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Optimizing input to Audiolab 8200CDQ?


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No idea, you'd need to try. I'm surprised however that your Audiolab still sounds better from CD than when used with Audirvana. Must be a pretty good internal CD unit or a pretty weak USB implementation.

Well, the mouse is a little flakey but the typing seems fine. My weekend testing did lead me to think this must be some good CD player. (Trying out the maritime idiom.) I tried the trick of putting the ALAC file on a CD and didn't have a strong impression either way. I was comparing that to ALAC via USB from laptop with Audirvana. Okay, a long video cable is cheaper and less likely to make problems with something whose quality I'm neurotic about, so I think I'll try that.

- Lynette

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Mac Mini with iTunes and Pure Music > Audiophilleo2 > Audiolab 8200CDQ pre-amp/CD player/DAC > Kimber PBJ interconnects [> Grant Fidelity B283 mkii Tube Processor > mystery hand-me-down interconnects >] Audiolab 8200P power amp > Grant Fidelity SPC-2.5 Performance speaker cables > Opera Consonance Eric Grand speakers

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Must be a pretty good internal CD unit...

 

My weekend testing did lead me to think this must be some good CD player.

 

The Audiolab 8200CDQ CD Player uses a Sony KHM-313AAM CD Mechanism.

 

 

audiolab_8200cdq_02.jpg

 

 

Audiolab 8200CDQ CD Player (Early Type)

 

audiolab_8200cdq_03.jpg

Audiolab 8200CDQ CD Player (Late Type)

1975. First separates system: Leak 2001 Transcription Turntable + Leak 2000 Tuner Amplifier + Leak 2020 Loudspeakers

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I haven't got the usb/spdif yet--somewhat distracted by downloading my first hi res files. Yikes! Amazing! Uh oh! Doesn't it get hard to listen to your old collection? Good thing it's "holidays" i.e. research time when I can work at home.

 

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67924%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&vw=dc

 

I took the mac mini downstairs for a direct USB hookup to the 8200CDQ and now the 2 downloads from HDTracks won't play (they do nothing, or play a couple of seconds and skip all over to other tracks) and the tracks from Hyperion have chuff-chuff sounds that come with an "error" reading on the 8200CDQ panel.

 

Are there a tips and tricks for optimizing I should know about?

- Lynette

----

Mac Mini with iTunes and Pure Music > Audiophilleo2 > Audiolab 8200CDQ pre-amp/CD player/DAC > Kimber PBJ interconnects [> Grant Fidelity B283 mkii Tube Processor > mystery hand-me-down interconnects >] Audiolab 8200P power amp > Grant Fidelity SPC-2.5 Performance speaker cables > Opera Consonance Eric Grand speakers

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I haven't got the usb/spdif yet--somewhat distracted by downloading my first hi res files. Yikes! Amazing! Uh oh! Doesn't it get hard to listen to your old collection? Good thing it's "holidays" i.e. research time when I can work at home.

 

Arias for Guadagni - CDA67924 - Hyperion Records - MP3 and Lossless downloads

 

I took the mac mini downstairs for a direct USB hookup to the 8200CDQ and now the 2 downloads from HDTracks won't play (they do nothing, or play a couple of seconds and skip all over to other tracks) and the tracks from Hyperion have chuff-chuff sounds that come with an "error" reading on the 8200CDQ panel.

 

Are there a tips and tricks for optimizing I should know about?

 

You may want to clarify your playback setup. Is it still Audrivana?

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You may want to clarify your playback setup. Is it still Audrivana?

Right--I was rushing out of the house and I thought later that was a waste of everyone's time to say that little.

 

With Audirvana and iTunes, Direct, Exclusive Access, and Integer modes, from a Mac Air, via USB to the 8200CDQ, the 24/96 files from HDTracks and from Hyperion play fine.

 

Same settings for Audirvana and iTunes, on the Mac Mini, via USB to the 8200CDQ, chuff-chuffing with error message on the Hyperion and for the HD Tracks, it plays a couple of seconds of a song and then skips to another on one recording, and plays nothing and skips on another recording. And it also does that with iTunes directly. It doesn't happen on 16/44.1 files, Audirvana or iTunes. It happens no matter which of the 4 USBs on the mac mini I use.

 

(The HDTracks files (which come in AIFF) don't play on my iPhone although I have that set to sync higher resolution songs to 128 AAC. I haven't synced since getting the Hyperion. Those come in ALAC.

 

I have a mysterious and non-functioning (last time I tried) toslink to mini toslink so maybe I'll try that and see if it happens with that as well, if I can get it to function at all.

- Lynette

----

Mac Mini with iTunes and Pure Music > Audiophilleo2 > Audiolab 8200CDQ pre-amp/CD player/DAC > Kimber PBJ interconnects [> Grant Fidelity B283 mkii Tube Processor > mystery hand-me-down interconnects >] Audiolab 8200P power amp > Grant Fidelity SPC-2.5 Performance speaker cables > Opera Consonance Eric Grand speakers

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Hmmm..."Its a known issue with the latest Mac Mini's - the MAC's USB controller is sending incomplete data packets (in violation of the USB standard) - introduce by a recent (within the past few months) firmware update." says John W some months ago.

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/avatars/musicophile-10215.gif?dateline=1350727144

 

And here I was just thinking I'd get my quantum of pleasure from HD files these holidays and get the USB/SPDIF later so I could have a whole new season of audio happiness another day (instead of having all the pleasure at once).

 

On the good news front my HD Tracks are now playing through, just with lots of "error" and chuffing. But no longer skipping. Maybe it needed to warm up.

- Lynette

----

Mac Mini with iTunes and Pure Music > Audiophilleo2 > Audiolab 8200CDQ pre-amp/CD player/DAC > Kimber PBJ interconnects [> Grant Fidelity B283 mkii Tube Processor > mystery hand-me-down interconnects >] Audiolab 8200P power amp > Grant Fidelity SPC-2.5 Performance speaker cables > Opera Consonance Eric Grand speakers

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Mac mini has thunderbolt; mac air doesn't.

 

TOSLink works and produces no error messages/chuffing.

 

But it does give occasional (or more than occasional) pops--this we get from all optical input to the CDQ. We've noticed it from the AppleTV all year, and usually a rest helps (briefly switch to the other, inactive optical input and then switch back).

- Lynette

----

Mac Mini with iTunes and Pure Music > Audiophilleo2 > Audiolab 8200CDQ pre-amp/CD player/DAC > Kimber PBJ interconnects [> Grant Fidelity B283 mkii Tube Processor > mystery hand-me-down interconnects >] Audiolab 8200P power amp > Grant Fidelity SPC-2.5 Performance speaker cables > Opera Consonance Eric Grand speakers

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  • 8 months later...

Hi

 

I know this is an old thread but your comment is very applicable to me, 2 years later.

 

So here goes, my main mac and the iTunes library is not directly connected to my 8200CD. What I want to do is get a second mac and use sharing to stream from the said mac to a directly connected mac. Do you see an issue here? I hope I was clear with the description. I'll outline it below again in case.

 

iMac/iTunes Library --> wireless to airport extreme. Mac2 directly connected to the 8200CD via USB. Mac2 connected to airport extreme via ethernet. Mac2 is set to receive the iMac2/iTunes Library share.

 

What do you think? Will I see a degradation of quality? I prefer to keep iTunes Library connected to the iMac due to USB Time Machine which backs up iTunes Library.

 

I appreciate your take on this setup.

Best Regards[br]Alex

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  • 4 years later...

Hello,

 

Maybe this thread is old but I'd like to share my listening experience with the Audiolab 8200CDQ.

 

My best listening set-up for this DAC was achieved with how another user mentioned here.  

 

You can find the system chain below with details. 

 

Synology NAS -> Audioquest Carbon Ethernet -> TPlink Network Switch -> Audioquest Carbon Ethernet -> Raspberry Pi 3 Volumio -> Wireworld Ultraviolet USB -> ifi Audio Nano iUSB -> Wirelworld Ultraviolet USB -> ifi iONE DAC (and USB to Spdif output) -> Chord Prodac coaxial -> Coax 1 input of Audiolab 8200CDQ

 

Music is stored on a Synology NAS and connected in the same Isotek Polaris filter/power strip as the other components of the system (I found the NAS to be sensitive to filtering strip - Supra power strip had less details). The NAS has a separate chinese power supply (switching but which can accomodate IEC hi fi Cables - I use Supra Power Cable Lorad 2.5).

 

The NAS outputs data through a Audioquest Carbon Ethernet Cable (silver plated OFC) to a TPLinkNetwork Switch. I found that QED Performance Ethernet is also good, less detailed but more suited for direct USB connection to DAC - will detail later).  The TPLinkNetwork Switch that has an IFI audio Power Supply connected to a Supra filter/power strip.

 

The TPlink Switch outputs through another Audioquest Carbon Ethernet Cable to a Raspberry Pi 3 (Volumio installed). The Raspi then sends USB data through Wireworld Ultraviolet (also silver plated OFC) to a IFI Audio NANO iUSB. The iFi regenerates/reclocks the USB signal and also powers the Raspi through a second USB out that only has power outuput (the iUSB also has a IFI Power Supply that receives power from the Isotek Polaris filter/power strip). 

 

The ifi iUSB outputs Data and also power to an ifi iOne (DAC and spdif converter) through a same Wireworld Ultraviolet USB. The ifi iOne outputs coaxial through a Chord Prodac cable (OFC). 

 

I use BubbleUPNP to playback music from a tablet or mobile phone with Android. I can see in Bubble UPNP the Volumio Renderer and Synology NAS out of the box. 

 

This setup gives me so far the best results. Music is more detailed and less harsh than on CD. I also found that coaxial input is better sounding than direct USB for the Audiolab CDQ. I also had some David Bowie and Eagles FLACs at 192khz that could not be played through USB because this input is limited to 96khz. 

 

Maybe similar results can be achieved through a laptop with a usb to spdif converter but I found that every link in the setup described above did bring a small improvement in sound over direct USB to Audiolab 8200CDQ. 

 

I also found that the Audiloab 8200CDQ is very sensitive to power. Better power cables will surely improve the sound. You can easily tell by listening through the headphone out. I used Supra Lorad for some time but I found Chord Company Power Chord to make the Audiolab sound very natural.

 

For a while, I also used the Audiolab 8200CDQ as a preamp directly to a NAD C272 power amp. I figured that shorter music playback chain would be better but when I added the NAD C162 preamp (matched with the NAD power amp) I found that the Audiolab 8200CDQ to be harsh and digital compared to the NAD. 

 

The Audiolab 8200CDQ is a good allrounder but the DAC is it's best part. Especially the Optimum Digital Transiend DD digital filter which is the latest filter added to the V12 version of the CDQ from which I read online. 

 

In my system it FLACs sounds warm, detailed, loud and surprisingly analog. I'm using Chord Co Chorus interconnects and Chord Co Oddissey speaker calbes (plus Chord Co Epic jumpers) to a pair of floorstanding Bowers and Wilkins DM603 S2 speakers. I'm thinking of the changing the Chord Prodac OFC coaxial cable to a pure silver one but I'm in doubts as it may change the analog sound for digital. 

 

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