"Tat Chan" wrote in message
...

"Trevor Wilson" wrote in message
...

**I have no idea if it is well documented. I only speak on behalf of my
own
experiences. The 965BX is noisy. Around 80dB S/N. The noise signal is
supersonic, but unacceptable.

and an acceptable S/N ratio for a CD player would be?

**96dB+


**Nope. The 971 was a significantly better player than the 965 though. I
would expect the newer players to be better again. Whether that
betterness
(I wonder what my spellchecker will do with that?) will translate into
superior sound quality, is a whole 'nuther issue. I just wanted to make
the
point that the 965 was flawed.

point taken. The DAC in the 965 is more than a decade old, and I would
expect modern CD players to wipe the floor with the 965.

**Not quite. IMO, after around 1988 or so, the advances in CD players have
been modest.

I have AB'ed the 965 with a Philips DVD 707 player (entry level player
about
18 - 24 months old), and while I found the 965 to be better at
CD playback, the difference wasn't night and day (IMHO)

**The differences between *any* CD players (post 1988) is not night and day.
We are splitting hairs here, you know.



Additionally, the Arcams are very good sounding players. I suggest you
shortlist them.


yes, they are good, but overpriced compared to the Rotels, no thanks to
the
freight charges and whatever else
makes its way into the final retail price here.

**That depends on where you are. In the UK, Arcams are pretty well priced.
In the US, Rotels are far too expensive. In Australia, Rotel recently raised
its prices, making them far less attractive.


The Arcam I am watching on Ebay is getting a bit too pricey for a 2nd hand
ex-demo CD player that is 3 years old.

**Fair enough. Personally, I like the high end players from a few years ago.
A high end Sony (5ES) might sell for AUS$500.00, when it originally sold for
a couple of grand. Ditto, other brands. One of my favourite old players in
the Technics SLPS900. Around AUS$800.00, when new (ca. 1990). It sounds very
nice and can be picked up for around AUS$100.00 or less (I still own mine).
I saw a Marantz CD80 recently for around AUS$400.00. Great player.You may
need to allow for the cost of a laser replacement, in an old player, though.
Arcams are cheap and easy to service, since they use bog-standard Philips
stuff inside. I don't much care for their construction, but the sound
quality is fine.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au