Does anyone out there NOT hear a difference in CD

CD players, DAC's, etc… Are not really always going to give you immdiate impression of hearing a big difference.. The only way to judge digital is more or less to listen for a more extended period of time to music you are fairly familure with, and really give them a go like a concert type playback, use several albums you are very expecting of certain things, and see how it emotionally engages you more than if you are just listening to another stereo or boom box with the same old sound.. Its hard to explain but like Vinyl you will hear a difference in impact, overall space, air, presence, naturalness… Many times its simply about Consitency, if a certain digital source can constantly please you with many recordings making a less flawed or better dynamic range, like how deep and impactful does the bass go, how smooth is the midrange and vocals, how good does the highs sound without getting harsh even at hi levels with raspier music, this will point you toward less distortion..

Many people make the mistake of testing digital sources at Low volumes, or ones that are just comfortable, you really need to drive the volume up even if it’s a little scary(not saying blow up your system) but rather let it play a little higher volume for a period of time to let things flow, see how much more control, and less distortion the digital source is making, and if you realize shes glued down really well, and you play your old source and it sounds more raw, muffled, or just sounds like your woofers are "Popping" making you think its not right than the digital is less engaging to you and you found a bit of a better digital source.. Its not an overnight experience sometimes, I believe in fact it can take a bit of a seasoned "Audiophile" to develop the taste of their own and pick out when something sounds right…

Also fact is you really have to kinda accidentally experience it to realize it, or believe it sometimes, nobody here can put words on paper and make you hear the difference you seek.

Oh and don't forget first of all some people like a different digital sound than you, which is not right or wrong, so many suggestions will be made, however also your system, cables, and even the power from your walls can effect how good one player or the other will sound in the end.

I have no issues with the PD-65, in fact I am the happiest I've ever been with my system. I was just considering replacement due to the age of the Pioneer and also, I've been told digital technology has advanced so much since that player has come out that it a new cd player would sound much better. I have to say, the Pioneer is built like a tank and the transport is dead quiet while playing. I've heard some new machines in excess of $1000 that aren't as quiet as the PD-65. Also, when I first bought the PD-65 back in the early 90's I also purchased a Theta external D/A converter. I returned it because I could hear absolutely no difference in the sound. I have been a little skeptical of external D/A converters ever since.

DACs have advanced since the early 90s (as have all-in-one CD players). Better, more resolving chipsets is one reason.

If you want to give the Cambridge a try, why not watch for a used one to come up for sale and buy it? You can often buy-and-try used gear, and re-sell if you don't notice an improvement over the PD-65, without losing too much money in the process.

Jeff, obviously you mean humans (since information/technology by definition cannot create itself; it takes an intelligent source for specified complex information) are giving birth to a new digital era. But, your poetic description is enjoyable.

I must agree with Tvad. As a long time owner of a PD-65 (I sold it a year ago after 14+ years of great performance), I can say this is an unbeatable player standalone. But you will get magnitudes of sonic improvement with your money invested in a top-tier DAC from 5-10 years ago than any new player for the same price.

I tried a bunch of DACs over 12 years from the best value ever Counterpoint DAC10 (I am kicking myself for selling it) to the ARC DAC3 (rather fatiguing and sterile) to the awesome Manley and VTL Reference tube units, and later Electrocompaniet ECD1 and Classe DAC1 which are both now under $1k. The Classe particularly is a great great sounding component and has a hint of the Manley and VTL sound as it uses the same UltraAnalog chipset.

Along with the Genesis Lens, the PD-65 was a great transport to these many DACs. But it really was the Manley Ref DAC that was so superb especially after having the audio and power supply sections significantly updated by GNSC. Nobody would have ever known I had a $400 "transport" in the chain. Having the Aesthetix/CAT/SoundLab at the end of the chain surely helped a bit. 8-)

Only when I wanted to scale down the number of components did I change to a single player. But I have kept the Manley as it has a classic rich and bloomy sound that is nothing like any other have I heard.

I would not pay as much attention to the sampling rates or number of bits but rather the analog output stage and power supply. These far more affect the resulting dimensionality than any of the games being played in the digital domain. But don't expect to hear major differences here if the rest of the system is not at the same caliber as the DAC under consideration.

I see two Classe DAC1's now on here...both sold. They sell in the $800-1100 range and go fast. You could jump on one when it comes up, play for a week or two and sell it for the same price if it is not to your liking. But I think you will be presently surprised. The digital cable makes a huge difference here in the portrayal of space and body of instruments. And the solid-state-based Classe can pull this off quite well.....again due to the UA chipset. But the rest of the system must have this resolving power to appreciate this.....and far too few digital playback systems have this.

John