I wanted to get a cd playing system that I thought would be good enough that I wouldn’t be upgrading from it for a while so got an Audiolab cdt 6000 and a Denafrips ares II, I’m very pleased with it. After buying the pieces, reading reviews and others' comments about them, and my own listening I think I made a good decision and am pleased with it, not looking to upgrade. My only recent comparisons are an NAD cd player that I thought was bright and fatiguing and a Schiit modi 3+ that was quite good- no sins of comission just omission, you loose some detail but the overall sound was pleasant.
CD player
I mainly stream music but do have a considerable jazz and classical music CD collection which I like to listen to on occasion. My CD player is a NAD C515bee. I run it through analog connection or as a transport vis Schiit Modi 3 DAC. To my ears I prefer NAD internal DAC which appears more open and dynamic but also harsh. I am considering getting a better CD player but would prefer to stay between $600 and $1000. I am looking at Rotel C11tribute, Marantz 6007CD or Audiolab CDT6000 which I would use with Schiit Modi 3 DAC. I am wondering if Schiit Modi 3 DAC is good enough to use with Audiolab and which of these three choices would provide best audio results? Rest of my system is Naim Nait 5si, ML 35XTI and ML Dynamo 800X speakers/sub. Thanks
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Just another option, I had over 1,000 CDs and used a Bluesound to burn them into digital files and used it to “stream” my CD library. I would never go back to playing CDs, so I agree with ghdpentice for the most part. Using the Bluesound software is so much better then a CD player. So this way I didn’t lose my great CD collection. I have now moved up to a Aurender which also has a great streamer built in. So you get to play and manage all your CDs as easy as streaming and still get a better streamer. Some Aurenders even have great DACs built in or you can get one without a DAC. You can bypass the Bluesound DAC. |
Here we have yet another thread where someone asks about a CD player, mentions that he likes to both spin CDs and stream, and every one tells him that he should just stream. The OP mentions that he has thousands of CDs and listens to Classical and Jazz. Non Classical listeners may have trouble appreciating this but music organization files do a terrible job organizing Classical Music. I also have several thousand CDs and usually can find the desired CD on my shelves in less time than it takes to locate in the streaming software. Making playlists, a laborious and tedious process, helps, but I have had my playlists disappear more than once due to updates in the apps. Now I don’t know if the issue above is germane to the OP. Perhaps the OP has another reason to prefer to spin CDs. It is just annoying to see a person specifying that they want to play CDs and stream, and watch them be told that they shouldn’t play CDs. Now, to the OPs question…If you enjoy the DAC in the NAD but find it harsh, yet preferable to the Schiit DAC, I would replace the DAC and use the NAD as a transport. Failing that, I would get a CD player that has digital inputs so if you later change your mind about the Schiit, you can use the CDP as a DAC for other digital sources |
Yes, this occurs pretty regularly on this site, a disregard for what the OP specifically is inquiring about. It very clear the OP enjoys streaming but he wants to also spin CDs. This is a straightforward and achievable task , yep, enjoy both! @xti35 based on your list I’d choose the Audiolab CDT 6000 . This is a very good sounding transport by all accounts. The Denafrips Aries DAC was mentioned above and this modest priced DAC would pair quite nicely with the Audiolab. Now you have a very nice Redbook CD playback system to go along with your digital streaming. The upgraded transport will make an important and noticeable sonic improvement in my opinion. Best. Charles |
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