Is CD player better than DVDplayer for audio CD

zeiter

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I have a basic Panasonic DVD-S52 . I use it also for playing audio CD. Is there any reason to expect better sound quality for audio CD if I purchased an entry level CD player from Yamaha or Denon or whatever
 
I have a basic Panasonic DVD-S52 . I use it also for playing audio CD. Is there any reason to expect better sound quality for audio CD if I purchased an entry level CD player from Yamaha or Denon or whatever

Yes. I would look at Marantz or Cambridge Audio in the sub £200 price range. The improvement should be across the freq range albeit it will depend on your amp and speaker package. Take your DVD player along to a hifi dealer and compare it sound wise in a demo.
 
Thanks for both and that thread was very helpful , although connection was all via digital cable, while I'll be using analog audio connection, but I assume from the whole thread idea that regardless, a CD player is better.
 
Thanks for both and that thread was very helpful , although connection was all via digital cable, while I'll be using analog audio connection, but I assume from the whole thread idea that regardless, a CD player is better.

Nope Zeiter not at all, worth reading through this forum about CD + stereo, CD players have been hyped for yonks in audiophile land, but truth is many DVD players sound as good as equivalent CD players. Do a search on this forum and the DVD one for various opinions.

More important IMHO is using a stereo amp for CD use, than a DVD player being beaten into submission by a CD player, using a stereo system IMPE the difference between high end DACs & CDPs is very neglible. Very small in fact, there are plenty of DVD players that make decent CD players, also worth considering all the audiophiles who long had fancy CDP & DACs are now using audio devices like Squeezeboxes in streaming mode, they dont feel they are losing quality. So CDPs can sound good but so can DVD players.
 
Expensive DVD players can be made to sound as good as middling CD players, but I think it is misleading to suggest that a cheap DVDP will sound as good as a cheap CDP.

But yes, I think stereo amps generally sound much better than comparable multi-channel amps.

Nick
 
Expensive DVD players can be made to sound as good as middling CD players, but I think it is misleading to suggest that a cheap DVDP will sound as good as a cheap CDP.

But yes, I think stereo amps generally sound much better than comparable multi-channel amps.

Nick
2 sweeping statements in one post!;)
 
Expensive DVD players can be made to sound as good as middling CD players, but I think it is misleading to suggest that a cheap DVDP will sound as good as a cheap CDP.

But yes, I think stereo amps generally sound much better than comparable multi-channel amps.

Nick

Define "cheap"
This question whether CD Player will sound better than DVD Player is too general in my mind:
1. Define price range.
2. Define whether you are willing to buy used or insisting on buying new.
3. Define the rest of the kit (no sense buying a fancy player if the rest of the kit is not transparent enough to let this player show its abilities. I have been there with the Rega Apollo).
It takes a combination of good room acoustics, very good speakers, good amp , decent cables and SYNERGY: some people think Synergy is BS but my personal experience showed me that very good components on their own can sound less than decent when hooked together and I do not have good answer as to why.
Case in mind is my former Meridian 101/105s pre/power monoblocks with Dynaudio contour 1.3S:
Overwhelming boomy bass.
Hooked to Musical Fidelity NuVista kit they sounded to die for.

My Sonus Faber GP Home "got along" very well with Meridian gear, old and new. I am not sure I can explain why. Most of what I did was trial and error and buying second hand made it more affordable for me.

Generally speaking (and I mentioned this in the former thread) I think that due to the fast pace of Video reproduction evolution and the the introduction of HD and Blue-Ray, many excellent DVD Players which do not compromise CD Playback became true audio bargains in the second hand market due to their Video obsolescence. Assuming non of us is a millionaire, I think we ought to take advantage of this trend and keep an open mind when auditioning.

Otherwise I think that the audio business is too complex to be reduced to:
Which player will sound better?

Cheers,

Doron
 
Expensive DVD players can be made to sound as good as middling CD players, but I think it is misleading to suggest that a cheap DVDP will sound as good as a cheap CDP.

Nick

Nick, having owned a few DACs in my time (read the DAC sticky above for a concise history :smashin: and my system has imporved all along when you consider the posts above), also having heard more than a few decent CDPs in my time at dealers & shows, and owning 2 what I would call 2 decent stereo systems at present. I'd say your talking pap (IMHO :D). Lets start with the Expensive DVD = "middling" CDPs, well hearing the differences between same price CDPs that vary from decent to crap, I think you cant make a sweeping statement like that in any terms - I once hearda CD12 and it was one of the worst sounds from a system Ive ever heard. As for a £200 CDP or £200 from what you can buy on Ebay (I's spend £100 on a Sony NS900V :D), also having heard a few £500 CDPs in my time, I'd happily stick with a £500 NS-900V in its heyday.

Audiophiles are brainwashed in this hobby in deriding stuff that need not be derided IMHO. It is part of the hobby or that factor i'd call "we have special ears, you dont, so nah nah ni nah!!" syndrome, or golden eared. DVD gets it in the neck, why on earth there is not more of a movement in getting guys on here onto stereo amps than deriding DVD players is beyond me. But that is the way of the world, as I mentioned earlier on, more and more people are going dwon the streamed audio route, guys who have had decent players and do you know what, they actually enjoy the quality of kit they hear, once they get past the prejudice of this hobby.

FWIW I dont think all DVD players sounds the same, there is good and bad, as there is in any price bracket for CDPs.
 
I have tried to use DVD players in the past and have never been totally satisfied. That includes a Sony NS900 DVD player which for most people make a good CD player but not for me. I used it for CD for a month or so and had to get a proper CD player.

I also have a Panasonic S52 like the OP and find that is pretty good for CD.
 
Like on the other thread - and past experiences - a CD player is in general better than DVD players at replaying CD's. A DVD player has no place in a serious hi-fi system in my opinion. That philosophy also extends to AV systems for good music replay. There maybe a few exceptions to the rule in a cost no object set up. But personally I haven't been convinced that DVD players can cut the mustard with CD's.

If i had £100 or £20,000 to spend on a CD playing front end, there is no way on earth I would choose a DVD player over an equivalent CD player.. For me atleast the debate is over ! ;)
 
Like on the other thread - and past experiences - a CD player is in general better than DVD players at replaying CD's. A DVD player has no place in a serious hi-fi system in my opinion. That philosophy also extends to AV systems for good music replay. There maybe a few exceptions to the rule in a cost no object set up. But personally I haven't been convinced that DVD players can cut the mustard with CD's.

If i had £100 or £20,000 to spend on a CD playing front end, there is no way on earth I would choose a DVD player over an equivalent CD player.. For me atleast the debate is over ! ;)

One of the most amazing jitter specs I have ever seen in a CDP was a HFW report on a Quad CD-P1 CD player Kop, in fact it measured 1000 picosecs of jitter, now I am no tecnhophile but I do realise that even in mk I form the CD-P1 had a lot of fans before they released your version (in part to sort out that jitter spectrum I would add), which just goes to show that even an "audiophile" CDP with 1000 spec of jitter can be regarded as "decent" but not a 100 spec DVD player, well a 1000 spec CDP has no place in a "serious" hi-fi system in my opinion. :smashin:.

FWIW I went from a TAG DAC 20 to my current Toshiba, I overlapped them by a few weeks to see what I would do ie keep the TAG and use the Toshiba as a CD transport (40 spec of jitter I felt it was a decent enough transport), in the end the CD replay was so good I sold the TAG on. No mean feat as it was a very decent digital front end to my ears.

FWIW Ive heard a few digital AV 5.1 pre-amps, processed into offboard PAs that sound very decent to me in stereo, so I think we maybe differ in what we hear Kop, hence the diasgreement with DVD players not being able to do CD in a stereo system, that has always been my goal actually using a DVD player (initially with offboard DACs - X24K - DAC 20) via a stereo setup - never been into 5.1, now latterly using two very decent DVD players at stereo (again I used a CA DACMagic 2i Mk II with the 900V to realise it is a decent player in its own right), I guess I have just had a different experience in audio than most audiophiles I have ran into on hifi boards.

Best regards chaps, I feel we will differ on this no matter what is said :smashin:
 
One of the most amazing jitter specs I have ever seen in a CDP was a HFW report on a Quad CD-P1 CD player Kop, in fact it measured 1000 picosecs of jitter, now I am no tecnhophile but I do realise that even in mk I form the CD-P1 had a lot of fans before they released your version (in part to sort out that jitter spectrum I would add), which just goes to show that even an "audiophile" CDP with 1000 spec of jitter can be regarded as "decent" but not a 100 spec DVD player, well a 1000 spec CDP has no place in a "serious" hi-fi system in my opinion. :smashin:.

FWIW I went from a TAG DAC 20 to my current Toshiba, I overlapped them by a few weeks to see what I would do ie keep the TAG and use the Toshiba as a CD transport (40 spec of jitter I felt it was a decent enough transport), in the end the CD replay was so good I sold the TAG on. No mean feat as it was a very decent digital front end to my ears.

FWIW Ive heard a few digital AV 5.1 pre-amps, processed into offboard PAs that sound very decent to me in stereo, so I think we maybe differ in what we hear Kop, hence the diasgreement with DVD players not being able to do CD in a stereo system, that has always been my goal actually using a DVD player (initially with offboard DACs - X24K - DAC 20) via a stereo setup - never been into 5.1, now latterly using two very decent DVD players at stereo (again I used a CA DACMagic 2i Mk II with the 900V to realise it is a decent player in its own right), I guess I have just had a different experience in audio than most audiophiles I have ran into on hifi boards.

Best regards chaps, I feel we will differ on this no matter what is said :smashin:

CJROSS,

I admire your passion about trying to convince fellow audiophiles that DVD Players can play CDs as good or better than CD Players.
I am starting to think that maybe this is moot.
Heck, if most audiophiles would not think that a dedicated CDP is better I would never been able to pay $960 for my second hand Meridian 596.
You and I know what we have experienced with. Let the rest of the world follow conventional wisdom...:)

Cheers,

Doron
 
So far nobody has stated the obvious:

- Whether it's worth investing in a new source component is hugely dependent on what the rest of your system is. What are you intending to connect it to?
- Have you ever considered going to a hifi store and listening to various dvd and cd players (preferably with your own amp and speakers, but we all realise that this is not always possible) to get an idea of whether you personally can hear the difference?
 
CJROSS,

I admire your passion about trying to convince fellow audiophiles that DVD Players can play CDs as good or better than CD Players.
I am starting to think that maybe this is moot.
Heck, if most audiophiles would not think that a dedicated CDP is better I would never been able to pay $960 for my second hand Meridian 596.
You and I know what we have experienced with. Let the rest of the world follow conventional wisdom...:)

Cheers,

Doron

Hey Doron I am not trying to convince them of anything :D trust me, I am just giving the opposite view that DVD cant sound good in a stereo only system - a view as valid as CD are the only spinners worthy of 16/44.1, in fact what I hear from CD from my 2 DVD players, compares not badly to the excellent DVD-A (24 bit 96 Khz stereo) or the prestine pure DSD SACDs I own, or for that matter the many HDCDs in my collection. Of course then I compare the CD I hear to the vinyl I hear in my system, and do you know what ? the CD still sounds decent. Even to the numerous DACs I have owned in the past (or elst I'd still own those DACs old chap). Put it this was I'd spend £1000 as follows in a hifi system £600 on a pair or speakers, £300 on an amp, £100 on a DVD player. It may ruffle feathers but it is as valid a view as any I'd say.
 
So far nobody has stated the obvious:

- Whether it's worth investing in a new source component is hugely dependent on what the rest of your system is. What are you intending to connect it to?
- Have you ever considered going to a hifi store and listening to various dvd and cd players (preferably with your own amp and speakers, but we all realise that this is not always possible) to get an idea of whether you personally can hear the difference?

I thought I did state the obvious in my previous excerpt:
When buying a source:
1. Define price range.
2. Define whether you are willing to buy used or insisting on buying new.
3. Define the rest of the kit (no sense buying a fancy player if the rest of the kit is not transparent enough to let this player show its abilities. I have been there with the Rega Apollo).
It takes a combination of good room acoustics, very good speakers, good amp , decent cables and Synergy between the components to get you the sound you are looking for.

I 100% agree with you that listening is believing. There is no shortcut there.
Go and experiment. This is half the fun in this hobby.

Cheers,

Doron
 
This also was similar to my question as I'm quite new to CDs and DVDs having been used to vinyl. My DVD player is a philips 5960 which I originally bought with the intention to also use it to play my CDs (I haven't got many CDs or DVDs yet but am starting to build up, mostly classical music). I would prefer to use just one box for both but reading audiophile comments about how much better dedicated CD players are compared to DVDs playing CDs I'm not so sure now as I've never really heard what a decent CD player might do compared to my present set up. Also, I don't really have the funds to buy an expensive one so if I went down this route I'de be looking at either a good secondhand CD player or new budget end under £100 job. The only dedicated 'CD player' I have is a cheapo Alba personal one which I've rigged up to play through my amp and speakers via the headphone output. I have yet to compare whether this sounds better than my DVD playing the same thing but I'll probably get round to it. I've had my NAD amp for quite some years now and didn't really want to splash out on anything else as it does the job and also has phono for my record player. Meanwhile, would 'up sampling' my DVD player make any difference playing CDs or is it just bells and whistles? This is really all new to me so I'd welcome any comments.
 
This also was similar to my question as I'm quite new to CDs and DVDs having been used to vinyl. My DVD player is a philips 5960 which I originally bought with the intention to also use it to play my CDs (I haven't got many CDs or DVDs yet but am starting to build up, mostly classical music). I would prefer to use just one box for both but reading audiophile comments about how much better dedicated CD players are compared to DVDs playing CDs I'm not so sure now as I've never really heard what a decent CD player might do compared to my present set up. Also, I don't really have the funds to buy an expensive one so if I went down this route I'de be looking at either a good secondhand CD player or new budget end under £100 job. The only dedicated 'CD player' I have is a cheapo Alba personal one which I've rigged up to play through my amp and speakers via the headphone output. I have yet to compare whether this sounds better than my DVD playing the same thing but I'll probably get round to it. I've had my NAD amp for quite some years now and didn't really want to splash out on anything else as it does the job and also has phono for my record player. Meanwhile, would 'up sampling' my DVD player make any difference playing CDs or is it just bells and whistles? This is really all new to me so I'd welcome any comments.

Stev being a classical fan, I'd consider seriously a SACD spinner of some sort either a SACD/DVD-V device like the Sony 900V (very nice sounding unit for SACDs & CD) or a good universal device like a 2900, £100-250 should sort you out. there are thousands of SACD titles classical wise.
 

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