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question about "lower" priced CD players/DACs

I have a PS Audio D-Link III DAC fed from an old California Audio Labs Icon MK II CD player and I'm pretty happy with the sound. But seeing the reviews of and the popularity of the Oppo BDP-95 and the Audiolabs CD8200CD players, I find myself wondering (like most of us), "if I upgrade to the 'xyz' player will I get a lot better sound?".

I've seen reviews by American reviewers that claim both these units "punches several times above its class", "best player under $5000 (U.S.)", etc. but I honestly think that's a lot of hype and probably more than a little of the stuff that comes out of the back of horse :) .

So what do you all think? Are these two Cd players (or any CD players in this price range) truly standouts like the hype suggests, or are they all similarly capable and it comes down to preference in presentation rather than huge differences in sound quality?
timoteo
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
I tend not to even pay attention to the age or quality of CD player nowdays. I would only aim for todays good DAC with USB and multi-digital source capabilities.
loomisjohnson
1,526 posts
 
i think it definitely comes down to your personal preference in presentation; whether a different player will sound better to you is inherently subjective. personally, i wasn't overawed with the oppo as a cd player (although it's fantastic for video), and i preferred the older rega apollo and much older rotel i auditioned it against. however, many other people, whose opinions are just as worthy, think it's great; moreover, if i had listened to the oppo in your setup i might have thought differently. bottom line is you just gotta listen. fwiw, your current transport/dac are both very well-reviewed; consider whether you'd get more significant improvement by changing other components.
rlwainwright
1,901 posts
 
If you really want a "lot better sound", don't spend money on your digital front-end. Rather, think about upgrading speakers and/or obtaining top-quality source material. Those are improvements you will *definitely* hear...

-RW-
minorl
740 posts
 
Are you going to use it as a CD player, CD transport and DAC or are you going to use it solely as a Transport? I've heard the Oppo unit and it was decent. However, I did not hear it using it as a transport only into a DAC. or compared to other Transport DAC combinations. So, my advice is to go to a decent store and ask if they would let you take it home for an in-home audition or if they won't, find a friend with one and borrow your friends unit before purchasing it. I don't know the quality of your existing DAC, but seriously, that would be my first path for upgrade. I have auditioned/compared several CD/DVD players as transports only and there are differences, so keep that in mind, however, the biggest difference will be with the DAC. this is a serious piece of equipment and should be considered carefully. the newer DACs are catering to the computer and computer sound community and they are not really high-end quality. The analog portion should be just as good or better than any high-end pre-amp and the power supply must be excellent. The light weight, DACs out there are big on digital and soft on analog and power supply, which is a serious mistake.

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