where to find cd player

hello everyone,

i am looking at upgrading my sources.
my amp is a MF A3.2 which i dearly love ( i know how many of you feel about MF and most of it is true ) and my speakers are the Sonus Faber Signum.

My priorities are a visceral, organic sound, that presents instruments clearly in a fairly large soundstage, if at all possible.

So I have a few cd players I am looking for after having read a bit:
- Meridian 508.24
- Audio Research CD2
- Linn Ikemmi
- Electrocompaniet EMC-1

and perhaps the Linn Ikemmi. Any suggestions where I could source any of these/listen to them and eventually other suggestions you may have?

I am potentially also looking for a tt depending on how much I end up spending on the CD Player. My list includes Gyro SE and NAS Spacedek and maybe Clearaudio Emotion (haven't heard it yet).
Any ideas of where I could find reasonably priced examples of these?

So basically if you could point me to where I could find this gear second hand or if you know anyone getting rid of one I would be very very grateful.

And if you have suggestions of other kit I am all ears!

Thanks everyone!
Jack

 

I meant "And perhaps the NAD S500" sorry about the mistake above. I should learn to read the posts before sending them out. Apologies.

 

If you like MF so much, why not look at a mf player?

 

hi jack

have you budgeted for a cart and a phono stage?

I havent heard all those cdps back to back so cant help.

Out of them Id be least keen on the Linn, but this sort of thing is just personal taste.

On past experience Id probably be keenest on the AR or the Meridian.. I guess you are looking at second hand then?

I know it gets mixed press, but in a few more years I might get a DAC 64, when it isnt so trendy and you can get one for about £500... thats the plan

 

Definitely the Electrocompaniet EMC1 with Audio Research as a big second! The Meridian presents a 'neat and tidy' sound, but not very big soundstage, rather laid-back and precise. The Linn is more dry sounding, i think not what you are looking for.

 

Thanks guys.
The problem is I can't find any of them.
Any idea where would be best to look for these second hand? I tried ebay, xdem, hififorsale but no luck. Maybe stateside will be easier but will it work ok over here with the power and all?

Any MF Player that comes close to the sound of these other players? Maybe the Nuvista (which is still too rich for me) or would the A3.2 give me a good part of this for a fraction of the price?

Any thoughts on clearaudio emotion TT?

Thanks for all your help!
Jack

 

You might find it easier to locate an Electrocompaniet ECD-1, which is a standalone DAC, the same as used inside the EMC-1 player but with beefier power supplies. Sounds wonderful, and a lot lot cheaper than the EMC-1.

There are plenty of 2nd hand Meridian 500 mk2 transports around, or any half-decent CD player should do the job.

 

alanbeeb that's a very good idea. Any thoughts on who sells Electrocompaniet in the UK that would possibly have second hand stock?

I have an old NAD 521 I could use as transport for the time being.

Cheers,
Jack

 

Id look at a Meridian 507 rather than the 508. Its a great cdp thats hard to beat. Saying that I love AR stuff and Ive heard a AR system with Sonus Faber and it was pretty dam amazing.

 

Id love to try the CD2 at home. You can pick them up quite cheaply now.

Ive only heard the CD3 at any great length.

Anyone tried the cd2 vs cd3 ?, or the cd2 in general?

 

hey man, I've got a Meridian 500 feeding an Electrocompaniet ECD-1 and it's bloody brilliant, still blows me away every time I listen. I was using a cheapish Sony SACD player as the transport but changing to the 500 gave an improvement well over & above what I was expecting, I must say. Eventually might move to a DAC64 though because of its (suppposed) transport independence - would mean I could just have a single spinner (DVD) instead of the CD & DVD. But anyway that's all beside the point, try to find an ECD, you'll love it. I got both my DAC and Transport on eBay about a year ago. Haven't really been looking since so don't know how easy they are to come by, best of luck though.

 

I have not heard the 507 ever, would you describe it as having a detailed soundstage and textured, organic sound?

I am still unable to find any of these machines over here. Found an ECD in the US but can I use it in the UK? Will a plug adapter be enough or is there need for more complex alterations to the power supply? Can anyone help?

If I can't source any of these, do you think a Primare D30.2 or a NAD S500i would be a good alternative? Maybe something from MF like the TriVista DAC?

Cheers everyone!
Jack

 

Quick question: as I am having trouble sourcing any of the machines above, do you think I could get what I am looking for (an organic sound, large(ish) soundstage) from something like a Benchmark DAC1, Bel Canto DAC2 or even a TriVista 21 DAC?

Help appreciated.
Thanks all!
Jack

 

Dunno, but youre welcome to borrow my Cal Alpha to see it that does what you want

Jeff

 

Take a look at the Consonance range if you want detailed organic sound with a huge soundstage and without harshness



Costs less than you think brand new and will knock the spots off any of them, except maybe the Electrocompaniet

http://www.chinese-hifi.co.uk/consonance.htm

 

Hello Jack,

I have an MF A3.2 integrated and I recently bought an MF A5 CD player after trying Cyrus CD8x with PSU power supply, Arcam FMJ CD33, Moon Eclipse. A5 is possibly more forward than the others but has great bass, toe tapping ability and good attack on transients. I tend to buy gear on the emotional response to the music and the A5 appealed to me on that basis. If I am thinking too much about a piece of gear I find it usually doesn't satisfy in the long term.
It takes some tine to bed in - sounds a bit harsh on top end but after 200 hrs or so is now performing beautifully.

BTW: recently tried the A5 integrated on home dem - marginally better but definitely not worth the extra coin over the A3.2

 

I Can Highly reccommend the Meridian 500 MK2 Transport, Im using MF Kit Xdacv3,xpsuv3,x10dv3. I can really recommend this setup, I've had a few transports now SONY930QS,PIONEER 575A. The Meridian 500 is better by a large margin, even in it's standard form, at times the replay reminds me of Vinyl, it has a nice rich sound,with good timing. I've since had the 500 reclocked with a Trichord Clock 4 and a few other mods, and this takes it up another notch, the good news there seems to be a few out on the secondhand market. And the same for the MF X Series V3 Kit, if you are stuck for money, a great little money saver is the Pioneer 575A, for a very cheap price you can get amazing replay quality on the cheap. One downside on the 500 Mk2, it dosen't like playing CD-R that are burn't at above x 8 speeds, and sometimes it's a bit fussy on some old CD-R disc's, mostly due to the CD-R not being reflective enough for the laser. One of it's strong points for me, that it plays problem disc's with skipping, this is probably again down to the 3 Beamed Laser.

What ever you decide, you seem to be spoiled for choice,at least you can go a dealer and get a demo on MF gear.

 

If you have difficulty finding the Linn player with searches, you have to spell it right: "Ikemi". Good luck, it's a very nice player.

 

Nice speakers, JackoTrades

I'm a big fan of the NAD S500, which I would describe as "authoritative" and "pacey". Maybe a little forward, but engaging nonetheless. Very well specced in terms of outputs too - AES/XLR digital and XLR analogue outputs too. Lovely.

You should also consider the Audio Analogue Maestro. Lovely bit of kit - the epitome of smooooth, luscious Italian sound. Built like a tank too.

Then, all you'd need is some matching Vicenzan amplification...... Pathos perhaps?

DT

 

My understanding is that s/h Nad S500i are hard to come by. I love it too, although it tends to cut longish CDs a few seconds before the end (at least mine does).