DVD player to play CD's???

[doitmyself]

After 18 years, I am upgrading my modest Home Theater system. New receiver, HD satellite, etc.. My old carousal CD player is shot.

At Crutchfield, they state that now a days, any DVD unit will play CD's as good or better than the old CD players. Comments?

My question: How do I hook my older (non HDMI) DVD player audio thru my new receiever (toslink or digital interconnect?) so I can use it for both the TV or CD listening?

Do I need multiple connections, and/or is it a matter of choosing input or output.

 

[Brons2]

DVD players have always had the ability to play CDs.

As for your setup, use the toslink for both CDs and DVDs. There is no need for multiple connections, or fiddling with settings for that matter.

 

[doitmyself]

So, when I put a CD in to listen to music, will the receiver automatically adjust to play stereo only? 2.1 vs. 5.1?



Quote:
DVD players have always had the ability to play CDs.


Yes, but this shows how old my DVD player (and Me) are. When I bought my DVD player, the audiophiles contested the idea that a DVD player was up to the quality of a dedicated CD player. Now, you don't even see CD players (except carousals) on the market anymore.

Yes, I am from the stone age!

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
So, when I put a CD in to listen to music, will the receiver automatically adjust to play stereo only? 2.1 vs. 5.1?

I suppose it depends on the functionality of the particular receiver. In most cases, you will have to manually turn on/off the surround mode on the receiver because the receiver has no way of knowing whether you want to listen to a given material in stereo or surround mode.



Quote:
Yes, but this shows how old my DVD player (and Me) are. When I bought my DVD player, the audiophiles contested the idea that a DVD player was up to the quality of a dedicated CD player. Now, you don't even see CD players (except carousals) on the market anymore.

Yes, I am from the stone age!

I know what you're talking about. Most DVD players some 12 years ago did in fact suck at playing CD audio, probably due to inferior DACs. However, if you use a digital connection between the DVD player and your receiver, the DAC on the DVD player is bypassed completely, so it doesn't really matter. Instead, it's the DAC in your receiver that will matter. And I would guess that the more high end the receiver, the better the DAC quality.

If I'm not mistaken, serious audiophiles still prefer dedicated CD players to play their CDs. However, there may be a few DVD players out there that do a good job of playing CD audio material as well. Head on over to some dedicated HT board such as http://www.avsforum.com. I'm sure you're not the first one to ask this question.

 

[ahoier]

The plus side of using a DVD player to play your audio CDs, is the fact that if you burn straight up "mp3" files to your DVD, obviously, since mp3s are inherently smaller than CDA, you can hold HOURS of music on a 2GB DVD

 

[PandaBear]

It depends on the quality of the DVD player. A cheap APEX will not have the same sound quality as a dedicated audiophile CD player, and like all other things in life, you do get what you pay for.

 

[exranger06]

I've been using my Pioneer DVD player as a CD player for years. I used the digital cox to hook it up to the receiver, which I used for both DVDs and CDs. Recently I started using the Toslink connection because I needed the coax on the receiver available for other equipment. Sounds great either way.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
I've been using my Pioneer DVD player as a CD player for years. I used the digital cox to hook it up to the receiver, which I used for both DVDs and CDs. Recently I started using the Toslink connection because I needed the coax on the receiver available for other equipment. Sounds great either way.

Both connections are digital, so they should sound exactly the same.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
At Crutchfield, they state that now a days, any DVD unit will play CD's as good or better than the old CD players. Comments?


Yeah. That's a raft of poop from old Bill to sell their cheap lo-fi DVD players.

I've been into higher end audio for more years than I care to remember. The analog stage of any front end component is just as vital as the digital stages. And no $100 China box is going to out play a strong CD deck from 5, 10 or in some cases 15 years ago. Robust power supplies and output stages are expensive (and there are no shortcuts). DAC and filter chips are cheap and easy. So they peddle the latter to the masses as all that matters.

And none of it will ever sound as fluid, nuanced and musical as a good vinyl deck running though a vintage tubed stage.

Besides, who spins CDs in 2012? Rip it all to a HDD and stream it to a squeezebox. If you want, you can tie it into a quality DAC and get just as good sound as a higher end CDP.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Besides, who spins CDs in 2012? Rip it all to a HDD and stream it to a squeezebox. If you want, you can tie it into a quality DAC and get just as good sound as a higher end CDP.

Yup. That would be the way to do it.

 

[97tbird]

I don't know...I still like to play CDs on my NAD dvd changer (hooked up to a small DAC to use only as a CD changer/transport)...

I like the tactile feel of CDs once in a while when I do a 'serious' evening of music listening....

But I do have connected an ipod/iphone or my laptop to the stereo from time to time...SQ is okay...somehow I don't feel the same as when listening to a CD...

My Panasonic Blu ray player has very decent SQ for CDs, but NOT as good as the NAD connected to the DAC. the NAD clearly sounds richer and fuller esp. in low freq's.

My old pioneer dvd player was ghastly playing CDs.

Oh...and I have a curious urge to 'secure' a decent CD changer from Marantz or something, as I am not sure how long the old NAD changer will last...I have a feeling good CD changers (even single CD players) are going to be extinct....

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
I like the tactile feel of CDs once in a while when I do a 'serious' evening of music listening....

There is definitely some validity to it. If I take a 320 kbps MP3 and play it through my Squeezebox, it does not sound as good as when I burn it onto a CD and play it through my old Yamaha CD player. I suspect the DACs in the Sqeezebox aren't of particularly high quality. But Squeezebox does make high end models that supposedly sound better. They ain't cheap though...

I should experiment with an external DAC I suppose. Which one do you have and how much does it go for?

 

[97tbird]

I have a Super Pro 707 DAC, that was modified (better caps and some other stuff) by a friend.

It was about $75 when I bought it, and it definitely made a difference in SQ...

http://www.itemaudio.co.uk/superpro_dac.html

 

[RTexasF]

Quote:
Besides, who spins CDs in 2012?


Got news for you.....plenty of us old timers do. I also still enjoy spinning my old vinyl too.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
I have a Super Pro 707 DAC, that was modified (better caps and some other stuff) by a friend.

It was about $75 when I bought it, and it definitely made a difference in SQ...

Dang! They're about double the price now.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF
Quote:
Besides, who spins CDs in 2012?


Got news for you.....plenty of us old timers do. I also still enjoy spinning my old vinyl too.


Maybe I should sell my CEC belt drive to you.

I enjoy spinning the vinyl still.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
I like the tactile feel of CDs once in a while when I do a 'serious' evening of music listening....

There is definitely some validity to it. If I take a 320 kbps MP3 and play it through my Squeezebox, it does not sound as good as when I burn it onto a CD and play it through my old Yamaha CD player. I suspect the DACs in the Sqeezebox aren't of particularly high quality. But Squeezebox does make high end models that supposedly sound better. They ain't cheap though...

I should experiment with an external DAC I suppose. Which one do you have and how much does it go for?


The Touch has a good digital section, sounds better than the old Classic, but like most SB products is hampered by a weak output stage and lightweight power supply scheme. Stock, it sounds as good as a CDP in the $300-500 range. Some folks will upgrade the power supply with good results.

But using the Touch as a digital head end is where it's at for good sound. There are a plethora of good outboard DACs out there that the Touch feeds quite nicely. A really good DAC and a Touch sounds better than the overpriced TP in my experience. Something as entry as a DACMagic or V-Dac is a big improvement. I've got a Touch tethered to a $3k DAC that sounds outstanding and is no worse than the CEC transport that sits next to it, but that is not for everyone.

I'll only run straight PCM (or rarely flac) though mine, as digital is watered down enough already. Anything MP3 I just can't listen to, even after passing it through some rather nice vintage bottles (for those who know a black plate from a D-getter long plate).

After living with a server-based digital music library such as the squeezeserver/LMS, etc., there is absolutely no incentive to return to the old disc spinners. A streaming client is just too convenient. I prefer the tactile feel of a good drink over fiddling with CDs.

Now vinyl . . . that's another story for which the entire ritual is required.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Something as entry as a DACMagic or V-Dac is a big improvement.

How much do you think a used DACMagic (or V-Dac) is worth? Looking at some used ones on ebay right now...

 

[sleddriver]

When upgrading your 18yr old system, don't forget about the loudspeakers! They make a WORLD of difference with regards to what you'll hear (and what you won't) because they're the only component you actually hear. Why? Because they're transducers. A time-varying AC waveform enters the electrical terminals and sound pressure waves exit the drivers. The better they accomplish that task, the more accurate the reproduction.

 

[97tbird]

true - speakers make the biggest difference.