What seperates "hi-fi" from "mid-fi" in cdp's?


I find that in my search for the right CDP I really don't know what, mechanically, seperates the good from the not-so-good. Although I understand which brands are more highly regarded than others, I don't understand why.
Along those lines, I would also really appreciate a very brief description of the primary working parts of the cdp and how they differ among "levels". For instance, how does the number of bits matter? Or is it just another useless audio stat?
Or, if I am asking a bigger question that I think I am, maybe you could direct me to a good reference for this issue? Thanks JB3
jb3
It's the same thing that seperates every other component from great to not-so-great: the power supply and output stages. The better cdp's are usually more expensive because they use premium parts for power supply, filter caps, voltage and current regulation stages, isolation of power supply for signal and operational (LED's, mechanical, controls, etc), shielding, output devices, and overall circuitry design of the output stages.

You can't really go by the type of DAC or drive mechanism alone to judge whether or not you're getting a quality product. Most low end cdp's that vary in price will use the dame DAC for example, but the price difference is based on convenience features. The difference in sound, for example, of the Marantz 63 and the 63SE is night and day - all due to the power supply upgrade in the 63SE.
Robust power supply, top-shelve analog stage, I/V stage, transport made out of metal with delrin or high-grade nylon gears (not plastic), double-sided epoxy PCBs, attention to EFI/EMI shielding, quadeutectic solder, superior circuit board design and layout and ULTIMATELY sound quality.
LMAO Nrchy!! Absolutely agree, listen to the gear in your own system...is your foot tapping involuntarily...well then see a doctor....do the hairs at the back of your neck stand up...you may need a trim, the barber's the one for that....

Great advice too about the older technology units. I would not necessarily limit your search to upsampling DAC's though. Some of the very best DAC's are straight redbook with no upsampling. Unless you have to hear what SACD sounds like, it should not be a criteria to seek out as the selection is pretty limited right now (in terms of music released on SACD) and no one seems to know whether it will live or die as a medium. There are certainly players that do both pretty darn good as I understand it.

Let your own two ears be the judge...good advice that goes much further than CDP's in this hobby, yet is so often ignored.

Marco
all the subtle, but important differences! Like the difference between a Shaolin monk and a heavyweight boxer (like someone mentioned in another thread).

I imagine after living with a high-end source for a while, it would be tough to go back to a mid-fi one and still be satisifed with it. The inverse, someone who was used to mid-fi might hear a high-end source and be left wondering what all of the fuss was about.