Onkyo's C-7030 would be my choice. Can be had for around $160 if you look around. Great looking unit with very solid construction. The remote's a bit awkward in design, but it's full featured.
Thinking about a new, lower end CD Player
My current CD player is a basic, older Sony, probably 10-12 years old. Works fine but I could use it in another location with a lower end system. It seems to sound about as good as my Arcam CD92 that lost its DAC a while back.
So now thinking about buying a new CDP and have a couple of questions.
I’d like to keep this in the $300-500 range for units with internal DAC. Not looking for SACD player. Other than a remote, not looking for special features or multi disk players.
I’m guessing that in this price range SQ is probably comparable to other units in that range.
First, is a CDP in this price range going to sound any better than the old Sony?
Second, if not, is there any reason not to just buy a comparable $200 unit?
Third, for units in this price range ($300-500) is there any reason to look for one with balanced output capability and if so, is there any way to know if it is truly balanced.
Thanks all,
George
So now thinking about buying a new CDP and have a couple of questions.
I’d like to keep this in the $300-500 range for units with internal DAC. Not looking for SACD player. Other than a remote, not looking for special features or multi disk players.
I’m guessing that in this price range SQ is probably comparable to other units in that range.
First, is a CDP in this price range going to sound any better than the old Sony?
Second, if not, is there any reason not to just buy a comparable $200 unit?
Third, for units in this price range ($300-500) is there any reason to look for one with balanced output capability and if so, is there any way to know if it is truly balanced.
Thanks all,
George
125 responses Add your response
"Now, you’re probably going to take this the wrong way, but it seems to me you don’t know much of anything."So far, it seems that you are the clueless one. When I do not know, I ask. You claim and it is so wrong that it is sad. Many of us feel pity for you. It is not a shame to ask, it is a shame not to know and be "all-knowing" and insulting others. I apologize if my questions make you feel uncomfortable. If you knew answers to them you would not feel this way about them. If you were at least capable of understanding any of the questions, it would already be a milestone. But...refer to the first sentence and try to learn. Even if it is about naming portable CD players. Simple and unimportant stuff that you could even grasp. You may not remember, but I do have WM FS-499 and D-421SP in a perfectly good condition. For whatever it is worth, I know how they sound. Better than expected, for sure. Far from great, though. When I get a chance, I will try connecting my Discman to amplifier. I admit I never tried that. I am curious how it is. I can tell you that portable Mini-Disc is crappy. |
glubson, you’re wrong again, I did not bring it up. If you can’t keep up with the conversation drop out. Now, you’re probably going to take this the wrong way, but it seems to me you don’t know much of anything. Just going by your words and your silly little what about this, what about that routine. No offense. For what’s it’s worth, I have a great many CD Walkman players, of which there are a great many models. I also have a bunch of cassette Walkmen. If you could hear what I hear on the Sony cassette Walkman with my ears you would have a conniption. I hope I’m not repeating myself when I say I do not buy or sell Sony Discman players as they are junk. |
geoffkait, "I don’t remember who brought up the Discman and frankly I don’t care."You brought it all up. You even brought your preference for a cassette Walkman to the thread of a person asking for suggestions about a basic CD player. "I know you are but what am I?"Once I find the topic you can hold your ground on, I will let you know. So far, no luck but I am keeping some hope. Nobody can be inept at everything. |
geoffkait, I really did not mean to reveal your lack of knowledge, wrong impression as you said, but you should be a little more polite. That knowledge is really useless, but, once you insist on claiming something so obviously wrong, I have to say it. You are clueless which is not that bad. Not being able to accept and think of corrections is bad. It makes you a worthless discussion participant. No, Discman was not inherently for the car. CAR Discman was marketed more for that as a way to attract more buyers who did not have a CD player in the car. In fact, at least early, advertisements did not have cars regularly in the picture. It was skateboards, park benches, many other things, but cars came a little later. I am not even sure if Walkman was ever marketed "for walking", but I will give you a pass on that one, just because of the name. I still do not know what "troll" here means, but I did pass by The Troll Shop yesterday and the first thing I thought of was....you. I am serious. Isn't it bad when your name becomes so closely associated with the word that you consider as something insulting? Find a PR expert, you need it. |
geoffkait, Here, a few pictures... https://www.google.com/search?q=car+discman&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwik0... As you can see, I have no questions for you. Only some pieces of information you could use next time you want to be an expert on things you are not that good with. |
geoffkait, I do not blame you for being less-than-informed about SONY portable electronics nomenclature. It was a long time ago that they produced these things. Most of the Discmen were actually not made specifically for a car. Those for the car usually had red CAR letters on them, came with a car kit, and were somewhat bulkier. Not that you could not use any Discman in the car, but these were marketed that way. uberwaltz, Is there any way you could find out what model you have or when it was produced? If I remember correctly, they switched from Discman to CD Walkman later in the game, maybe late 1990s? Not that it changes anything but I am as curious about it now as I was when Discman was an almost-unattainable dream for me. |
In the USA they still called the portable CD player a Walkman even though that was originally the cassette player. That is what mine says on it. In England when they came out with the portable CD player they called it and stated on it Discman to avoid confusion. And yes connection is via headphone aux to 2 RCA with a very common to obtain cable just for that purpose. |
When referring to "SONY Walkman" are you guys talking about Walkman or Discman? Is it about cassette or CD players? geoffkait did explain his, but I am not clear about others. Also, those portable CD players did not have digital outputs that often so how are you connecting it to anything? Through headphone output or, maybe, dedicated "line out"? Some SONY Walkmen (cassette) had a problem with that thin orangey-colored film connecting sides. After repeated opening and closing, it would break and there would be no contact anymore. Sports models were particularly prone to it. As a result, screen would not work or, those that had soft-touch buttons (not Sports) even all commands would die. |
uberwaltz I do hate to utter these words(lol) but..... GK does have a good point on the Sony Walkman,I use one in my second system that GK was kind enough to gift to me for the price of shipping. It actually sounds pretty darn good, very neutral and natural , no remote though! Lol. It is not a terrible idea....... jl352 any particular model recommended ? >>>>By and large all Sony Walkmans sound very good. There are others that sound good, too. It’s easier to find Sony Walkmen. They are also reliable and tend not to go belly up like some lesser brands. I modify my Walkman CD players to a certain extent. The cassette Walkman I’m using is one of those robust yellow Sports Walkman models. I am currently using the made in Japan Panasonic MASH CD player as my main player. For the CD player I am using a Perfect Path eCard, some PBW Tweaks, 2 Hz isolation, Graphene contact enhancer for batteries, and a few other tricks I have up my sleeve. Another eCard for the cassette player and Graphened batteries. I sell these modded players, full disclosure, Geoff Kait Machina Dynamica Advanced Audio Concepts we do artificial atoms right |
I have same issue with my old Denon DVD player mismatched with my new Parasound Hint. I find cd quality superior to much streaming - at least with regard to older recordings or classical, where streamers often only have pieces poorly recorded by obscure performers. I, too, would like to upgrade my cd transport a bit so recommendations are welcome. |
I do hate to utter these words(lol) but..... GK does have a good point on the Sony Walkman,I use one in my second system that GK was kind enough to gift to me for the price of shipping. It actually sounds pretty darn good, very neutral and natural , no remote though! Lol. It is not a terrible idea....... |
I’m a fan of the vintage Sony portable Walkman CD players as well as some other brands such as Panasonic made in Japan. The advantage is very low cost, escape from house AC, escape from all manner of expensive power cords, interconnects and speaker cables. Not to mention escape from the whole hoopla regarding what fuse to buy and what direction to put it in dissolves away like tears in rain. 😭 |
I have a Cambridge 640 that I use digital out to whatever DAC I'm using at the moment. When the drawer stopped working, I took it out of the system and used an inexpensive Samsung Blu-Ray player (fortunately, I had the foresight to get one with a digital output). Other than a small amount of mechanical noise (un-noticeable when playing music), it sounded the same as the Cambridge when playing through the same DAC. Today, I use TIDAL and stream to my DAC. Yes, the interface is clunky for classical music, but I can usually find what I am searching for. I still keep and buy the occasional CD, but 90% of my CD collection is on TIDAL. The new CDs are RIPed and played using iTunes or Roon. The CD player (now fixed - just needed cleaning) goes for months sometimes without being used. |
tngiloy2, my system is an AR LS-16 pre-amp, Proceed HPA2 amp and Aerial Acoustics 7B tower speakers. It is a nice older system I inherited. It is my first and only hi-fi system. ab2ab, will look into those models but to be honest after two CDP failures I'm leaning away from used. jl352, that's what I was told about the tuner so I wondered if that was true of CDPs as well. I don't mind paying for balanced and good XLR cables if it makes a significant difference but otherwise I'll save my money. |
@n80 - You wrote: "I am not interested in streaming as my primary listening source at this
time. Prefer to own my music in a tangible way. Call me a dinosaur,
whatever. But really enjoying CDs right now and getting good recordings
at great prices." Amen to that, brother!! Also, I have an Arcam CD-23T and Arcam CD37, both in mint condition that I may part with soon. PM me if interested. |
You didn't mention what other components you have in the system you want to add the new CD player to. If you have a Bluray or DVD player in that system chances are very good that player will also be able to play CD's and you can save your money to buy more CD's. At least until they stop producing CD's. |
rlovendale, that's interesting. I don't know much about Schiit stuff. I have a Modi 2 Uber and it seems to perform as advertised. The marketing is appealing. Their aesthetic is appealing to me. But what really appeals to me is their attempts to deliver bang-for-buck gear. Reviews suggest that the bang is there for so many of their products. Not sure how long I'll be able to wait for that product but will certainly keep my eye open. |
djones51, Do I need balanced? I just assumed that we all do.;-) Isn't it better? It has to be since it costs more. Seriously, I doubt that I 'need' balanced but my line stage is equipped for it. I did (do) honestly assume that it is an improvement over single ended if implemented properly but I have never tested that theory on my own equipment. My tuner has balanced outputs but I've been told that doesn't mean that it actually provides balanced output. But, if that's not a 'thing' with higher end CDPs then chances are I'd never hear the difference anyway. At this point I'm just exploring options. In the last 3 months I've had two old CDPs bite the dust. If I'm going to pay more than the average $200-$300 I'd like to think it would still be working in a few years and I'd like the possibility of improved SQ. |
What does a $1000 Rega do for me that the $300 NAD won't? Not challenging your opinion, just trying to understand. Is it the DAC? The transport? The power source? All of the above? It does not appear to have balanced output either. If it is all that. And if there is a real difference to be heard I might go that route or a similar route. |
Durability-wise, I doubt you will get a different transport between those, and that is what breaks (along with laser) so it should not be much different. Maybe once you go into some much higher price-ranges and even then who knows. I forgot the number, but there are only so many makers of CD transports. Some years ago even Philips exited and they were the staple among many brands. Some brands make their own but I doubt those are $300-500-700 players. Soundwise, check specs and what DAC chip they use. for the biggest difference. Remainder seems to be smaller increments. Maybe, once you see the pattern in DACs and price, you could even pick the cheapest one with that better DAC. I feel that more expensive models, even in your price range, may feel to be better built. Sturdier. I am sure it is supposed to be better for sound but have no real idea. Or, why change the team that is winning? There is one just like yours on eBay. And then, of course, you can always buy a $300 player, add a $225 fuse and end up with a $15 000 player sound. At least that is what the rumor is. |
The Fonzie move on the old Sony was only a temporary fix. So here is another question: Let's say I decide to spend more on a CD player. What am I likely to get (in terms of SQ and durability) for upping the budget from $300 to $500 or even $500 to $700. When I look at the NAD players in that range I see that going up from the $300 to the $500 model you get a toroidal power supply for whatever that is worth. I can't see a big difference between the $500 and $700 model. None of them have balanced outputs. |
