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Vintage 1989 Magnavox CDB482 player- Impressive


2 days ago I bought a 1989 Magnavox CDB492 cd player.

I sounds beautiful. It has a full bodied sound, excellent detail, beautiful 3D soundstage, great layering of the instruments, and nice air around musicians and instuments. It stomps the Oppo and reminds me of my Cary CD308, now gone. It has been a long time since my stereo has been captivating and musical.

I heard these vintage Magnavox (Philips) were good but I didn't expect this. This model has the desireable Philips CDM4/19 transport and Philips TDA1543 dual DAC used in many current high end players and DACs of today. Unlike their earlier players it does have a cheaper chassis, but it utilizes the way better 16 bit dual DAC (earliest ones had 14 bit DAC or a predicesor to the famous 1543 DAC), and this model has a much improved transport over the CDM2.

I still can't believe how this thing sounds like music. Maybe in the earlier days Philips and Sony tried to make a cd sound like an LP. What ever the reason you should look for one of these rascals and give it a spin.
128x128mjcmt
8 responses Add your response
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,769 posts
 
Those older Magnavox CD players were excellent. Back in 1990 I read a review of the CDB 630 in Stereo Review, picked one up at the Wiz for $300, and it was my main player for 10 years. Back then, the Magnavox CD players were made in Belgium, home of Phillips.

Best regards,

Rich
kotta's avatar
kotta
649 posts
 
One of my first purchases on Ebay many yrs. ago was an NEC CD-650 for around $30. Very impressive sounding and extremely well built. Another great sounding CDP is the Rotel RCD-855. Mine sounds great but I heard from Rotel w/just a few modifications it will sound even better. I hope you enjoy your CDP for many yrs! (Add a better cord and things should sound even better!)
mjcmt's avatar
mjcmt OP
710 posts
 
I understand the 610-630 from '86 had a better built chassis, but the 492 from '89 had the better 1543 DAC and CDM4/19 transport. I'm really amazed at the sound it produces.

Big, lively and detailed sounding. I'm hearing deeper into the recordings.
geph0007's avatar
geph0007
184 posts
 
I am not surprised. I used to have cheap Magnavox changers through about 1995 (the dual 16bit ones) and I swear they are more musical and natural then anything I have owned since. Rotel ,NAD, Cambrige, Vincent and now a Sony SACD XA 7777ES.
mjcmt's avatar
mjcmt OP
710 posts
 
I initially typed the wrong model number on the title of this thread. It is the CDB-492 not 482, but you probably figured this out.
mfslgoldcd
90 posts
 
The best sounding of the vintage Magnavox CD players is the model CDB-650.
soundman
1 posts
 
With the exception of about three years in which I had an NAD 502, I have been using my CDB-560 daily since I purchased it new in '88. Yes, it may look a bit dated, but the fact that it's still pluggin' along after almost twenty years of continuous use, simply boggles the imagination. I have never been disappointed in its presentation. The NAD may have trumped it in the very deep bass, but beyond that I cannot say that it was superior in any way (except maybe aesthetically).
What happened to the NAD? It crapped out on me after three years, and I had a $60 repair during that very short service!
I have a Pioneer DV-563A which I use to listen to my SACDs and DVD-As, and I wonder if the Magnavox has enough moxie left to outlive the Pioneer.
I hope I didn't just jinx myself!
mjcmt's avatar
mjcmt OP
710 posts
 
Mfslogoldcd,
Have you compared the 650 w/ other vintage Magnavox cdps?
The '86 650 uses the 1541 DAC and the '89 492 uses the 1543 DAC that has been re-discovered and is used in many high end players and stand alone DACs of today. The 482 uses the highly regarded Philips CDM4/19 transport as well.
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