[kevinsinnott]

I just bought an AudioSolutions ATC-549 Cd player at Walgreens for $12.99. It has no skip protection (a plus for me), a line out and, most shockingly, it sounds pretty good. It blasts my Beyer DT-990s with plenty of decibels of solid bass sound. Soundstage seems fine. I've only had it three days, hardly long enough for a decent burn-in.

Anyone else tried this player? Like it?

 

[Jakets]

Why would you ever want to NOT have skip protection? And 12$ ? Im not a big audiophile, but 12$ is pretty cheap, I cant imagine it would be that good of a cd player, but glad you're happy. lol

 

[HiWire]

Some people claim the buffer adds noise and one more element in the signal path; also, I think modern buffers use compression.

Enjoy the new PDCP

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevinsinnott I just bought an AudioSolutions ATC-549 Cd player at Walgreens for $12.99. It has no skip protection (a plus for me), a line out and, most shockingly, it sounds pretty good. It blasts my Beyer DT-990s with plenty of decibels of solid bass sound. Soundstage seems fine. I've only had it three days, hardly long enough for a decent burn-in. Anyone else tried this player? Like it?

Not familiar with it, but is it sucking batteries dry within a few hrs? Does the manual happen to list the headphone out rating?

 

[kevinsinnott]

Instruction manual says: Maximum ouput 20 mW+20 mW (32 ohms)

I was surprised at the heft of the sound output. Is that a high number for a portable unit?

 

[YamiTenshi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jakets Why would you ever want to NOT have skip protection? And 12$ ? Im not a big audiophile, but 12$ is pretty cheap, I cant imagine it would be that good of a cd player, but glad you're happy. lol

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=117139

http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=83653

 

[Onix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jakets Im not a big audiophile, but 12$ is pretty cheap.... lol

That'as the whole point pal. Getting something nice sounding for so little money. It's something you'll see in this place quite often

 

[fewtch]

The reason these ultra-cheap PCDP's sound pretty good is mainly due to the lack of skip protection (which does hurt SQ), and a simple design which keeps their price low.

I wouldn't go so far as to call these "hi-fi" players, but they can sound better than most PCDP's with tons of features. I don't think there are any really crappy DACs or opamps out there anymore, even cheap ones sound OK these days. Add battery power to the mix (very clean) and you can get some decent sound. The two cheapies I own have flawed but nice sounding sonic presentation -- just fine for listening bedside or whatever, not so great for portability due to the tendency to skip.

BTW, these cheap players do eat batteries pretty quick (but not in a couple hours, maybe 8 hours or something). I think it's because the CD is constantly spinning and there's no stop-start like with players that have antiskip buffers. I'm pretty sure most vintage PCDP's also eat batteries fast. Solution: Use rechargeables.

 

[Onix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch The reason these ultra-cheap PCDP's sound pretty good is mainly due to the lack of skip protection (which does hurt SQ), and a simple design which keeps their price low. I wouldn't go so far as to call these "hi-fi" players, but they can sound better than most PCDP's with tons of features. I don't think there are any really crappy DACs or opamps out there anymore, even cheap ones sound OK these days. Add battery power to the mix (very clean) and you can get some decent sound. The two cheapies I own have flawed but nice sounding sonic presentation -- just fine for listening bedside or whatever, not so great for portability due to the tendency to skip. BTW, these cheap players do eat batteries pretty quick (but not in a couple hours, maybe 8 hours or something). I think it's because the CD is constantly spinning and there's no stop-start like with players that have antiskip buffers. I'm pretty sure most vintage PCDP's also eat batteries fast. Solution: Use rechargeables.

The fact thay they eat batteries so fast also has an effect on sound quality, since most of the juice is drained and not kept for as long as possible, so you get more voltage por the opamp.

A better solution than rechargables, at least from my point of view, is the rechargable battery from http://www.pwrplant.com/. I used the Radioshack version and this things are very good, convenient, and HEAVY. It's not the most extreme in portability, but works.

Also, keep in mind that using let's say two rechagables you are feeding the player 2,4v, instead of the regular 3v from normal batteries. With the powerplant battery you'll be feeding it 3,2v, not the same as the 4,5 from the wall adaptor, but you'll be gaining battery life. At least 30 hours, and the battery can be recharged anytime, with no need to have it drained of energy, since it has no memory effect. Sounds just more convenient to me.

 

[fewtch]

The price is good on that pwrplant battery, but add the recharger and total cost is $35.95 + shipping (as much as three of these PCDP's, LOL). Maybe I can find a 4.5v AC adapter around here though, to charge it...

P.S. how can the plug size on the battery be guaranteed to every PCDP...?

 

[Onix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch P.S. how can the plug size on the battery be guaranteed to every PCDP...?

IIRC, there's a standard size, the one for Sony/Panasonic. I know the Lennoxx players use bigger sizes, but that's just so you buy their adaptors. The only way I can think for checking if the power plant would work for you is checking DC in jack in your player. You can also send them an e-mail.

 

[Jakets]

Hmm, okay, so now i understand why you dont want skip protection. But what exactly is the point in having a PDCP thats not really portable? Isnt a cd skipping every few minutes just as bad as a little skip protection distortion? Dont get angry at me, im just here to learn.

 

[kevinsinnott]

The Audio Solutions unit has a switch on it for recharging. When I finally cracked open the instruction booklet to check the headphone out power, I found that it will recharge nickel cadmium batteries using the switch. It warns about overcharging more than 24 hours, but other than that, it seems simple enough.

I'll have to look into my old AC adaptors box - I'm pretty sure I'll have something that fits, since this unit doesn't exactly ship with a whole lot of accessories.

 

[Onix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jakets Hmm, okay, so now i understand why you dont want skip protection. But what exactly is the point in having a PDCP thats not really portable? Isnt a cd skipping every few minutes just as bad as a little skip protection distortion? Dont get angry at me, im just here to learn.

Nobody is angry (at least not yet

). The thing is that you can have many uses for a portable cd player and try to maximize sound quality at the same time. Let's say you...

1- Need something for active use. Then you get the best sounding player with good skip protection you can find.

2- You just need something to chill whit in the bus or train. Even some players with no protection skip a lot in this settings, specially trains. Also, a small amount of protection, like 10, 20 or 30 seconds is acceptable, especially the first one, since it tends to be uncompressed, unlike those 120 seconds some players have, that reduce sound quality.

3- You need something that, albeit not for active or semiactive use, can be easily carried with you when you leave office for the weekend, for example, or want something small to move from your nigth table to your desk. In this case, something like an older cd player, with no protecction would come in order. This is like a previous step of sorts before you get a CD-deck or a permanent source.

Anyway, this all is IMHO