HyperBeam

..

Hi jackfish, I'm not super scientific with my sub... (It's not very good. Polk PSW10 50W Powered Sub.) I just set it at whatever sounds good. I just checked: My sub has a crossover that's set at 120 Hz... maybe that's too high, but I think it sounds okay. The crossover range is 80-180 Hz.

Hi guys, Just got in the Rotel RCD-1520 in the mail! The sender kindly double-boxed the player and included all original manuals, packaging, and remotes. (All for $475, free shipping!) After hooking it up with the Harmon Kardon HK-3490 receiver with some Monster RCA's I found around the house, I gave the CDP a spin... First impressions: (In comparison to old Sony Blu-ray player...) The first thing I noticed after listening to a few CD's on the Rotel was that it truly separated the elements of the song. Drums, cymbals, and other instruments suddenly became very noticeable and clear. The second thing I noticed was the improvement on the low-end. The bass response on the speakers cleared up a lot. Lastly, the DAC output signal from the Rotel is stronger than the one integrated in the HK-3490. I have to turn the music down 4-5 DB's than what I usually set it as. Notes on the slot-loading design: When you insert a CD, the loading mechanism firmly and gently takes in the CD. When taking the CD out, I inspected the bottom for any damage. All the CD's came out without a scratch. However, the CD's do make an audible rubbing sound when they're ejected. Again, there was no damage to discs used. Ultimately, I have no complaints with this machine and think that the slot-loading mechanism works great!

Hi pcad02, The device ships in tomorrow. I'll post on this thread to let you all know how it compares to the $100 sony DVD player I'm using right now!

Tell me if I'm wrong, but I think that it's not possible to convert 256 kbps songs to Lossless with the click of a button. There is an option to convert to Lossless on iTunes, but I'm not sure if that works the way we think it does.

Yes, I do know that, but to get my lossless files on iTunes, I usually buy CD's. Plus, I've tried streaming audio wirelessly. It was a big hassle and didn't sound as good as a CDP. I guess it's a personal preference. Thank you!

Hey guys, Thank you for all your help. After lots of consideration and research, I went with a used Rotel RCD-1572 for $475. I'll post up on how it fares.

Sorry, I meant RCD-1520.

Hey guys, Is a Rotel RCD-1572 for $500 used a good deal? My friend is selling one to me. Thanks!

Actually, I may have gotten lucky and found one on e-bay! Rotel RCD-1072...CD player | eBay Is $400 a good deal for a good condition, used Rotel? The original price was $700. If I'm too hesitant to snatch up this deal, I'll snoop around on Audiogon. Thanks!

Hi All, Thank you for the suggestions. I will look into all of those. Oppo - Considering my setup is audio-only, would this be the best choice? However, I like the idea of being able to play video as well. Tascam - I will look into that. However, I do not have an audio rack. Would that be a problem? Emotiva - That looks like a good option. I'll read up on reviews/buyer experiences. Rotel - I'll see if I can find one on e-bay. Thanks!

Hey Guys, I know this is a website for digitalized music. However, iTunes has no lossless music, I've been thinking about switching to a CD-Player based audio system. I'm a little sick and tired of running my music through a wireless Airport Express. I'm looking for a budget CD player (under $300 or $400) for my budget system: Receiver: Harmon Kardon 3490 120W x 2 (With digital inputs) Speakers: Bowers & Wilkins 685 (Bookshelf Speakers) Sub: Polk Audio PSW10 50W Subwoofer Speaker Cable: Blue Jeans Wire, 12 AWG CD Player: ??? I'm willing to buy used. I just want a single-CD player. Question: If I were to use the CD player merely for the digital output (optical) because my receiver has a DAC, does the quality of the CDP matter? Thank you in advance!

Budget?

Hi, Unless you absolutely require the Apple Airplay wireless function immediately, I suggest spending your 100 pounds on a pair of decent speakers (non-wireless). I actually have never heard of Airplay-enabled speakers on the market, could you link it to me? Seeing as they will be on your desktop, one cable from your computer/laptop to the speakers won't be such a big deal. Later on, you can add an Apple Airport Express + a DAC if you really want wireless. For speakers around 100 pounds, ($150 US), I strongly suggest M-Audio AV40's. They sell for $130. They are solidly built active nearfield monitors that are perfect for a desktop. I've owned these before and they are outstanding. http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MAudioAV40.html

I went and bought the B&W's to compare with the Aperions. The B&W's beat the Aperions in sound in every possible way, except for possibly sounding too harsh at times. The only difference is the cabinet and finish: Although the Aperions are smaller than the B&W's they are much heavier: real wood finish. The cabinet looks a lot better than the B&W's. I'm going to return the Aperion Verus Grand Speakers. They can't compete with the B&W's sound-quality wise. I think that Aperion allotted too much to the cabinets but didn't invest as much on drivers. -Harrison