Primare D30.2 (Mk1 vs. Mk2)

Anyone had experience of Mk1 vs. Mk2 versions of Primare D30.2?

From what I read, there are some major internal changes. Looking to get one 2nd hand but Mk2's are thin on the ground.

There is a Mk1 on hififorsale.com at £700 but that sounds a bit rich to me. A Mk2 just sold on eBay for £720 but I completely missed the auction and didn't even get a bid in!

 

I believe CJ on the HFC forum has heard both. From what I remember the mark I uses a different transport. Not sure if it has the balanced outputs of the mark II either.

Liam.

 

I have a Mk. II. There were some quite major changes between the Mk. I and Mk. II (most obvious being 24 bit rather than 20 bit DACs and an upgraded disk handling mechanism). I have to confess that I have not listened to both side-by-side, but I got some strong vibes from several people that the Mk. I wasn't a particularly good player whereas the Mk. II is very good indeed. In spite of being a chronic upgrader, I am now "happy" with my CD player and have no intention of changing it for a long time (well not before a new standard, be it SACD, DVD-A, PC based 24 bit or whatever) becomes fully established and has started to dominate the market.

To be honest, I wouldn't touch the Mk. I: it's really worth getting the Mk. II. The price of £720 was good, main problem is they don't come up for sale often.

 

Thanks for the comments. Unfortunate that I missed the Mk II on eBay at £720. I am actually sniffing around the Musical Fidelity A3.2 CD at the moment. It is available for £500 at the moment which is half RRP (there must be an upgrade coming soon I guess). Andy

 

Well MF released the new x-ray, which they say is one of the best cd players in... wait for it... the world! (impersonates Dr.Evil)

I don't think the new x-ray is a replacement for the A3.2 but it is not that far in price. They have a new line of sexy looking kw500 machines and I believe they are planning to use that to overahaul the A3.2 range (cd, amps).

Jack

 

FWIW I auditioned the MF X-Ray (the first version) against a Primare D20 (i.e. a major step down from the D30.2). I bought the D20 since in combination with the A30.1 Primare amp, it was vastly better than the X-Ray with the same price MF amplification. I really wanted to buy the MF since it looked cool (IMHO) but it just sounded awful in comparison. The D30.2 is a significant step up from the D20, and running it balanced gives another significant improvement.

 

I would treat the claims of MF with a large bucket of salt.

Btw, one of the major differences between the Primare D30.2 Mks 1 & 2 (apart from the number of bits) is that the Mk1 had it's innards liberally sprinkled with valium powder which made the sound of the unit seem very slow and sleepy. That valium powder was dusted off in the Mk2 version hence the difference in sound for the better.


Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

TRy and hold out for the D30.2!

Really you will thank yourself, it's a cracking player and will not be embarrassed by amp and speaker combinations costing a hell of a lot more money. It suits me down to the ground and they are available at around the half price mark more regularly than you'd think.

 

Thanks all,

I am going off the idea of the MF A3.2 fairly quickly. I am getting the impression that it wouldn't have the "neutral" sound I am after. By the way, it's "Audiofile Objective" that are selling them for 500 quid if anyones in the market for one.

Coming down to the following options:

1. wait for a Primare D30.2 second hand (Rewster, please PM if you see any!);
2. would also consider a used Exposure 3010 or 22;
3. maybe even the NAD S500i.

As you can see, I am really going for the plain and simple look (gotta match the ATC amps you know).

 

:yikes: Noone's ever going to take you seriously on a hifi forum if you've got NAD kit.

 

Was just about to send you some abuse until I read your equipment list - nice one brother!

 

Just purchased a new Primare D30.2 with "Titanium" finish from Marcus at Audio & Cinema Experience Ltd for £1050 so am mighty happy with that. It was a bonus getting that finish as it matches the ATC amps.

Was very impressed with the prices and service that Audio & Cinema Experience offer. They have some good deals on other Primare gear so worth a look for any potential buyers.

Primare are releasing a new CD player (model D31) at the end of the year, hence the prices for the current D30.2 are starting to "slip". Apparently, there are only cosmetic differences between the new and old models (internals are the same). Marcus sent me a brochure showing the new look CDP's and amps so PM me if you want to see the new Primare look??

 

Primare CDP arrived a few days ago. Definate improvement compared to the Marantz (to be expected as it's 3 x times the price). The Primare has a really lively sound with more "space" around instruments and greater depth to the sound. The top end is in another league compared to the Marantz and seems to offset the ATC's slightly rolled off highs well.

Highly recommended.

WAF is high on this item probably because I told her it only cost 400 quid.

Anyway, no more money left so no more upgrades!