+1 mjcmt. If looking for a inexpensive CD player to use as a transport the Onkyo 7030 would be my choice. Built like a much more expensive unit, over 15 lbs.
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
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This is a highly rated cheap cd player on all the audio forums around the net. https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-C-7030-Compact-Player-Black/dp/B004UR487A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=15... |
jafant, Nothing esoteric (not even Esoteric). Luxman 505UX amplifier, Luxman-D-05U CD player, SONY HAP-Z1ES digital player/server, Revel Performa3 F208. Also, rarely used but most beloved, many decades old Technics SL-Q2 turntable with a few months old Soundsmith Otello cartridge. Rarely connected, but available, Sansui TU-717 tuner and Nakamichi CR-1A cassette player. |
jafant, I bought Luxman D-05U. I still buy CDs and do not download from websites (I did one album just to check how it goes) but put them on a server so I have almost no use for CD part of my new player. At the same time as buying a player, I ripped all my SACDs, and a few DVD-As that I have (along with transferring some records), so I have almost no use for SACD part of my new player either. I tried 4-5 discs so far. It ends up serving as a DAC, once I stretch my arm to turn it on which is not that often (the on/off is on the back). I just like to have a functioning machine in a dinosaur approach "just in case everything else fails". I picked this particular one because it can be operated by my amplifier's remote control, if the need be, and I like the way it looks. I know, I have a very non-audiophile approach and do not obsess with minutia of sound improvement but it is what it is. Nobody can say I did not match my components carefully. It is just that I did not match them the way it is usually thought of. On the other hand, it all works fine and I have no complaint about the sound. |
uberwaltz, well, in case you change your mind... https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9897j-technics-1520-reel-to-reel |
N80. Just for giggles I did a comparison tonight in my main rig with my Pioneer DVD player. Played a known good quality CD and switching back and forth between its rca outs direct into my Ayre and it's spdif which goes into a Mytek Brooklyn DAC and then into the Ayre. It was not even a contest as well it should not be as we are talking 90,s tech internal dac in the pioneer vs 2017 tech DAC. I only keep the RCA outputs hooked up to play the few SACD I own! |
Its hard to beat $20 DVD/ bluray players that when you use just as a transport to send your CD signal to a quality dac can rival very expensive dedicated CD players. I have 4 sources for CD playback in my various systems ( including a Sony PS3) and every one is just used as transport sending signal to a superior dac for playback. |
I know there is a guy out there who repairs and mods Arcam players. Condor Electronics or something like that. Quite expensive though. As for who buys CD players it was interesting that at this Goodwill there was a shelf full of DVD players that will play CDs but not one simple CD player. Personally, for now, I find CDs to be the most gratifying media. Low res streaming is convenient and to me the sound quality isn't unbearable most of the time. But it isn't great. I also don't like renting stuff and paying monthly fees. Hi-res Tidal is $240 a year. Right now I'm probably averaging around $6 per used CD. That's 40 CDs that I've researched the production and sound quality of. Buying hi-res files is pricey compared to most used CDs. HD Tracks does not back them up for you. I don't need to back up CDs per se....but I rip them anyway. I have CDs that are close to 30 years old and sound fine. I know they can degrade, but in general are pretty durable. Vinyl is its own thing. Not knocking it at all but that bug hasn't bitten me yet. Four times as expensive, at least, just for the media and to get the most of it the gear is more pricey too. So for now I enjoy researching, hunting for and buying good CDs more cheaply than you can buy from HD Tracks or iTunes for that matter. It seems the challenge for me is to find and keep running CD players. ;-) |
jafant, I have not checked with Denon, but, a couple of weeks ago, I did look up videos about replacing the drive on the Internet and looked for parts on eBay, They are available used so who knows what they would end up being. There were no new ones I could see at that moment which may indicate that Denon quit supplying them. Another observation from eBay was that a number of players were advertised as "not playing CD" or SACD, or whatever else. Quick Google search for "Denon 2910 CD not playing" (or something similar to that) brought a lots of comments telling me I am not the only one. Hence my previous post. I would stay away from buying those players these days, unless they are cheap enough not to be disappointed with failure. I wonder if modding operations are gone simply because the market for it has shrunk as people have gradually moved on to less physical formats. There is probably only a handful of us who have these Denons sitting around and have not tossed them yet. I recently bought a CD (SACD, in fact) player and everyone I tell it to asks me "who still buys CD players these days?" I guess, n80 and me. |
"There were a lot of good Denon BluRay, DVD CD players that sounded real good for CDs. Denon DVD-2500BTCI, DENON DVD-3910 DENON DVD-5910..."As much as the sound of Denon x910 series was unexpectedly good, they were prone to laser failures. At least 2910 and 3910 might have had the same assembly but I am not sure. "Prone to laser failures" for the most part translates into "count on it". Mine failed CDs but has continued just fine with SACDs, DVD-A, DVD-V, and video discs of some sort. Basically, isolated CD failure. It was almost ten years old when it happened. In case you are considering one of those, check with all the disc formats you may be interested in and not just a CD and consider it operable. |
Went to the Goodwill CD store and got a Sony and a Toshiba DVD/CD player for $14 each. Both work fine. Both sound fine in my hi-fi system for that matter. One is for down at my cabin. The other is for my B-I-L and the cobbled together Rotel/B&W/Onkyo HT system I'm putting together for him with left over gear. For home with the h-fi I'm sticking with the Arcam CD92 as transport and will upgrade my DAC when the time comes. For what its worth I think the Arcam ring DAC (now defunct) was a little better than the Schiit Modi 2 Uber DAC which I'm using now. Or different anyway. Brighter. Almost too bright maybe. |
A lot of the Denon, Pioneer and Sony DVD CD players from the 2000s sound great for CDs. I have the Denon DVD-9000 DVD CD player an this Denon sounds great on CDs. This Denon DVD-9000 is really built. I also like the Sony DVP-S9000ES DVD CD Player. There were a lot of good Denon BluRay, DVD CD players that sounded real good for CDs. Denon DVD-2500BTCI, DENON DVD-3910 DENON DVD-5910, Denon DVD-5900. 2 very good Pioneer DVD CD player that you can get for under 100 dollars that sounds good on CDs is Pioneer Elite DV-47Ai, PIoneer DV-37. Both of these players were nicely built. |
I've had three CD players in my lifetime. All three have had a failure of some sort but all have approached the 20 year old range. I'm not sure how old this most recent Sony was. It came new in the box from my uncle's estate but had been sitting around for years. Then it lived in my cabin for close to 15 years in which the temperature inside was the same as the temp outside unless we were there. Low teens to over 100. So not an easy life. I also don't know how old the Arcam is. It sat in a musty basement for a number of years and got moved around a lot. Of course it is still functioning as a transport. So I can't really complain. My system is also older. Maybe 15 years, maybe more. Right now I could not afford to replace it at the current SQ. I think it was probably $15k when new. Sometimes I wonder how much it would cost to replace it if I did a lot of research and hunted for bargains. |
There are some great deals on EBay if you take your time and keep watching for someone that's upgrading there system. I'm very happy and friends are amazed when they come to my house and hear the amazing music details they've never heard before. Concerts are so expensive now tickets that used to cost $5 -$7.50 are now hundreds of dollars to hear the drunks around you singing! I guess I've seen almost every musician I have ever wanted to see and some are no longer with us except on recordings! BB King, Hendrix, Stevie Ray, The Beatles, The Dead, The Allman Brothers ,Jefferson Airplane and many others are getting old like me! L |
Every CD player I've owned have been used and still is working after 20 + years! I only bought a different one because it could decode HDCD's and in my opinion they sound incredible. I have a DTI and DAC to process the signal sent to the pre-amp and into the High Current Amplifier. I prefer older equipment to the new ones which are light and feel cheap compared to the ones I'm used to using. Plus the new equipment is more expensive than I can afford and I haven't heard anything at my price point that will touch my system and I have less that a thousand dollars into everything! It's amazed how much difference the DTI and DAC makes in the music details and sound stage on any CD player or transport. This equipment new would have cost nearly five or six thousand and I can't spend that kind of money! My Audio Alchemy's are still pumping a fantastic sound into my Kef Reference speakers which are easily twenty years old as well. |
OP, if you can find a TASCAM CD-200b used for $89 or $99, get it. I'm using its bigger brother, the 500b and it sounds great. MSRP is $499 and I got it on eBay in "like new" condition, which fortunately ended up being accurate, for $189. I am stepping up to a very good transport since I'm feeding a nice DAC with the TASCAM, but I'm keeping the TASCAM as a backup or possibly for use upstairs down the road. TASCAM is owned by TEAC, who also owns Esoteric. Not saying they're comparable, but there's a good lineage there. The 200b is a tray load, my 500b is a slot load. It does sound better as a transport but even its internal DAC sounds fine. It decodes pre-emphasis too, if that's any concern. And as someone who fits the stereotype of a near-millenial who should only listen through his phone, Tidal, or a streamer? Physical media all day, especially in a setting designed around listening. |
CD92 with the 'ring' DAC (the part which isn't working). The odd thing is that it will play through the DAC/RCA outputs for maybe a minute when you first turn it on then it gets all garbled up and quits playing altogether. We do have some Goodwill and consignment type shops around and I will keep an eye out for something. |
Well I guess it all depends on what you decide is your budget for a cheap cdp. At any given time there are literally hundreds of good 80,s and 90,s cdp on eBay going for relative peanuts. I still have and use an old Samsung bluray player in a bedroom system just taking the optical output so using as a transport. And it sounds better than it has any right to for the grand sum of $21 shipped a few years back! |
Got the Arcam home this afternoon and it sounds fine to me through the Schiit Modi 2 Uber. Can't really tell the difference between it and the Sony....and never could tell a big difference between the Sony and the Arcam when it was fully functional either. The original problem with the Sony is back and I consider it trash at this point. Net result: 1. Arcam as transport via Schiit in hi-fi system. 2. No CDP for low end system at the cabin. Game plan now: Keep Arcam as transport for hi-fi. Consider upgrading the Modi 2 Uber to a Multibit or BiFrost (or other comparable DAC) at some point since that will, presumably, yield SQ benefits for my music server (iMac) and streaming as well. Skip CDP for cabin for now and just play off iPhone or laptop there. Pick up a cheap CDP if the opportunity arises. |
Of course it should be pointed out that these little Walkman dudes do need a little help to sound their best. Otherwise they tend to sound kind of generic. But they can achieve a surprisingly high level if you put a little effort into it. So there are a number of things I do. The very first thing I do is... |
Good things come in small packages. No power cords, no interconnects, no f@#$& up house AC, no fuses, no speaker cables. And none of the distortion those things bring to the table. No real estate Issues or room acoustics crap to deal with, either. And the money you save on all of that crap you can spend on beer 🍺 Big things have small beginnings. |
Fair enough. With an eye turned toward education, sharing musical enjoyment and experimentation and experience..someone here, including the OP can buy a used Sony Walkman and connect it to their home stereo. I am all for that. here is one for sale on eBay right nowhttps://www.ebay.com/itm/Barbie-For-Girls-Disc-Portable-CD-Player-Mattel-Pink-Walkman-Toy/1133430681... Well under budget, that’s a good thing. Don't let your granddaughter find it, she might just steal it....if she knows what it is!?!? |
Actually 2psyop I would not blame the OP at all for never returning here after it has been trashed yet again. However not for the reasoning you suggest. Your assertion that connecting a Sony Walkman cd player is for 13 year olds in the 80,s is complete tosh if I may be so bold as to say so. Try it before you diss it! I did and was and am still very happy with the SQ. Mine is connected via its headphone/aux out by a cable that is stereo aux to 2 rca analog. Later models may have had digital out but certainly not the earlier Walkmans. |
2psyop George (OP)will probably never come back to this thread. He probably never intended to get another budget CDP. The suggestion to use a portable CDP (Walkman, Discman, Funkman or whatever) to connect to his stereo. I think that is more in line with what a 13 year old boy from the 80’s might do. WTF? Whoa! Did I just see 666 posts for 2cyclops? Is he about to summon Satan? 👁 |
glupson "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. >>>>>You probably won’t like this either but I’m filing all that under Who Cares? Find someone else to work your infantile Brer Rabbit and Tar Baby routine on. |
