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The Bryston BCD-1 is the only way to Go ! I have herd Both Units.
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Robert
Cambridge 840c vs. Bryston BCD-1 vs. Ayre CX-7e
I?m looking for a new CD player in the $1500-$3000 bracket. As my Sonic Frontiers Line 3 preamp definitely sounds best when run fully balanced, I?ve narrowed my search to a player with balanced out.
Besides the much discussed relative merits of the Cambridge Audio Azur 840c, Bryston BCD-1 and Ayre CX-7e, I?d welcome opinions on the following two specific questions.
(1) As my budget maxes out at 3K, would it be better to:
(a) get the Cambridge and splurge on 2 pairs of up-to-date balanced interconnects (possible candidates include: Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II; PS Audio xStream Resolution Transcendent; Synergistic Research Alpha Sterling Discrete)? or
(b) get the Bryston or Ayre and stick (for the moment at least) with my (original version) balanced AudioQuest Emerald cables?
(2) are there any other balanced-out players out there in this price bracket that I?ve overlooked and should be considering? (For instance, the Cary CDP-1, though it doesn?t seem to have been as well received as my other three contenders.)
Thanks to all.
Twoleftears (System | Threads | Answers)
05-18-08
Responses (1-18 of 18)
Click title to read one, or click date to read all below it.
05-19-08 Stick with the ic's you have and invest as much as you can a ... Know_talent
05-19-08 Forgot to add the primare cd31... it gets decent reviews as ... Know_talent
05-19-08 Thanks know_talent! so, besides the three mentioned in the ... Twoleftears
05-19-08: Countingbackwards
Can't comment on a direct comparison or what would work in other systems, but in its first 2 weeks in my system, the Ayre CX-7e has been fantastic. A night-and-day improvement over my last player (a Meridian).
Countingbackwards (System | Threads | Answers)
05-28-08: Ckoffend
At just about you price range in the used market would be a Resolution Audio Opus 21 with GNSC mods (probably have to stretch your budget by about $300-400). This is an excellent player and should be considered certainly above several of these other players and in-line with some. I would put this more in line with the better Ayre players. Since I have not personally listened to the Raysonic, I better not comment on that unit, having heard good things about it (mostly by dealers on this site).
Ckoffend (Threads | Answers)
05-28-08: Cpk
The 840c was not really close to CX-7, much less the 'e' version
Cpk (Answers)
07-11-08: Sthomas12321
Cpk,
did you own both the 840c v.2 and the cx-7, what lead you to this comment?
Sthomas12321 (Threads | Answers)
07-12-08: Tom_hankins
I have the 840C here now and have had the Droplet, and Ayre in the past. I did not like the droplet much at all. but would still take it over the 840. IMO the Ayre is the best of these three. I also owned the M5 for several months, I would rank it and the 840 in the same league, but different sounding. The M5 being a little less resolving but more powerful and warmer sounding.
In your price range I would consider either a used Modwright Denon 3910 or Exemplar denon 2900, or 3910. Both these players do everything the others do best and then some. No balanced outputs on them though.
Tom_hankins (System | Threads | Answers)
07-12-08: Sthomas12321
I had the ayre in my system for a long time, but the 840c has amazing specs. Not to mention is years newer, and cheaper. Id like to hear the 840c.
Sthomas12321 (Threads | Answers)
07-12-08: Twoleftears
I eventually bought a Bryston, after auditioning cdps from Arcam, Cambridge, Naim, Primare, and Rega. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to hear the Ayre.
The Arcam FMJ 37 was probably the most analytical of the bunch. It impressed on first auditioning, by really separating out very distinctly everything that was going on in a complex recording, but as one listened on, it became clear that it could be fatiguing over the long haul. Timbrally pretty neutral I would say.
The Rega Saturn struck me as middle of the road, clean, but ultimately a little "polite".
The Primare CD31 and Naim CD5x were both good, very listenable units, relatively warm and well-rounded (good timbral qualities), players that one could no doubt live with long term, but which ultimately didn't distinguish themselves, didn't stand out from the pack.
The Cambridge Audio Azur 840c was my runner up. I went back and forth a couple of times between it and the Bryston. It was neither too analytical nor too warm, very balanced, good timbrally, lots and lots of air. Instruments floating in three-dimensional space.
The BCD-1 has many excellent attributes, but what struck me most (or what struck me first), was its authority in the bass. I'm guessing that this has to do with how Bryston handles the output stages. It is in another league compared to all the other units I've mentioned. It gives the music an incredible robustness. As I listen mainly to large-scale, nineteenth-century, orchestral music, this is a particular plus for me. When the massed double-basses really dig down deep, they really dig. (Think the opening bars of Mahler's 2nd.) This in turn gives the rest of the reproduction an excellent base (no pun intended). Very fine player also in terms of neutrality, timbral rightness, soundstage, imaging, etc. I heard none of the "dryness" I've occasionally seen mentioned in reviews. Perhaps the 840c nosed it out in the "air" department, but after considerable back-and-forth auditioning, the BCD-1 was a clear winner.
I think the Cambridge and the Bryston are excellent units. I'm sure the Ayre is too. Beyond that, it's more a question of system synergy, and what qualities are particularly important to you as a listener. As usual, horses for courses.
