s/h cd player for £1500

hello all

i'm trying to close a deal for a yba cd1, but if it's unavailable what else would you recomend?
the yba alpha 3x is available for £1500, so that's currently my fallback option.
what else should i consider?

this is my first cd player, as i've stuck with vinyl up to now. i'm thinking yba as the cd1 was the first player that sounds as good as vinyl, that i've listened to
here's the rest of the system:
source:
cranfield rock reference, excaliber arm, reson rica cartridge
amplification
audio research sp14 pre
krell ksa 100 mk2 power
both to be superseded by a chris bryant built combo, i have the power amp but the pre hasn't been constructed yet
speakers
currently
alon IV mk 2's
replacements (gathering dust upstairs till we move):
alon phalanx, combined with custom infinite baffle ceiling/attic sub install

so,
what do you reckon?

many thanks
gav

 

any transport and a benchmark or dac64

 

a squeezebox and a used Dac64. There you go, both answers in one!.

 

Not a DAC64, lol.

There are only two integrated CD players I think I would put my cash on. The most vinyl like is the AMR CD-77, but it is about £4.4k new. Its the most vinyl like by far... but I'm not really a vinyl guy so I would actually go for..

A Cambridge Audio 840C. Its not even £1500 brand new so well within budget, and its about as good as a CD player gets if you just want a neutral accurate player.

If you want the DAC route, in my not so humble opinion one of the modified Behrigner DACs I do is every bit as good as a DAC64 or Benchmark DAC1, does more tricks and is more affordable.

 

Densen 400xs.

 

I'd second the SB3 + DAC suggestionn.

Failing that a big old Wadia (16, 21, 850) if you can find one, or perhaps a Sugden Masterclass CD.

 

Resolution Audio Opus 21 or Audio Research CD3

 

thankyou for your replies

squeezebox sounds like the perfect solution for the second system

does no-one have any experience of the yba players? the cd1 blew my mind, and was the first cd player to get me excited. i dearly love to know, how do these lesser ones compare?:

http://www.choice-hifi.com/black-edition/alpha-3x/prod/1425

 

Buy it if you like it!

 

trying very hard to persuade the owner to part with it....

 

Sorry to say this, but if the YBA sounds like vinyl, then it can't be much good, or it's been "treated" to sound that way...

I hate to say it, but the Cambridge 840C player really does seem to be where it's at these days, with only the clock and case damping to be attended to if tweaky owners are to be believed...

 

DSJ the two 'best 'dacs I have heard so far in my system, the Lavry 924 and the MSB Platinum II have both sounded remarkably like vinyl, they have the dynamics timbre and tone of vinyl,and the resolution. I will try and listen to the Cambridge but I suspect that it will be just another forum hyped product like the Beresford DAC which is incredibly ordinary btw .

 

It doesn't put a foot wrong David.
I've had mine for 3 week now and I can't think of a single thing to criticise. You get the benefit of real balanced outputs if your amp can accommodate. The internal topology is fully balanced so their isn't the usual compromise of an additional OP amp tacked onto the output to give balanced drive. Thay also take the PSU seriously with a chunky transformer (looks about 120VA), banks of low ESR caps and 22 separately regulated lines - I counted them, sad I know
Silly amounts of good technology and engineering for the price.

 

Coops,

I recently trialled the Cambridge as sadly my Marantz has bitten the dust. Like all of their products I was mildly disappointed but I suspect it's a perfectly decent player- just that my expectations were too high given the hype.

The YBA amplifiers I heard many moons ago had a distinctive voicing - an open airy ethereal quality that was at odds with my preferences. For me, CD players with good multibit DAC's still seem to posess something inherently right. The Marantz CD7 was great. The Sugden Masterclass is on my list to audition given it's similarities along with a couple of Esoteric models and the AMR. The Cambridge really didn't quite cut it for me- but it's damned good for the money.

 

SM Hi I would be interested to hear what you think of the AMR!
Regards Keith.

 

Rob, will you be keeping the 840, over the 640 then?

 

hello peeps, thankyou for your advice, just to give an update i did go for the yba after all, managed to get one from alan @ choice hifi, paid £1900...

and very happy with it!

thankyou all
gav

 

In my opinion CDP should only transfer the original sound from the disk, no more, no less.
The rest is managed by the amp, cables and speakers.
So, my recomendation would be Lyngdorf CD1.
Crystal clear sound, complete presentation what is on the disk, period.
The only problem is, the moment I bought it, I figured out that, I will probably throw away a considerable number of my disks, because the production on many of those is just miserable.
The Lyngdorf CDP just uncovers the painful facts about todays production of CD disks.

 

I'll second the MSB Platnum. Great player. The other is the Lector CDP7. I am very familiar with Alon and Audio Research. IMO either will fit fine with your components. Or a new AR CDP. Good luck trying.


rollo

 

If you are looking for an analog sounding player, I would consider the following ones:

Electrocompaniet EMC 1 Up CD - 2000 EUR located in France
http://www.audiomarkt.de/_markt/item.php?id=1936560991&



Accuphase DP-55 for 1450 EUR located in Germany
http://www.audiomarkt.de/_markt/item.php?id=4019834811&



Both are great units. I would personally go with EC.

Update: I found both on hififorsale.com (UK) as well.