well.. B&O now only use active speaker. so is there any big difference in sound quality between CD players alone.. e.g. beosound 4 and beosound 9000.

B&O always say they have optimized the sound quality. For speakers, of course the size of speaker limits its quality, beolab 5 must win beosound 4000, for example. But this does not apply to CD players.

e.g. If I connect a pair of beolab 4000 to beosound 1 or beosound 4 or beosound 9000, should I get any difference when I play the same CD?

The thing that makes the big difference is the Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC) I have been listening to high end CD players recently and the actual drive seems relatively unimportant. The DAC however does make a difference. Can I tell the difference between a CDX and a £1500 high end player - yes, but only just. Can I tell the difference between these and a £15,000 ultra high end player - unfortunately the answer is yes, very easily. Depressing really!

The CD5500 and it's bretheren use a particularly fine DAC - a Philips 1541A which is still heralded as rather good. The CDX uses a 1540 but this is a 4 times over sampling 14 bit device and hence rather unusual! The CD50 has a single channel Burr-Brown DAC which is just plain weird! You can tell the difference between them but it is not necessarily the case that one is 'the winner'! They just sound slightly different! 

The later machines use a variety of drives and moderate DACs. However get one with a digital out and you can get as good a DAC as you want. Audition first though and see if you can tell them apart! 

For the time being and having in mind that we are talking about audio only i'd recommend BS900 since, like Peter said, has Digital audio out (coax), BS4 doesn't.

Last but not least, the quality of the CD its important like the speakers that you may choose; to have the best quality, do use, BL5 (fully digital).

Other solutions may be choosen but the 'modus operandi' is, and always should be, a fully test drive in the store and at your home.

Your local dealer will, surely, be happy to help you.

HTH (Hope this helps)
 

Peter:

The thing that makes the big difference is the Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC) I have been listening to high end CD players recently and the actual drive seems relatively unimportant. The DAC however does make a difference. Can I tell the difference between a CDX and a £1500 high end player - yes, but only just. Can I tell the difference between these and a £15,000 ultra high end player - unfortunately the answer is yes, very easily. Depressing really!

The CD5500 and it's bretheren use a particularly fine DAC - a Philips 1541A which is still heralded as rather good. The CDX uses a 1540 but this is a 4 times over sampling 14 bit device and hence rather unusual! The CD50 has a single channel Burr-Brown DAC which is just plain weird! You can tell the difference between them but it is not necessarily the case that one is 'the winner'! They just sound slightly different! 

The later machines use a variety of drives and moderate DACs. However get one with a digital out and you can get as good a DAC as you want. Audition first though and see if you can tell them apart! 

Also bear in mind that, whatever the price of the transport/DAC it then needs amplifying and then, last but far from least, (or in my view far the most important) - the speakers. How does the £15K player + £??K amp + £??K speakers compare to the BL5 which by comparison is a one-stop-shop absolute bargain of the century with a DAC/Amp/Speaker all in one package for 2/3rds the price of your source If, as you say (and I agree), the transport is all but irrelevant but it has a digital out why would you even consider any of the other nonsense

 Not that I can afford them of course

pedrompinto:

For the time being and having in mind that we are talking about audio only i'd recommend BS900 since, like Peter said, has Digital audio out (coax), BS4 doesn't.

Last but not least, the quality of the CD its important like the speakers that you may choose; to have the best quality, do use, BL5 (fully digital).

You are right, but it is important not to forget that BL5 is the only speaker in the B&O range that uses the digital out form BS9000 (or BC2). For all the others, the digital out is useless.

tom:

pedrompinto:

For the time being and having in mind that we are talking about audio only i'd recommend BS900 since, like Peter said, has Digital audio out (coax), BS4 doesn't.

Last but not least, the quality of the CD its important like the speakers that you may choose; to have the best quality, do use, BL5 (fully digital).

You are right, but it is important not to forget that BL5 is the only speaker in the B&O range that uses the digital out form BS9000 (or BC2). For all the others, the digital out is useless.

100% correct. :D

There are also other solutions to accomplish CD / audio lossloss files to speakers function; i personally have a BS4 but nowadays use my Apple mini with a Lacie 1TB external disk and i can assure you that i'm quite happy with it.

Simple is beautiful. 

tom:

You are right, but it is important not to forget that BL5 is the only speaker in the B&O range that uses the digital out form BS9000 (or BC2). For all the others, the digital out is useless.

Correct, though with a modification: you can run the digital out signal to a stand-alone DAC, and then run the analog out from that to your BeoLab speakers, which means you're not tied down to just the BL5.
An improvement over the analog out from the BeoSound 9000 would then result if the DAC was better than the one in the BS9000.
 

The previous post are all very interesting but totally miss the point of the original post.

My answer to the original question is no! I can't hear any difference between beosound 4 and beosound 9000 when connected to the same speakers and playing the same cd.

I've just been testing these same two items prior to sale connected to my Lab 5000's and I can't hear any difference.

Bet you can tell the difference between the CDX and a BS9000. And indeed a CD5500. Bass seems to be different and the other sound that separates the men from the boys is the cymbal.

joeyboygolf:

The previous post are all very interesting but totally miss the point of the original post.

My answer to the original question is no! I can't hear any difference between beosound 4 and beosound 9000 when connected to the same speakers and playing the same cd.

I've just been testing these same two items prior to sale connected to my Lab 5000's and I can't hear any difference.

I noticed I was completely off topic after I had posted in response to Peter!

Anyhoo...... any difference that can be heard is just that - a difference! Which is more accurate is a much, much more difficult question to answer. In the end it just comes down to which you prefer.

I'd love to see an objective, scientific comparison of a £15K source versus a "reasonable" player to see where the money went and how much better it can truly be.

Peter:

Bet you can tell the difference between the CDX and a BS9000. And indeed a CD5500. Bass seems to be different and the other sound that separates the men from the boys is the cymbal.

I've never had a CDX but the CD50 is quite vinyl-ish in character. B&O CD players like their speakers seem to get more clinical as time goes by.

Puncher:

joeyboygolf:

The previous post are all very interesting but totally miss the point of the original post.

My answer to the original question is no! I can't hear any difference between beosound 4 and beosound 9000 when connected to the same speakers and playing the same cd.

I've just been testing these same two items prior to sale connected to my Lab 5000's and I can't hear any difference.

I noticed I was completely off topic after I had posted in response to Peter!

Anyhoo...... any difference that can be heard is just that - a difference! Which is more accurate is a much, much more difficult question to answer. In the end it just comes down to which you prefer.

I'd love to see an objective, scientific comparison of a £15K source versus a "reasonable" player to see where the money went and how much better it can truly be.

Agree! You will no doubt be very surprised to hear that I decided to keep the CDX!   The system we listened to all the players through was the top of the line Naim 555 system played through Spendor S9Es (I think). Actually, I must confess to not being that blown away - very nice and detailed but not like Beolab 5s or Quad ESLs in taking my breath away. 'Only' 3 grand speakers so I suppose they were the weakest link!

joeyboygolf:

Peter:

Bet you can tell the difference between the CDX and a BS9000. And indeed a CD5500. Bass seems to be different and the other sound that separates the men from the boys is the cymbal.

I've never had a CDX but the CD50 is quite vinyl-ish in character. B&O CD players like their speakers seem to get more clinical as time goes by.

Surprisingly, The CD-50 and CDX sound more similar to me than the other B&O CD players! I know this sounds daft, but I rather like the DVD player in the  Avant for playing CDs - seems a bit more dynamic than my BC2 and also my CD7000 when I had that. No doubt some little loudness circuit fooling me!! 

Peter:

 

Agree! You will no doubt be very surprised to hear that I decided to keep the CDX!

 

Good man - you know it makes sense !

I am also hopefully getting a CD5500 - I don't want you thinking I am completely sensible!!

Peter:

I am also hopefully getting a CD5500 - I don't want you thinking I am completely sensible!!

....... to go with the recommended BL5's of course!

Have not broached that one yet!! Very very tempted though!

Peter:

Have not broached that one yet!! Very very tempted though!

As I said - you know it makes sense!

Just tell her how much you've saved by not throwing your money away on a daft CD player! You're a 1/6th of the way already! I'd be quick - it seems that there's an imminent price rise, another saving/cost avoidance!

thank you for your "on-topic" reply.

Beo:

thank you for your "on-topic" reply.

well.... i do expect little difference, but no difference is a disappointing answer to B&O fans

No really! They are all perfectly good! There are obviously big differences in function though - the BS9000 can play 6 discs, the BC2 plays DVDs, and the BS4 is good value. 

of course, we do expect quality difference as price changed

They did in the past. The CD5500 used the TDA1541A or P DAC where the CD4500 used the plain TDA1541. You probably cannot hear the difference, but you can measure it!

Not sure if the new ones do the same, but they may. 

Peter:

They did in the past. The CD5500 used the TDA1541A or P DAC where the CD4500 used the plain TDA1541. You probably cannot hear the difference, but you can measure it!

Not sure if the new ones do the same, but they may. 

 So what you're saying is that the CD5500 is therefore much better than the CD4500?? Even though the CD4500 is much newer.

No. I am saying it has a better specified DAC. Whether you can hear the difference as they are simply differently specified units of the same DAC is decidedly debatable. It is quite likely that they are produced on the same line and those with the better spec are marked A and those with slightly wider tolerances are not. You can simply change the DAC if you want and if you can find a TDA 1541A ! I would expect the 5500 to be better than a 4500 as it is a better specified machine though.

Hey Peter, I just wanted to let you know, I have a CD4500 open right now and the DAC chip is the TDA 1541A, not the 1541.  Maybe this wasn't the case for all of them though, as I can only speak for the one in front of me.

Austin