advice for cd player

[lallapai]

I need advice to substitue my Linn Genki with another cd player (or DAC+transport) that match better with other components of my system: Leben CS600; Harbeth C7ES3. There is also: Rega P3-RB 300; Nagaoka MP 200; Graham Slee Gram Amp SE; cables: Linn; Audience Conductor and Conductor E.
I like tube sound.
In particular I listen to chamber music and jazz.
Many thanks.

[DrewTurner]

I use the Ayre c5xe mp.Wonderful player.I'm very interested in Leben.I are you happy with the way it drives your 7's?How would you characterize it's sound?I listen to Jazz and Classical.I use Audience au24e cables throughout my system as well as the Audience ar6 "T" power conditioner.Fantastic to my ears.Speakers are P3ESR'S.Thanks

[lallapai]

Thank you for the advice about cd player.
Leben CS600 matches very well with my 7's, not only for jazz and chamber music. It sounds smooth and clear. With cd player I use pre-in mode.
I've got Atacama SL 500 stands filled with Atacama filler for the speakers.

[macraddy]

Ah the Genki - Lovely machine! I had an Ikemi for years and loved it. I'd advise looking at the 'sources for your Harbeths' forum, there's much more advice there. Congratulations on what I understand to be a terrific amplifier too!

[AdamW]

I need advice to substitue my Linn Genki with another cd player (or DAC+transport) that match better with other components of my system: Leben CS600; Harbeth C7ES3. There is also: Rega P3-RB 300; Nagaoka MP 200; Graham Slee Gram Amp SE; cables: Linn; Audience Conductor and Conductor E.
I like tube sound.
In particular I listen to chamber music and jazz.
Many thanks.

Hi,
If you live in Italy and like valve sound, you simply must try the Docet Lector CDP 7.
Regards,
Adam

[hifi_dave]

You have Rega so take a look at the Rega Saturn, a terrific player at a very good price and the Rega Isis, the tube version. This is, without doubt, the best CD player I have heard at any cost. If that one breaks the budget, the EAR Acute is a stunning tube based player at a lower price. All work exceptionally well with the Harbeth range and Leben.

[T.W.]

You may also wanna look at Lyngdorf CD-1. I owe it and I think it's almost perfect. Sorry - no tubes but digital output :-)

http://www.lyngdorf.com/index.php?op...=23&Itemid=135

T.W.

[kittykat]

Hi lallapai

1. i'd forget about buying based on brand. it will have nothing to do with the sound you want
2. suggest if possible to bring your linn with you down to the shop
3.The law of diminishing returns apply strongly in cd players, like amplifiers. If you can, compare the most expensive one in the shop and a usd 1000 player. There might not be much difference at all.
4. do some desk research and look for cd players with the latest current chipsets and shortlist them and compare these against the genki. There has been a bit of technological advancement since (in chipset and application) but whether it can be heard is another thing.
5. the tubey sound you want is mostly tweaked in, very popular with chinese players. so listening will only help you discover what you like.

[garmtz]

Stream your music using a Linn Majik DS, it's better than CD-players costing several times more!

[denjo]

+1 for the streamed music option! Don't forget that not having a CDP is an option. Instead, stream your music from a wireless device!

[Lee Henley]

Another option to streaming is to have a mini mac plugged direct into a DAC, the mini mac can be picked up very cheap second hand nowadays, also very good if you have an ipod touch as this acts as a remote to operate itunes and allows you to see the songs on the mac. Finally if the rest of the hifi is in the same room as flat panel HD TV then the mac can be plugged into this and act as a monitor

This will probably be my next purchase after a set of new speakers (Harbeth I hope), a mini mac and a decent DAC. I already have an imac but this is upstairs, my internet signal is very weak, Ive tried streaming before and it kept buffering and cutting out, I sold the airport express in the end.

BTW, quite a few people are selling high end cd systems and using the mini mac route

Hope this helps

Lee

[tinears02]

+1 for the streamed music option! Don't forget that not having a CDP is an option. Instead, stream your music from a wireless device!

May I suggest a digital player with totally no moving parts, as the link below ?
It does require an external DAC though, and some work to rip
your cds to the SD card. Google for more info on what other diy
folks are up to with it.

http://www.qlshifi.com/en/wzcapi/qa550.htm

cheers.
std disclaimer : no connection with the said company above,....

[tto123]

WD TV Live might be a viable option.

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=735

[audio39]

Look at the Luxman CD players...the new player with the tube output looks very interesting.

There's an obvious synergy seeing that the owner and designer of Leben is a former Lux guy.

[EricW]

If the budget permits, I like the option of an Apple MacBook Pro laptop with flash memory instead of a hard drive, and a good external DAC. Not cheap, true, but then it also can be used to do a lot more than just play CDs.

The Mac SSDs have reached 256gb in size; that may be big enough enough for you. If it isn't, it's a fairly safe bet that they'll be up to 512gb reasonably soon, perhaps before the end of this year.

If you encode in a lossless or uncompressed format, and use a good quality DAC, the sound quality available is at least that of a high-end CD player, in my opinion, with much greater convenience. Streaming wirelessly is an option, but not a necessity - you can also just plug the laptop into the DAC with a USB cable (or Firewire, if your hardware has it).

If a very slight bit of hard drive noise doesn't bother you, the iMac can now be ordered with a 2-terabyte hard drive.

[macraddy]

There's also the option of a cheaper Macbook air with solid state drive? Or possibly run from an external USB drive in another room? They're also nice machines. I'm writing this from a 17" Macbook Pro and can recommend them for general use...

Although for hi-fi I'd still recommend the CD player route!

[garmtz]

Stream your music using a Linn Majik DS, it's better than CD-players costing several times more!

Repeating myself... ;) Try it! The Linn is a great match with Leben and Harbeth, as I have listened to this combination the last few days. You also might track down a Linn Majik CD, a great CD player!

[macraddy]

Repeating myself... ;) Try it! The Linn is a great match with Leben and Harbeth, as I have listened to this combination the last few days. You also might track down a Linn Majik CD, a great CD player!

Let's all bare in mind that garmtz makes his living from selling people Linn equipment!

[EricW]

Let's all bare in mind that garmtz makes his living from selling people Linn equipment!

I'm sure that was meant light-heartedly, but I'll point out that Alan Shaw makes his living from selling people Harbeth speakers, and I think we would all give his words a fair bit of weight.

The fact that you have a personal interest in something doesn't necessarily make what you say untrue.

[unleash_me]

See if you can audition Opera Consonance CD 120. Its a filter less non-oversampling cdp without an opamp. This might fit your need for a cdp with vinyl like presentation.