Looking for another cd player

[Lawrence001]

This is true but is the Audiolab necessarily "better" than a Pioneer SP?

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

[Macca]

This is true but is the Audiolab necessarily "better" than a Pioneer SP?

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

quite possibly not.

[Theadmans]

The Audiolab has got a lot of fans...

...but is a slot loader. A number of people on the Steve Hoffman forum have reported that it scratches discs.

The Cambridge CXC is a conventional drawer loader and is also well thought as a transport.

[Mikeandvan]

The PD-8700 only has optical out I believe.

Yep

[Macca]

The Audiolab has got a lot of fans...

...but is a slot loader. A number of people on the Steve Hoffman forum have reported that it scratches discs.

They're mistaken IME.

[ReggieB]

My experience as a former CDP repair engineer is that the digital RCA output on many CD players is a tiny wire wound transformer that can be worse than the optical output. That transformer only gives out 0.6V, which then needs to be amplified to 5V in the external DAC. And digital amps are prone to jitter at this level. There is also an issue with mains and circuit noise using that metal cable as a conduit to get into the DAC.

Looks like I maybe wrong.

[Lawrence001]

I've often thought about the electrical Vs optical debate. Advice in the early days of DACs was to use optical as you maintained electrical isolation, but at some point the preference seems to have veered towards electrical. I've done a few comparisons over the years and always landed on electrical. However it was always because the music sounded a bit more lively and detailed that way. Maybe this is the result of jitter or distortion. Might be worth revisiting and giving the optical longer to bed in (to my ears that is).

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

[Macca]

I did a comparison years ago and thought optical sounded a tiny bit softer. But with my current equipment I can't distinguish between the two.

[walpurgis]

I've often thought about the electrical Vs optical debate. Advice in the early days of DACs was to use optical as you maintained electrical isolation, but at some point the preference seems to have veered towards electrical. I've done a few comparisons over the years and always landed on electrical. However it was always because the music sounded a bit more lively and detailed that way

That has been my experience too. In my system, trying over a dozen different DACs over the years with a great variety of CD players and transports linked up with various optical or electrical cables, I invariably preferred electrical. I stopped experimenting with optical cables years ago

[AJSki2fly]

They're mistaken IME.

They are mistaken I have the 8300CDQ which uses the same slot mech. and it is fine