Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions CD Player - CD-A8T, Tube/Solid State HDCD

Hello:

I'm in the market for a new CDP - my friends tell me i'm out of the times with a 1985 Philips & 1990 Sony.

A friend suggested the CD-A8T, a Chineses-made Tube/Solid State HDCD/CD Player ($700 US + $40 shipping + duty), with a three year warrantee. Anything goes wrong, you tell them, and they ship you a new part. I don't know the exact details.

He rates it at A++, says the remote is made of cast aluminum and weighs about a pound, and the CDP is built like a brick ....,

Anyone have experience with this one, or wish to offer comments?

CD-A8T CD Player

These Chinese hybrid players are getting good reviews. The popular Shanling models are very good performers and may be slightly cheaper. There is also a more expensive T100 model. http://www.charismaaudio.com/T80.html

Used go for around C$575.

Thanks Jake:

I would agree based on my Chinese-made hybrid integrated amp that the Chinese are in the midst of turning out very good audio equipment, and are currently fine tuning their processes. We're going to see the same cycle the Japenese went through.

I looked at the Shanling T80, and found it expensive (I think it was about $1200 US or so on Ebay). Based on that price, I didn't venture into their higher numbered models.

Here's my only comment:

It seems like an awful lot of money for a CD player, especially when you've already got a tube amp.

Let us know what you think of it. I heard the Shanling at a local shop and was very impressed. I'll probably bring my Rotel 1072 up and do a side by side. I know several friends who say there isn't a CDP at that price point that can match it performance wise. Yes the Chinese are really bringing our neat hybrid gear. They still have a way to go with quality control though which continues to be a concern I have with Chinese goods generally.

kcarlile:

1. This comment is not directed to you in particular, but, would someone like to post a matrix which defines price vs CDP attributes, and while they're at it, they might as well continue on with preamps, amps, speakers, etc. The price you pay is based on item popularity, what you read, the opinions of friends, and what you hear. Unfortunately, with many people, the last factor itemised doesn't carry very much weight in the selection process.

2. Sorry, but you lost me on the CDP vs amp comment. How is the purchase of a tube CDP related to a tube amp?

If you're already modifying the output with tubes, do you need to add another set of tubes to modify the output?

kcarlile:

1. I still miss your point. Within any complex piece of electronics, thousands of transformations/converstions are taking place every second; that's the nature of dynamic equipment. So the point is ...

2. With solid state equipment, you have bipolar circuits interfacing with diodes, FET's, etc. And the point would be ....

We're obviously not going to agree. I think that solid state is far more accurate than tubes, but tubes can make nice adjustments to the sound. That was my point.

kcarlile:

1, Each has their pros and cons; you just have to decide which you like better, or in my case, experiment with both to find if I think one provides superior audio over the other.

2. Tube amps produce more harmonic distortion, but the type they produce is even order distortion, and is not as harsh-sounding as the odd order distortion transistors produce. Large amounts of even-order distortion (as high as 1-2%) produces little listening fatigue, and can even be relatively pleasant. On the other hand, small amounts of odd-order distortion (less than 0.5%) are audible, even by untrained ears, and make music harder to enjoy.

3. When tramsistors saturate, it's like falling off a cliff, while when a tube saturates, the roll-off is gentle. Tubes use dangerously high supplies, while in general, a transistor doesn't. Tubes have a much shorter life span than transistors. And I think in general, transistor are much cheaper than tubes.

3. So you see, you can choose as many parameters as you like to compare, until someone runs out. Then the parameters have to be rated as to their significance in the application.