hgcjr@utastro.UUCP (Harold G. Corwin Jr.) (09/26/84)
{Still munching?}
I have just spent four days listening to 14 different
CD players. This is a -- ahem -- "summary". I'll be glad
to mail more details to anyone who wants to wade through 100+
lines of it.
Using a CD version of a digitally-mastered record that
I like (Supraphon's new Janacek Sinfonietta; A-B comparison
of the record with the CD on 4 different systems shows them
to be virtually identical except for surface noise), I simply
listened to it on different players through my own AKG K-340
headphones and an amp or pre-amp if there was no phone jack on
the player. In general, A-B comparisons of player vs. player
were not possible. Therefore, take my results with a pinch of
salt if you wish.
Players fell into four general groups (based only on
sound; "features" not considered). Starting at the bottom and
working up (alphabetically within groups):
Group 4: Sony CDP-101, Sony CDP-111, Technics SL-P7,
and Technics SL-P8. Generally fuzzy, harsh,
and unpleasant to listen to for long periods.
The sort of players that give digital a bad
name.
Group 3: Denon DCD-1800, Luxman DX-103, Mitsubishi
DP-103, NAD 5200, Sony CDP-701ES. Getting
smoother, but still hard in the treble. A
few of these seemed bass-shy. Mid-range can
be very nice, however.
Group 2: Hitachi DA-800, Luxman DX-103, NAD 5255, NEC
CD-803, and Yamaha CD-1. Yes, a second Lux:
this one -- and the other machines in this
group -- are smooth and clear over most of the
frequency range. The bass is full and firm,
and there may be just a hint of harshness in
the extreme treble.
Group 1: Yamaha CD-X1. What distinguishes this from
the Group 2 players is the EASE with which it
does everything well. No trace of harshness
in any part of the frequency range; clear,
clean and detailed without calling attention
to itself. A real joy to listen to music with.
And that is EXACTLY what I wanted. (Well, al-
most. I also wanted a DIN, RS-232C, or other
accessory jack on the back. I hear that CD's
are being worked on as GIGAbyte data stores.
Unfortunately, only Sony and Technics have
these jacks on their current machines.)
I still want to listen to the Revox, one of the Philips-
Magnavox players, the Meridian, an Onkyo, a Kyocera, and the
Yamaha CD-2. (And another CD-X1: what if it does what the
second sample of the Luxman did?! No clear choice left!)
The first three are not available locally, the remainder are
currently "back ordered." I'll post a follow-up when/if I
get a chance to listen to any of these.
In general, there ARE significant differences between
players, even between samples of the same player. And another
CD that I have (London's famous Montreal Daphnis et Chloe) is
gritty and has a narrow sound-stage compared to the concert
hall reality of the LP. Moral (which we already knew, but
which *I* heard for the first time in this escapade): not
all CD's and CD players are created equally well -- but the
best are superb music-makers. [Guess we still need critics.
:-)]. Oh, well -- good listening, all!
Harold G. Corwin, Jr.
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Dept. of Astronomy, RLM 15.308, Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX 78712-1083tggsu@resonex.UUCP (Tom Gulvin Root) (09/27/84)
The tests listed in the article relied on (in most cases) the headphone jack in the player itself. I wouldn't trust that very much - all the players that I've tried (sony's, yamaha's and denon's) have terrible headphone amplifiers, along with most of the preamps tied to these players in dealers' systems. The only place I've found that had acceptable sound quality for headphones is the jack on the power amp itself (turn off the speakers!); using this, the major differences between players that I thought I heard vanished and I decided to keep my Phillips. Beware of any headphone jack in general - it may have a crapy amplifier. Gee - you would think that in this news group, of all places, people would consider all the items influencing the sound repoduction of a given product before condeming/praising them. Tom Gulvin - Resonex, Inc. - Sunnyvale, CA.