LP sound from CDs

[Gordon Steadman]

Sorry Marco. SWMBO has instigated a force-majeure objection. Apparantly it has to be "ESL63 fan boy". We are planning to move to France, and build a house there. As we sit down at the CAD package to design it, I have started with the pair of ESL63's I haven't yet bought, and designed out from there. As I said to Sue - "If we can get the speakers, and the ground level right (the plot is on a slope), the rest of the design will just drop into place"

I think she understands

No no no, you can't be a member of our gang down here with those speakers. Wrong number

I was seriously unimpressed with the 63s in my system and still reckon the old 57s are the better bet. Its not that the 63s didn't sound good, they did, but..... they failed the special Steadman toe tapping test. It may depend on what they are partnered with but with the Stereo20 they came a quite distant second

[Marco]

Hi Martin,

Hi Marco

Thanks for the great information, I will certainly follow up on that path.

Interesting and in support of your info, many years ago I had an original Arcam Alpha CD player, after about 8 years ownership I took it into a dealer and compared it to the current range of CDPs. Even the dealer agreed it was superior to most of the kit he had unless you spent £k on a new CPD. I sold it when the other half removed HiFi from the lounge

For a turntable upgrade £800 - 900 ish.

Thanks again
Martin

Please see this post from Les, at Avondale Audio: http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...411#post453411

I would seriously recommend that you audition one of the Arcam players he mentions, as it will very likely be exactly what you're looking for! I'll get back to you later on the T/T

Marco.

[Oldpinkman]

Gordon
I fear we are hijacking poor martins thread. Fortunately, i'm confident he is a forgiving understanding chap.
We can discuss the point over a glass or two if & when I ever get out there. It will be blanquette de limoux chez nous.
We had both at the factory. We also had stacked 57's which would be my first choice - but I know my limits. There is no way I would get stacked 57's past the interior design and soft furnishings machine gun nest manned by mrs s. They need grabbing by the balls to get your toe tapping. Cue pip/405-2. I'll put some bottles in the fridge.

[Oldpinkman]

Oh. And mrs s auditioned both the 57's and 63's at a freinds recently, and gave the 63s the thumbs up. Thanks owen - I owe you (again)

[Oldpinkman]

Thanks paul.
I'll keep looking. But dacapo sounds like analogue. Until you put a record on. Passes the "good enough" test referred to in another post. Im still interested to hear machines that others on here consider good. Im still astonished thst 20 years on bog standard cd players aren't wiping the floor with this old banger I picked up off eBay

[Macca]

I've yet to hear anything better my Sony 791E. It's a 'Dragnet' player ('just the facts') and has proper bass too. Sounds more like a reel to reel than a cd player.

[Oldpinkman]

Dave - you obviously knew them better than me. Its so difficult talking about listening. I wish we could all get together with a few bottles and our toys, so we all knew what we were hearing.
I had a vms20 in a linn basic arm on the old pt for 2 years. I think we had a bit over 400puff on it. Nad 3020 and keesonic kubbs, which were bright bass-light bookshelf speakers. It sounded ok. Best system in aston uni digs at the time. Maybe its a balance thing. Im not flagging it as a reference system, but it was ok.
A bit like asking directions from the country man on a stile in ireland "well, if I was after getting to dublin, I wouldn't start from here". In hindsight I would probably have bust the bank and had a shure 97e. But I was a penniless student.
The vms20 was an essential overbudget replacement for the free linn cartridge, which, even though we sorted through a box of them to find one without a bent cantilever, still sounded like an am radio in bad atmospheric conditions. And the fault the vms20 showed up led to me sitting on the kichen floor of arthurs parents flat with ak and the gang. 31 years ago - welcome to pt!

[DSJR]

I know you love the DaCapo, and it's a nice DAC, but I once compared it to the operationally clumsy but otherwise expertly designed AVI S2000MC (whatever the second generation was) and my AVI wasn't found wanting at all from its audio or digital outputs, especially in the bass, which sounded more powerful as I recall from nearly 20 years ago now. The different filter boards for the DaCapo changed the sound a bit, but one wasn't really 'better' than the other IMO.

I've never really gone on 'trebly deeeeeeetailed' CD players, finding many of them un-musical and fatiguing to listen to for any length of time. The big old ATC actives I loved (100A's) didn't really take to overtly 'Audiophile coloured' products either, but give them ANY source with well balanced subjective qualities, vinyl or CD, it didn't matter, and the sound could be magical. AVI (and Ashley especially) may have a load of stick thrown at them, but the designer (Martin) knows a thing or three about power supplies for digital circuits and it's amazing how many issues seemed to disappear once the supplies were sorted (his CD players had up to eleven regulated supplies inside them - a shame the casework and operation on older models didn't live up to the excellent internals).

Anyway, I'm drifting again - apologies all

[high.spirits]

Hi Martin,



Please see this post from Les, at Avondale Audio: http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...411#post453411

I would seriously recommend that you audition one of the Arcam players he mentions, as it will very likely be exactly what you're looking for! I'll get back to you later on the T/T

Marco.

Hi Marco

Have spoken to Les and I believe have a way forward re CDPs. Will follow up when Les back from his travels..

Thanks
Martin

[high.spirits]

It's great to hear and receive so much information from guys who have a long history in the game.

With so many options out there, it gives me some light at the end of the tunnel to aim at.

Re turntables: a friend of mine is a Linn LP12 (much much modified) follower, and thinks I should go that way, but on limited budget we shall see. I like the look of the Funk LSD and the Gyro, but that may be stretching the budget a bit with her in doors....