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Guidance for Audio Set-up Wanted

Deafboy
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Sonos for main system + Sound bar/sub for tv sounds like a good plan.
I have a fancy Denon AVR in a multi-speaker arrangement hi-fi/tv and I recommend the brand.
My wife had a Vizio sound bar/sub at her smallish work apartment and it sounded surprisingly well.
 
wagudc
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ConElPueblo ConElPueblo
Anyway, I use "we" a fair bit in my post - we are two adults in the household. If it was only me, I would get the CDs ripped...

Edit: if I were to keep a separate CD player unit (CD compatibility is a must), the amp would need to have two connections instead of only one and few compact units have that.

The NAD D3020 is quite compact, has phono input, plus inputs for a CD player. Another important question is do you have speakers already? If so, what are they? The speakers you are trying to drive determine the power needs for the amp. Another option to consider is powered speakers. Klispch makes a makes a very sexy looking set that has bluetooth, phono and aux input. The amp is built into the speakers so no amp is needed. The retail price is high, but they regularly go for 40% off, and the black version is cheaper.

https://www.klipsch.com/products/th...zoZCDouWpqC44G1uHCYlsM9rpHOjooo4aAtbcEALw_wcB
The-Fives_Walnut_Front-Grilles.jpg
 
cvalue13
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ConElPueblo ConElPueblo
Anyone remember mechanical watches? What were they thinking?!?

Point well made, though at the risk of being a wet blanket or stating the obvious, the key distinction: as CDs continue to lose market, these electronics companies sometimes simply stop making or stop selling parts for these CD units, and there’s not a remotely vibrant secondary parts market, so the CD units can become a “poison pill” to the all-in-one unit.

I have a rather high end CD player that for 8 years has been a very expensive door stop. (I can’t bring myself to throw it out, despite knowing it will never again operate.)

Not to say there’s *no* rationale for a all-in-one receiver etc with CD built in (that’s why they still make them) and yours sounds like a situation preferring one, but only to note the possible downside consideration.
 
Larry S
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@ConElPueblo …Ok so I had a look at the Denon and Yamaha. Overall, I’d trust Yamaha more from a quality perspective. You are going to need a phono preamp. Your local dealer can help you out with that.
 
JwRosenthal
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cvalue13 cvalue13
Point well made, though at the risk of being a wet blanket or stating the obvious, the key distinction: as CDs continue to lose market, these electronics companies sometimes simply stop making or stop selling parts for these CD units, and there’s not a remotely vibrant secondary parts market, so the CD units can become a “poison pill” to the all-in-one unit.

I have a rather high end CD player that for 8 years has been a very expensive door stop. (I can’t bring myself to throw it out, despite knowing it will never again operate.)

Not to say there’s *no* rationale for a all-in-one receiver etc with CD built in (that’s why they still make them) and yours sounds like a situation preferring one, but only to note the possible downside consideration.
I have a tube driven Cal Labs CD player with an intermittent issue (in audio section) luckily I know they used a Phillips transport so any lens or shuttle issues can be taken from parter machines on the cheap. Had lens read issue on a Kinergetics CD player from the 90’s ($1.6k in 1994, thing is full of Wima caps)- the issue was a bad resistor on the laser board- it’s now one of the best sounding players I own.
Most of the issues with these old machines are little parts like resistors or capacitors aging out. Many of the transports (like the Sony ES series) used belt driven drawers or the grease is all dried up in them. The old myth about “you have a bad laser” is usually bunk.
 
SkunkPrince
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Might be out of your budget but the Parasound HALO integrated amplifier might work very well for you. It has a built-in D/A converter as well, so any CD transport with digital out will do.

I have all Parasound electronics except for my upgraded Stax DAC-Talent.
 
Larry S
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As a person with thousands of CDs I strongly believe that the news of the complete demise of the format is premature. My Yamaha CDC 600 changer and newly acquired Marantz CD 6007 deliver excellent sound. Plenty of CD player options still. Not buying into the streaming thing.
 
Evitzee
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There are untold billions of CDs floating around since they were introduced about 40 years ago, they will be a major listening source for many years to come. The market is fickle, vinyl now outsells CDs even though it's clumsier to use. Fad? Probably, but you never know what drives the market. I like my music sources in-hand and not dependent on the internet.
 
JwRosenthal
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SkunkPrince SkunkPrince
Might be out of your budget but the Parasound HALO integrated amplifier might work very well for you. It has a built-in D/A converter as well, so any CD transport with digital out will do.

I have all Parasound electronics except for my upgraded Stax DAC-Talent.
Parasound makes good shit, have compact component options and are dedicated to vinyl as their high end phono stage is one of the best around. Worth a look for sure if you want to spend a little $$
 
SkunkPrince
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JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
Parasound makes good shit, have compact component options and are dedicated to vinyl as their high end phono stage is one of the best around. Worth a look for sure if you want to spend a little $$
Also can get used pieces on eBay (for example) for not much.
 
Omegafanman
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Evitzee Evitzee
There are untold billions of CDs floating around since they were introduced about 40 years ago, they will be a major listening source for many years to come. The market is fickle, vinyl now outsells CDs even though it's clumsier to use. Fad? Probably, but you never know what drives the market. I like my music sources in-hand and not dependent on the internet.

Also they can be a very cost effective way to build a music collection given the low second hand prices.
 
Larry S
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Omegafanman Omegafanman
Also they can be a very cost effective way to build a music collection given the low second hand prices.
Unless they are out of production recordings. Then be prepared to shell out. Paid a significant premium last year for “Bruised Orange” by John Prine.
 
Dsloan
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We did Kef LSX's and an 8db subwoofer recently and it was a really big improvement at a reasonable cost. No need for a separate amp, so less stuff to fiddle with and less cables to run.
Edited:
 
BlackTalon
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Dsloan Dsloan
We did Kef LSX's and an 8db subwoofer recently and it was a really big improvement at a reasonable cost. No need for a separate amp, so less stuff to fiddle with and less cables to run.
That's a good solution. Active speakers + a CD transport + the TT. The main thing is to confirm the speakers have the connections needed. For the Kef LS50 and LSX the phono will need to go through a phono preamp (not a big deal -- some are as small as a deck of cards). Both have coax and toslink digital inputs for a CD transport. And they can also accept bluetooth and wifi if you stream through a computer or phone.
 
Omegafanman
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cvalue13 cvalue13
Point well made, though at the risk of being a wet blanket or stating the obvious, the key distinction: as CDs continue to lose market, these electronics companies sometimes simply stop making or stop selling parts for these CD units, and there’s not a remotely vibrant secondary parts market, so the CD units can become a “poison pill” to the all-in-one unit.

I have a rather high end CD player that for 8 years has been a very expensive door stop. (I can’t bring myself to throw it out, despite knowing it will never again operate.)

Not to say there’s *no* rationale for a all-in-one receiver etc with CD built in (that’s why they still make them) and yours sounds like a situation preferring one, but only to note the possible downside consideration.

Your rather expensive doorstop comment got me thinking about my system ……😗
.
 
8140809E-0100-4548-857E-FA0A057A28C8.jpeg
felsby
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I would go for a standalone CD player connected to a receiver that features streaming. Could this fit in the budget? It's got phono connection and all. One of my friends got dragged through a pile of unfinished software in mainstream brands before he ended up with a Marantz that actually works.
https://www.av-connection.dk/?PNo=MZ-NR1200-SI

At a budget ⅓ of the price this might also work!
The predecessor to this Denon compact stereo has been in use in my family for 10 years. Sound quality astonishing for the price. https://www.hifiklubben.dk/denon-rcd-m41-kompaktanlaeg-med-bluetooth/denrcdm41dabps/
Edited:
 
Lurk41
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A connected amp that checks nearly all the boxes is the Marantz Melody X. It has a CD player, Bluetooth/WiFi/Airplay, DLNA, DAB, and 2 zones.
It only misses a phono stage, but it has 1 analog input to plug a preamp (and 2 digital, sufficient to connect the TV).

You will need speakers that are easy to drive as this amp will not have a lot of power reserve. Also, Marantz is known to sound soft, so, on paper, it will be better with neutral or bright speakers.
From my past Marantz experience and a few searches at that time, some buttons of the remote control will start to fail after several years of use. Thankfully, it is easy to open (you just need to be careful to not break the plastic) and you just need to clean the contact points
 
p4ul
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Time for some thread drift and flames.

Vinyl is crackly.
CDs are crap.
HD streaming is here & now.

@ConElPueblo you had enough geekery?
😗
 
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