In reply to:
My suspicion is that the pyscho-acoustic factor is in play (if I paid more, it must sound better), or the NAD does something to the signal (processing, etc.) to make it sound different (maybe by boosting certain frequencies which make the music sound richer?)
I'm pretty sure no CDPs do signal processing to the digital outputs, but if they do, they should lose the use of the Compact Disc logo, much like copy protected "CDs" do. Compact Disc audio has to conform to the Redbook standard (IEC 908 - Philips & Sony) and in the last few years, publishers scared by the media reports of rampant CD copying have started adding corrupted data tracks (effectively making it a mixed-mode/CD-XA/etc disc) to confuse CD-ROMs and other players capable of reading data tracks.
I'm not pro-audio piracy - I own two CDs that are burned copies - that I will replace when the albums become available again (they're deletes -
Skinny Puppy -
Bites & Remission and
Bootsauce -
Bull) but when the Draconian measures to prevent it keep the disc from playing in all devices, they've gone too far.
Bren R.
