I'm happy with my Sony SCD 333 ES. At $1200 list it was a good buy, at $500 or less it's now a steal. Use the money you save to buy lots of SACDs and enjoy surprisingly analog-like sound. |
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I hear that the Granite Audio #657 with a new tube output stage will be the one to beat, especially for its likely price. |
Absolutely echo this post. The Ikemi is amazing! Forced me to upgrade my entire system to hear what is was capable of producing. Went with Levinson 335 380S and Martin Logan Odysseys. |
I wanted a good player for redbooks, but HDCD decoding was
a big influence as well, features? yep, that too. I ended up
fanagling a new Rotel RCD991 in the box for $900 out the door, and Ive been satisfied so far. Im not ready to drop
3, or even 2 grand for a player.....yet! Let your ears be the judge. Keep in mind your other components/cables/tweaks can improve your sound dramatically enough you might not need to take out a loan! |
I have the all Levinson combo 30.5 and 31.5 and sounds excellent. But I preferred by friend's Marantz SA-1 palyer, especially when playing sacds. |
OK! OK! Roksan under 2K ($1600) Rega Planet under 1K ($800)
I'd recommend a listening of the Roksan Player. You get 85-90% of the Naim sound at half the cost. Something I can afford. It went with the Roksan Int. Amp I already own well. Very soomth and detailed. I did have to change he digital cable to Acoustic Zen mc2 (you gota hear this cable, SWEET, Very SWEET!)to get the sound I was looking for.
I fully agree with all who have chosen the Rega Planet (old style over the new) as the best for the $$$. I must caution though that a fare amount of $$$'s $100 to $200 plus must be spent on cables to get this unit to really sing and sing it will; she is rich and smooth (I wish I could say the same about my wife, Ha!). It is laid back however it changes its mood with different cables so try out many. I used the Illuminiti D-60 ($170 used)which really enhanced the inner detail I was looking for with a rich full bodied sound than with the Harmonic Tech Cyber Link Silver (Although good, just less inner detail was present).
Today like never before we are able to get so much more for so little ($$$ that is).
Happy listening... |
Read my previous post, subtitled : I used to own a Sony 7700...forgot to put in the proper subtitle, sorry folks! |
I used to own a Sony 7700 DVD player, their previous flagship. Not bad but not quite as refined as a good dedicated cd player. Then I went shopping for a replacement. I tried so better Classé players, as well as the incredible Jupiter (one-box now) player from Rega. I almost bought it as it is supposed to be one of the best under 3,000.00. Before I did a friend let me have his Sony 9000 while he was away on holidays. Holy smokes. What's this? Initial reaction: The Jupiter had it over the Sony on the warmth and imaging, but not by far. Where the Sony creamed the Jupiter was in extracting the smallest details and resolution from ordinary cd's. As far as SACD, I never got excited over a 10 year old compressed recording of Cindy Lauper or Billy Joel on the Sony sampler. They are missing the point with these radio-bound recordings which do not really sound any better than the red book version. On the Sony SACD sampler there is a cut from Miles Davis. I happen to also own the regular cd. Now there...Just totally organic and unbeleivable, light years away in clarity and resolution. I was told the unit need a long break-in. How true. I ended up buying a 9000 for myself and I can confirm it is the equal to the Jupiter in many respects now that it is fully broken-in. Still beats it with resolution in spades, and a sweet top end. How can they offer such technology for such a low price by audiophile standards? Beats me. Throw in top DVD performance for the occasional DVD rental (in my case) and it's a no brainer. I have no intention of buying SACD's. The sound is so good with regular cd's, the 9000's asking price is fully worth every penny and more. I will leave it to others to spend twice the price for lesser sound quality and a thick faceplate...Bu the way, very heavy and built like a tank too. |
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If you don't mind used,the Accuphase DP-75 is the last CD player you will probably own. The thing is so musical you will probably forget about analog, DVD-A, or SACD. Plus, it can also be used as a processor! Some owners are trading this model in for a DP-75V...thats the good news. The bad news is they're still tough to find and might set you back $4000- to $5000- for a nice one. You won't be disappoited! |
How about the Metronome (specifically the CD-1V) with tube output stage? It was designed by Dominique Giner of Jadis. |
I have a Sony XA7ES. It was $3,000.00 new & you can find them used for around $1,100.00 (like I did). I really think it is excellent at the used price. It has a variable analog output, so you can run it directly into your power amp. I've been waiting for Sony to come out with an SACD player with the variable output, they still haven't. So I just purchased an Adcom GFP750 pre amp, & I'll probably buy a Sony 777ES SACD player. Be carefull if someone tries to sell you a player with balanced outputs. Only a few are truly balanced & none of the Sony's are. If your amp isn't fully balanced, you don't need a balanced CD player anyway. I'll probably keep my XA7ES to run directly into my ALEPH 3 power amp. Someday I'll get a Levinson Model 39 CD player to run directly into my Rowland Model 2 power amp. Both are truly balanced & the Levinson has a variable output.
Good Luck! |
I was very interested in this post as I too was in the market for a new CD player. I have been using a Jolida 601 and oddly enough found it very competitive with everything I tried it against. I tried Pioneers new elite DVD, the whole Rotel Line, Linn, Ah! Tjoeb, Rega Planet, the Cary 301, 303, and 306, and other players. Every one I tried, was very different, it was shocking actually. I can see why the responses are so varied in this post. For me, there was a clear winner though, the Cary 303. Every player I found myself saying, "this apect is very nice, but it sounds a little of in this other area". But when I finally heard the Cary, it was, "Oh finally I have nothing to say, it is all there - or nothing is there!". Nothing was odd about it, all I heard was great music. All the tube players where kind of thick sounding, almost soupy. The others were digital sounding and kind of flat. Oddly enough the 303 has no tubes in it, unlike the earlier 301 which does. Other models in the runner up catagories I liked were the Rotel 991 as it had very nice imaging, and the Rega, which had a very nice sound but was a little thin. The Cary just kind of disappeared, I didn't think about it, just felt captivated by the music and still am as I listen to it now. This is why I listen to music in the first place so bought it. I got it from the guys at Upscale Audio who have a killer deal on them right now as they bought a bunch of them. The 306 was in my opinion a little better, but only a little, and they had the same general sound. By switching pre amps around, I was able to get all the things I liked in the 306, plus it was over twice as much, so I stuck with the 303. Hope this is helpful. |
I AM SURPRISED THAT NOBODY HAS MENTIONED THE AYRE D-1. In the highend European magazine Audiophile from Germany, Joachim Pfeiffer says the "Ayre beats the Accuphase DP-1000/DC-100 " which in supposed to be a great combo. In the Widescreen Review Richard HARDESTY says"this new DVD player from Ayre sets AUDIO performance standards that exceeds ANYTHING that I REVIEWED. iT IS SIMPLY THE BEST CD player I HAVE HEARD" Tom Miller from The Perfect Vision says " To date, the D-1 remains the best sounding digital component that I have heard". The Ayre is a DVD that besides being one of top two or three progressive scan Dvd players, just also happens to be one of the best two channel CD players in the marketplace IMHO |
Best advice: find a used Sony X707ES.
This is an audiophile unit from head-to-toe. Solidly
built and beautiful appearance (champagne/gold color).
I own one. It shames most $1000 CD players made today.
They just don't make 'em like they used to ...
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"best CD Player" is an oxymoron. I suggest a VPI, any model. |
Rotel 971 your kidding.Is this your attempt at humor. |
Rotel 971 with a good power cord, good solid wood base (pref. six layers of 3/4inch ply) and dedicated mains. Sounds so good you need a fantastic system to hear a better front end. |
I would recommend Linn Ikemi in Europe it is only $ 2800 . I think in terms of the sound best buy....Spend $ on analog not digital. Happy listening |
the Marantz SA-1 player. It plays great redbook CDs and amazing sacds. |
California Audio CL-15. Lots of slam, great dynamics. Great review in Stereophile some time ago. |
I would like to weight in by suggesting on the Arcam cd-23 FMJ. Incredable performance for about 2K. I have mine on a set of symposium rollerblocks. Great resolution, detail, and imaging. |
Depends on what other eqmt & cables you are using. I like the Electrocompaniet EMC-1 or Bat VK-D5SE cd players. |
I agree with Yeast107. New is not necessarily better. I don't have near his first hand experience with cd players but would like to contribute this. I use a Wadia 6. This cd player is 8 years old. Built like a tank. Teac VRDS transport, 20bit, 32 times oversample rate. Sounds incredible IMO. Can be a little forward direct to amp on some older recordings. But on music that is recorded well and these recent remasters, it blows me away. My advice, buy an older cd player manufactured by one of the established big name companies (Meridian, Levinson, Wadia, etc). Look for one that was near or top of the line in its' time and is upgradable. Listen to it and enjoy! If you don't like the sound have it upgraded by manufacturer or the cd player upgrade genius everybody raves about(I forget his name). Or use it as a transport and add a modern DAC This is the way I approached my cd player purchase. |
no dealer mark up. When we decided to import it, we could have price the first model like the Planet at $800 by setting up a dealer network, but instead wasnetd to keep it as low as possible, make less money, but get it into more hands of more people.
The Planet, in the UK, sells for about the same as the Tjoeb. Every European product goes up 30-200% when it is exported. Try buying a CJ or Krell in Europe. It costs.
The Planet 2000 is $950. The Tjoeb is $579 loaded with Supercrystal and Noisekiller. |
I would like to give my vote to the Arcam FMJ-CD23. Great,Great sounding machine. And pleasant to look at. I agree with Yeast, the Brits get digital right. I had the chance to listen to my friends Meridian and was looking for one used when I came across an Arcam dealer in my area and was able to audition one in my home.Just like the reviewer in Stereophile , I bought the review model. The dealer made the new unit more of a frelling bargain by selling it to me at demo price. It's a perfact match for my Lev.#383. That was how it was set up at the dealer. Now I'm not saying the Arcam is better than the Lev.#39 or the Meridian, but with the dCS ring DAC on board and the new chassis,mother board, and added power supply it is a beautiful player. I found NO need to spend the extra money. Peace and good listening. |
I really wanted to audition a Tjobe, it's a shame the distribution is so limmited in the US. |
This thread has been going on for a LONG time! I'm going to join in, too. My votes for best CD players for the money:
Meridian 508.24 (can find used for great prices)
Ah! New Tjoeb (unbelievably good for $579)
Any CAL, but particularly Aria Mk III, Icon Mk II, & Tercet
(the tubed Alpha or Sigma DACs are also great)
If cost is no object, my list would be different, but in my opinion these players offer incredibly good sound for extremely reasonable prices. Any of these could suffice as the last CD player you ever need to buy, unless, like me, you just have the fever for changing things every few months or so. I lived with the Meridian for 7 years! It was excellent. Before that, I had Cal Tempest II, and used it for about 6 yrs straight. Now I buy/trade/change more frequently. I'm using the EMC-1, the Marantz SA-1, and the Ah! New Tjoeb, and love them all. Each does great things for my CDs. I disagree w/those who find the EMC-1 "hard;" it is the most analog-like CD player I have ever owned, in my opinion. But I am female and 48, and my ears and hearing and tastes may be quite different from yours.
Reading and contributing to this thread has been fun! |
Absolutely no brainer. As yeast says, they have sold a ton of them for a reason. They have so many out there you should get one reasonably. The 508 either one. Best single box, even better (see reviews in Stereophile) than Levinson 39. The word is that the 508 is even still better than the fabulous newer 588.
Stay away from Electrocompaniet. I sold mine. Hard, hard, hard. If you have a ECM1 and it sounds ok, you must have one heck of a depressed tweeter/midrange and a really weak tube amp. The bass was fine on the ECM. Just stick with used class A from Stereophile, though too many upgrades from BAT otherwise fine buy but just a little less pace than Meridian. Trust the Stereophile reviews, they are right on the money on digital, especially issues before Harley and some of the other fine digital guys moved on. They really were very reliable and helpful reviews, so were Fi's (alas!) |
By far! I've made a big mistake and replaced mine by an expensive upsampling cdp (no names, still trying to sell it!) Meridian is just the best. Check out both USA and British reviews. 5 stars in everyone. I thought I would "upgrade" and blew it big time. I'm out thousands of dollars. Second choice, almost as good isa used BAT. After that, a used ARC. Stay away from the rest, unless you can find a 10 year old ES 7 series Sony. I had the last series of the ES top of the line and it didn't compare to the old. (Yup, I'm an equipment junkie. I've owned at least two dozen players, dacs and upsamplers!!) I recall reading in a recent recording magazine how a top remastering guy, very well known also went back, trashed his twenty thousand rig, pulled out his 12 year old Wadia and it was great!) My learning, painful and expensive: Newer is not better. Funky, small companies can make great gear, but vary too much in quality control and are liable to go out of business on you. Two players I would list in my class B (Resolution, Muse)--sometimes they seem to be in business or on the lips of everyone, then they disappear. Tremendous variation in samples I've heard. Also, in my class B used if you can find, are expensive players by Linn and Naim. Somehow, Brits seem to get this digital thing. Also note, you'll find a lot of Meridians used and can negotiate sometimes because of how many made. I was shocked when I asked them once how many sold. All the Krells, Levinsons (just like a Meridian 508 just a little hard at top and forward, but musical) Proceeds, Muse, Resolutions put together (and a few companies more) have sold less than total number of Meridian units!! |
All you 9000es owners, take a look at www.tweakaudio.com. Ric Schultz of Electronic Visonary Systems has thoroughly reworked all the important areas that Sony had to skimp on and turned this thing into something that should be truly special. There is a 30-day money back guarantee if you're not blown away. Check out his site for more details, but it should be hard to beat. You can do the whole thing for about $1800 including the price of the 9000es.
Tim |
I always loved the sound of My CAL CL-10 (a solid 5 disk changer) with 20 bit DAC. Sounds great, and for several years was a Stereophile recommended component. Listed as better than most single disks, with the convenience of a changer.
I see them cheap on Audiogon all the time |
FOR A GRAND YOU WONT GO WRONG |
try a used krell kps 20i--still one of the best around |
A Pioneer DVD player modified by Stan Warren. Take the money you save over higher priced equipment and go buy some CD's, then sit back and enjoy the music...... |
If money no object Audio Aero Capitole. |
Now there's a name that's good to see again! Good to hear from you, Carl. |
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It's intersting to still see the Pioneer PD-65 mentioned in this list. I still use one that recently returned for the second time to my rack and surprisingly still pleases me with its great musical approach to digital. Grab one if you can. To me, one of the best ever built digital gear. |
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Bouncy, rhythmic, 'keep on the beat' - Linn Ikemi or Naim CD5. Smooth, subtle, laid back - Electrocompaniet EMC-1, Cary or Copland. Powerful - Sony SCD-1, SCD-777. Neutral, transparent - Wadia 860, Marantz SA-1, Marantz CD-7. Cheap and cheerful - Rega Planet, Arcam FMJ, Musical Fidelity A3 (someone on this thread said they have a $20,000 reproduction chain feeding off an Ah Tjoeb; the CD player is good for the price but I imagine most people will not want to do this, for the same reason that they would not put retread Sears tires on their Porsche 911 Turbo). For tycoons and nutcases - Linn CD12 (best $20,000 CD player, but will it outperform a Harley Fatboy?). |
The Marantz SA-1 player. It beats my (2 yr old) $10K Wadia digital front end. Plus it plays an incredible SACD. This machine is gorgeous both in cosmetics and sound. It's CD and SACD playback you can enjoy not just today, but many years to come. I listened to the two piece $28K Accuphase setup and for a quarter of the price this Marantz will compete with it. In todays market in what you are getting , the Marantz SA-1 is a bargain. |
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I understand Cary 300 was with tube output stage but it is dicontinued by Cary. Instead Cary now has replaced 300 with
all electronic model Cary 303 which is supposed to sound better as 300 was missing out some details on low freq reproduction. |
Sonic Frontiers SFCD1 is my current player, but the upgrade path is limited and expensive. They are rumoured (good source to be downsizing their building so I don't know if SF will make available an SACD player. It looks like DVD-A will not make it. Therefore, my next CD player of choice came down to the Sony DVP9000Es and, judging by the reviews here, I will be making the correct choice! |
I have to agree with Vegasears - CAL stuff. I have the Delta/Sigma II. It's not the last word in detail, but it does not make my ears bleed the way some other CD players do. Alternately (much better !) get a good turntable |
You didn't specify a price range, but I'm guessing by the nature of the question you're in the Class B price range. I recently did a little downsizing and sold my Wadia 850 and purchased the Arcam FMJ CD23. After spending a day A/B testing using my buddy's system as reference (mine's being rebuilt) I can honestly say the reviews are deserved for this model. High build quality, very listenable and no bad characteristics. A solid Class B performer, and far better than the Adcom GCD 750 I also owned in the recent past. The Ring DAC only disappointed by comparison after we used the Arcam as a transport and a Timber TT1 DAC. The Timber revealed a more open, natural, nuanced sound, with better soundstaging. Of course, that's an unfair comparison, but the point is the Arcam is a quality piece and good value for the money. |
Hello everyone. I recently obtained a Sony XA7ES, in impeccable state, for $1000. It is most pleasing to my ears. I respectfully recommend its audition. Good luck in the journey. -Sam |
Naim CD 3.5/5 with flat cap - will run you ~$3k new - or about $1800ish used. VERY musical, though I'd probably agree it does not soundstage as well as other gear (wadia comes to mind) - but in terms of overall musical enjoyment (i.e., listening versus analyzing) the Naim player beats the others, handS down. The naim players do everything very well, across the board - and provide exceptional rhytm and pace, esp in the bass.
And if you ar consiering running Wadia staright w/o an EXCELLENT (pref tube) pre, foget it -it gets a bit harsh/strident in the mid treble, though it images and soundstages like a demon. I myself had a headache within 45 min of waida direct.
Of course Naim also has CDX, CD2 which do provide "audiophile" soundstage/imaging, but never at the expense of sounding gimmicky- you are still keenly aware of the fact that you are listening to/enjoying music, not stereo equipment, dig? one last point, its not that the 3.5/5 dont image/soundstage well - cause they do - it's just they dont as well as some other players (wadia, bat)
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