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CD Player buying decisions

I am in the market for a CD Player. I have been looking at prices and reviews of both new and used equipment. I would like some advise on what to purchase. Right now, I have a generic 14 year old JVC CD player that I have had since college.

I have about $550 to spend, but I would love to spend less so I can buy more music! I will be playing regular CDs and CD-Rs. I probably will not be buying SACDs or DVDs anytime soon as I am a two-channel guy. I listen to a lot of jangle pop, power pop, ethereal pop, and post punk.

Here is what I have been thinking about:
Used -
Linn Mimik II
Rotel 971
Rega Planet
AH! Tjoeb '99

New -
Music Hall MMF CD 25
NAD 541li

My system is as follows:
B&K ST-140 amp
Polk Audio Monitor 7 speakers
Onkyo Integra P-304 preamp
Superphon Revelation II preamp (currently getting upgraded with Black Gates caps)

Any advise is welcome.

Johncan
johncan
tsrart
79 posts
 
The DVP S9000ES significantly betters the Music Hall. (I have the 9000 in my main HT rig, and tried it out in the headphone system, too -- better bass, more seperation of instruments, and a better soundstage, if you can use that term to apply to headphone listening.)

However, even used, the 9000 is selling for more than $550 -- seems to be around $700 here on A-gon these days. Johncan, if you can spring for the extra $$$, the 9000 would definitely be something worth considering.
capaudio
35 posts
 
Its a little over your budget at $ 900.00 but the Jolida JD-100 is a best buy and as good as you will need even when you upgrade your system. It uses the top of the line Philips laser mechanism and has a tube audio out. The sound is equal or better than most $ 2000.00 to $ 300.00 CD players.
jason321
7 posts
 
Check out the Arcam. You can find the Arcam 9 for around $500-600 used. They are simply superb, and are one of the top picks of "What HiFi" for sound and cost.
tweak1
3,563 posts
 
Look for a CEC Belt-Drive CD Player. The magic begins with the transport, and you can't do better then belt-drive at twice the $$$ your want to spend. Also, the CEC can be used as a transport, should you decide to try outboard dacs.
avideo
222 posts
 
I would give the Music Hall MMF CD 25 a serious try. I purchased the Music Hall early this year when I was moving out of Adcom electronics into a McIntosh Amp, Preamp, and Tuner. The Music Hall sounded great right out of the box; and improved even more with some playing time.
I might mention that I tried the Music Hall CD Player out with both the Adcom and McIntosh electronics - and it worked well with both sets of gear. While there are certainly better players on the market; it will be hard to find anything better at the Music Hall's price point.
Also, at a later date you can improve the sound a bit by replacing the stock power cord and getting an isolation platform.
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