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Question

CD Player spec?

  • October 24, 2020
  • 9 replies
  • 228 views
Y
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I have bought a ZP90 second hand off eBay, with a view to adding a CD player into my system (streaming services are all well and good, but I miss looking through CDs on a shelf and picking which one to play).

 

I’ve got the ZP90 working ok, but I had to turn the volume up on the source otherwise the Connect wouldn’t detect anything on the line in, to pass onto the rest of the system.

 

When getting a CD Player, do I need one with any sort of pre-amp built in or any feature to ensure that it will work with the connect?

 

Thanks.

 

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9 replies

controlav
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  • controlav
  • Lead Maestro
  • October 24, 2020

You can adjust the expected level of the line-in on the ZP90 (I think, its been a while), have you tried that? A CD player should not need a pre-amp.

Author of the leading independent Sonos apps for Android, MacOS, iOS, Windows and Xbox.
K
  • Kumar
  • October 25, 2020

No preamp needed in any I have seen, but I had a CDP once that also had a volume level control, probably there to avoid input signal clipping, that may need to be moved around.

Airgetlam
  • Airgetlam
  • October 25, 2020

Huh. Did that CDP have two outputs, one line level as normal, and a second controlled by the volume control? I think, and it’s been years now, so the memory may not be valid, that the only devices I’ve seen like that had the volume control only affect a headphone jack. 

Bruce
K
  • Kumar
  • October 25, 2020

Nope, it was a Marantz CD 6000 OSE with the volume control on the remote for the analog output socket pair, ranging between 0dB and -30dB. The default level at power turn on was max volume, 0Db.

Airgetlam
  • Airgetlam
  • October 25, 2020

Wow, interesting. What an unusual setup.

Bruce
K
  • Kumar
  • October 25, 2020

Not that unusual - I had a Quad CDP once as well, that had variable line outputs as well as fixed. Two pair of jacks in that case though. The idea behind the variable outputs was to eliminate the need for the preamp box of the typical pre + power amp two box combination common in audiophile circles. For such deviant audiophiles that could do with a box less:-). 

Airgetlam
  • Airgetlam
  • October 25, 2020

I’m afraid my audiophile experience was only looking longingly at equipment I couldn’t afford. ;)

Bruce
K
  • Kumar
  • October 25, 2020

Bottom line though is that:

  1. I still retained the Quad pre amp to retain my box count back in the day.
  2. Today, even if I had the Quad power amp, I would have been very content with just it out of sight with an Echo Show 5 wired to its input jacks.

Which would yield audibly the same results if the speakers are unchanged:-). 

Airgetlam
Y
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  • yhingsy
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • October 25, 2020

Thanks all 👍

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