Hi All
Sorry to take so long to get back to you on the player. I have now had it 2 weeks. No idea the number of hours but the sound seems to have stabilized.
After much listening I think I have a handle 83se. Compared to the standard 83 the soundstage is deeper and more open, the sound of the voices and instruments sound more real, less electronicy. The regular 83 sounds like an ok cheap cd/dvd player to me. When it got loud it sounded a bit harsh. The bass was kinda mushy and lack rhythm and pace.
In the past I wouldn't listen to the 83 on its own I would just push the audio out the digital coax and listen the 840C. Now if I put a CD into the 83se I don't want to jump and change it. It is musical, a bit forward but engaging. I was listening to Lucinda "Williams Car Wheels on a Gravel road". I just sat and listened to track after track. Her voice had all the emotion, the guitars sounded real with the leading edges having that punch a live electric guitar has.
On my SACD and DVD music it sounds very good as well but I have never heard a stand alone SACD player. I know the standard 83 sounded better than my Marantz 7600 and the SE sounds much better on SACD/DVD than the standard one. As I can't output SACD's to the 840C DAC, this is what I wanted the most out of the upgrade. It has me looking at buying SACD's again. (just ordered Richard and Linda Thompson's "Turn out the Lights" didnt even know they made it on SACD) By the way Dylan's "Blood on the tracks" hybrid SACD sounds horrible. Very very bright. But I enjoyed my Peter Gabriel "Live" album from the mid eighties. More dynamic than the record.
Now compared to the 840C, no contest. On cd's the CA unit is just more real sounding. First while using the balanced outs there is less of the electronic background noise, the type of stuff you don't notice till it goes away. Then the voices and instruments are more emotional and vivid. Each instrument is more distinct but also more part of the whole.
I think this means the player is more detailed. There is a warmth to the 840C that is not thick but just clear. You have to understand that this was the first CD player that I could enjoy as much as I do vinyl. It has that groundedness that Analog has, like you can feel the foundation beneath the music.
Also, the bass performance is amazing me these days. Not sure if this was switching to the balanced outputs or upgrading the power cable on my VAC amp but the dynamics are powerful. There is more of a sense of the band playing together. The detail in the bass, how the notes are hit, strings are bent, bass runs are distinct... I just have trouble describing it but once heard...I just never heard that from my system before so I have been noticing it a lot.
Anyway this is about the 83SE. I like it. On CD's I listen to 840C but for DVD's and SACD I can listen to it without wishing I was listening to the 840C. On Hybrid CD's I listen to the 83SE as it is as enjoyable as playing the cd on the 840C. Not sure if it is better but I want to listen to more of my hirez music. DVD's still sound a little better using the DAC on the 840C but it less obvious. I seem to like which ever one I am listening to at the moment. But the 840C is more precise, a bit warmer with a deeper soundstage. Not as important when watching a dvd, but the Who's"Tommy" still sounded better through the DAC. That bass precision again.
The upgrade took it up the step so it can be a player that can replace your standalone player. If you only have the cash for one digital player that has to play everything it now works where I wouldn't have claimed that for the standard.
P.S. the BDR cones are still in place. 2-3's and one 4. or is it the other way around...
P.P.S I edited this 100 times. If something is not clear let me know. I just got tired of rereading it...
