SACD or Naim CDP?

There are lots of CDs available, and buying a used CD is less of a risk than buying a used LP (which may look bad or good but play good or bad). So a good CD player has lots of use left in it.

So if you have lots of CDs and a player you dislike, and if you like the CD5

Phil

I have just updated my profile. Well, I'm using a Planet and it's showing its age. That's one of the reason that prompt me for a change too. I don't have many CDs, maybe around 150. By changing the player, I would like to improve the PRaT.

SACD seems to be a superior format compare to the red book cd. So I am skeptic about the change.

Patrick

Phil

I was using a modified Orelle cd 100 when i decided that i needed a new cd player.

I was amazed by the sound quality of the SONY SCD 1 and the SCD 777es, also impressed by the Technics A 10 dvd a player.

So what did i do?

i cant use balanced so bought the SCD 777es and saved a few quid into the bargain. I have not regretted this purchase one bit. As a CD player it is fabulous and then i play an SACD which is in a new ball game altogether.

I also bought the Technics A 10 dvd a player for my av system as i do not consider DVD A to be a high quality format for stereo music play back. But as a dvd v and dvd v a player it is fabulous and it is not expensive at this time. It also is a very good cd player into the bargain.

So my advice is to compare cd sacd dvd a if you can and buy what suits your needs. Dont forget that a dvd player of any sort requires a tv to access the menu functions which is a pain,so is not easy to use in a stereo hifi system.

regards david

I was in retail when cd was launched in 1982/83 and you had a choice of approx 9 discs and 2 cd players.

SACD has many players within 3 years of launch some budget and several from major players in the high end. Also there are approx 400 discs to choose from, admittedly not all to my taste but things are improving nicely. Many of the high quality analogue supporters are going for sacd as they can take the analogue MASTERS AND ENCODE VIA DSD TO GIVE VERY HIGH RESOLUTION SACD.
So if the analogue supporters are going for sacd at the premium end of the market then this is good as it is the quality of the original recording that is the limiting factor prior to dsd encoading.
DVD A in my understanding is completely different can of worms.

CD as it is currently has reached the end of its development now relying on up or over sampling,make up the numbers time,to compete with sacd.

So i have taken the plunge and several of my hifi buddies have bought sony sacd as well and we are acquiring software as the catalogue allows.

I want livingston taylor INK, alison kraus,new eric bibb and several others which i am considering. I am still however buying cd as my scad player does a fabulous job of playing them.

regards david

Thanks for your point of view. Most probably I will save up for a CD5 while waiting for the market of SACD to grow.

Cheers,

Patrick

Alex

There's a secondhand CD5 for sale on HiFiforsale at £750.

re the rest of my system.

S.Brooks mega mains cleaner.
S.Brooks mains leads.
pure silver interconnect.
Van den Hul CS 122 speaker cable from power amp through crossover and onto driveunits.
Concordant Audio Excelsior valve pre with groove tube matched valves alps pot and silver wired.
EAR 529 500w valve power amps,high quality pots and silver wired for signal path.
Sony SCD 777es SACD player.
ACR Eckhorn horn loaded loudspeakers (similar to Klipschorn), with added Pioneer PTR 7 ribbon super tweeter ( 5khz - 100 khz ).

so we have a source that has a theoretical bandwidth of 1hz - 100khz.
A valve pre good for 15 hz- > 100 khz.
a valve power amp good for 15 hz - approx 75 khz.
speakers good for 25 hz - 100 khz.

So in theory the limiting factor is now the software performance not hardware .

If you look at KEF Linn Tannoy SONY Technics Fostex and several others they are adding super tweeters to theyre top flight product to take advantag of SACD bandwidth.

Before you ask, when i added my super tweeters, the tweeters in the speakers were good to 45 khz.
So adding the PT R 7 only added 45 khz - 100 khz,
why could i hear a difference. Also friends could hear a difference. Now when i last teseted my hearing i could hear to approx 14-15 khz.
So what is going on. Many people have suggested that we are hearing the effects of high harmonics on the main frequencies and this affects the leading edge of the note and also adds air space depth height information , which could not be heard before due to the source or speakers not reproducing this information. I believe that increasing the high frequency band width to well beyond 20 khz is a must have if you are able to take advantage of it.
This is my opinion and i have spent my own money to achieve it.

regards david

quote:

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why could i hear a difference. Also friends could hear a difference. Now when i last teseted my hearing i could hear to approx 14-15 khz

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I would imagine that unless there is a very sharp crossover from tweeter to super tweeter, the super tweeter is contributing some output to the top octave of your ears 'pass-band'. I would also imagine that the super-tweeter's dispertion pattern is much wider than a horn speaker at these frequncies. Perhaps this what you are hearing not ultra-sonics?

I am interested to hear why you dismiss DVD-A as being poorer than SACD - my technical opinion is quite the reverse - although I have not yet heard DVD-A myself.

Having said that the launch of DVD-A is one of the most idiotic things I have seen - the requirement to have a monitor to select menus to bizarre (especially when the monitor's EMC emissions will easily screw up the DVD-A player's noise floor much beyond 18-bits of res).

Interested in your opinions.

quote:

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Originally posted by Neville:
Patrick,

There's a secondhand CD5 for sale on HiFiforsale at £750.

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Thanks Neville, I will check it out.

Alex

BTW You'll be staring at that CD5 in Loot for 10 days whether its sold or not I'm afraid.

Alex

With that supreme value, I found the CD5 listenable (eminently so with a PSU) and the Jupiter unlistenable. I heard the Jupiter in a round earth system, though,

Phil

all the drive units in my speakers are horn loaded.

The bass horn is a Klipsch

The mid is horn loaded compression

the tweeter is horn loaded good to 40khz

the super tweeter is a horn loaded ribbon tweeter
and its crossover point is 1st order at 20khz.

If any body is going to invest in a new player to play cd and maybe SACD DVD A then before investing a sum of money in a player that cannot take advantage of the new formats they should consider a machine that can take advantage of at least one of the new formats.
However, if not then keep the cd player and add a new format player at a later date.

As i have already said i voted with my wallet and went SACD.

The SONY 777 is a mighty fine red book cd player inits own right and has the advantage of playing SACD as well which on the evidence of what i have heard is the new format of choice as a two channel replay system.

I have yet to be convinced of the merits of multi channel for music only reproduction. For movies it is great fun.

regards david

Where are the defenders of the sacred realm?
(sorry, just seen LOTR)

P

quote:

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the super tweeter is a horn loaded ribbon tweeter and its crossover point is 1st order at 20khz

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So about 12 dB down at 5 kHz ish. You will be hearing a fair bit of contribution from the ribbons.

Anyway Klipschorn & EAR 529. Nice. Heard them individually (well I think it was a 529 maybe a 549) and was very impressed.

The EAR 529 are a rare beast as only 50 pairs were built. Mine are one of 2 pairs sold in the uk the remainder going to europe and the far east.

they were reviewed in a german mag and they produced well above the quoted power of 500w 8 ohm
and actually produced 700w into 8 ohm. Not bad !!!

i really enjoy listening to them as for a large amp they really can be very delicate sounding at low levels but can also produce thunderous power when necessary. They never seem to run out of power.

They will have to go back to EAR sometime for a service and overhaul as there are one or two minor gremlins with them at this time. Would i swap them??????

Only for a pair of CARY 805 but they are still funny money. A bit of a contrast to go to 15 w single ended, but my horns are 105 dbw so this is of little consequence.

regards david