Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 33

Thread: Got sierra-1 nrt's!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    10

    Default Got sierra-1 nrt's!

    Hello all,
    I will post extended review later.... Right now I need help! Got them yesterday, was able to get them installed today. I have only been able to listen for 10-15 minutes. Installed in family room, have to share with wife and son. In the short time I had with music it became glaringly obvious that I need a better cd player. I knew this when I got my cbm-170se's. It just was not THIS obvious.
    I currently have a vintage 1991 technics 5 disc changer. Yes, please go ahead and LYAO. I bought it new at circuit city and it still works! Just does not sound good anymore! Imagine that.
    Can you guys give me a heads up on a under 600.00 dollar player. Looking at Oppo. Just talked to David, He said Marantz . Probably go with that unless arm is twisted in oyher direction.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    24

    Default Re: Got sierra-1 nrt's!

    I suspect you won't go wrong with either option. Take a look at the specs - there might be some differences in the processing chips used. Oppo is typically pretty highly regarded.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    5

    Default Re: Got sierra-1 nrt's!

    How about a Virtue Audio Piano? Sells new for $699. If you're shopping used, I have an Ah! Tjoeb 4000 which is Marantz based that I am not presently using. Recommend you start a new thread for this topic.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    501

    Default Re: Got sierra-1 nrt's!

    You are aware that there's pretty much no audible between cd players right? I have a NAD541i something I think it is, which was well regarded at the time, that I picked up used for around 200$, I compared it to an old cheapo 100$ Panasonic DVD player, and as logic dictated I was unable to hear any difference... (Think it was a 4 or 5 hundred dollar or something... 500$.. http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...r-10-2002.html) Btw, not really using the cd player anymore, almost exclusively a laptop feeding digital to an external DAC (Behringer DEQ2496), lossless easily beats switching CDs, and digital->DAC was a must because audio out of the laptop really was horrible...

    Unless there's a glaring deficiency with your current cd player, you probably won't gain much if anything by spending 6 or 8 hundred... So depending how comfortable you are with your wallet, you might want to spend that money on better things... For audio, room treatment would make a real difference, and depending on your amp, maybe that... 600$ almost gets you a rythmik sub too...
    Last edited by GirgleMirt; 03-23-2011 at 08:45 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Manhattan Beach, California
    Posts
    7,032

    Default Re: Got sierra-1 nrt's!

    girgle....maybe the analog outs are the problem.
    -curtis

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    501

    Default Re: Got sierra-1 nrt's!

    Quote Originally Posted by curtis View Post
    girgle....maybe the analog outs are the problem.
    Possible, but "unless there's a glaring deficiency with your current cd player, you probably won't gain much if anything by spending 6 or 8 hundred..."

    What would be the point in spending 600$ on a cd player when you can get for 100$ something which will do the job equally well? For 100$ you can get a blue ray player , which plays cds as well, and you're left with 500$ of spare change... Not chump change! Hell, a regular DVD player should be cheaper and would work equally well...

    Hell, for 600$, you can get a netbook, a DAC, a media player, and run everything from there... Rip your songs in lossless, store on the laptop, access everything directly and instantly... No need to change CDs, and you have a flexible laptop instead of an ultra expensive ancient device which only reads CDs...

    If the cd player at least sounded better... Then ok... But blind tests seem to indicate otherwise. The only thing might be track/load time, (dvd players have to detect the format), but then that's probably been improved compared to an old cheapo panasonic dvd player... Expensive cd players should be a thing of the past IMHO... Hell, you could buy a DAC, PS3/xbox360, plus a 'small' (22 inch) screen for 600$...
    Last edited by GirgleMirt; 03-24-2011 at 09:59 AM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    10

    Default Re: Got sierra-1 nrt's!

    Thanks guys for the replys. The technics has no digital out, just analog. If I knew then what I know now... Girgle I have a macbook with dac feeding old pioneer receiver in another room, so I know what you're saying. That rig sounds great compared to technics. just a pain to drag everything back and forth. Just thought the Oppo would be good to feed widescreen plus benefit of good audio. Question Girgle, Do you really think this 21 year old cd player would not be shown up by new player. This thing was built before anyone even talked about jitter. Also you think $100.00 bluray player would be as good as new Oppo? Just asking, I only have dvd player and it doesn't sound as good as the technics. Or are you saying to use the digital out on cheap player to a DAC? Thanks. Anymore comments very welcome.
    Louie

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    501

    Default Re: Got sierra-1 nrt's!

    Question Girgle, Do you really think this 21 year old cd player would not be shown up by new player. This thing was built before anyone even talked about jitter. Also you think $100.00 bluray player would be as good as new Oppo? Just asking, I only have dvd player and it doesn't sound as good as the technics. Or are you saying to use the digital out on cheap player to a DAC? Thanks. Anymore comments very welcome.
    Louie
    1) Couldn't really tell you about the Techics... But I think the question is more a cheap current player vs 600$ player than particularly this technics... And then then I'd definitely say: "bet ya a hunnerd bucks you can't tell the difference under blind conditions! "
    2) As good, depends how. As I said, I hope the 600$ player can play a cd faster, although I've seen some retarded cd players costing thousands of dollars where loading a cd seemed like a PITA and also took some time to detect the format... I'd hope the 600$ looks better, has better build quality and better remote.... But sound quality wise, yeah, just as good, certainly not worth 5-10 times the price, unless you're Superman and can detect changes normal humans can't... But that bluray doesn't look too cheap... It was just a random pick btw, not recommending that particular unit as I know next to nothing about it...
    3) Dvd players have DACs in them, and they work nearly flawlessly, so getting an outboard dac doesn't make much sense to me... Unless you somehow manage to find a player which has a turd for a DAC, there's basically nothing to improve on. So getting a separate DAC or buying a super expensive cd player just doesn't make sense to me... If you have money to burn and want to get one, that's perfectly fine, but I wouldn't buy one expecting it to sound better than a 50$ special... People who have done it and did a blind test all ended up rather disappointed I believe...

    matrix hifi has did a lot of blind tests, (google and translate!), one compared a cheap oppo dvd player to an Oracle cd player, think its like 5000$ or more, retardly expensive, looks like a scifi flying saucer... Did the test on 25000$ system, couldn't tell them apart... That's not with an external DAC, straight up cheapo DVD player with the cheapest radio-shack RCA cables you can find...

    Build quality, looks and all, can't really compare them for sure, but for sound... Worthless to spend hundreds just hoping to get better sound quality...
    Last edited by GirgleMirt; 03-24-2011 at 03:30 PM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Posts
    248

    Default Re: Got sierra-1 nrt's!

    If you are talking about CD player as a transport, I would have been with you exactly 6 months ago (before I upgraded from Squeezebox3 to squeezebox touch).
    I was really surprised with the difference in SQ,so I posted the question on slimdevices forum using the same logic in your post(data is data). I was told that I was not the only one who noticed this. I use to think the term "jitter" was overused in audio. Now I'm a believer No, I did not do a blind test, but the difference was noticeable enough for me.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jitter ( I know you like to post the links :-))

    Now if you talk about DACs, that's a bigger conversation. Just talk to folks who own either Opp95 or Oppo 83SE. But I agree with you about room acoustics/treatment making the bigger difference.
    Last edited by Sam1000; 03-24-2011 at 06:14 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    307

    Default Re: Got sierra-1 nrt's!

    I'm a fan of denon. just saying.

    if you want a cd changer, maybe try: http://usa.denon.com/us/Product/Page...1-14768c132605

    I have their 1909 model AVR as my home theatre controller/amp and use my sony dvd player for playing movies and cds, its great and hdmi really makes control a snap. i use a dedicated denon cd player at work, works fine for me- nothing to write home about tho.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •