Audio cd in a DVD player

[McLoki]

I currently do not have a cd player. (Not replaced since my then 2 year old decided the drawer made a good handle for getting up and down.....)

Anyway - I did not think that I needed one since I have mostly DVD's and a decent DVD player. The sound I get out of my DVD player is great for DVD's but the sound quality of audio CD's really blows.

I have just purchased an inexpensive used CD player off of e-bay just to test my theory, but has this been others experience? In general is there something in the way a standard DVD player is set up that makes it inferior to a CD player when playing audio cd's?

I would be interested in hearing if any of you put a cd in your DVD player and then in your CD player if you can hear a difference and what one do you prefer.

I don't really know how to quantify what sounds wrong with an audio cd (played in the DVD) other than they seem compressed and not very dynamic at all. I don't understand what is wrong, but it makes for a less than stimulating audio encounter.......

Michael

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

It all depends on the dvd player...

I use a Denon 910 that has the burr-brown DACs. I absolutely love the sound on redbook CDs, much more than the CD player I had...

In fact, cd performance out of the Denon was better for me than SACD performance on a Pioneer player I had...

Bottom line, if you're not satisfied with the performance, then you should definitely look into getting something else to use for CD playback...

[mantis]

Agreed,

It also depends on how you have it wired. If you run a high quality pair of Analog interconnect to the cd input on your receiver, then run it in 2 channel stereo, you might think differently about the sound of your dvd player. I will agree that alot of dvd players don't sound good playing cd's.

Pioneer Elite , Denon , Sony ES player do however sound really good playing cd's to the cd input.

So leave your dvd connected the way it is then ADD a pair of analog to the cd input and use it there for cd's.

Try that,

Dan

[Early B.]

Eventually, invest in a better DVD player.

[dkg999]

Early B - how do you like your Cambridge Audio 540 DVD player? I bought their 640C CD player for my 2 ch. system and absolutely love it. I was thinking the 540 might be an upgrade to my current Denon 910.

[2+2]

mcloki, I agree with the sound quality of DVD players at least with those I have listened to (which admittedly is pretty cheap stuff). Try running a digital cable/optical from your dvd player to your avr and use the dacs in your receiver. You may like the sound better....that has been the case with me at least wrt my old JVC dvd, the famed Toshiba 3960 and another Toshiba model. My current Panny sounds almost the same as my HK....pretty good!

[HBombToo]

Originally posted by 2+2
mcloki, Try running a digital cable/optical from your dvd player to your avr and use the dacs in your receiver. You may like the sound better....

have you not done this?

twin

[Early B.]

Early B - how do you like your Cambridge Audio 540 DVD player? I bought their 640C CD player for my 2 ch. system and absolutely love it. I was thinking the 540 might be an upgrade to my current Denon 910.

Not sure if the 540 is an upgrade or a lateral move because I haven't heard the 910. But just so you know, I had the 640C CD player for a while, and I must admit, CD playback in the 540D and 640C is almost identical, although the bass is a little more impactful with the 640C. That's it.

Bottom line -- the 540D for music is awesome. Now when it comes to the video side of things, I really don't know. I'm not very particular about video. I have a traditional 36" TV, so PQ isn't very important to me. I've had the 540D for about 18 months and I like it a lot, FWIW. Works great for me. Cambridge Audio makes very good components at decent prices.

[dkg999]

Early B - thanks for the info. I really don't have any complaints about the Denon 910, I use it for DVD's only. I was just really impressed with the Cambridge 640 and hadn't really gotten time to look into if the 540 would be a good improvement over the 910 for PQ and SQ. In my HT system I use an older Onkyo Integra DX-C606 CD player and run the digital optical output into my Yamaha HTR-5790 with newer DAC's. It sounds pretty good!

[Early B.]

In my HT system I use an older Onkyo Integra DX-C606 CD player and run the digital optical output into my Yamaha HTR-5790 with newer DAC's. It sounds pretty good!

Try it out. Take your 640C and hook it up in place of your Onkyo. Then pop in a CD. By doing so, you will at least get a general idea how the 540D would sound compared to the Onkyo and your Denon 910.

[Danny Tse]

Right before the Toshiba 3950/3960 DVD players firestorm swept through all of the audiophile forums, the Sony DVP-NS725P was gathering steam as the player to beat in terms of CD playback quality. Due to its price back then, about $129.00, the attention went the way of the Toshibas. Now that the Sony has been discontinued, you can pick up one of these machines up for under $100.00 brand-new. The build quality is way above those of the Toshiba players and the Sony is completely silent in operation. I have one being used by my mom right now.....it's on everyday for at least 2 to 3 hours, for the the past 15 months.....not one single problem. You can do a search on audioasylum.com and you will see.

[shack]

I have the Denon 1910 (upgraded successor to the 910) and a Cambridge Audio D500SE (predecessor to the 640C). I have actually qued them up playing the exact same CD at the same time (syncronized) running through the same receiver with the same types of interconnects, so I could simply switch back and forth between the two by a press of a button on the remote. While the Denon was VERY good playing redbook CDs (it has some excellent DACs) the Cambridge was just better. It sort of suprised me because when I first listened to the Denon alone I was very pleased with the SQ and felt it was equal to the Cambridge...I was wrong. A little apples and oranges though...A $250 multi-format DVD player vs a $500 CD/HDCD player. Still I am convinced the virtues of a CD only player make them worth owning....even with a good DVD player.

[Early B.]

Still I am convinced the virtues of a CD only player make them worth owning....even with a good DVD player.

True, if the budget allows it.

I would only add that a tube CD player will take your SQ to another level. That's the reason I sold my beloved 640C.

[dkg999]

I did do a little comparison last night. The results, based on my non-audiofile subjective judgement:

Denon 910 - very good SQ, good soundstage, good depth and nice warm sound. I certainly wouldn't be unhappy unless I had something else to compare to!

Cambridge Audio 640C - I'm wowed by the difference with the Denon 910. Not sure how to really describe it, but much richer and warmer sounding, more depth, and better soundstage. The actual tonal quality doesn't seem to be much different, but the presentation is a lot different.

NAD T532 - I picked this up at an auction for $25, looks like it was barely used. I would put this one right in-between the Denon and the Cambridge Audio, and was really taken back by the SQ. Warm and deep is the best way to describe it. I am not sure what DAC's are in this unit, the manual doesn't seem to be very specific, but they seem to be pretty good.

Onkyo Integra DX-C606 - I bought this new in 1992. Using it's internal DAC's you can really tell that DAC technology has improved over the last 10 years. I've always thought it sounded good, but lacked some depth in the low end and the high end could get a little tinney. It's a distant 4th with it's internal DAC's, but I can't tell much difference from the Denon 910 when using my Yamaha receiver's DAC's.

The Cambridge Audio 640C will be at home in my 2 ch. system. For listening to CD's on my HT system, it looks like the Onkyo Integra will be used with the Yamaha DAC's when I want to load up 6 cd's for extended listening. When I just want to listen to a single cd, I guess I'm going with the NAD T532.

Results evaluated by a non-professional, your results may vary. Not intended as a general evaluation to be applied to all situations. Use your own ears and judgement to make your own evaluation. All litigation will be handled by Monster Cables legal department.