AMC cd8b review.....

[TroyD]

At last I finally got it.....got a few hrs of quality listen on it so I thought I would post my thoughts....

Gear used:
AMC cd8b
Adcom SLC-505 passive pre
Carver m1.5t amp
Dahlquist DQ-10's / Polk RT7's
Signal Cable interconnects
AR 16awg/monster bannana plugs (5 ft runs)

My initial impressions out of the box were favorable, very simple, plain, NAD'ish look. Solid feel (10lbs or so) Simple remote. I don't like a lot of bells and whistles so I was immediately impressed.

The amc employs the Sony top of the line transport with a 96khz/24bit Burr Brown DAC according to the literature. Since my old Denon cd player died before the mancave rig became operational my basis for comparison is a rather pathetic Technics 1bit DAC cd player. Obviously the AMC is a far superior unit.

The sound of the AMC is first rate. The most obvious difference is the level of definition and the depth of the soundstage. One of my demo tracks is Elvis "Kentucky Rain" immediately I heard a more distinct separation of the instruments and the percussion had a more crisp feel to it. Another telling track is Dave Matthews "Crash" again, close your eyes and you can just feel Dave standing in the middle of the room. You can visualize in your mind where everyone is on stage. (Of course I've had a few Boddingtons which always helps). On Chris Rea's "Texas" the fade in of the guitar portions is much more noticable whereas before they just appeared. These are just a couple of the subtleties that I am noticing.

I haven't experienced the "oh my God, I'm listenting to a recording for the first time" syndrome as my demo tracks I know very well but I have noticed a level of inner detail that wasn't possible. For the record, I note these changes on both the DQ's and the RT7's.

Well, that's about it for now.....needles to say that I am enthralled. One last thing....the AMC voltage output is 2.2volts as opposed the the 2 volts of the Technics which certainly agrees with the passive preamp......

"Well I got a little brother, several meters high, He's built just like a quarterback, He swears he'll testify, He says he's been to Texas and that's the only place to be, Big stakes big girls no trouble here, That's the place for me....I'm goin' to Texas....."

BDT
Really grooving in the mancave now......

[nascarmann]

TroyD

Did you buy this unit new or get one of those can't turn down deals? I have heard the cd6b is increadable? Yah, bet the Mancave is a hapnon place now!:D

[TroyD]

I got it from amchome.com. It is a refurb unit for 175. I've heard the same thing about the cd6b but it was a little out of my price range. For the price, I don't think you can beat the cd8b.......


BDT

[juice21]

audio advisor also has this cd player listed in their latest catalouge for $199 on sale NIB.

thanks for the review troy...

i wonder how this cd player would sound paired with it's respective AMC 3050a intergrated amp? you could put together a 2-channel system NEW for only $548 with the pair...

[RuSsMaN]

Good review Troy, I hope I can get the my hands on the CD8b before they are gone....

Cheers,
Russ

[dylan]

To take this off-topic for a second... isn't Chris Rea great? That Road to Hell album is a classic. And one of the most distinct voices for sure. Texas, Gone Fishin, Let's Dance... he has lots of good stuff.

[DaveMuell]

Good review Troy, I hope I can get the my hands on the CD8b before they are gone....

Cheers,
Russ

6th hit on Google turns this up - Russ, is the AMC that showed up at my door today the one you put your hands on after Troy's review?

[gidrah]

Maybe I have it. Great sounding CDP that can be had for cheap nowadays. Of course that's if you can find somebody willing to sell one.

[Ern Dog]

8 year old post

[TroyD]

I'd STILL like to have that player back.

The only players that I've had that I liked more for redbook is the Jolida.

If memory serves, Russ and I both bought one...and I sold mine to him when I got the Jolida after Carolina PFI.


BDT

[DaveMuell]

Did you sell it to RuSsMaN?

Either way, I am really liking it. Big improvement over my HK. I remember somebody did a mod to one and I'll have to find that thread to see if that would be worthwhile.