The best Cdp that have volume control

the res-audio cd50 *is* an outstanding cd-player, & can be had used for ~$1700. i finally had the opportunity to hear it on my brother-in-law's system, run thru an audio research ls-16 preamp, feeding an a-r 100.2 amp, driving proac 2.5's. i dint get the opportunity to hear it bypassing the preamp as my brother-in-law sez it's not really listenable, when comparing it w/running it thru the preamp. he also said it's splitting hairs between it & his almost half-as-expensive alchemist cd-player, when run thru the audio-research preamp. he *did* say that it's clearly better than the alchemist if comparing them both w/o the preamp. he *also* said that if he needed the money & were forced to sell either the preamp or the cd-50, and use the alchemist in his main rig, that it was a no-brainer - the alchemist run thru the pre was far better than the res-audio cd-50 run straight-in...

as i said before in this thread, i believe, if ya only got $2k to spend, the combination of a good tubed preamp w/your existing cd-player will net better sound than any $2k cd-player run straight-in to an amp. i a-b'd the same alchemist cd-player w/a $500 nad cd-changer in *my* system, thru my melos pre (and thru the cary slp-98, the short time i owned it), and i had the same experience - no discernable differences between the two players when run thru these preamps, and the nad was much better run thru the pre than the alchemist run straight-in. ymmv...

doug

A differing opinion of the RA. It's an incredible deal. You might find a used one close to your range. I've got the Resolution CD55, and it's bettered stand alone DACs I've owned that cost $2-3,000. I use it with Pass monos and Genesis speakers. And I prefer it run direct to amp, rather than through my tube preamp (now sold). BTW, the Resolution DOES HAVE A PREAMP---it's just built-in. It's an excellent, passive pre that is designed to mate well with the (high) output of the DAC section. Some people like passives better than actives, and some vice-versa. I generally prefer the transparency of a passive, but if you listen to a lot of rock, you might like aan active pre better. I wouldn't call it a smooth-sounding player. It's very detailed witout any harshness. Listen to it and decide for yourself.

richards is right - listen & decide for yourself. my brother-in-law also auditioned the cd55 & found it no better than the cd50, if anything, the cd50 was a bit smoother, he said. i haven't heard the cd55, so i have no personal experience. regarding music-choice, my brother-in-law listens mainbly to acoustic music - strings & woodwinds - & hr still prefers his cd50 run thru his preamp. again, listen & decide for yourself

doug

Actually it is not a "passive pre" at all, it just doesn't provide gain above unity (a "passive preamp" implies there is no active device in the output stage, and thus passive preamps are simply resistor networks outside the chassis). It is not comparable to a CD player with no internal volume control when combined with a passive preamp, and I strongly disagree (again) that any preamp, tube or ss, will improve the performance of a CD50. I have listened to mine in a splendid system with a correctly treated room for much longer than Sedond has even heard of Resolution Audio, much less actually heard the unit. It just doesn't need "smoothing out", nor does it need help driving any amplifier load. Your opinion simply isn't as informed as mine, Sedond, and yet somehow you feel that is of no importance, and you keep pushing an uninformed one.

Somehow I knew this would happen.