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CD Player Recommendation

post #1 of 18
4/1/11 at 1:05pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all, thank you for reading this.
I did a search and its been a little while since this question was asked. Im trying to get a CD Player source and need some recommendations to start from.
Currently I have K701's and either go laptop > cheap headphone amp or Sansa > cheap Sony amp to listen.
I want to get a good CD Player source and I like the most bang for the buck method if you know what I mean.
I guess my budget can be up to a few hundred dollars.
Im new at this so please be gentle! smily_headphones1.gif

Thanks,
Henry
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post #2 of 18
4/1/11 at 6:23pm

I would suggest the Marantz CD5004 for $350. It's a really nice player for the money. Most dedicated CD players will run you more than that though but this one does a good job for the money.

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post #3 of 18
4/1/11 at 7:38pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you for replying.
From reading the previous posts on this topic, Marantz seemed like a highly suggested brand, and thank you for putting the model # too.
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post #4 of 18
4/1/11 at 11:27pm

Most mid-priced, name brand, DVD players does a very good job of playing CDs.

 

If you don't mind extracting CD into files. A solid-state player like the QLS QA-350 can be had for under $200. Easily exceeds the performances of most mechanical CD or DVD players; and you can play a lot more songs without swapping out CDs.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/496326/review-qls-qa-350-solid-state-transport-amazing-sound-and-versatility

 

 

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post #5 of 18
4/3/11 at 6:09am

I'm still using a 20-year old Marantz CD60 to drive my HD600, and even with just the headphone out, it sounds close to the HM602. Of course, I can't use it as a DAC or as a portable, but hey, I'm not spending anything more. I've never heard it with the K701 though, but it sounds better with the HD600 than the SR225.

Since you're shelling out money now, though, I'd vote for the QLS over the Marantz. You can't fit that into your pocket but that wasn't the initial requirement, right? It can drive many cans on its own and you won't have to stop, open the drawer, swap discs...and every few years service the transport. I'm on my second gear belt for my CD60's tray right now.


Edited by ProtegeManiac - 4/3/11 at 6:14am
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post #6 of 18
4/3/11 at 9:21am



 

Quote:
Originally Posted by ETAHL View Post

 

If you don't mind extracting CD into files. A solid-state player like the QLS QA-350 can be had for under $200. Easily exceeds the performances of most mechanical CD or DVD players; and you can play a lot more songs without swapping out CDs.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/496326/review-qls-qa-350-solid-state-transport-amazing-sound-and-versatility

 

 


There are a number of potentially irritating limitations on that device for a home device, the display is small and there is the file/folder limits (900/90). Technical performance is actually slightly inferior to a decent budget CD player on most parameters

That said, I almost never play CDs any more, I rip my CDs and use a WD HDTV (~$100) device to which you plug-in USB hard drives and which has a digital output as well as analog but it needs an external display and does not support gapless :-(

 

....but if you must have a CD player I have had excellent results with cheap Marantz and Rotel and Yamaha players bought from eBay over the years. Anything from the early 90s onwards by which point you had robust 4x and 8x oversampling devices.

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post #7 of 18
4/3/11 at 12:13pm

"There are a number of potentially irritating limitations on that device for a home device, the display is small and there is the file/folder limits (900/90). Technical performance is actually slightly inferior to a decent budget CD player on most parameters "

 

True the display is small; however at 6ft away I can't make out the display of my CD and DVD player anyways. The QA-350 does come with a remote, which makes it a truly viable option for home use compare to most portables. It is after all a SD based device, I don't find the file/folder limits an issue. You will run into the 32G SD card storage limit rather than the file name limit. You can swap out the SD card just as easy as changing a CD.

My QA-350 sound quality is on par or superior to my high-end Pioneer Elite SACD/DVD player, so I can't see how it is inferior to the any budget CD player. Also by extracting the files from the CD in advance using Exact Audio Copy software (free), you are doing a much better job of correcting for any errors on the CD, and doing it well in advance of playing. When playing, there is also no mechanical intervention or noise added to the listening environment.


Edited by ETAHL - 4/3/11 at 12:21pm
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post #8 of 18
4/3/11 at 1:25pm
Thread Starter 
That QLS is neat. And yes the remote control is something I'm living without right now and it sucks. So a source with a remote is cool. Most of my audio comes from .flac files now so I guess converting to .wav is no problem.

I'm building a portable tube amp now to see what tubes sound like. And if I like them I plan on getting the schitt lyr amp because it is supposed to drive the k701's I have very well.

That being said, because I'm new to this, I was assuming I need to get a good source next, and my assumption was a good CD player, but if I can continue using just "digital media"... I guess I need to solicit more advice at a higher level first and learn some more.

So maybe I should ask, what makes a good source? I'm assuming components used to make said device. But then that source may need help from a DAC and/or amp to power headphones to the headphones full potential.

Thank you guys for taking the time to help me. And sorry if this is basic questions and is trying your patience smily_headphones1.gif I love listening to music and I dont have a guru I can talk to other than the Internet.
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post #9 of 18
4/3/11 at 2:01pm

The QA-350 looks like an incredible unit for the price, and I'd really like to try one.  How many portable players come with a TCXO?  None that I can think of.

They seem to have a newer version called the QA-350 MOD V2, which costs about $40 more but has a better headphone amp.  Most people here would

only be using this unit as a transport anyway.

 

I first heard about it a few days ago when Doug from ASI Teknologies, the company who modified my Transporter told me he has one of these and mods them,

but that they also sound great stock.  The only downside is that it only plays WAV files, but that's about as purist as you can get.

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post #10 of 18
4/3/11 at 2:16pm

Connect a discman fed by a power adapter to a headphone amplifier like a Mark V and bingo. An extra DAC can always be added. 

 

QA-350? Cool thing...

 

There are so many options with set ups that you just have to choose a solution that works best for you. I am sure about my first set up, the second is variable since I can also connect my Clip Plus to the Mark V.

 

I have a soft spot for good transports though, the 'ritual' of placing a CD in a transport still adds to the fun for me. 

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post #11 of 18
4/3/11 at 2:48pm
Thread Starter 
Discman? As in http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DE206CK-Diskman-CD-Player/dp/B00004UE5Q ? Im surprised, but I was about the Sansa Clip too.
So what is the difference between something like a diskman and sansa versus the QA-350 and a Marantz?
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post #12 of 18
4/3/11 at 4:24pm

I have to go along with the Marantz cd5004 suggestion. It's a great player for the money and reportedly has a good quality headphone out. I owned the predecessor, the cd5003 which I purchased refurbed from Accessories4less. I just checked and they have the cd5004 for $249.99. If I were you I'd grab one, I think you'd be very pleased.

 

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARCD5004/Marantz/CD5004-Single-Disc-CD-Player/1.html 

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post #13 of 18
4/3/11 at 5:24pm



 

Quote:
Originally Posted by ETAHL View Post

"There are a number of potentially irritating limitations on that device for a home device, the display is small and there is the file/folder limits (900/90). Technical performance is actually slightly inferior to a decent budget CD player on most parameters "

 

True the display is small; however at 6ft away I can't make out the display of my CD and DVD player anyways. The QA-350 does come with a remote, which makes it a truly viable option for home use compare to most portables. It is after all a SD based device, I don't find the file/folder limits an issue. You will run into the 32G SD card storage limit rather than the file name limit.

 

Uncompressed wav runs ~ 10mb per minute so a 32GB card is ~ 3200 minutes , if they were 3 minute songs you would get ~ 1066 - so it may be a limiting factor depending on genre, but probably not, I was thinking of MP3 files, my error

 

You can swap out the SD card just as easy as changing a CD.

Agreed

 

 

My QA-350 sound quality is on par or superior to my high-end Pioneer Elite SACD/DVD player, so I can't see how it is inferior to the any budget CD player.

 

The claimed performance of the QA-350 is bang on par for a late 80s or early 90s multibit oversampling CDP, SNR> 100dB; Distortion <0.005%, THD + N : 0.009%, my old 1989 RCD855 was a tad bettter on distortion/noise (0.0025%) and as good on other parameters. The $350 Marantz CD5004 has measured performance much better than that, and your SACD player should be far superior !

 

Also by extracting the files from the CD in advance using Exact Audio Copy software (free), you are doing a much better job of correcting for any errors on the CD,

 

CD errors are really not an issue with any half-decent modern CDP, bit-error rates are so low nowadays you get ~2 inaudible uncorrected errors per CD

 

and doing it well in advance of playing. When playing, there is also no mechanical intervention or noise added to the listening environment.

 

Fair point, From 6ft away mechanical noise should be inaudible, I normally sit pretty close to my listening sources, I have owned some slightly noisy CD players and DVD players I'll admit, but others that were silent at 18" or more, the quietest player I owned was a Yamaha mult-disc jobby that was silent to within 6" - but with headphones on most external noise is cut out, but yeah a noisy transport is annoying !



 

 



 

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post #14 of 18
4/3/11 at 5:49pm
Thread Starter 
Ok so the Marantz and the qa-350 output some high quality signal (and both have remotes!)
1)will an amp, or any thing else, between the source and the headphones make this better? How or why?
2)what output connection from the source is preferred? Jack/RCA/etc?

This will end up at me on a couch wearing my k701's.

I honestly appreciate the advice, thank you all so much.
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post #15 of 18
4/3/11 at 10:16pm


The QA-350 has a very good internal headphone amplifier. I am not sure how demanding you K701 is; you maybe perfectly happy with its amplifier, without adding the extra bulk and cost of a separate amplifier. However, there is away room for improvement with a good external amplifier with more power.

If you need to add a separate DAC or a headphone amplifier, the QA-350 is equipped with RCA analog out, optical and co-axial digital out. The QA-350 can run on its internal Li-Po battery or an external power supply. Lots of portability and connection options. I have use all the different connections, they all sound very good to me. I would choose which ever connection option that works well for you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by he3 View Post

Ok so the Marantz and the qa-350 output some high quality signal (and both have remotes!)
1)will an amp, or any thing else, between the source and the headphones make this better? How or why?
2)what output connection from the source is preferred? Jack/RCA/etc?

This will end up at me on a couch wearing my k701's.

I honestly appreciate the advice, thank you all so much.


 

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