CD Player under £100

gibbsy

The Sony doesn't have analogue out (phono) only digital connections.

Fred Smith

Yes I know I OWN ONE.

Coax digital sockets are phono / RCA type.

password1

pound for pound a dedicated stereo amp would sound better than the av receiver in stereo mode.

gibbsy

I thought you were on about owning a Marantz. My bad.

He could try a cable but that would still rely on the Denon doing the conversion and the problem lies with the Denon. No matter what player, in any configuration, on my 6200 could improved the audio performance. I've used a Pioneer LX58, Denon DBT 3313, Marantz cd6006 and sa8005, all bar the Denon 3313 which is a transport, sounded the same in stereo even when connected by analogue and the 6200 run in pure direct. You just cannot compare a receiver to the musical abilities of a stereo amp.

A cable would be cheaper for the OP rather than buying a new CDP as there would be no gain with the latter.

Fred Smith

I own both see sig. I was illustrating my use of the X700 apart from Blu-rays.

Agreed.

I did not, I suggested the OP try it to see if it imporved.

We are getting there.

WozzaB

Thanks for the info guys.

So if I go down the amp route, where do I start price wise? Is there a starting point where amps become decent quality etc?

password1

new or used?

if budget is £100 theres plenty of used choice
if new you'd probably need to increase.budget slightly..

WozzaB

£100 was for the CD player, amp could be more, would like to stay under £200-250 for one though.

Fred Smith

Ebay has a 20% off offer at the moment. New Yamaha A-S501 for around £240 (own one hence the recommendation), others makes and models also available.

gibbsy

The Denon has pre-outs which means you could connect to a suitable stereo amp that has HT by-pass. This is probably the most convenient way to accomplish good music stereo but is quite expensive if you wish to use the same front speakers for that stereo sound.

The problem now arises with the Sony player. As well as needing HT by-pass the stereo amp would also need to have it's own DAC as the coax would need to be used. Either that or you do indeed buy a CDP as well as a stereo amp. Now the cost is starting to escalate.

A cheaper alternative would be to use a standard stereo amp with a DAC and use a speaker switcher such as the Beresford 7220. Mating both receiver and stereo amp together even without HT by-pass or switcher is doable with a little bit of faffing around.

You have to ask yourself just how important really good music is to you. Maybe concentrate on the classifieds, certainly for the amp and use in short term the Sony into it coax.