Page 74 of 78 FirstFirst ... 2464707172737475767778 LastLast
Results 731 to 740 of 774

Thread: The ask Tin about audio thread

  1. #731
    Club Member WhiteHawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Metro Detroit, MI
    Posts
    15,471

    Default

    Yea, I ended up going with Magnepan .7 speakers. I listened to about 20 different kinds of Martin Logans, but I though they sounded flat compared to the Magnepans - at least for what was in my price range. The $12,000 ones sounded awesome, but the ESL's that started at $3000 a pair just didn't sound as good as the .7's for half the price. I looked for used ones for both brands but ended up buying new from the guy on Woodward. I am running those with my Klipch sub (set on 11!). They sound awesome together! I almost think I need to cut the bass out from the .7's with a crossover to get even cleaner sound from them. The only other speaker I considered were a pair of Wharfedale Jade 7's that a place in Wisconsin was selling. I just couldn't pull the trigger on something I couldn't listen to first.

    That Ecotopia place was pretty awesome with all the vintage stuff, but I was scared to walk through the place, he had so much stuff stacked on top of each other. The wife didn't like the vintage look either since it will be in the living room. Ended up with the Carbon turntable too from that place in Keego (didn't feel like waiting for the internet shipping and the guy cut me a slight deal). It has the acrylic table and Carbon arm - looks sweet and sounds great. Has an Ortofon Red cartridge.

    Thank you for your tips though, definitely pointed me in the right direction.

    -Geoff
    2016 Camaro Convertible 2SS

  2. #732
    Club Member Krazybones's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    13,948

    Default

    Nice Geoff...

    I just picked up this like new mint Technics SL-1200 MK2 yesterday. I just ordered an Ortofon 2M Red for it until I can decide what mods I want to do to it down the road. These things are crazy heavy. Makes my Thorens feel like a toy TT.Screenshot_20171221-111531.png
    ****MATT*****

  3. #733
    Club Member WhiteHawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Metro Detroit, MI
    Posts
    15,471

    Default

    That's cool - is that a speed control knob? I like the retro stuff, but it looked too industrial for the living room. That is the same cartridge I have - sounds fine to me but I am not sure I could tell you the difference between that and one that cost $1000.

    -Geoff
    2016 Camaro Convertible 2SS

  4. #734
    Club Member WhiteHawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Metro Detroit, MI
    Posts
    15,471

    Default

    So now that my system is up and running and the Maggies are breaking in - my CD player has taken a crap. It actually just pauses in playback and makes funny noises. It is an old Sony DVD/CD from the 90's. I don't need DVD anymore, and my receiver has a DAC built in with digital coax and audio inputs. Is there any reason to spend a ton of money on one? Looking at stuff on Crutchfield like the Cambridge Topaz for $300. Maybe even go lower than that and see what Best Buy has. Would prefer coax digital because my receiver only has one optical that I want to use for future bluetooth adapter. What is the "Modern Theory" on CD players? Not really looking for a digital music center either. Is there really a benefit to spending big bucks on one? My piece of crap old Sony sounded great until it started dying.

    Tx.

    -Geoff
    2016 Camaro Convertible 2SS

  5. #735
    Club Sponsor 347convert's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Canton
    Posts
    6,781

    Default

    When I was looking at CD players to replace my bitching 100+1 carousel from highschool. Oppo had really good reviews and we're not crazy expensive. I don't know if they have a stand alone CD player, but worth a looking into.

  6. #736
    Forum Member Rumblestrip's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Royal Oak
    Posts
    705

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 347convert View Post
    Oppo had really good reviews and we're not crazy expensive. I don't know if they have a stand alone CD player, but worth a looking into.
    Looking at Audiogon you can get an Oppo BDP-95 for about $600. It's about as good as you can get for a CD player it will also play SACD's as well.

  7. #737
    Club Member WhiteHawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Metro Detroit, MI
    Posts
    15,471

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Rumblestrip View Post
    Looking at Audiogon you can get an Oppo BDP-95 for about $600. It's about as good as you can get for a CD player it will also play SACD's as well.
    Am I going to notice a difference between that and a $200 player? That is where I am stuck. I hate to buy a used CD player too. Even the high end ones "Age" and get sloppier over time.

    Thank you.

    -Geoff
    2016 Camaro Convertible 2SS

  8. #738
    Club Member Tin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Warren
    Posts
    10,038

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by WhiteHawk View Post
    Am I going to notice a difference between that and a $200 player? That is where I am stuck. I hate to buy a used CD player too. Even the high end ones "Age" and get sloppier over time.

    Thank you.

    -Geoff
    For sure you will. The critical components of a CD player are the DAC and output stage (between the DAC and RCA jacks). Some DACs have a higher dynamic range than others, and a poorly designed output stage has the potential to introduce unwanted noise. Personally, I would forgo the CD player and use a digital media player with an outboard SPDIF or USB DAC. Most record labels sell their albums in lossless audio formats, such as FLAC, ALAC, and WMA lossless which is identical to what is on a CD or SACD. This can be accomplished with something like the Daphile software. You can control it from a phone or web browser, super convenient. The only issue, if you are into collecting albums, they will all be digital and you won't have a hard copy. That said, you can always rip, tag, and convert your own CDs with something like EAC (Exact Audio Copy).
    '16 Fiesta ST

  9. #739
    Club Member WhiteHawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Metro Detroit, MI
    Posts
    15,471

    Default

    That guy with the $22,000 system put his Martin Logans back up. I would be divorced if I bought these. Great deal though.

    -Geoff

    ML.jpg
    2016 Camaro Convertible 2SS

  10. #740
    Club Member WhiteHawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Metro Detroit, MI
    Posts
    15,471

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 347convert View Post
    When I was looking at CD players to replace my bitching 100+1 carousel from highschool. Oppo had really good reviews and we're not crazy expensive. I don't know if they have a stand alone CD player, but worth a looking into.
    Quote Originally Posted by Rumblestrip View Post
    Looking at Audiogon you can get an Oppo BDP-95 for about $600. It's about as good as you can get for a CD player it will also play SACD's as well.
    Ended up ordering an Oppo, too, BTW. It turns out Oppo is the ONLY Player to include decoded pre-outs for 7.1 surround sound, as well as balanced out for 2-channel. Plus it has a crap ton of cool stuff built in. That saves me from putting a separate decoder in the system, and will plug directly into the 6-Channel Rotel amp I bought from salvation army for $20 to run surround speakers. I thought the Oppo was steep when you first suggested it, now I think it is a deal. Thank you for the tip!

    -Geoff
    Last edited by WhiteHawk; 01-20-2018 at 05:55 PM.
    2016 Camaro Convertible 2SS

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •