Budget CD player

[Towert7]

Hi all.

Looking for a somewhat decent budget CD player. I am not expecting very good sound quality, just average for the price range. A CDP with good build quality would be ideal.

The NAD's just don't impress me that much.

The only ones I can find in the ~350$ price range that seem halfway decent are the:
Marantz 5001
Cambridge Audio 340C

I had a chance of seeing the 340C in person. No initial complaints about it. The marantz seems to be recommended, but it is not on display.

Any suggestions?
Thanks so much!

 

[gz76]

I see you have a DAC already... will you be using the CDP as a transport only, or will you be using the onboard DAC too?

Will you consider secondhand items?

 

[MGLDyson]

Check out Audiogon if you are willing to go secondhand. There are some great deals on some great manufacturers' stuff.

Also, you mentioned a Cambridge Audio and you also mentioned 350$ (which I would assume to be your budget +/-). You should check out SpearitSound.com. I am not an employee but I have been looking for some good deals as well. They have a Cambridge Audio 540C for 369$. They also have some other demo and refurb deals.

I haven't heard any of these CDPs but I thought those sites might provide some more options for purchasing and getting a better deal.

-Dyson

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gz76 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I see you have a DAC already... will you be using the CDP as a transport only, or will you be using the onboard DAC too? Will you consider secondhand items?

To tell the truth, it's for my dad. He's finally ready to upgrade his ~13 year old Pioneer player. It'll feed his budget Denon Receiver, so it could act as a transport or as a DAC as well. My hunch is at this range the CDP DAC would be the better of the 2.

New is a must. He's tried too many used ones only to find most had problems.
Thanks gz76!

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MGLDyson /img/forum/go_quote.gif Check out Audiogon if you are willing to go secondhand. There are some great deals on some great manufacturers' stuff. Also, you mentioned a Cambridge Audio and you also mentioned 350$ (which I would assume to be your budget +/-). You should check out SpearitSound.com. I am not an employee but I have been looking for some good deals as well. They have a Cambridge Audio 540C for 369$. They also have some other demo and refurb deals. I haven't heard any of these CDPs but I thought those sites might provide some more options for purchasing and getting a better deal. -Dyson

Thanks Dyson. I was at spearitsound just the other day with my dad looking at some of their budget CD players. That's when I saw the cambridge audio player.

 

[soloz2]

check out the Onix CD5SE. av123 has it for $400. I'm thinking about giving one a try myself. Apparently it uses the CD2 signal path, and the CD2 originally sold for $1k.
I was originally looking at getting a Music Hall CD25.2 or CD5 modded, but then the CD5SE came out and stock is apparently better than the CD25.2

Granted the solutions I am considering are considerably more than you are looking to spend (moddded units, or getting a Cambridge 840 or Marantz SA8001) but the stock units are very reasonable. You should be able to find a nice used Onix CD5 for around $300 and it's the same thing as a Music Hall CD25, with a better case.

 

[breakfastchef]

FYI, if you want a factory reconditioned unit with full one year warranty, you can score a Marantz CC4001 for $169.99 (5-disc changer) or a Marantz CD5001 for $229.00 at Accessories4less sells Marantz, Onkyo, KEF , IXOS, AR, Morduant Short, Soundquest, Monster Cable. These folks are one of about a half dozen authorized resellers of Marantz equipment.

 

[selfdivider]

I own a Cambridge Audio CDP, but at that price range, I gotta give it to Marantz. A really sweet sound. But if I were in your shoes, I'd go for Oppo 980H or Sony Playstation SCPH-1001 and spend whatever I save on something else.

 

[Uncle Erik]

If your father listens to headphones, the SA5001's headphone amp is not bad. It'll drive most of the popular headphones well and the sound is nice and clean.

 

[Towert7]

Thanks everyone for the nice info!

I guess asking for 340C vs. 5001 a moot point. I bet they both sound roughly the same for the price. Nothing special, but good enough for his needs. He does headphones 1/2 the time, and I'm not sure whether he would use the CDP output or the output from his Receiver.

I'll probably just recommend he gets the Cambridge Audio 340C for the price. The 540C on sale looks interesting too.... but I wonder how he will react to the fact that it's been used. Knowing him, he'd most likely go for the 340C. I'd probably do the same.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[soloz2]

the Onix CD5 should be better for about the same price. And has the potential to be easily modded at a later date.

 

[peterpaul057]

ihave the 340 c and i thought it is prity good but i cant find a universal remote to use with my tv when using the amp but i havent tried a harmony yet.the remotes on c.audio azur series only work on c.audio asur 340 a,c or the 340 a,t

 

[peterpaul057]

also the marantz products are more compatibleat least i've noticed

 

[2ndbest]

Try to stretch the budget a little and audition the Marantz CD6002. It's far superior to the CD5001, both in sq-wise and build quality. You could always to haggle on the price a little, the dealer should be (and is) able to drop the price a little.

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2ndbest /img/forum/go_quote.gif Try to stretch the budget a little and audition the Marantz CD6002. It's far superior to the CD5001, both in sq-wise and build quality. You could always to haggle on the price a little, the dealer should be (and is) able to drop the price a little.

Thanks for the info. My dad won't go above 350$. That for him is already way to much. He isn't into audio like we are. To be honest, his speakers are placed in horrible locations, and they aren't very good. So really any of these budget ones will do..... I was just really worried about possible mechanical issues with one vs. another.

~Thanks