

I had a home demo of the CD17 before going for the KI and it came with the metal remote.

I'm sure the plastic version sounds just as good

[TonyRPH]

legzr1 said:

I had a home demo of the CD17 before going for the KI and it came with the metal remote.

I'm sure the plastic version sounds just as good

Now I'll have to get the metal one, just to make sure I'm not missing out on anything