"JustMe" wrote in message
...

Could you consolidate your three CD players into one superior model and do
the same for the two amps?

I prefer the sound of a £200 turntable over an £800 CD player - I'm no
"digiphobe" either, and I'd still find it worthwhile investing in a better
CD player to get the best I could afford from that medium - but I find
vinyl
has the life, energy and projection which CD does not match.

A second-hand Marantz CD63SE or CD63KI Sig might suit your wish for more
openness and should cost between £100-£200 tops, although I'm certain
others
have other suggestions.

I'd also recommend you replace that worn stylus immediately, so that you
can
enjoy many more years from the records you have left - and from any future
vinyl purchases that you make.

I'm not convinced that the problem is the amplifiers. I've tried many
different configurations of amps, including the great project kit "Foreplay"
pre-amp avaliable at http://bottlehead.com/. I've also used my Musical
Fidelity X Cans V3 as a pre-amp with my Yammy and the NAD with very good
results. Also, under headphones, I believe my current setup should be
getting me about 90% there. Also, I'm not convinced that I'll hear much of
a difference between the Marantz and the Cambrige Audio. Although I
certainly haven't compared many higher-end CD players, when I went to the
Sound Room, a local (Vancouver, Canada) audio shop and tried listening to
various players (I confess that I don't remember what they were anymore), I
don't think I would have been able to distinguish them. That being said,
I'll keep my ears open.

I'll take that suggestion to replace the stylus right away. In fact, I'm
going to start checking out the second-hand stores for a good belt driven
turntable as, from what other posters have said, direct drive turntables
don't sound nearly as good.

I really just wish that CDs did give me that sense of spatial detail that
vinyl does, however. The music just isn't moving me the way it used to.

Thanks for you response,

Roland Goetz.