Fidelity / purity of various compact mixer / line mixers - views??

[ny2010]

I am looking for a compact mixer though which I can also route a semi-audiofile CD player to my active speakers with the least loss of fidelity. I have tried hooking up my Shanling CD T-80 (which has a nice valve output stage, ungraded by Audiocom with improved "clock", Rubycon capacitors, op-amps etc) directly into my Genelec 8040s (the CD has a line level control), and am v pleased with the results (at least compared to the amp and passive speakers I have). However I need to interpose a mixer of some sort to enable me to continue to use the Genelecs for a synth, MP3, double bass pickup (DI-ed) in a home studio to save constantly plugging and unplugging kit.

I was wondering which of the following brands I should concentrate on which is likely to introduce the least loss of fidelity between CD and monitors: Mackie 802-VLZ3 (not needing a DI box is a nice feature of this), Behringer Xenyx 802 or the 1602 Eurorack line mixer, Soundcraft Notepad 102, Alesis Multimix 6FX (FX not necessary for me), Peavey PV8 (again FX not necessary for my purposes), Phonic AM240D or Yammie MG102C (compression not necessary). Or even the Australian Ashton MXL6 (if anyone has heard of that).

Obviously there are various ways in which the CD could be connected (normal stereo ins, RCA tape ins or possibly the aux stereo returns, which from wiring diagrams on manufacturers' websites generally seems to have the simplest signal path). My use of the CD through the mixer is primarily just for listening purposes - primarily jazz, acoustic, classical (orchestral) - stuff hopefully with loads of finesse, depth and space, which I'd like to preserve! (I don't need any EQ, FX, compression or even level control in the CD's path).

I am unsure which brand of desk to concentrate on. I wont be able to audition them all (or perhaps even any of them, given their relatively low price). So any views (eg on brand's reputation, or personal preference) would be welcome. Many thanks, from a newbie SoS member. Yours (and Happy New Year!) ny2010.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Your best bet would be to use a good quality passive line source select switch box to route your weird CD player or your other outputs into the speakers.

Any kind of budget mixer is going to impact the sound quality to some extent.

Hugh

[ny2010]

Many thanks, Hugh.

And yes, the CD is weird (not only manufactured in China, but designed there as well, then modified by Brits - and picked up 2nd hand on the net from an (Brit) designer of speakers).

ny2010