The great cd player con..........Your thoughts please!

I have also considered some Active monitors but I do have some concerns, 1) Price £1,400 for something you can't demo is a lot to fork out, yes you can return but that will cost ?, if I lived near the factory then I would pop down there, actually I was down there in October but was not looking at hifi then. 2) There are some negative reviews (bass) and I'm not sure the sound will suit me/my music? 3) Wiring, location and inputs maybe a problem with my system/room. 4) Lack of flexibility. As for cost yes £1400 is alot but that includes DAC, Amp and speakers, I disregard cable as speaker cable is fairly cheap and I may need longer cables for source players which tend to be quite expensive. So Passive system amp, DAC and speakers would cost about £1,500 if I bought a Rega system, however I could buy a cheaper system. So at the moment the jury is out, I think I will wait until I can hear one.

I don;t doubt there's some good people out there too don't you think?  Why is it that one or two bad apples always appear to taint the whole barrel according to some?  

And you think actives free your from upgradeitis?  I beg to differ from what I have heard...the boxes might be smaller, but people still swap stuff in and out.  Some AVI owners have gone from one model to the next so I'm not sure what the difference is exactly.  Maybe you can explain?  I use AVI as I used to go on that forum for a while; I'm sure the same could be said for Genelec, Yamaha, etc., owners too.  

"ostensibly, the closest approach to the original sound - the original tenet of HiFi."

I have no problem with getting close to the original sound BUT do not LPs and cds sound different? Also even the same album will sound different from different pressings. 

Also what do the uprated tweeters do to the sound?

Other actives are available BigH!  Genelec, Yamaha, Roland (their DS7 speaker also comes with an onboard DAC by the by, comes in at around £250 a pair at Red Dog Music in Edinburgh just now) and so on.  

If you want to return the speakers, you'd need to insure them for the cost to replace in the event of damage - so, factor that in.  Companies like Parcel 2 Go can offer reduced rates for couriers and the Royal Mail, but you don't want to rely on the handling skills of drivers all of the time!

Bass: I'm told by Ashley James on the back of a comment I made around earlier models the ADM 9 series that some people had commented in forums and in reviews that the speakers sounded on the lean side that this is not so, and there are around 4000 happy customers out there.  No doubt.  But said comments have been made, so obviously for some, that;'s an issue like it or not.  So you're wise to factor that in to any decisions you make if you're buying an earlier model.  Either that or buy a sub to go with them - AVI's is about £800 or £900.  Apparently, the new model with the new driver delivers a better bass response, so either AVI landed on this by pure chance, or those few comments from the minority got through.  You'd need to ask Ash...   

You probably need to try a few systems and decide for yourself - this has been highlighted again to me on another thread where apparently what I'm hearing from my DC4's isn't bass at all and apparently they don't have any.    So pick a few systems out and don't be afraid to try stuff that isn't the flavour of the month or is by another manufacturer rarely touted on here.  They will work just as well.  Just keep an open-mind and draw your own conclusions.  It's fun!  

Thanks for that info. did not know about the cheaper options. One concern is the lean sound, as I play the music fairly low would that be a problem, my current system to my ears gives a rich sound at low volume. Also I have heard that poorer recordings are really shown up by active speakers is that true, Im concerned because about half of my cds were recorded over 50 years ago.

[EDITED BY MODS to clarify who's saying what]

BigH, 2 points - there are hundreds (mainly pro audio and most will require a dac and pre amp) of active speakers available and they all sound different, and while a very small minority seem to find the Adms lean the vast majority appear not to.  As I said earlier, if you're concerned whether they would suit your preferred music, ask on Avi's forum - you might find owners who listen to the same sort of music who can offer advice.  If it helps, my active speakers are more forgiving to poor recordings then the last passive speakers I owned.

Not all actives sound the same!  My personal preference is for Genelec - I've heard several of theirs and have yet to hear a bad one.  They don't have an onboard DAC (or at least, the models I heard didn't) and you might need to buy an adapter (cheap) that would enable you to connect a CDP to one of the inputs, but otherwise, they are great.  

Generally speaking, the usual application for an active speaker is in music production or mastering.  Try a few out - if you have a pro-audio music store near you, Yamaha HS50, HS80 are two good ones to give a go, the latter being a bigger box so somewhat bassier.  Genelec 8020A, 8030A.  Mackie, KRK's Rokit range and the aforesaid Roland DS7 (an outgoing line).  There's others of course.  Don't be put off by the pro audio environment, the shops I've gone to have been unfailingly helpful and the guys are easy going.  

Oh, I read that in quite the opposite way!

Thanks again for the info. Its good to know about old recordings. I will have a look for some retailers in my area.

HOW DO YOU DO QUOTES ON THIS FORUM, I have put quote tags round [ ] but does not seem to work.

Instead of clicking 'reply', click 'quote' under the post.

If only there was some way of making it clearer.

Excellent advice - I'd also add Dynaudio and Event Opal to the list - and of course the one brand apart from Bose perhaps, that is anaethema to audiophiles ...lol.. - B&O.

Of course I'm biased lol, as I just spent about a decades worth of concert tickets to buy some!  

Happy new Year!

JMac..... 

Welcome to the forum, btw, jonboi JMacMan.  Glad to hear you finally got those B&Os; do us a full review when you have time will you?

Thank you for the welcome John - very kind of you.

Happy to.... I mostly 'hang out' on Beoworld forums these days as an B&O owner, and have done for a while, as they're very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, and importantly, speaking personally,  there's scant politicking or much of a brand fanboy attitude - just sensible, friendly and helpful discussion, punctuated by quite a lot of real world criticism of the product from time to time - rare in a one brand forum, albeit they're independant and not affiliated with B&O in anyway.

Happy New Year to You and Yours and thank you again for the most kind welcome.

Kind Regards

JMac, aka John, aka Jonboi

P.S. - jonboi was taken when I signed up, hence the name change... 

Cheers JM, welcome to the non-dark side, dark-side, grey side maybe....!  Thanks for the kind words.