Things that make you go, "Hmmmmm...."

Really. And your evidence for this is....?

Old cd players don’t appreciate in value because the technology is rapidly evolving.

That old trope passes for "well said"? You mean like the way turntable technology rapidly evolved to direct drive and tangential tracking? Oh. Wait. What's that? Never happened? 

Course not. Because technology is NOT be-all end-all determinative. Implementation, the details and techniques by which the technology is actually put into use, THAT is what matters! 

This may unwittingly shed some light though. Could be the slavish pursuit of technology uber alles is part of what drives so many to keep buying the newest, forgetting that if there's one thing this thread proves its that hardly any of the newest turns out good enough to stand the test of time.

Which, nothing new there either. Most new music is crap. Most new cars are crap. On and on. So of course most new CD players are gonna be crap. Which by the way, since people with a chip on their shoulder (and apparently an axe to grind, maybe even more than a little defensive to boot) keep bringing it up maybe better state for the record (heh) there are no exceptions to this rule and so most new turntables are crap too! So there! 

The OP is a hardcore vinyl lover, he have no intentions to buy any CD player, let alone a cool looking one.

For the record, "hardcore" is an insult, not an argument. 

And "intentions to buy" is irrelevant. When I picked up Robert Harley's Complete Guide to High End Audio I had no intentions of ever buying a turntable. But he got me curious, I kept digging into it, and now have a fantastic rig.

 Honestly, pursuing a CD player now is a fool’s errand.

Love the way you stuck that "now" in there. Good one.

The Emotiva sounds like another legit, if decidedly mid-fi, example. Oh well, did not specify high end. That would all but guarantee none be found. Mark Levinson, of course. Even the remote is built like a Swiss bank vault. Never heard one I cared for but probably not going to zero any time soon so okay, we are up to three.

Or maybe four. Leave it to Tim to find the Shanling, a CD player so cool looking it might even hold a candle to my record rig. Visually, I mean: big ol’ feet sticking out, three transformers jutting out in full art deco architectural glory, uber cool flip up top loader lid, and a full complement of four TUBES, complete with George Jetson-like tube rings! Crikey! Nothing about how or if they’re holding their value, but sexy enough to maybe not even matter. Astro! Fetch! https://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/hi-fi-and-audio/cd-players-and-recorders/shanling-cd-...

@millercabon what exactly are you on about? The Rega Saturn sells new for $3000 and can buy pristine used ones for like $1000. It’s not even that old.

Well that’s the thing about writing. No matter how crystal clear, always someone seeing mud. Let me see if I can help.

What I am "on about" is: "What CD player can I buy that will hold its value and not be near worthless in anything more than a few years?" For example the $10k going to $650.

That’s what I am on about. Finding a CD player that won’t do that.

The Saturn is the only candidate, so far.

Now in your case I would have to ask, what are you on about? Again, what I am on about is crystal clear. You could even go back and read it. Its still there: "the classic older versions are better than the newer ones."

Now, you may disagree. Like the guy who said they are crap. Fine. Disagree all you want. But follow the logic. If you can. It gets right down to the heart of the matter. Which is, that there might be some exceptions to the rule. Could be sound quality. Could be looks. Could be a combination of things so far not even mentioned.

That’s what I am "on about"- seeing if there are exceptions. Finding the exceptional.

Could you maybe help instead of hinder?

mickeyb:

I’m a big fan of older rega CD players. The Saturn or Jupiter are built real well, look real cool and sound very good. I dig my Saturn and will never give it up. I run it through my tube dac toslink input and couldn’t be happier. You can get a used Saturn for a decent price and resell for probably 75% of what you paid for it. The millennials dig them a lot.

Winner winner chicken dinner!

Okay. Finally! Immediately of course someone has to diss the one and only legit example of what I've been asking for, a CD player that won't go straight to zero within years of ownership. That it took this long would seem to indicate, if I may be logical about it for a moment, that such are rare. Or at least not well known. 

The Saturn has a following, and its been around a long time. The posts here are almost 10 years old! http://www.audioreview.com/product/digital-sources/cd-players/rega/saturn.html Best of all- actually is a tie between it looks kinda cool, or at least not a boring box like most, and comes with the beautiful story line that the classic older versions are better than the newer ones. 

So that's one. Surely there must be at least one more out there somewhere? I mean, to find a 30+ year old car (with over 200k miles on it) worth more than it sold for new I need go no further than the other side of my kitchen and look into the garage. Surely Audiogon global reach can find more than one non-worthless CD player. Now that we know what we're looking for....

PS- "Your logic is so asinine" the word you were looking for mayoradamwest is, "airtight."

Okay, but a quick search would seem to show those are current production. ie, new. As in, not old.

It would appear there are no CD players that after more than a few years do anything but plummet to near worthlessness. Okay. Will have to do for now, I guess.

But still, hard to believe. I mean, even an old wind up watch, the lowliest Timex from the 1960's, even that is gonna be worth more than new today. Long as its not all beat up. Or Chrysler K-car. Hard to think of a bigger piece of junk than the Chrysler K-car. Yet they sell today for more than new. I actually won an on-line debate one time saying every car ever made, will begin appreciating in value at about 15-20 years, provided only its kept in good running condition. I won when the one car everyone thought would prove me wrong was found on-line selling for more than new- a Chrylser K-car.

Still, hard to believe. I mean, a whole industry, huge market segment, millions of ardent enthusiastic owners, all for something turns out to be worthless compared even to a Chrysler K-car?

Clearly a lot of defensive responses and reading into instead of just, you know, reading. Still looking for an example of a CD player that for whatever reason has stood the test of time. As determined by the one thing that matters, willingness to open up the pocketbook and pay money for it.

Believe me, I know good and well there are people willing to be advertised and marketed and psyched into buying the latest new whatever. Literally: whatever. Not asking about that. Asking what, if anything, is there that people still find value in, many years later.

Just to be clear, does not have to be sound quality. Maybe it just looks cool. Or classy. So could be build quality. Or materials. Who knows, maybe a nice solid wood case. Or carbon fiber. Gold. Diamonds. Whatever. Not the point. Anything, anything whatsoever.

Because, as it stands now, you guys are making me think no CD player ever made is even as good as my 30 year old lava lamp. Which people even just last night thought was pretty cool.

This is the digital forum. No one has anything positive to say? There really is no there there?

Peak vinyl. Good one.

Even more interesting is why you said, "higher resolution" instead of enjoyable, captivating, musically satisfying, or anything having anything at all to do with an actual reason any normal person would want to listen to it.

We all know there are tons of record players all over the place selling for the same or even more now than when they were first made 20, 30 or more years ago. Don’t even have to be that good. Plenty of run of the mill direct drive Technics that were $350 back in the 70’s fetching $400 today.

So. Seriously. There are no CD players you can say this about? None?? Anywhere? EVER???!

The range of experience across the worldwide interweb is so vast there is always someone, and usually more than a few, willing or able or possessing whatever it is, however unlikely. I mean, some years back there was a guy in Germany looking for people who would like him to kill and eat them. Police shut him down, but not before he had several volunteers.

So what? Are you guys kidding me? Or is it truly the case you all know digital is even less desirable than being slaughtered and eaten??

Seriously? There has not been even one CD player ever made people actually want? Even for looks?