If you're looking for an older but venerable machine, see if you can find a preowned Nakamichi CD4 unit for sale. I had one for a short while and it really produced some serious bottom end punch while maintaining decent mid-range. Unfortunately it also caused some of my CDs to skip so I got rid of it. That's the risk you take when you purchase an older CD player. I've seen a few of these for sale in the past on Audiogon.
older dedicated midfi cd player....2nd system
Looking for for an older, reliable, dedicated player with smooth top end, full bass, and great soundstaging...have had good luck with denon and Sony in the past...but would like to try something else...however the denon dcd 835 comes to mind...not into changers or jukeboxes...anything from 95-05 era that can be found easily on the used market?...basically a forgiving player that doesnt punish sub par recordings...I demoed the orig Rega planet years ago...but wasn't blown away...same with NAD...but they might work for this application...under 1k new models
10 responses Add your response
I have a SONY CDP 8AES that I picked up here for $65. I keep it on a night table and use it for headphone listening and it works well for these purposes. The unit is 20 years old, so when it dies out it is not like I have a lot invested in it. The 8AES is a changer. The 7AES is not a changer. See this Ebay listing . From what I have seen over the last few months, the 7AES fetches high prices on Ebay due to the quality of its transport. Another player to consider is the Pioneer PD 65. Rich |
I think one of the most forgiving, musical and reliable CDP is the Ah Tjoeb 4000. True tube output. Great sound. I have had mine in a second system for years now and still like it. Another is the Jolida 100. Great reliable deck with a smooth and musical sound. Many people are happy with their Arcams but check out the model since parts may be hard to find for some models, according to some posts on the internet. |
Phasecorrect, Any of the Arcams from that period will do a very credible job for you in that price range. Their CD players were one of Arcam's most lauded products. Beginning with use of the Ring DAC (Arcam CD-72?) and later with their switchover to using multiple stacks of Wolfson DACs, there are many good, reliable units around. Try to get an FMJ series if you can. A big issue with any used CDP will be status of its sensor unit, which usually fails to detect CD's intermittently at first. Good luck. |
Play station 1 is pretty hard to beat, IMO. I paid $20.00 at a local used game outfit and it's surprising. It does take a few days being left on to sound its best.Mine even came with a 30 money back guarantee. I put mine up on some hardwood blocks for better airflow so there's no need to worry about heat. Totally worth it. The one to get is model # SCPH-1001. It has rca outputs on the back. Model number is on the bottom. |
