Am I Losing My Hearing (Or My Mind?)

[MylesBAstor]

Over the last week, I've been using an old, make that very old (15 years?), Sony CD/DVD DVP-NS725P player to break in my freshly modded conrad-johnson GAT Series 2. At the same time, because of other circumstances beyond my control, I've been relegated to using this player to listen to some of the CDs in my collection. Surprisingly, this $200 player isn't sounding half bad. It's certainly not driving me out of the room and has pretty good low end, dynamics and soundstaging. Images are far from paper thin and the music--take for instance the California Guitar Trio's rendition of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody--actually is engaging and one doesn't find their attention wandering to getting ready for work on Monday. This little Sony certainly not embarrassing a pretty good system or getting in the way of the music.

Of course, more than anything, it seems that the mastering is ever so critical with digital recordings. The whole recording and mastering process was going to hell in a handbasket before the advent of digital --and it's taken a long time to reverse direction and make any inroads in that matter. The variation in sound from disc to disc or song to song on sampler discs (or even at shows on music servers) is often beyond belief Tonight I threw Philip O'Hanlon's special sampler CD Demo disc XII into the Sony; quite a few of the RBCD cuts sounded very nice. Including among them was a track from George Duke (Warner), Lindsay Buckingham, Vienna Teng and Nat King Cole and George Shearing. Yes, there are things the Sony player could do better, but at a throwaway price of $200, it's an extraordinary performer.

Ducking for cover!

[Rob]

you're loosing neither, you just had your guard down.

I still have an old JVC XL-Z1050TN in closet for the same reason, it continues to surprise me with its musicality.

[MylesBAstor]

Well have to say, went into it expecting my ears to bleed. Not the case.

[1morerecord2clean]

I traded my Shanling CDT-100 for my Marantz SA8004 which received a very good review for a budget player about 3 years ago. It was a major step forward in terms of dynamics and less peakiness. Fast forward to earlier this year, the addition of my Symposium Osiris rack, Svelte Shelf Plus, and Roller Blocks has made that little player sound amazing. I'd still rather listen to a record but there are definitely some digital recordings which are really engaging.

[JackD201]

Now you know the secret Myles. It's not green pens. It's years of accumulated dust LOL!

[mep]

Interesting...

[MylesBAstor]

Now you know the secret Myles. It's not green pens. It's years of accumulated dust LOL!

[banditcat200]

Myles, there is nothing wrong with your hearing and mind.
I have had this experience with the Oppo multiplayer 103, which has replaced my not cheap Aura Neo top loader and different medium to high priced dac´s + cables.
and actually is doing a better job playing my cd´s and sacd´s, then the much more expensive components it replaced.
Downsizing sometimes is the way to better sound, in my case it was.

[Rust]

Inexpensive disc players are not nearly the awful things most think them to be. One of the reasons they are inexpensive is that they are mass production products made on automated assembly lines. As an example, I have a $200 Sony Blu-ray/DVD/CD player which outperformed several other makers far more expensive Blu-ray units. They were all unreliable and all died in use, the Sony has been chugging along for years. Playing the Led Zeppelin "Celebration Day" Blu-ray it sounds pretty good too. At the other end of the spectrum, any artisanal low production volume disc player will be several times more expensive at a minimum whether sound quality is the same, better or worse. And yes, worse happens.

The biggest problem with CDs isn't the players, it's the quality of the mastering and production of the CDs. I have CDs that sound very nearly as good as good vinyl of the same performance. It is unfortunately a rare occurrence. But consider that to cut a lacquer for an LP takes at least some experience and skill, while creating the master for a CD takes downloading a file and button pushing by some nameless drone. Guess which one invariably is better mastered. Now take a limited edition remastered LP. Done by the most experienced team using the best version of the tapes available, best tape decks extant, best electronics, best cutting table and cutting heads to make a pristine lacquer and extreme care taken all the way through stamping.

No kidding vinyl normally sounds better. The big problem is CDs should sound better than it does, but the industry doesn't give a rats ass about quality.

[MylesBAstor]

you're loosing neither, you just had your guard down.

I still have an old JVC XL-Z1050TN in closet for the same reason, it continues to surprise me with its musicality.

Thing is the original Sony CD players were absolutely unlistenable.

[Rust]

Thing is the original Sony CD players were absolutely unlistenable

Maybe so. But early CDs were not all that good either. If someone still has an operable first generation player maybe they could give it a try with a known good CD and better interconnects to see if it really is as bad as remembered. Set a baseline so to speak.

Adding to my earlier comments on the cheap Sony Blu-ray player. Given the general consumer interest in home theater, I suspect that the maker actually paid attention to producing at least decent sound at the price point.

[Alrainbow]

Myles I have a denon 3910 a very good cd /DVD player in its day and it's real 24 bit processing . A gift if you wish . It's cd sound is pretty good and pleasing . Not harsh unless the cd is Harrible of course . I paid big bucks for and do not want to just through it out lol. It's yours . I have manual and remote too. It's better than my Sony ES series one less brick wall filtering . If not you somebody ?

[allenh]

I used a Sony ES as my standard spinner for quite some time back in the 90s. Compared it to a Wadia and while the Wadia was better, it didn't embarrass the Sony either. There was a sweetness that was hard to beat. Think I still have the unit somewhere in my house.

[MylesBAstor]

Myles I have a denon 3910 a very good cd /DVD player in its day and it's real 24 bit processing . A gift if you wish . It's cd sound is pretty good and pleasing . Not harsh unless the cd is Harrible of course . I paid big bucks for and do not want to just through it out lol. It's yours . I have manual and remote too. It's better than my Sony ES series one less brick wall filtering . If not you somebody ?

Thanks Al, I'm set. I have the Sony and if I really wanted, I could set up my old Altis Audio Ref. DAC and Transport. SOTA 15 years ago! Tube DAC too.

But no. Am working on the server. Installed new monitor today and working. Sunny is coming up to install a few updates and probably the Lampi B7.

[Alrainbow]

Got seems you have great digital coming your way . Enjoy. If any analog person wants it please let me know. It's up for grebes .