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Suggestions for New CD Player

I'm looking for a new CD player, modestly priced under $1,500, that will  work well with a 2-channel system featuring B&W 804S floorstanders, a McIntosh MC402 power amp, and a Magnum Dynalab MD208 receiver used as a preamp.

My wife and I mostly listen to classical music, and have an extensive CD collection, particularly heavy in orchestral (e.g., Mahler, Beethoven) and opera (Wagner, Verdi) and piano/violin.  (My wife is a Julliard-trained musician.)   Pre-pandemic, we were frequent concert-goers, preferring about rows 8-15.  We also rock out on occasion. We appreciate fine equipment, but we're music-lovers rather than true audiophiles.

We previously had a Consonance Droplet CD player (tubed, nice sound quality, when it worked, which wasn't often enough) and a Lexicon RT-20 (a little harsh, and wouldn't play many discs).  I won't buy a used player.  In my experience, CD mechanisms are the most fragile of all components.

I realize I'm asking a lot at this price point, but life itself is compromise.  Don't really care about wireless capability or digital files.  SACD is nice, but redbook capability is what really matters to us.  Considering Cambridge Audio 851, Rega Apollo, but open to suggestions.

Your thoughts?






gg107
jafant's avatar
jafant
19,836 posts
 
gg107

Give the player and cabling 2 weeks to settle. Report back afterwards.

Happy Listening!
winoguy17
1,140 posts
 
 Good luck, hope you end up happy.
gg107 OP
74 posts
 
I've now been listening to the Denon DCD 1600NE for just under three weeks. While there may be further break-in improvements, I think I've now got a firm sense of this player.

I'm still not wildly enthusiastic. The Denon is admittedly a big step up from my aged Sony SCD-CE 595, but that player is over 15 years old, and not as costly as the Denon to begin with.  With an aftermarket power cord and interconnects, the Denon is a decent player, with respectable tone quality and dimensionality.  

But as compared to other players with which I'm familiar -- the Consonance Droplet and Lector CDP -- the Denon is not really competitive in sound quality.  These tubed players were just far richer, and more three-dimensional.  To be fair, these were and are much more expensive pieces of equipment.  I likely overestimated the improvement in sound quality that I could expect in the intervening 15 or so years since I'd last purchased a disc player.

I remain disappointed by the slow loading of the disc tray, and the inordinately long time the Denon takes to respond to commands.  The fast forward function on the remote is particularly slow.  But these are relatively minor points.  

The Denon does do noticeably better with SACDs than it does with redbook.  With the best-recorded and best-produced SACDs I have, it sounds quite good.  But the vast majority of my collection is redbook CD.

I've decided to keep it, because I think at this price point ($1,199, delivered) I'm unlikely to find another new CD player that is significantly better all-around.  But I think the Denon is destined to move to my secondary, office system, sooner or later.
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jafant's avatar
jafant
19,836 posts
 
gg107

Thank You for the initial report. 200 hours of play time is a good starting point. The player (any player) will continue to bloom every additional 100 hours until 500 is reached.

Happy Listening!
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