Shanling CD Player Expirience

[Hipgrncln]

Splitting my HT into 2 channel and smaller HT and was wondering if anyone had any expirience with just a amp (anthem) and a CD player with volume control. How much does the pre-amp/proccesser flavor the sound???

Bob J

 

[roberto]

Splitting my HT into 2 channel and smaller HT and was wondering if anyone had any expirience with just a amp (anthem) and a CD player with volume control. How much does the pre-amp/proccesser flavor the sound???

Bob J

Hola...yes they do...and not only flavors the sound but opens up the stage, the air between into the instruments is more evident, and there are some echoes that are more realistic with a good preamp than drive them direct from the cd player to the amp. If you take apart the top cover of a cd player and you look for the dedicated area for sound, you will be surprised of how little the section is. If your CD has a ditital volume control, when using it, you will be taking info from the signal, there will be less bits, and the signal is compromised with it. Some can hear it, other don´t care. It depends a lot of your liking. On the other hand, if you take apart the cover of a digital processor, you will be amazed of the dedicated part for sound. There are good sounding CD players, but also there are super good sounding digital processor and then, preamplifiers. Some time ago, I tried the Wadia...it is a very good sounding machine, but to my ears, with all respect to the ones that are using it direct, with the aid of a preamp, I got better size of the instruments, especially when solo or combos music, not too many instruments. Also the stage, I got more depth in a sense of the drummer with cymbals with the bass player and piano player also...the guitar was more palpable and more easy to follow the left hand at it, and the tonal balance was more, again, to my ears, more right, more precise...this is my experience, and also my liking...trust your ears and choose the sound that you like most. Happy listening,
Pura vida,
Roberto.

 

[kach22i]

My experience on this topic was with mid-fi, and about 15 years ago. Therefore, I'm not sure how relevant it will be to anyone.

1. 1990 Yamaha CD changer, single chip MASH and variable output.

2. Carver CT-17 preamp, tuner and prologic (remember that?) processor.

This was before my Martin Logans, back in 1991. Was using back then some small box speaker with separate bass units, and Rotel amps.

The Carver preamp went into the shop a year after I purchased it, the tuning circuit failed - got fixed for free. In the couple of weeks it took to get it fixed I set up the CD player directly to the main amp.

The results were interesting; it was as if a heavy drape or curtain had been removed from the speakers. The speakers themselves had no grille cloth (non-removable perforated metal), but the experience was as if some terrible decorative late 1970's Radio Shack loudspeaker grille had been removed.

A; Top end sparkle was extended.

B: More detail at all frequencies.

The results of this experiment was that I became dissatisfied with my preamp, but because I was in Graduate school and charging up my credit card with living expenses was unable to do anything about this bottleneck for many years.



............trust your ears as roberto has said.

 

[sleepysurf]

Remember, the original purpose for a pre-amp was to amplify the low-output phono stages, while allowing source switching to tape decks, CD players, etc. A pre-amp may certainly "color" the sound, perhaps in a likeable fashion, but with a variable output source (CD player, outboard DAC, Squeezebox, etc.), it may not be NECESSARY.

I currently have no pre-amp for my two channel listening, and (like Kach), find the sound more pristine and dynamic. As Roberto says... trust your ears.

 

[Wardsweb]

If you're asking about using the Shanling to drive a amp(s), then you will be more than just fine. All the digital to analog conversion and upsampling are done in the Shanling that also has a really nice tube output stage. If you want a little more high end then you can use the solid state output section. It doesn't have the typical tube rolloff that some refer to as warmth in tubes.

 

[jjqiv]

I am using a Placette passive preamp (i.e., not really a preamp, just a switching device with very high quality resistors to attenuate the signal). With a good source components, it definitely sounds better than all the preamps I have tried in my system.

 

[amey01]

Trust your ears is the most important thing, but I have had experience the other way.

Remember, a preamp dosen't only amplify sound - it provides a host of other functions such as impedance matching, etc.

My only experience sans active preamp was back in the mid 1990s with a Wadia CD Player (can't remember what model) into an Audio Research D300 SS amplifier and ProAc Response 3? speakers. The preamp on hand was an Audio Research SP14 I believe.

It is worth noting that the sound did open up sans preamp, however the bass was a lot weaker and less controlled - assumably because of the source component's inability to drive the power amp as authoritatively and forcefully. Remember this was a source component designed specifically for driving a power amp directly. Interesting......

I would assume the better the source component the better the end result in eliminating the preamp.

 

[kwr]

Splitting my HT into 2 channel and smaller HT and was wondering if anyone had any expirience with just a amp (anthem) and a CD player with volume control.
Bob J

This was our favoured audio setup for many years. CD player with variable analogue output into amps. Have used Arcam Delta 90, Krell KPS 20i/l, Audio Aero Capitole 24/192.

Both the Arcam and the Audio Aero could also be run direct into a preamp and this is where you realise that the quality of the variable output stage is of great importance. The Krell and the Audio Aero essentially had an onboard discrete preamp.

We trialled the Shanling 100 and werent that impressed several years ago. As is our wont we got it completely wrong according to the shop. We preferred the solid state over the tubed output stage and didn't think either were particularly good. It looks great and is reasonable value for money but not the giant killer that others had reviewed it as.

Can you get it in to have a listen?

Kevin