jsal3689 -- I just ordered it! Cambridge website is out, but Crutchfield had it. 60 days to try it out. I may get something else so I can A/B it. Thanks for the cable suggestion, too.
Considering getting a CD player (again). Used? New? Criteria?
After years without one, I'm considering getting a CD player. I'm not against streaming, but I have many CD's and would like the simplicity of just playing them from time to time. I probably want to cap my expenditure at $700, or so, because this won't be the only way I play music.
A few questions:
If you've purchased a new CD player, what did you buy? Why?
If you've purchased a used player, how old is too old? What factors helped you choose?
My concern with used is that the transport mechanism of older players will be getting tired, and this won't be knowable just because a unit "checks out" with the site (or individual) testifying to the player's working condition. There's got to be an average point for many machines to give up the ghost, mechanically (varying from machine to machine, of course).
A few questions:
If you've purchased a new CD player, what did you buy? Why?
If you've purchased a used player, how old is too old? What factors helped you choose?
My concern with used is that the transport mechanism of older players will be getting tired, and this won't be knowable just because a unit "checks out" with the site (or individual) testifying to the player's working condition. There's got to be an average point for many machines to give up the ghost, mechanically (varying from machine to machine, of course).
128 responses Add your response
Apologies if you thought I was pushing a streamer instead of buying a CDP. My point was the sound quality of my streamer is significantly better than the CXC. I would like a CDP or transport that sounds as good as or at least greatly reduces the gap between it and the streamer. I am hesitant to buy anything used that I cannot return. I don’t like to return merchandise (of any kind), but so far with my experience with the CXC there is no reason to spend $400 and not be happy with its performance. I don’t consider myself “overly critical”, and my ears are well past their prime, I am just disappointed with the CXC. I have an old Denon 5 disc CD changer I am going to hook up and compare next. That may give me some perspective. I’m not sure what the next step will be. |
I would get an Oppo BDP 103. Solid machine, older tech but so are your CDs and it plays SACDs if you want the best of CD listening. It also plays blueray and DVDs. $ 649.00 on Amazon. If Music is your main interest the BDP-83 works just as well for half the price. $299. Its made and serviced in the USA and customer service is unparalleled. |
someone whose audio expertise i respect convinced me that glass optical is better than the standard plastic optical so at his suggestion i got this for $30 on amazon: "3 Ft Toslink Glass Digital Audio." Whether or not it's actually superior or mere placebo I can't attest, but it's well-made and does the job
|
I do have the combination of a Metrum Amethyst DAC (non-oversampling DAC) and a "Pro-Ject Dock Box S Digital" iPod-Dock with a iPod Touch. (iPod Classic with SDXC-card would be better). I rip my CDs and convert them to AIFF lossless. The iPod-Dock solution will play up to 24bit 48 khz btw. which sounds fuller and richer. I use this to hear audiobooks or musik when in bed. The Dock will connect with TOSLINK to the DAC and I get uncompressed sound whithout to much computer stuff. |
Avoid anything mechanical if you are buying used as you have no idea how “used” it is. If you must buy used, make sure the manufacturer is still providing transport mechanisms. I had a Krell KAV 300cd with a VRDS Transport and it is now a boat anchor because Krell said the transport is no longer available. |
I recommend ripping things to files and then play from a computer connected to a dac or with a player that supports UBS disks or SD cards. If you already have a streamer it may support flac files. I have Raspberry Pi at home and it can handle this. Costs about $50 - $200 depending on if you need a nice case, a better dac etc. You can control it from your phone. https://darko.audio/tag/raspberry-pi/ I also have a DragonFly dac that I can use with a computer or a tablet. The DragonFly Red is about $200 and the new DragonFly Cobalt is about $300. |
| Post removed |
If you want to buy new, the NAD 546 BEE CD player is top rated for sound in the under $700 price range. I bought a NAD 502 as the first CD player I actually could live with sound wise as I was a longtime record listener. They now have the 546 BEE which is a much better sounding player as NAD always continues improving as the years go by. You can get a brand new player for $546 plus tax. The NAD’s just OK looking, but the sound is very good. Bob |
I purchased a used Rega Apollo from TMR a year or so ago for ~$450 and ran the digital out into my PS Audio DS DAC. Really like the sound. It is very notacibly better than my Bluesound Node 2 streamer into the same DAC. The bet I was making was that the transport part of the player was the cheaper part of the technology and as long as i used a modern higher quality DAC I would be fine. So far so good. |
I would purchase a universal player with a digital output so you can add a DAC to improve sound. There are a lot of DVD-A and SACD disc floating around, they do sound very good. A universal player will allow you to dip you toe in or indulge as your mood suits. Various OPPO models are obvious choices. There are several Marantz models that both sound good, and represent good value- specifically the special editions and Ken Ishiwata (sp?) signature editions. I have a Pioneer Elite DV-79i for when I want to spin silver discs. |
Most "vinyl-like" CD sound I've heard comes from Audio Note (UK). I got a Level 4 CDT plus equivalent DAC (so way above your stated bracket) ... BUT the more affordable Audio Note transports and DAC's (which are really quite reasonably priced) have the same vinyl-like "DNA" found in the Level 4/5 units and which I find so appealing. Worth an audition at least IMO. |
As a few others have suggested get the Emotiva ERC-4 it fits your budget, performs way above its price point in terms of audio quality. Sounds much better than my Oppo 203 but will add IMO to get the most from this player it should be used with the balanced outputs feeding a fully differential balanced pre-amp. The ERC-4 is a fully differentially balanced design. I owned the ERC-3 previous to this and feel confident in stating the ERC-4 sounds better although it uses thee exact same DAC chip, the Analog Devices 1955. Given my experience with the ERC-3 I thought a lot of people were making a mountain out of a molehill regarding the noisy transport. To that I should also add in all fairness the ERC-4 can be significantly quieter but on some disc most of the time but for what ever reason I can still hear some chattering/noise with the ERC-4 on a few but not all disc which is easily remedied by hitting the stop button, then play again. Alternatively one can eject the tray, then close again and this will fix any noise. In conclusion the audio performance of this player is equal to if not better than my Holo Spring DAC Level 1 using Aurdirvana + 3.5. They sound different but after a few weeks of comparing I tend to lean toward the ERC-4 which sounds more pleasing to me. Its very dynamic spacious and smooth. Highly recommended. |
Wanted to follow this. I currently stream 100% using a directstream Dac. Internet is unreliable, so no network, no music. Ive got a dac I love so only need the transport portion of a player. Been considering a used high quality transport, but always well beyond the price it seems I could get a hi rated new CD/DVD. Was thinking what would be important is a reliable loading system. Being able to manual drop a disk rather than tray loading or slot load seems to make sense. A good clock and steady motor. Not sure if jitter specs would be the measure of this. A buffering player seems to get around some if this by delaying handoff for a bit allowing timing and read errors to be corrected before handoff to a dac. I like that feature but that is still too expensive |
I absolutely don't agree with the don't buy used policy. There are some outstanding used CD players/transports out there that are under $700 that originally costs in the multiple thousands that will blow away many new CD players/transports today. If you already have a decent dac, I recommend Pioneer Elite CD/Blue Ray players such as the DV-09, BDP-O9, DV 79 avi, etc. The DV-09 and BDP-09 were seriously overbuilt and are actually outstanding as transports. The BDP-09 and DV-79 AVI are great transports and also really good as CD players. These are just a few. You can get a working DV-09 for about $300. it weighs a ton (so to speak), overbuilt and sounds great. Doesn't play SACDs though. The BDP-09 and DV-79 avi do. The industry kept growing and therefore, it started out with CD players/transports. Then Blue ray came into existence and many people got rid of the CD players for Blue ray players. But, if you only wanted one for playing CDs, you can't go wrong. If your budget is $700. There isn't a $700 CD player out there that can touch any of the ones I listed above. And as transport only, I can tell you that I have tested many in the multiple thousand dollar range that couldn't touch the ones I listed above as transport only. enjoy |
Re: new vs. used. Everyone has different perceptions of risk and risk tolerance. If I buy a used player, I have no idea how hard it was used by the previous owner (or their family). All that matters is that it works when they sell it. Unlike a car, it has no odometer. If I buy new, I know it's new and there's a warranty for years. Audio hobbyists are fine with owning many different CD players and/or getting replacements. I'm not planning on making CD's central to my audio life, and so I want to do something reliable here and not revisit it. Better ways to spend my time and money. Re: transport vs. CD players. Lots of folks continue to weigh in with their best CD player suggestions. I'm fairly convinced that I don't want to pay for the DAC section of a player if I'm going to purchase a kick-ass DAC that I will use in lieu of the CD players DAC. If I just pay for transport, from a good brand, I'll get better transport. These are just the way the advice here is striking me, given my situation. There's a lot of good info here for those in a different situation, so glad people are taking the time to weigh in. |
As I mentioned in an earlier post I am with you on getting a transport to use with your DAC. Added flexibility, no need for redundant DACs, better upgrade path. There are a couple posters on this thread that preferred the Audiolab transport over the Cambridge. The original Cambridge can be had for close to 1/2 the price however (~$300). |
@mesch Thanks. I ordered the Cambridge and will try it out. Got it for $399, new. The Audiolab has good reviews but is, as you say, twice the price. For some, the stakes here are higher than they are for me; I simply won't be able to determine how good a choice this was until I have settled on a DAC, a new preamp/amp, and speakers. With all those choices yet to come, more analysis of this choice seems imprudent! |
I have just recently acquired a Cambridge Azur 851C and am extremely happy with overall performance. Its brought new life to my CD collection and being as advertised a digital preamp, offers great flexibilty for adding digital sources such as BT (audioengine via toslink), IPOD via digital dock, ++. Cambridge Audio appear quite specialised with DAC technology considering the number of DACs offered in their range, plus the upsampling
24bit/384kHz technology. No direct comparisons, but it works for me . fed into a tube amp. |
There is a dearth of players available at the ~ $700 price point really. I would go new the get the latest and great available. In the past I have had both onkyo and Nad at that price point and both were exception at sound retro, However the Nad had a series of quality issues that I finally gave up on, the onkyo just died of old age. I recently purchased a a Denon 800NE and have been happy thus far. I still believe there is some burn in improvement on the horizon. Please use decent interconnects as they do matter. https://usa.denon.com/us/product/hifi/cdplayers/dcd800ne |
Ever since I moved my 600+ cd collection out of their jewel cases and into notebooks to save space, I just don’t listen to cd as much as I used to. So I also was wary of spending a lot of money on a CD player. Im also old school and my other unit is an Oppo DV970, a 24 bit/192 player that was a budget component of the year that I’ve had for about 10 or more years and is indestructible. In the past I’ve owned a CAL DX2, Audio Alchemy DDS3, AMC CD6 (1 bit player) and a Proceed PCD2 that I truly regret selling. A month ago, I picked up a near mint Rotel RCD855 for $40 and couldn’t be happier. It’s built really nicely and works perfectly too. There is definitely something to be said for this old 16 bit TDA1541 chip. It’s warm and very listenable sounding and if I want to do better, I can always just get a better DAC, but for now, pleasantly surprised and very happy with it, especially since it was only $40. This hobby need not be expensive. I’ve proven again and again the opposite of the Linn approach, which is to have the best source components you can buy because it all gets amplified downstream, which makes total sense.... however, in contrast, I have a $40 CD player on good revealing gear and it sounds pretty darn good! Amp: Nikko Alpha 130 & custom EL84 amp Preamp: Museatex AVC1 & FT Audio passive Tuners: NAD 4300 & Perreaux TU1 TT: $60 LSA/Columbia (pre Denon) Cass: Nakamichi DR2 Phono Pre: Creek OBH 8 SE Speakers: Castle Durham 900 & Synergistics S22 |
| Post removed |
Agree with "Its Just Me" above. Just rip your CDs. I did so a few years ago after selling my McIntosh player and never looked back. My music is both on my MacBook and in the iCloud. I then downloaded Audirvana 3.5 ($75) which accesses my streaming accounts (Tidal, Qubuz) and all of my ripped CDs. I use my MacBook as my streamer. Then I downloaded the Audirvana iPhone app and use my phone as a remote. I've learned from several dealers that CD replacement transports are becoming harder to get (think Oppo and older model McIntosh for example). Hence, ripping CDs makes more and more long-term sense, Best of luck. |
Why would you ever buy a CD player when you can stream Tidal MQA for $20/month? It is convenient and you can sit down view their library from your seat and enjoy a huge library. CD's are a thing from the past. I feel the same way about vinyl. Who wants to hear the noise from the needle tracking on vinyl grooves? Certainly not me. |
@Roadsterluver I will rip my CD's too. Not an either or. @larry I'm not ruling out streaming or internet (as I said over and over in this thread). CD's may be a thing from the past, but I own them and the idea of putting one on is appealing. You might still own a physical book. They're pretty old, too. They have their own rituals and haptics, which I also like. |
CD and LP are not a thing from the past, they are both wonderful formats. Streaming can be fun too. No reason to limit yourself, especially if you already own CD's and so many can be found so cheaply now...somehow hate having to open a menu on my phone to listen to music, though I do quite like Tidal...get yourself a nice player and enjoy !!! |
I would never buy anything Linn again, certainly not used. I have had my Linn Sondek LP-12 since 1982. I bought the Linn Sondek CD-12 when it came out in 1999. It was wonderful. When it died, Linn said they couldn’t get parts to fix it. A $20,000 boat anchor. No discount on a new player offered, nothing. |
The availability of spare parts or replacement lasers /drive transports for many high end CD players is a real risk. I would guess few want to spend big bucks (> $5k) on potential "boat anchors". Esoteric won't sell replacement drives to previously supplied manufacturers like Emm Labs, Oppo is out of business, and even Cary doesn't have replacement parts for its vintage units. |
I have read two very favorable "Stereophile" reviews of the Rega Apollo CD player (the original and the revised version) though I've not heard one myself. According to the 2018 review, the transport (Sanyo, if I recall correctly) is still in production and is used by several manufacturers. The Rega rep who was interviewed for the article stated that Rega has a large number of replacement drives in stock and these are available for future repairs. What wasn't mentioned though was the repair cost. That unit is about $1000. |
@mesch Thanks for the recommendations. I will likely try optical cable first. I've been trying to sort out when and where differences in cables matter -- I know this is a very controversial question and I don't have an opinions of my own. I did see this article: https://www.cnet.com/news/when-are-expensive-cables-worth-it/ which at least starts me on the topic, and I watched a Hans Beekhuyzen video or two about Audio Hygiene. It's clear to me, so far, that there are some cables where it really can matter and others where it's less important. Money, time, and experienced effect (tested with some rigor), are all relevant factors, of course. |
I am not one to speak about what is the best buy for any cable. I do know that without them my system sounds a little dull :). To me a reasonable expenditure for a cable might be up to 10% of the cost of the two components to be connected. There are those on this forum that have more experience than I who feel a greater expenditure is warranted. I simply take an approach that fits my philosophy and run with it. Room treatment, component isolation. cable routing are issues that can be addressed without great expenditure. I enjoyed a listening session last night and was truly blown away. That is what this is all about. |
Thanks, jafant, and others for your reports and suggestions. One of the difficulties in contributing back to this forum is that my system is still so primitive (relative to audiophile stuff) that I'm building things up to a point where I might be able to have an opinion! But I will report what seems to be a real result, when they verifiably occur! |
hilde45, If you are looking for IC recommendations, look on Audiogon for Acoustic BBQ ICs and speaker cables. Bill Dion (grannyring) sells Duelund wires with very good connectors at more than reasonable prices. If you haven't heard of the Schroeder Method of using double sets of ICs to each component, it makes a very significant difference in all ways compared to regular single ICs. Bill sells a set of double ICs for $289--his regular ones are $179. This is a super deal. I have double ICs each needing 4 sets of splitters to do all the connections. Bill has 2 separate sets of cables all build to do the double so you don't need the splitters at all. There is more increase in sound quality by doubling the ICs than if you were to double or even triple the price of a single IC from the same manufacturer. Duelund wires are very natural sounding much like real music. This idea comes from Doug Schroeder who reviews for Dagogo online. I guarantee you that all who have heard this configuration will never go back to a single set of ICs. Bill's speaker cables are also Duelund and he sells them for $379 for an 8 ft. pair. Bob |
