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What high-end cdp for low-end quality CD's ?

I need advice, in some foreseeable future I’m going to upgrade my cdp. My budget is going to be about $4000 top $5000. I was thinking about used Wadia 861, Accuphase 75V. But I had heard that they are true performers only on high quality audiophile grade CD’s. I heard that the more expensive SS cdp playback the worst it will sound with awful quality CD’s.
Unfortunately most of my CD’s is mean quality from BMG, SONY etc. buying CD’s from only audiophile companies or import them from Hon Kong, Taiwan, Japan (they are the best to me) is not a valid solution. I have heard rumor that some tube CD’s like Audio Areo, Lector (maybe Audiomeca ??-it is solid state though) can be more forgiving to mean CD’s, so you can actually listen to them. It is really hard for me to listen to them on my budget Arcam cdp, I cannot imagine it sounding worse with high-end player. So I’m looking for forgiving high-resolution, very dynamic, live, analog sounding cdp. So what would you recommend, I’m listening to soft rock, pop, classic.
Rest of equipment is Clayton monoblocks, Thiel 3.6 speakers by the end of summer I will have Supratek pre (I hope at least).
sorlowski

Showing 4 responses by sorlowski

sorlowski OP
231 posts
 
Thank you for all your responses (very informative I must say),
but is not it true that some players (tube cdp's especially???) are doing better job in masking deficiencies in sound quality. I understand that there in no cdp that will play BMG CD like it was Chesky Record CD, but I believe that some must be doing better job then others in that department ? Am I right...
sorlowski OP
231 posts
 
That is true about LP playback, on HE 2004 (and on few other occasions) I have heard in one room newest Wadia 35k$ rig vs. Clearaudio (do not know price for it) Wadia seemed very good to me until I had hear LP – it was another league, sad...
But even though buying LP playback, LP records seems to me too much hassle. But I had thought the some about tube amplification and now I'm waiting for Supratek. So who knows. I'm going to try high-end cdp, if it will not work for me (like SONY SACD did not work) I will think about obsolete LP :)
What about Audiomeca mephisto II, is it analog sounding making bad CD civilized listenable player ?
How it compares to recommended by you AA Capitole?
sorlowski OP
231 posts
 
It it understandable that no player will make audiophile grade recording from low grade recording. But some player are doing better job it this department then others (for example I had head that Meitner gear as good it is with quality CD's it is making bed recording sound even worse). Question is which one are the best in this department of easing pain from bad CD being in the some time high-end performers with good ones.
sorlowski OP
231 posts
 
I'm not sure, because I have lately upgraded my amp from Musical Fidelity A300 (still using as a preamp) to Clayton M100 monoblocks, and difference is much smaller that I have been using perpetual technology P1/P3 DAC/upconverter with my Arcam. Unfortunately because of unreliability and interference I had to sell it. Later I have bought SONY 9000ES SACD (total downgrade toward Arcam) so source is quite important, I'm not telling it is the most important but I can hear real difference and got a feelling that in my case it is a bottleneck.
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