Specifications

©DAGOGO 2010 – special reprint by permission. Page 12
level noise is tolerated in exchange for a much greater dynamic performance from the speakers.
In the case of the Helix, which is 102dB sensitive, I was using six channels of Jeff Rowland’s
MC-606 with 2,500wpc, so an elevated noise floor was part and parcel of the nature of the rig. I
also accepted a certain amount of noise when I built several systems using the Tannoy Glenair
speakers.
I found there to be a similar relationship between the voltage output of the CD-5, the preamp and
the power amplifier. Two amplification setups exhibited a higher-than-normal noise floor, both
pertaining directly to the use of the CD-5. One was the very high-end combo of the VAC
Renaissance Signature Preamplifier MkII and two Moscode 402Au Amplifiers, and the other
was a pair of Cambridge Audio Azur 840W amplifiers wired direct from the CD-5. In one case, a
preamplifier was used and the amplification components were at a valuation of approximately
$30K. In the other, the CD-5’s internal preamp was used and the valuation of the amps were
approximately $5k.
What, then, would be the common factor between these two setups? High power, namely the
utilization of very high power in conjunction with the CD-5’s higher gain output, resulting in an
elevated noise floor. I had encountered this with the CD-2 when I used the 1,000 wpc Jeff
Rowland 501 monoblock amps. It was manifested in a metallic sounding “ping” when the player
was engaged. Though supposedly eliminated from the CD-5, I found that it still exists when the
conditions are right.
This is a significant flaw. Ideally no noise should emanate from a player; however, most players
are not attempting to feature variable gain and thereby offer audiophiles an ingenious
improvement over standard Redbook playback. The weakness in such a design is the additional
noise it introduces to the system when used with high-power amps. Anyone using a lower-power
amp should never encounter it. With my Pathos Classic One MkIII integrateds running mono at
170wpc into 8 Ohms and 270 wpc into 4 Ohms, it never manifested itself no matter what speaker
was used.