Dedicated CDP to replace my Pioneer DV-588AS?

[Laura Palmer]

Hello folks! Back with another question :)

I was wondering what the folks here think about whether it is a good investment to get a dedicated CD player to replace the Pioneer DV-588AS DVD player I am currently using to play back CDs. I'm having a hard time figuring out whether this will be a night/day comparison. The reason I settled on the Pioneer is that the audio CD quality apparantly rivaled a lot of CD players and came out sounding just as good.

That said, would I notice a difference if I moved up to a NAD C542? Or maybe a Marantz/Jolida/Sony ES CD player? The NAD is more in my price range right now.... but would I notice as big an upgrade coming from my Pioneer DVD player? I'm just wondering whether I'm getting the most out of my RTi12s if I don't have a dedicated CDP.

Any advice you could offer would be splendid, as always!

Thanks.

[Laura Palmer]

I'm also looking at Arcam which is great as well. My question is more theory based this time, not so much which product I should go with.

[cfrizz]

Hi Laura, long time no see!

Only your ears will tell you if it is a night or day difference. That said, I will always have a separate cd player in my system. I love my Rotel 1072!

If you can, take some cd's that you know extremely well to an audio shop & A/B the cd & dvd players.

[EricT43]

Yeah, check out the Rotel, I think it was RuSsMaN that wrote a stellar review of that unit.

[keith allen]

I would go with a music hall mmf25,with the 627 opamp upgrade.Wow,weird I happen to have one for sale:D shameless plug I know

[steveinaz]

Laura
It really depends on how fussy of a listener you are. Picky people (me included) will want a dedicated CDP, but keep in mind that differences can be subtle, depending on what you're comparing.

Better CD Players are noted more for what they don't do, than what they do. Meaning, blacker background, less digital glare, less grain in the high frequencies, better controlled bass, smoother more neutral presenation, etc.

[Laura Palmer]

Very interesting. Thanks for the quick feedback!

I guess there is no guarantee that it would be worth the money so I'd better just twist a dealer's arm to let me take one home for a weekend so I can see. :)

[audiobliss]

That's a great idea, no matter the product under consideration.

Will it be a night/day difference? That really depends on your other equipment and how demanding of a listener you are. That being said, I would second the recommendation to take a look at Rotel's CDPs. RuSsMaN wrote a glowing review of the RCD-1072 here (http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36450&highlight=rotel). It retails for $700 and can be found used on audiogon for around $500, or so I've heard. I would also suggest taking a look at their RCD-02 (http://www.rotel.com/products/specs/rcd02.htm). It's meant to go with their matching 02 series integrated (or is that preamp and amp?) and tuner, but it makes for a great CDP. It uses the same DAC and transport as the acclaimed 1072, and many say it's very hard to hear the difference between the two units.

Good luck with your search!

[aaharvel]

there's a sweet looking xa3es on ebay for $120.
http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-ES-SONYCDP-XA3ES-HI-END-AWSOME-SOUND_W0QQitemZ9703824251QQcategoryZ61329QQssPageN ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem