Is there a cd player that sounds close to an LP?

The digital that I have heard that sounds closest to an LP is $37k MBL digital front end. The problem is that the digital medium of the CD is in itself flawed. I really do not think a CD is ever going to sound like an LP. SACD and beyond medium MAY be a different story.

KF

Yes, I'm in general agreement with you guys. CD's can be a bit annoying compared to a nice turntable, HOWEVER I also agree you don't want to ruin the good thing youv'e got going with your analog rig by changing speaker cables, etc just to tame the disc spinner.

you may want to try other interconnects to tame the cd player without altering the turntable sound. JPS ultraconductor has a very controlled, low distortion sound that may match up very well to the Marantz (or maybe not but it's worth a try). Also some of the cheapo Monster interconnects ($20-$40) might do the trick (although they are ridiculed in hi-end circles).

Other thing to do is try changing placement and/or isolation method for the cd player. This has worked wonders for me many times (REMEMBER: all cd players contain sensitive preamps to raise the signal to line level). I use Audioquest sorbothane feet and thy're great for cd!

If you are still frustrated at this point try to find a Musical Fidelity X-Ray. Not the last word in accuracy but very euphonic and warm, but still musical enough to keep you listening.

I have done many comparisons with the CD and LP medium.
It all comes down to the quality of the recording!

I used to use the cd63 in my system (as a transport). It isn't a great transport unfortunately. If you do get a dac, which is the cheapest way to do what you want, you'll want to pick up a reclocking device ($100, used). That being said, I think the comment about SACD is right. It's so much closer to analog.... but there's hardly any music on sacd - at least if you're looking for normal, mainstream releases, not 'audiophile' discs which seem to be made for people to listen to their systems, not the music (yeah, there are a few exceptions...). Bottom line: I've seen sony 777es (not the multi-channel) sacd/cd players here for under $1500: they sound very analog-y on regular cds (redbook) and with sacd, it's a whole order (or two) of magnitude better. They take forever to break in, so if you get a chance to audition one, make sure it's played a couple hundred hours at least. (By the way, do you leave your cd player on all the time? That's a huge difference right there.) Good luck.

I second Taters response above. The engineering and production of the LP or CD really does determine how it will sound on a high end system. I have remastered Rudy Van Gelder produced jazz CD's originally recorded in the late 50's that kill stuff recorded today. The LP equivalent is fantastic too as compared to some of the more recently released pressings. Unfortunately, poorly produced recordings will always be the weak link in our musical enjoyment and systems, whether in LP or CD format. I have LPs that sound inferior to the CD, so...it's personal.