Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site charm.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!charm!prk From: prk@charm.UUCP (Paul Kolodner) Newsgroups: net.audio Subject: CD players Message-ID: <605@charm.UUCP> Date: Mon, 11-Mar-85 16:46:23 EST Article-I.D.: charm.605 Posted: Mon Mar 11 16:46:23 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 12-Mar-85 09:14:46 EST Organization: Physics Research @ AT&T Bell Labs Murray Hill NJ Lines: 46 There was a recent posting asking questions about the Carver CD player which raised other, more general questions concerning CD sampling rate and bit resolution. There has been a great deal of discussion lately concerning these technical aspects. Without getting too involved, I'd like to add a few comments: 1. 14 bits vs 16 bits and oversampling: 14-bit digitization is 4X noisier than 16-bit, but I think that both noise levels are inaudible. However, the oversampling rate DOES affect how the analog electronics deal with the aliases in the input power spectrum. Given constant funds and no other criteria, I'd go for fancier oversampling at the expense of extra bits. 2. Amplifier power: The dynamic range of CD's is overwhelming. At my house, I found that my 100W/channel Sumo - 9 power amp could drive my Mordant-Short Festival 3 speakers to deafening levels in my moderate- sized living room without any trace of distortion. I would bet that 100W/channel is a reasonable minimum for safety. Remember that some amplifiers produce speaker-damaging high harmonics when they clip, so that adequate amplifier power can be quite important. 3. Specific players: I went to Lyric Hi-Fi in NY to find out about CD players. Lyric is an incredible store. Their salespeople are a little less neanderthal than in other places, but their strong suit is the care they put into the acoustic design of the place. The rooms are built out of brick for isolation, have irregular shapes and absorbing materials to avoid resonances, have floating floors to isolater the speakers from everything elase, and the equipment is mounted on shelves attached to brick alls for isolation. Additionally, the doors are of the same construction as those in the meat lockers in butcher shops: heavy and well sealed. Also, no one is allowed in the room when you are there. The guy I talked to assured me of two things: 1. with my pathetic stereo system (<$2500), I wouldn't be able to hear the difference between a good CD player and a cheap one like the Yamaha CD-X2; and 2. The Meridian ($650 typically) was the absolute best. As a demon- stration of his sincerity, he let me into the secret room with the $20,000 system inside to compare. The difference between the Meridian and the $1200 Revox was enormous and obvious. The Meridian produced a spatial definiton and openness that was astounding. The Revox didn't. I don't consider myself the type of person to whom these things are easily apparent or, for that matter, very important. If it's loud, noise-free, and has no distortion, I like it. But, even to me, there was a large difference. Gleeful at the salesperson's first assurance of the inferiority of both my humble self and my lowly stereo system, I ran downtown and bought a Yamaha CD-X2 and am quite happy. If you're better than I am, by the Meridian.