CD player comments please....

hi,
i'm toying with the idea of a new cd player or maybe (sharp intake of breath) a tansport / dac....
the two that have caught my eye are...
Bow zz8
and
Audio Synthesis dax decade and transcend transport.

has anyone got any thoughts on how these players sound?
also as they are both 2nd hand there is always the looming spectre of a transport going tits up - in the case of the dax i'd probably be able to muddle along with my dvd player until i could afford to replace but the bow uses a phillips cdm12 pro. does anyone know how repairable / replaceable these are? are stocks readily available or are they hens teeth.

if anyone has any other suggestions or alternatives feel free to mention as well.
cheers


julian

 

But Julian! Neither of those players are made in Salisbury

:duck:

 

whoa there!

What is wrong with you current setup? I thought it was really good.

 

chris,
i've already commited heresy by using isolda and b&w speakers so i figgure what the hey....

robbo,
i know, it's sad isn't it? almost 1/2 my reason for thinking about change is based on aesthetics, the rest is a vague uneasyness after hearing zanash's quad with all tones trick mains. the other is that <stands> my name is julian and i'm an audiophool.....

:cry: :cry: :cry:


cheers



julian

 

This from the man who permits bright yellow kevlar in his living space

 

well the yellow goes well with the grim pinky orange terracotta paint that the previous occupant threw at the walls whilst in the grip of some sort of siezure.


cheers


julian

 

There's no shame in it brother Julian.

47 Labs Shigawossname transport and DAC would be a laugh on the aesthetic front, I think it's extremely cool.

What's the budget? High-ish by the sound of it. What about a CDS3?

If you buy a non-Naim source I bet you a fiver you'll be wanting to change the rest of the kit within a year...

-- Ian

 

budget would be about 2k +/- a bit - so a cds3 is out however tom tom have a cds 2 on sale at the moment but it would be pushing the budget to breaking point... i could always live on beans i guess......must.... resist.....

the 47 labs would be uber cool however they aren;t the most stable of things - just resting on wabbly legs and me being a bit of a clumsy mook would probably have it falling over every time i played it...

there is also a new bluenote cdp which looks very nice - all clear perspex, springs and underslung transport however no bugger seems to stock them in the uk...

i'll take that bet... errrr.... hang on, no i won't i'll need all the money i can get hold of for a new amp....
cheers


julian

 

Central Audio have a Nuvista CDP for £1750.

 

Julain, having owned both the dax with a better transport than the poineer thingy.
The dax is very smooth & detail, luscious and ripe almost, even with a wadia pushing it, it did lack groove by a fair amount, good piece of kit though.
The bow is a cracking cdp, out of the 2 for a more dynamical musical presenation, the for me the Bow is a clear winner

 

Ah, the famous MF/Naim combo. He'd never be able to show his face on the Naim forum again...

£2K would get you a Linn Ikemi. Very nice player, very well built, all-metal tray, respectable in flat-earth circles. Or a Meridian 588, of course. Other than that I know nothing much about CD players around that price, so I'll be quiet now.

-- Ian

 

Seriously, how about a Densen Beat 400XS. Ive seen one s/h at central for £1800?

 

Reliability, good cdp, bad rep for breaking even with life time warranty.
Dare I suggest a quad 99, plus a few extra's ? or maybe even a used 830 wadia
Failing that a arcam alpha 9

 

robbo,
how could you! now a TRI-vista with those mad glowing feet would be a different proposition
i'm not that far gone you know.... still if it was the audiophool equivalent of throwing some cold water in my face......

the denson is another one to put on my to try list i guess although it looks a bit mneh and i've heard that there can be sample differences so you need to pick the best sounding one from the dealers stock, the electrocompaniet emc1 may also be worth a listen - i'll have to give john robberts a call and see if i can arrange a demo of what he's got (i believe he's an e/c and densen dealer?).
cheers


julian

 

How about a dac 64? You could use your dvd player as a transport, as I am sure you know by now transports make no difference anyway.

 

outstanding idea robbo, I'm gutted I didn't think of it before sir very right and proper, every one knows that transport errors cannot possible occur, and all transports sound totaly identical to each either. Were all total drongos for accquiring over priced shiny (or not so) shiny boxes that make absolutley no difference to the sound at all, oh wooohh is me, I need to cut my losses now, and get a sound card and in my pc and run my superdac & I'll be so happy with my identical preformance, I'll preform open wallet surgery on tony blair in public (gutted from east grinstead)

 

YES THEY MAKE NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL...
shhh... i still think they do but don;t tell anyone.....
cheers


julian

 

Ultimate sonics have a moon eclipse on sale, its been up for ages, maybe they would accept a lowball offer.

 

Julian,
You need something that is a) large, b) heavy, c) Champagne Gold, and d) is made just outside Yokohama.
It's a shame there are no CDPs with analogue VU meters. Not to worry though, those will come with the amp upgrade

 

A Bow ZZ8 would be a nice oval earth CDP IMO. TBH, I am/was thinking about one to replace the dCS/Accuphase with those 3 boxes finally go. The only things which count against it slightly for me would be the fact that it's a top loader which could limit my racking options and no balanced outputs (if that really matters at the end of the day or not ).





How does a CDX2 rate BTW amongst those in the know? I quite liked the system at Bristol that was fronted by one, although I'd not buy one personally myself, it'd say it was probably my fave Naim CDP so far.