So, despite 40 years of music collecting and thousands of CDs on my
basement wall, I had always previously bought sensible but affordable equipment, and I had been getting by for more than 20 years with an Onkyo A-RV 401 powering some Paradigm bookshelf speakers and slightly larger Polk RT35i bookshelfs. The Paradigms are now in the living room with a matching center speaker and are driven by a Marantz 5006. We have had the Marantz for nearly a decade and have always loved its sound. When we bought it new as a honeymoon gift, courtesy of my Dad, my wife and I agreed it was the best sounding receiver in the showroom for our tastes and our budget.
I recently decided to upgrade my basement/mancave system and retire the Onkyo. First I found some ADS L990 floor speakers in good shape, and that was the first step up in terms of sound. Then I found a Marantz 2238B in beautifully maintained condition. This was the first game changer. Then, I found a pair of Klipsch RF-3 series ii floor speakers, and I really found out what the vintage Marantz receiver could bring out. I retired the Polks and made the ADS L990s an oversized set of front bookshelf speakers, with the Klipsch speakers about twice as far away, to the left. The Klipsch pair get loud quickly, so the increased distance is perfect for balanced sound between front and side speakers. Finally, I found a pair of working, original large size Advent Loudspeakers that needed to be re-foamed and re-capped, etc. I am extremely fortunate that the legendary Bill LeGall at Millersound lives only 45 minutes from me. Bill agreed to restore my speakers, and they now sound AMAZING!!! As nice as the ADS L990 speakers sound, they are now in a distant 3rd place ,and relegated to the bench. The Advents are now my main/front bookshelf speakers with the Klipsch pair still as my side speakers. The sound clarity I have now with this setup, driven by the vintage Marantz 2238B receiver, is levels above anything I’ve previously owned in terms of clarity of sound.
I have, for years, used a Panasonic DMP BDT-210 and found it to be a very nice little player for the money. It is well reviewed and inexpensive, but after seeing what the upgrades in speakers and receiver have unlocked as far as sound, I am left wondering: what is the matching CD player I need to really get the most out of these thousands of CDs on my wall?
My setup is very basic, and I am only playing my television, CD/DVD/Blu-Rays and LPs through the Marantz. I primarily play CDs and DVDs. I own only a handful of Blue-Rays, and I can watch those on the player upstairs, if necessary. I don’t collect specialized audiophile CDs (Mobile Fidelity, etc.). My needs are simple: I need excellent CD sound reproduction, and clear picture quality. The sticking point is that I am restricted to only those players that have RCA outputs for L/R audio, because that is what is compatible with the Marantz receiver (through the Tape 2 input).
I have seen some Oppo products mentioned in these forums (like the BDP-105), but only a few of those have the RCA outputs (for instance, the BDP-103, with fewer bells and whistles, does NOT have the RCA outputs I need). All the other extra features are nice to have, but what I really want is a player that can unlock more magic in the sound of my CDs and DVDs, with a decent enough picture quality for the DVDs (which are mainly live music, anyway, and most were not shot in HD). Blu-Ray capability would be nice, but if it is not included in an upgrade, it is not a deal-breaker for me as far as a player.
Any suggestions from this collective hive mind as to CD/DVD players in different price ranges with L/R RCA audio outputs that will deliver great sound through a vintage Marantz receiver?
