Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Fine Living, Home, Design & Auto › what's the first piece of audiphile equipment one should buy?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

what's the first piece of audiphile equipment one should buy? - Page 2

post #16 of 24
6/15/10 at 1:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by robbie View Post
I can't believe there hasn't been a single LK post in this thread yet.

He's at the WMC I believe.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 24
6/15/10 at 11:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Girardian View Post
I also have an Oppo 83 and it does produce excellent CD playback sound ... plus it's a BluRay player with an amazing video processing chip, so you get the added benefit of one of the best BR players on the market as well.

I'm considering moving to the SE version of the Oppo player for even better audio.

Both the non-SE and SE sound great on the Oppo line. I've heard the SE and it has a better analog output section which is where the sound quality improves.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 24
6/15/10 at 3:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Artisan Fan View Post
Both the non-SE and SE sound great on the Oppo line. I've heard the SE and it has a better analog output section which is where the sound quality improves.

Yeah, the SE may be worth it only if you listen to the Oppo's analog outputs. It's not worth the premium if you're using only its digital outputs (SPDIF or HDMI). Much to their credit, Oppo says that as well.

If you don't watch many DVDs, or your DVD watching is mostly mainstream Hollywood movies, the cheaper BDP-80 may work just as well for you. The Anchor Bay Tech video processing chip in the 83 really only shines on material sourced from interlaced video (think sporting events) and things with difficult cadences like some anime. If you're watching material that was shot in 24 frames (almost anything shot in film), then the 83 won't do much for you. The analog section in the 80 might have slightly worse specs, but I'm assuming you're using its digital outputs.

Also if your TV has really fancy video processing or you have a standalone video processor, you may not need the 83.

--Andre
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 24
6/20/10 at 4:07am
KECES DA-151 USB DAC if you store your CD in hard drive. Excellent sound and value. I used to own one until I upgraded to Benchmark DAC1 Pre.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 24
6/20/10 at 10:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by chenc View Post
KECES DA-151 USB DAC if you store your CD in hard drive. Excellent sound and value. I used to own one until I upgraded to Benchmark DAC1 Pre.

Seems like a good recommendation, but only if you feel an external DAC will outperform your receiver's.
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 24
6/20/10 at 10:28am
A turntable.
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 24
6/21/10 at 1:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrounger View Post
Seems like a good recommendation, but only if you feel an external DAC will outperform your receiver's.
FWIW I also had a Marantz SA-8001 SACD player. KECES was clearer and less warm (i.e. more neutral) than the Marantz, which was not very resolving for a Stereophile Class A (at the time) component. I don't know how the 5003 compares to SA-8001, but it's probably not too far-stretched to say the probably share the Marantz house sound for their lower-priced players. BTW I don't deal with receivers. I don't consider them to be true source components.
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 24
6/21/10 at 11:41pm
A phono cartridge.
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 24
6/21/10 at 11:45pm
The second item? A record cleaning machine.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
Styleforum › Forums › Lifestyle › Fine Living, Home, Design & Auto › what's the first piece of audiphile equipment one should buy?