HiFi : Source II : Digital Disc

This article sets the digital disc playback into the scheme of things.

So far I haven't explored the world of BluRay and other exotic disc systems, and at this stage I'm unlikely to given the success I'm starting to have with digital playback from computer music files ... more about this later.


However, like vinyl, I think CD will be around for a while yet.

The CD playback trail here consists of two parts:

CD transport/player : Marantz CD5001
DA converter : Cambridge DacMagic

The Marantz has been superseded by the CD5003, but I doubt if it sounds any better. Besides, I am using the player only as a disc transport by taking the digital output direct and playing it through the DacMagic which converts the digital signal to analogue for playing through the amplifier.

The DacMagic also has the ability to filter and profile the output although any changes are barely perceptible. It also handles the digital output from the computer when using it as a music server and switches between up to three digital sources.

So, basically, all digital sources are directed via the DacMagic and its DAC to the amplifier.

HiFi 07 : Sennheiser HD580 Headphones

When the Sennheiser HD580 headphones came out in the UK they had a couple of bad reviews.

Consequentially, a few months later I just popped into my local hifi store and was offered these at an absolute bargain price. I mean, a fraction of their original cost. How could I refuse?

Well, I found nothing wrong with them. In fact they went on to be regarded as one of the top high-end headphones and are still regarded as classics. So much for hifi reviews. In the end, trust your ears.

These are great 'phones. Extremely comfortable, incredible sound, fantastic dynamics ... and even my Rio Karma can drive them.

At the moment I'm using them direct from my Marantz CD5001. Not quite as dynamic as through the Sansui, but still pretty good for recreational listening.

Vastly superior to your average .mp3 player and ear buds.

HiFi 06 : Marantz CD5001

I like hifi, but those mega-buck systems generally leave me cold. I mean, the music is the message, isn't it?

Okay, I know a system has to be good enough to convey the nuance, subtlety and dynamics of the sound so that the music can be appreciated, but many high-end systems seem to me to have more in common with a SUV rather than a Prius ... Yes, you could say Maserati rather than an Aztec, but high-end systems rarely strike me as masterpieces of Italian engineering, rather more like a blinged-out hummer.

Until recently, the single disc CD player was a dying breed. Like the record turntable before it, it was in turn being superseded by the latest multi-format disc players with a price point up in the stratosphere.

However, I'm glad to say, that like the record turntable, the basic CD player is also making a comeback, presumably as people discover that the latest and biggest home-entertainment rigs do not reproduce music as well as a modest dedicated stereo system can.

For my system I have chosen a Marantz CD5001. It has everything I want, digital output, head-amp and most importantly, a great sound. Plenty of bangs per buck.

I have it connected to the Sansui AU-317 via QED Silver Spirals - hmmm ... exotic hifi connectors ... there's another topic - which seems to work well as far as I can tell through my Sennheiser HD580s.

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*See my hifi / media index here.

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