CD player with digital INPUTS

Mate

Mate

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I planned to have integrated amp with built-in DAC - but now I'm taking a different road. A power amp, preamp, CD player. But what I will use as a preamp is in fact a head-amp, with only 1 RCA input. That is OK for a CD player, but I also have to connect somewhere my computer via optical cable and a Blu-ray player via coaxial or optical cable. Since I want to have a minimum number of devices and connections on my signal-to-speakers path, I thought of buying a new CD player with DIGITAL INPUTS. That player will go into preamp with RCA cable, while computer and Blu-ray will be connected into CD player. They are not part of "audiophile" scheme, they just need to be connected, somehow, that's all. That way I am eliminating one extra DAC in a system.

Now, I spent one whole day, more than 12 hours, searching the web for CD players with digital inputs. I made a list which I will paste here, maybe someone will find it useful. But I'm writing this in a first place to ask you WHAT ELSE is out there. Do you know of some other players with digital inputs?
I left out: CD recorders; CD players with built-in preamp; CD players with only 1 digital input (since I need 2 - optical and coaxial, not USB).
I have included SACD players.

Accuphase DP-55
Accuphase DP-57
Accuphase DP-55V
Accuphase DP-65V
Accuphase DP-67
Accuphase DP-75
Accuphase DP-75V
Accuphase DP-77
Accuphase DP-78
Accuphase DP-85
Accuphase DP-400
Accuphase DP-410
Accuphase DP-500
Accuphase DP-510
Accuphase DP-550
Accuphase DP-600
Accuphase DP-700
Accuphase DP-720
Atoll CD50se2
Atoll CD80se2
Atoll CD100se2
Atoll CD200se2
Audio Analogue Fortissimo
Audiolab 8200CD
Cambridge Audio Azur 840C
Creek EVOLUTION 50CD
Creek EVOLUTION 100CD
Denon DCD-S10
Esoteric K-01X
Esoteric K-03X
Esoteric K-05X
Esoteric K-07X
Krell KPS-20i
McIntosh MCD500
Musical Fidelity AMSCD
Musical Fidelity M6CD
Musical Fidelity NU-VISTA CD
Music Hall c-dac15.3
Pioneer PD-50
Rega Saturn-R
Roksan K3 CD Di
SimAudio Moon Evolution 750D
Unison Research Unico CD Due
Vincent CDS1.2
Vincent CD-S7 DAC
Wadia 860
Yamaha CD-S2100
Yamaha CD-S3000
 
I had a Marantz CD player that I used as a dac for a while. I think most Sony players have it too. Makes it real convenient of you don't want/need an external dac.
 
You can add the Meridian 808 from v3 onward. There are slight differences with types between the v3, v5 and v6. All have about 5.

This what the v6 has

Stereo Inputs & Sources
• Analogue: 6 unbalanced on phono.
• Digital: 2 coax, 2 toslink optical, 1 speakerlink RJ45, 1 USB
• Meridian Sooloos Digital Media System connectivity via RJ45 Ethernet
connection
 
If I could choose, I would get Accuphase DP-720 from this list. But I don't have that kind of money, so that remains in a category of daydreaming. As almost all Accuphases. Those which I could maybe afford (as second-hand) are 15 years old, so would that be a smart move... I'm not so sure.

These are also all too expensive for me:
Atoll CD200se2, all Esoteric players, Krell KPS-20i, McIntosh MCD500, Musical Fidelity AMSCD, Musical Fidelity NU-VISTA CD, Rega Saturn-R, SimAudio Moon Evolution 750D, Wadia 860, Yamaha CD-S2100, Yamaha CD-S3000.

These are too ugly to me:
Audio Analogue Fortissimo, Creek EVOLUTION 50CD, Creek EVOLUTION 100CD.

I don't want a player with tubes: Unison Research Unico CD Due

I don't want a Vincent player, because I have a Vincent player now and can't wait to get rid of it.

Denon DCD-S10 is gorgeous, but it's too old and with not-so-great user reviews.

Cambridge Audio Azur 840C is also too old, and I already had a Cambridge player, I want to try something new.

So that leaves me with these options, for now:

Atoll CD50se2
Atoll CD80se2
Atoll CD100se2
Audiolab 8200CD
Musical Fidelity M6CD
Music Hall c-dac15.3
Pioneer PD-50
Roksan K3 CD Di

Are you familiar with any of these, which one would you recommend and why? THANK YOU!
 
Thanks guys!
I don't really believe that I will end up with Sony or Pioneer. Marantz won't be my first choice either. Meridian is unfortunatelly way too expensive for me, Accuphases are cheaper, I think. :)
 
The McIntosh MCD1100 has a great PCM DAC input implementation of the Sabre32 ESS9018.

Natively the player will translate SACD to proper DSD. It will not do DSD in via its USB input.

Probably one of the better sabre players out there for under $8K.
 
Can you simplify even further and just get an Oppo BDP-105? The 105 could be your CD/SACD/BluRay player combined together and will also accept digital input from your computer via coax or optical. What is your standalone BluRay player currently?
 
T+A PDP 3000HV. I have one brand new for a great price. PM me if interested.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
CPP, I saw recently Line Magnetic, but I just don't want tubes in my system. Thanks for adding another player to list, maybe I should edit the list to include all these which the rest of you mentioned.

I have one of the best Blu-ray players, ONKYO:
http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/bl... BD-SP809/Onkyo BD-SP809 Front Bl-1200-80.jpg

I'm sure Oppo are great, but here where I live, they are very expensive, and it would be dumb to spend so much money on Blu-ray when I already have a great one, and I got it extremely cheap.
I definitely don't want one universal player, I want a dedicated player just for music. But thanks for the idea. I have thought about it before, but not for long, I don't like it.

Mike, thank you very much. I know that player, I'd love to have it, but I don't think that's in my budget.
 
Mate said:
CPP, I saw recently Line Magnetic, but I just don't want tubes in my system. Thanks for adding another player to list, maybe I should edit the list to include all these which the rest of you mentioned.

I have one of the best Blu-ray players, ONKYO:
http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/bl... BD-SP809/Onkyo BD-SP809 Front Bl-1200-80.jpg

I'm sure Oppo are great, but here where I live, they are very expensive, and it would be dumb to spend so much money on Blu-ray when I already have a great one, and I got it extremely cheap.
I definitely don't want one universal player, I want a dedicated player just for music. But thanks for the idea. I have thought about it before, but not for long, I don't like it.

Mike, thank you very much. I know that player, I'd love to have it, but I don't think that's in my budget.
Click to expand...

Mate just noticed where you are located. I can envision the cost of obtaining some of these units in your area.
 
I have decided NOT to buy Atoll CD100se2 because I can't find sufficient info / comments / reviews about it.
I have decided NOT to buy Audiolab 8200CD because I discovered comments on Amazon by customers who wrote about some pretty horrible experiences with this player.
So that leaves only Roksan K3 CD Di from the list - unless I get some new suggestions. "Problem" with Roksan is that it's almost double the price of Audiolab and it's new model (2015) so I still can't find any useful comments by users, and it's probably too early to discover some issues, if it has any.
 
Thank God, I think I have found a perfect player for me:
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This is new, released a few months ago, still no real feedback.
It costs more than what I was prepared to pay, but this is legendary NORTH STAR, I think it could be worth it. I expect to be able to buy it here in Croatia, right now I see a price in Slovenia - $2600, I expect that it will be a same or less in Croatia. In Canada it's $3500.
 
Mate

I am going to suggest a different approach now that you have ordered the Job 225. Forget about and sell the Marantz headphone amp/Dac and buy a quality DAC/Preamp/Headphone amp combo like the Benchmark DAC 2, the Nuprime DAC-10H or others and then you can buy any CD Player /Transport of your choice or use what you have. I haven't heard the Benchmark but it's DAC and Headphone amp get high marks from reviewers and owners. The DAC-10H uses the same ESS 9018 chip but it's preamp is supposed to be better. I own the non-headphone version and can tell you it's preamp section is excellent and I have used it with the Job. There are others, but both of these are available through dealers or distributors in most countries and have a simple voltage selector switch on the back. You can buy either of these Preamp/Dacs and a competent transport for less than the North Star and have more input choices.
 
Jack, thanks...

I didn't order the JOB, I don't have Marantz HD-DAC1. From today for the first time ever I have the separate power amp + pre-amp. Power amp came today from Germany, I bought it in near-mint condition incredibly cheap: HITACHI HMA-6500. The photo of MY amp (not just any HMA-6500):

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I am blown away by its sound. It's different... in some aspects even a bit better than my last integrated, Gato Audio DIA-250 which is the newest technology, costing 15 times more.
See, the plan was to keep Hitachi for its looks and occasional change, but to buy very soon JOB 225 as the main amp. But Hitachi is so good that I'm not sure will I go for the JOB at all, and definitly not so soon now. And I don't even have a cables yet, I sold my IXOS with WBT interconnect yesterday, all interconnect and power cables now are those $1 throwaways, with speaker cables being Kimber 8 PR. Imagine when I get a really good ones, like VooDoo :)
As a preamp I use Audeze Deckard, which is a head-amp (with DAC) in a first place. So, I already have an amazing head-amp, which I just bought very recently as new, getting a good discount using my special tricks. Soon I will buy Audeze headphones, so it seems that for now I am firmly settling down with Audeze. I will not use Deckard's DAC at all, since it only has 1 digital input, USB, which I don't use.
Now, NORTH STAR DACs are legendary - at least here in central Europe. They were always regarded as extraordinarily good. And now they have their new CD player out. We have every right to believe that DAC in that player will be great. So why use any other DAC for player, when I can have a great DAC - in that player? It's very expensive - but I got confirmation that I will get it much, much cheaper. See, I live in a poor part of the EU, and distributors of audio gear (the few what's left of them) learned to pull incredibly amazing deals directly with the manufacturers or with some far-away first-hand dealers. They go well above and beyond to secure to audiophiles here (the few what's left of us) the lowest prices in a world for some brands, like NORTH STAR DESIGN. (So now even the foreign customers come to Croatia to buy the gear, I saw it with my own eyes in Accuphase/Luxman shop.)
Transport is very important too, with NORTH STAR I can be sure that I'll get a quality product.
Nevertheless, I do think about that other route - PREAMP with DAC and HEAD-AMP, in fact I was thinking about it just before I saw your post... it's a great route too, but I feel that right now it's too late for that. Because I tried-out Audeze headphones and I don't want anyting else, I don't care for Sennheiser any more, and I was a real Sennheiser fan for years. Since everyone says the best head-amp for Audeze - is Audeze, and I already bought it... to buy ANOTHER preamp at this moment would be a dumb move. If I haven't discovered Audeze, I would go for that option (preamp/DAC/head-amp all-in-one), but I wouldn't choose Benchmark or Nuprime, because they are too ugly, too expensive, and I've found some other such devices interesting, like NAIM DAC-V1.

I'm still not 100% sure, but it's very likely that I will get NORTH STAR Blue Diamond.
 
For those who wondered ;) what happened next... I changed the plan, I'm selling Audeze Deckard, and instead I bought Burson Audio Conductor Virtuoso to use it primarily as a preamp, secondarily as head-amp, and thirdly as DAC for computer and Blu-ray. CD player will be North Star Design, but not their latest Blue Diamond (since I don't need its digital inputs any more; Burson has digital inputs!). I'm buying their previous player, Sapphire, next week, it's the last brand-new one in this part of the world. I also bought the best WBT RCA connectors and binding posts to install them on my vintage Hitachi, which should happen by the end of this month. In summertime I'll change all cables (speaker, power and interconnects), and also headphones, going from Sennheiser to Audeze. For Christmas maybe I'll buy myself JOB 225.
 
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