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Just bought a cheapy AU$35 CD discman. the CD skips even if you tap the discman only gently and it also skips from walking momentum too. I've been told that there must be no buffer in it - just wondering if there is any tricks or tweaks I could do to make it not skip? I dont consider it a 'portable cd player' if you cant move it around without skipping!
That is a funny problem. Not funny to you, but funny in the sense that a portable's main strenth would be in its ability to resist skipping.
I guess too many people these days make money selling cheap shit! Sometimes expensive is better :7 but having more brains than money can be too :p
Get an iPod. It is the best darned invention in the history of portable music since 76 trombones (and significantly lighter). Seriously, it never skips, and the sound quality is stunning - I'm actually using it as my source quite a bit these days plugged directly into the Zen (I'm too lazy to get up to change discs). I was glad to see that I am not the only one who does this - apparently the guy at Wilson Audio (maybe it is a Wilson thing) did a shootout with his speakers up against a more expensive set (more expensive than $16,000???) using an iPod as the source - and the "cheap" system blew away the "reference" system.
HI Phil, How do you connect it? Do you use the headphone out jack, or does it have specific RCA out jacks? I'm waiting for one that has a digital out. thanx -akhilesh
I've got some monster cable that goes from the headphone out jack and splits into RCA jacks. It's not exactly "high end" but I think it sounds as good as the Rega on most stuff (a little more "punch" on most material) and, again, it is super-convenient. I guess I'm too lazy to be a proper audiophile :)
Thanx Phil! Seems like disk drives are going to be the transports of the future. I'm waiting for a cheap drive with digital outs....Till then my museatex CDD will suffice! -akhilesh
Speaking of hard disk storage, did you see the threads about DVR's and PVR's in the Digital Video forum?
This may be sacrilege, but I really have never felt like the source component is that important. Probably because I have a tin ear, but I don't hear near as much difference in source components as I do in speakers (Mark's analog stuff is really the only thing I've heard that I thought was perceptibly different, and that may have had more to do with volume, newness to the hobby, wine, etc.) I have no problem listening to the iPod through the Zen - and while most of my material is 192kbps, some is lower than that. I'm sure that I'm missing micro-detail (probably stuff that my speakers can't even play) but I don't miss anything (i.e. no listening fatigue).
will check those out, wayne! -akhilesh
My experience is quite different. While i could not really tell the difference between my midfi NAD c541i & Sony Xa20ES players (i mean they were different but equal), the difference was HUGE when i bought the (used) Museatex CDD transport & bitstream converter. I also tested a Krell CD player (around $2,000 street)and it was much more imposing, but alas, even more DIGITAL than my NAD. The museatex is very analog, and i havent even modded it yet. I agree though Phil, IMHO the speakers are the main component to focus on, since they have the most error. -akhilesh