High End CDP's that play CD-R & CD-RW's?

Some older CD players simply will not play CD-R. A few others are sensitive to the quality of the media. I've had great luck using bargain basement el-cheapo CD-R's in my Sony XA7ES, Adcom GCD-700, Sony car CD player, Cary 306/200, Sony DVP-S7700 DVD player. However, none of my CD players will play CD-RW and this is typically the norm and really not an issue for me.... CD-R's being so cheap and "throw away" these days.

Unless you have some compelling need to play SACD, I would highly recommend getting a quality "redbook" only CD player. It's no secret that I'm a real Cary fan. Look into the Cary 303/200 - $3000 LIST but often discounted.

Thanks for all the responses to my post; sounds like I have a lot of good options. A question for the folks recommending the Sony XA777ES: have any of you had any of the problems with it that I've read about? (As I recall it's some kind of clunking mechanical noise that occurs intermittantly......)

Count this as another vote for the Sony XA777ES, really a great-sounding CD player that also plays CDRs and CD-RWs. Consider the SACD capability a bonus. BTW, I've tried at least l0 brands of CDRs and never had a problem with either the Sony or a predecessor Pioneer DV 4l4 (modded). Even the el-cheapos you could see through, Just lucky I guess.

Count this as another vote for the Sony XA777ES, really a great-sounding CD player that also plays CDRs and CD-RWs. Consider the SACD capability a bonus. BTW, I've tried at least l0 brands of CDRs and never had a problem with either the Sony or a predecessor Pioneer DV 4l4 (modded). Even the el-cheapos you could see through, Just lucky I guess.

I have the electrocompaniet and there are CDR discs it will not play. In fact, most CD-R's give it a problem. I have found that by using a CD-R that is burned at 2x or 4x, you will have fewer problems. The EMC-1 can and does play CD-R's.

I have had no problem playing all diffrent types of CDRs on either a Wadia 860x or a Meridian 506.24.

I have a Sony DVD player that won't play CDRs at all, even Sony media. My Electrocompaniet EMC-1 and Marantz SA-1 play all CDRs, no matter the brand of blank disk. An older Marantz 67SE also plays CDRs. You need to try a recorded CDR on the machine you're thinking of buying, esp. if it's a Sony.

There are definitely players that can't play CDR / CDRW based on the transport in them. As Buckingham points out, there are also instances where some will play, some won't. I have used a Sony DVD player as a transport for quite some time and regularly play CDRs on it - never a problem.

The Sony XA777ES suggestion above is certainly a good one for all the reasons listed. You should be able to get one brand new for about your target price (try www.oade.com). The latest rev. of the Muse Model 9 can play those formats as well as MP3. It's a great sounding player and doubles as a DVD player if that's of interest. It doesn't do SACD which, if that appeals to you, probably makes the Sony a better choice. The Muse is also more expensive - for a used Model 9 Signature, you're looking at $2500-2800. Money well spent in my opinion, but more than you're looking to spend possibly. -Kirk

I recently upgraded from a Denon DCD1650AR to a Meridian 508.24. The difference was overwhelming. While both players are capable of playing CD-R and CD-RW, sonically the 508 easily surpassed the 1650 across the board.

In my experience, the ability of CD players to play CD-R's is usually dependent on the MEDIA and not on the actual transport. It is very important to have correct recording and a blank that has good enough reflectivity. I've had luck with the better Sony 80 min CD-R's. The cheapo CD-R's won't play most of the time... The CD-RW's usually don't play on CD only players because of the extremely low reflectivity of the disk. I have seen them work in SACD players and cheaper Yamaha's though.

Try Sony SCD-XA777ES. It's a find single box CDP, not to mention being one of the best 2CH SACD, and MCH SACD player, IMHO of course.