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Cheap setup that does not sound cheap.

post #1 of 14
12/2/02 at 8:30pm
Thread Starter 
My question is what is the cheapest setup you have ever bought that could compare favorably too setups costing two or three times as much?
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post #2 of 14
12/2/02 at 8:34pm
see below.

I really went back for the buck here, and when I compare it to my friend's paradigm speaker system. . . there's just no comparisson. Now, headphone wise. . . heck, I'm sure if you put sony v700s on and connect them to an HP4, they'd still sound bad.
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post #3 of 14
12/3/02 at 12:31am
the mx500 off any solid portable device with the radioshak thicker pads....

and ksc-35's


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post #4 of 14
12/3/02 at 12:33am
I had some cheap PCDP and Grado SR-60s that sounded so incredible that was what got me hooked on HIFI and brought me here, I still regret selling the SR-60s
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post #5 of 14
12/3/02 at 9:42am
One of my setups is a Sony D-E406CK and the Mdr-7506 phones. The setup can be had for maybe $130 if you can find the pcdp. Most of the Sony's around 5 years old will do. One does not have to have a 555 or 777 to get great sound. I think the 555 and 777 are way overrated compared to the cheaper older Sonys. There is not a big difference. doug
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post #6 of 14
12/3/02 at 1:15pm
There is a big difference in portable sound between the better old sonys and to crap they try to pass of as pcdp's today. IMO todays players that I have heard make music suck..

If you want the best value, it will take a while to obtain the setup:

Find an older cd player that has received favorable reviews at a pawn shop or garage sale. Make your own meta42 or gilmore amp and don't bother with a case hehe. Buy the cans that sound best to you (a used pair). And then make your own cables so you can hear your amp hehe.

Biggie.
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post #7 of 14
12/3/02 at 1:19pm
I said there is not a big difference between the cheaper OLDER pcdp's and the 555 or 777. No where did I even discuss the newer pcdp's. doug
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post #8 of 14
12/3/02 at 1:26pm
IMHO it's WAY better to get a full-sized home CDP than to try to hunt for an older-model PCDP. You see, what good is an older-model PCDP if you can't use it without skipping badly for anything other than stationary tabletop use? The typical older PCDP that lacks anti-skip suffers badly from that problem. And very few PCDPs made today still lack anti-skip (low-end models from RCA and off-brands?) - and those low-end skip-prone PCDPs sound even worse (why are those ********* highs severely rolled-off?) than the typical current-model Panasonic or Sony PCDP.

OTOH, many home CDPs have no headphone jack at all whatsoever. So you'll have to buy a headphone amp. And some low-end home CDPs actually compress the sound before the signal even leaves the line-out jacks - making the sound no better than a well-encoded 192kbps MP3.
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post #9 of 14
12/4/02 at 12:00pm
Why would home CDPs do that?

Anyway, my setup would be Sony D-CJ01 / D-EJ725 -> Ety ER4P
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post #10 of 14
12/4/02 at 12:25pm
I still remember the "magic" that I heard when I first plugged a pair of Koss Sportapro's into a Boostaroo (yes, that one!) and my Panasonic PCDP. Don't knock it 'til you try it!
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post #11 of 14
12/4/02 at 1:07pm
Eagle Driver, a large benefit of an older portable player is the small size. You could easily put it on a nightstand or on a desk surrounded by papers, computer and peripherals, and so on, without having to worry about takin up too much space. The other is it's transportability. If you want to take your music from one room to another, you unplug it, pick it up with one hand, and move over to the next room, set it down, plug it in, and voila. Plus, the older CD players had good enough quality sound and enough power that you don't really need a headphone amplifier with them to get good sound, while as I find regular CD players today don't sound all that great out of the headphone jack on their own as it was much more of an afterthought than a real feature.
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post #12 of 14
12/4/02 at 1:57pm
Quote:
Originally posted by DLP
...while as I find regular CD players today don't sound all that great out of the headphone jack on their own as it was much more of an afterthought than a real feature.
Stupid cost-cutting is to blame here. Remember, those first PCDPs cost an astronomical amount of $$$ when they were first introduced - and even then, they boast few features. And very early CDPs (from the early 1980's) actually sound horrible (by today's standards) even out of their line-outs, because their DACs actually compress the sound from 16 bits down to 14 bits (and most used a craptacular alogarithm in doing so). And any compression back then is lossy. But most of today's CDPs in the consumer lines use so-called "1-bit" DACs that compress the audio, as well - but the alogarithms used are generally better than the alogarithms used in those early CDPs (though some are still suckier than others). But cost-cutting has resulted in home CDPs that have a lot of features for so little $$$ - but many have no headphone jack at all whatsoever, and those that still do have a headphone-out that isn't all that much better in sound quality than those found in the better current-model PCDPs (at least not for the $$$ that you pay for such a home CDP).
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post #13 of 14
12/4/02 at 5:36pm
Quote:
dkm24 said:

"I think the 555 and 777 are way overrated compared to the cheaper older Sonys. There is not a big difference....."
in my opinion the headphone out of the 555 is light years ahead of any other portable i tried (d-303, d25, d35, onkyo, pana.....) may be just me but that is the reason why i "killed" my d-25 to transplant the optics and fix the 555...but that is another subject...

i think the d-25s and the ksc35 make a great couple since d25 lacks bass and the ksc35 is kinda bassy...so the balance each other..anf the total is about 70$ for all new equipment...not bad.....

m.
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post #14 of 14
12/5/02 at 10:05am
Here are the portables I own:
Sony d25-s, d-303,d-e406ck, and the d-555,
I have a couple newer Sony's
I also own the legendary Optimus CD-3400.

Of all the old Sony's I own, I do not hear a big difference between them all. I have listened and listened. After reading all the stuff here I sometimes may perceive a difference. One difference I do hear is from the line-out of the D303. There is more space and air in the music.
But all of those Sony's are so close in sound. I don't buy these claims that the 555 is so much better. It simply is not. I have done a lot of critical listening. I can't speak for the 777, I have not heard it. I really don't think I need to.
Another misconception is the legend. The Optimus cd3400. By todays standards this is not a good player. The Sony's run circles around it. But it is like any other legend. It grows bigger the longer it's gone. I would be very wary of the reviews people give on these pcdp's. People will give glowing reviews simply because they own the equipment. Paying $300 based on the reviews here. The best advice is to get an older Sony that is not on the demand list. You will save a ton of money and not sacrfice much sound. I strongly suggest the Sony D-E406CK if you can find it. It holds it's own against the others I own. It's just not as pretty. doug
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