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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2018 14:49:11 GMT
Having read the Lampizator site again recently my interest has been drawn to the old Cambridge Audio CD3 designed by Stan Curtis.
Mr Lampizator loves it. Four TDA1541 dacs in parallel, multiples of the same chips to share the load and improve accuracy and a fairly simple output stage.
Never heard or know anyone who owns one. I do have a CA CD5 but that is much more modern (year 2000). It does nothing wrong imo and plays good music with my AP20 and doc mod speakers.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2018 14:55:09 GMT
Never tried one. I didn't like any of the old DacMagics though if they contained the same chip?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2018 16:51:18 GMT
No i dont think they did.
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Bigman80
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AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 12, 2018 18:06:16 GMT
Aargh! An itch I’d forgotten I needed to scratch! It was a “one that got away”, and they always eat at you.
I’d always wanted a CD2 as I was (and am) a fan of Stan Curtis. I never quite had the money and then it was gone before I did. Then the CD3 came out and it was damned with faint praise in the mags.I saw one in a hifi shop closing down sale. It was right in front of me and only £150 new! I believed the mags and walked away. To this day I regret it. I love TDA1541 players and I admire Stan’s work. It should’ve been a no brainier.
It would have to be a second system toy, but I’d still love to get my hands on one. Prices are strong these days though so it may never happen.
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Post by macca on Oct 12, 2018 18:11:01 GMT
Always wanted a CD1 in the two boxes with the optional error counter third box. The first two box player ever and only because he couldn't fit all the power supply bobbins in one case.
The CD4SE is a good-un even though they were pretty cheap. Rep for unreliability though. but you should be able to get one for twenty quid or so now, worth it for a play about.
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
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Post by Bigman80 on Oct 12, 2018 18:14:45 GMT
Always wanted a CD1 in the two boxes with the optional error counter third box. The first two box player ever and only because he couldn't fit all the power supply bobbins in one case. The CD4SE is a good-un even though they were pretty cheap. Rep for unreliability though. but you should be able to get one for twenty quid or so now, worth it for a play about. I bought my brothers CD4se back in 2012. He’d had it from new and it had worked perfectly. I had it about 3 months and it conked ou! I replaced it with a CD5 that I got for £20.it wasn’t bad but the 4 SE had more about it to me. I would’ve loved a CD1 but never dreamed it was possible. My mate has been to Cambridge Audio and reckons they have a mint CD1 on display there. You never see them second hand. |
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Post by macca on Oct 12, 2018 18:22:56 GMT
You don't and I wonder if most of them have been skipped by idiots who thought the laser had gone in them when it was just something easy to replace like a cap?
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Post by nonuffin on Oct 12, 2018 18:34:23 GMT
I always reckoned the CA players were rather flimsy in build quality and lightweight in sound too. Last bakeoff I attended one person bought a 640C along and that was no different.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2018 18:38:39 GMT
Designed by Doug Self per chance ?
Mr zero distortion at all costs (ie the music)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2018 19:36:33 GMT
CD1, 2 and 3 was old Cambridge Audio (Stan Curtis). Not part of the IAS Chinese group of today. CD4 SE had John Wood involvement, as did the Cambridge Audio S700 IsoMagic DAC. This is his best design that he did for C.A. and has plenty scope for modding, so he says. A review: www.uhfmag.com/Issue61/Isomagic.html |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2018 19:43:10 GMT
I don't know about scope for modding, but I had the S700 and found it only marginally less dull than the DacMagic 1 and 2. I used Amercan DACs thereon and they sounded much better.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2018 19:57:52 GMT
John Wood? I did mean John Westlake, of course.
There's a thread on DIY Audio regarding it.
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Post by macca on Oct 12, 2018 21:39:24 GMT
I always reckoned the CA players were rather flimsy in build quality and lightweight in sound too. Last bakeoff I attended one person bought a 640C along and that was no different. I had the top of the line 840c Azur. Very good build quality and weighed a ton. Upsampling to 384Khz that you couldn't turn off unless you were using it as a DAC. If you played a CD you got the upsampling whether you liked it or not. Although as a DAC only in 16/44.1 the character remained the same. A lot of money that was new, had to skimp on my brother's wedding present LOL. Fluffy, airy sound, that's the only way I can describe it. Wasn't for me at all. Sold it to a bloke who didn't like digital. |
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Post by dsjr on Oct 13, 2018 8:01:58 GMT
Cambridge of that period suffered badly with suppliers not always giving the quality they ought to have done, as Cambridge were too small. Way over complex for what it needed to be, the CD2 and 3, but the peeps liked it and we sold a goodly few..
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