aack my cds sound like crap now! (1 Viewer)

[Robertto]

well that is an exageration, but after getting my new Axiom m22s I can really tell the difference between which cds are great recordings (IE Eagles Hell Freezes over) vs Peter Gabriel Passion (great cd, crappy recording).

So, what format is the best sounding? DVD-A? Running off my Sony S560 D w/an optical input to a Denon 1801.

Can any DVD run DVD-As?

What type of cds should I be looking for? Remastered?

Kind of clueless on this so please go easy on me

 

[Philip Hamm]

DVD-A and SACD both sound much better than CD. The titles available are very different between the two,and both are extremely limited as they are very young. Both formats have extremely significant problems with bass management (redirecting bass to your subwoofer).
You need a DVD-A machine to play DVD-A discs. They will play in a DVD-Video machine but the audio will be Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 for compatability. The DD tracks in general sounds like ass, the DTS tracks, rare though they are, sound very good.
If you want your CDs to sound better you may want to think about investing in better amplification, Digital to Audio Conversion (which may mean buying a new receiver, may mean buying stand-alone a DAC box), or a new high end CD player.
Given your equipment list I think you'd get the biggest improvement by updating your amplification stage. I don't know if your Denon has preamp outs for using external amps, but if it does that's a good place to start. Perhaps a stereo amp to handle the L/R stereo of CD audio.
Oh, and vinyls sounds great, too.
NP: U2: a CD I made of non-album tracks from the Achtung Baby / Zooropa period.

 

[Jimmy Nugent]

Robertto-

I suggest you pick up the newly remastered Passion disc, in addition to the remainder of the Gabriel catalog- all freshly remastered.

Jimmy

 

[Ryan Cruz]

ok so what should the DAC be when I'm considering a receiver?