Roksan k3 cd or Yamaha 2100 cd

grimmers

Standard Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2006
Messages
23
Reaction score
2
Points
29
Location
fleetwood
please help, I am undecided on a different CD player for my living room system, amplifer is a Yamaha as801 and my old Marantz pm7200 amp, the speakers are Dali suite 2.8's. there is a Roksan k3 CD player which is a manufactures refurb for £900 which match the Roksan k3 dac that I already own and a Yamaha cds2100 again a manufacturers refub for a £1000, or would I be better off with a cd transport. streaming is taken care of by a Yamaha streamer.
thank you.
 
I don't understand why you'd spend that much on a CD player to use with a DAC. You could buy 5 CDPs for that money and they'll all sound the same when plugged in to your DAC.
 
I could be mistaken, but it seems your CD Player will be well above the rest of your equipment. Though I suspect both are very good.

But, I would suggest something more in proportion -

Yamaha CDS700 CD Player - £390 -

Yamaha CDS700 CD Player

Rotel CD14 CD Player - £499 -


Rotel CD14 CD Player

I think the Yamaha 2100 CD Player retails for about £1600 ...sweeeeet... but even at £1000 it is probably a bit of overkill.

The Roksan K3 CD Player is about £1350 -

Roksan Kandy K3 Opium Grey Digital CD Player - CD Players - AudioVisual Online - UK Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists

Still a bargain at £900, but perhaps overkill.

Though that is for you to decide.

Again, your money, your life spend what you want, but I think a £500 CD Player would be very good and more in keeping with the rest of your equipment. While the CD2100 is a bargain, a very tempting bargain, it is still twice what you really need to pay .... in my opinion.

But then ....that is... just my opinion.

Steve/bluewizard
 
Yamaha CD-N301 and ditch the streamer as this has inbuilt streaming.
 
Less expensive CD player used with it's digital out and the dac in whichever system you use it with
 
I have a few older cheaper CD players, including a pioneer sacd player, an old arcam 72 and a harman kardom 980 and they do not sound all that great to me, I also have a Yamaha bds 861 blue ray player plugged in to the optical input on the k3 dac, this sounds better than the CD players I have, but not the best of sounds, also I have no interest in a streamer/CD player unless it sounds better than what I have, as I am happy with the streamer I have and I do not stream that much.Thank you blue wizard for your suggestions , I will bear them in mind, but where I live there are no dealers with all the suggestions you made.
 
I don't understand why you'd spend that much on a CD player to use with a DAC. You could buy 5 CDPs for that money and they'll all sound the same when plugged in to your DAC.
I am sorry to disagree with you, but in my opinion, what I have heard through a dac with my CD players they all sound different.
 
....Thank you blue wizard for your suggestions , I will bear them in mind, but where I live there are no dealers with all the suggestions you made.

Whether a given CD player will sound better is purely subjective. I would suggest that you try to find some YouTube reviews and demo's, but remember YouTube frequency response is soft in bass, and a bit more emphasis on the Mid/High, and many MANY people record WAY TOO LOUD cause the sound to be distorted. But, you can get some sense of the equipment and other people's opinions of them.

If you can't get to a dealer, it is the next best thing, though as I have pointed out, you have to listen wisely. YouTube sound, even when recorded at its best, is still less than ideal. But when recorded right, it does have some value.

I would expect the Cambridge Transport and the Rotel CD14 to hit a pretty high standard in their price class.

Also, if the sound from the CD is not quite right, I would be inclined to consider the placement of the speakers, and the room acoustics.

Again ... just my opinion.

Steve/bluewizard
 
What a couple of people have tried to point out is that if you are feeding the CD Player (whatever it may be) into your DAC, you are bypassing the CD Player's internal electronics, especially the Analog Electronics, and thereby eliminating any coloration the CD Player might have. The bulk of the work is done in the DAC, the better the DAC, the better the sound.

That's why people are suggesting a modest CD Player to be played through a considerably expensive DAC. It is really the DAC that will determine the sound. Used this way, the CD Player is no more than a Transport.

I assume you bought the Roksan DAC on sale, in which case you probably got it for about 1/3rd the suggested retail price. So that should be a very good DAC, far above what you paid for it.

Myself however, even if I had DAC inputs to spare, I'm content using the DAC that comes in the CD Player. If you are using the Roksan DAC, I would try it with and without that DAC to see if there is a difference.

I think your Yamaha AS801 Amp is about £600, perhaps just under, so I'm not sure a £1000 or £1600 CD Player is justified, but again, it is your money, do as you please. I know the Yamaha CD2100 is up in their Audiophile line whereas the AS801 is the top of the Consumer line. That's quite a jump in price, but each person assigns their own priorities to their system.

I don't think anyone is telling you not to buy the Roksan or the Yamaha CD Player, what we are saying is that they are out of proportion to the rest of your equipment. But that is a generalization. You get to set and follow your own priorities.

Just a few additional thoughts.

Steve/bluewizard
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom