Another suggestion would be to try and find a tube-staged CD player. Good tube CD players can be a bit pricey, but I'm sure you can find some options for less than $1k. There's a Jolida 100 here on Agon for $650 and comes with a built-in headphone amp.

hitman_hifi January 18, 2009 00:05

I have had good experience with getting a 'warmish' sound from Rega CD players. Give them a listen. I would also echo the above with additions of area rugs and maybe some DIY room treatments you should be able to tame some of the less desirable sounds.

nissancrazy January 17, 2009 19:18

Hello Roc doc > very nice clean looking system!! > Those digital nasties, that's vibrations getting to your CDP, pre, and amp!!! Try isolating your gear the results might surprise you!!! > When I put AQ Sorbagel under my pre I was shocked by how much cleaner the sound became the leading edge hash (harsh digital sound) became minimal > You can try it relatively inexpensively on the Bay under Audioquest seller "dang-good-stuff" Hemisphere Big Feet 30 D > Some point under the CDP will help you hear what your CDp is capable of before spending $$$$$ I switched out a lot of gear before I learned this !!!

samhar January 17, 2009 10:11

Not sure about the differences between the CD-P or CD-S models. I've only heard the Quad 99 CD-P that a friend had and it was very natural sounding with an excellent midrange. However, he had it hooked up to a Copland amp and was using a pair of Totem Arro speakers, so it must have been just a good overall match.

hitman_hifi January 17, 2009 04:27

Thanks for the feed-back Hitman. So you think the Quad players are a good match? I had a 99 model, the one that only works with the pre-amp (no separate power or connector other than the Quadlink) and I did not much like the sound compared with this Sony, or even with a budget NAD player. True, I only used it for an hour or so, did not let it break in. Is the CD-P or CD-S significantly better? Free of the digital nastiness in high frequencies?

roc_doc January 12, 2009 11:50

Hey Roc, nice clean looking system. If you're having a problem with "runaway" or "boomy" bass, would suggest putting in an area rug as a cheap sound-damper. Also, would suggest the Quad 99 CDP to go along with your preamp and amp. Although, it doesn't have a headphone amp.

hitman_hifi January 06, 2009 07:24

System edited: the tuner was not in there for some reason, added it

roc_doc January 04, 2009 09:11

System edited: added a pic. Crappy quality, taken with my iPhone, too lazy to open the big camera.

roc_doc January 03, 2009 10:07