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What high-end cdp for low-end quality CD's ?

I need advice, in some foreseeable future I’m going to upgrade my cdp. My budget is going to be about $4000 top $5000. I was thinking about used Wadia 861, Accuphase 75V. But I had heard that they are true performers only on high quality audiophile grade CD’s. I heard that the more expensive SS cdp playback the worst it will sound with awful quality CD’s.
Unfortunately most of my CD’s is mean quality from BMG, SONY etc. buying CD’s from only audiophile companies or import them from Hon Kong, Taiwan, Japan (they are the best to me) is not a valid solution. I have heard rumor that some tube CD’s like Audio Areo, Lector (maybe Audiomeca ??-it is solid state though) can be more forgiving to mean CD’s, so you can actually listen to them. It is really hard for me to listen to them on my budget Arcam cdp, I cannot imagine it sounding worse with high-end player. So I’m looking for forgiving high-resolution, very dynamic, live, analog sounding cdp. So what would you recommend, I’m listening to soft rock, pop, classic.
Rest of equipment is Clayton monoblocks, Thiel 3.6 speakers by the end of summer I will have Supratek pre (I hope at least).
sorlowski
unclejeff
1,313 posts
 
A high-end CD player will allow a top-quality CD to sound up to it's potential. I own the Audio Aero Capitole Mark II and I was really amazed how well it revealed what is a quality CD and what is not. An example would be a box set of the Motown Collections as released on the Motown Label. I really enjoyed these CDs until I was given a box set of many of the same recordings released on Rhino. The Rhino CDs relegated the Motown CDs to my car's Cd player.

I think that a CD player of the quality that you seek will not add perfection where quality is lacking, but this is not the reason to not buy one. You will find that you will no longer be futzing with bass and treble controls as a high-end Cd player will allow the original mastering of the Cd to come through.

So, to answer your question, Yes, while a high quality Cd player will not 'fix' a recording, it will play even copies of copies of CDs to reach full potential.
merganser
216 posts
 
Recommend? Take a look at the Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista SACD/upsampling CD player. It can make good redbook CD's sound amazingly close to SACD's and "bad" CD's sound pretty good.
aida_w
308 posts
 
Bad CDs will not sound great on whatever CDP - but they will sound DIFFERENT!! So you have to hear if that different sound is what you're after.
I own a Wadia 270/27ix combo and in teamwork with the PS-Audio 300 PowerPlant there is not a single CD in my about 5000 pieces collection which sounds unbearable. No secret, though, that this gear will send you to highest levels of listening if the software is RIGHT. For me Wadia just does the MUSIC right!
So - you have "to decide which is right and which is an illusion"...(The Moody Blues on "Days Of Future Passed")
Good luck!
sorlowski OP
236 posts
 
Thank you for all your responses (very informative I must say),
but is not it true that some players (tube cdp's especially???) are doing better job in masking deficiencies in sound quality. I understand that there in no cdp that will play BMG CD like it was Chesky Record CD, but I believe that some must be doing better job then others in that department ? Am I right...
warrenh's avatar
warrenh
2,299 posts
 
My fellow audiophools have said it all....buy the best darn CDP you can afford....
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