Anybody familiar with these players? They received very good/excellent reviews a few years ago when they were introduced. As I'm just beginning to get into the source phase of this hobby, I was wondering if these would be worth seeking out. I try to buy pre-owned (used), and not worry too much about depreciation. Do you think there have been a lot of sonic improvements in these mid-fi type players($300-500 price range) over the past 2 or 3 years?
Originally posted by joelongwood Anybody familiar with these players? They received very good/excellent reviews a few years ago when they were introduced. As I'm just beginning to get into the source phase of this hobby, I was wondering if these would be worth seeking out. I try to buy pre-owned (used), and not worry too much about depreciation. Do you think there have been a lot of sonic improvements in these mid-fi type players($300-500 price range) over the past 2 or 3 years?
I've had a CD67SE for many years. It is a great player, and is what I used in my family room for a long time. Unfortunately it crapped out, but only after thousands of hours of use. As for sonic improvments over the last couple years, I'd say not. Hell, us tube heads scour the earth in search of vintage valves from the 1950s!! But I digress... One thing to consider is how well a given player will perform as a *transport* rather than a player because you *will*, and I mean will, eventually find yourself craving an outboard DAC. Make sure that whatever you get has a digital COAX output. Optical sucks. Good luck.
BTW, a Rega Planet can be picked up for sub $400 on the used market now that the new 2000 model is out. Now THERE is a player to get.
BTW, a Rega Planet can be picked up for sub $400 on the used market now that the new 2000 model is out. Now THERE is a player to get.
I've just spent some time searching for info on the Rega Planet.....I had never heard of it before.....and all I have to say is WOW! Does anyone here actually own this thing, and be willing to comment on it, because if the reviewers are correct, if I could get this for under $400 it would be a steal. They raved about it being a steal at $795. I did see a few for $370.......but I'm wondering if they'll come down further in the near future because of the introduction of the newer Planet
The Rega Planet is a phenominal player. I, coincidentally, replaced my CD67SE with a Planet and it is my family room CDP. I love it. I don't know what kind of comments you're looking for, but this player is the best sounding one I've ever owned. I have the full Stereophile writeup of it that was written in '98, if you want to read it.
The price isn't likely to drop further. The price has recently dropped due to the introduction of the 2000 model.
Headphone Hussy (will wear anything if it sounds good)
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Joe:
If Jude is to be believed, the Sony 333ES SACD player is as good, if not better, than the Planet 2000 at playing Redbook CDs. The Planet 2000 is seen as being significantly better than the standard Planet. I guess what I'm saying is that while the Planet can be found for $400-500, you could just spend $525-$550 and get a better player that is also a phenomenal SACD player.
Personally, after shopping around, I think the 333ES is the best buy in the $400 - $900 range. It appears you would have to go up to the Musical Fidelity A3CD ($995) or better to get comparable Redbook performance, and more to get comparable SACD performance.
I know Jude will back me up on this
Plus the 333ES was on everyone's recommended lists at $1200, so getting it for $5xx is a steal.
MacDef, what the hell is a Redbook CD? I've seen the term used with more frequency lately, but I'm going to show my ignorance and admit I have no clue what it is. Thanks.
Redbook Audio Specifications
Maximum playing time is 78 minutes (including pauses)
Minimum time limit for a track is 4 seconds
Maximum number of tracks is 99
Maximum number of index points (subdivisions of a track) is 99 with no minimum time limit
There are also tech specs like 16bit/44k, but generally this is what they mean. In other words a "standard" CD.
I'll try to find the white paper on it if you like.
Update: Seems that you can get the paper from the IEC but you will have to pay for it. Oh well, Joe I hope this is enough.
Red Book
Philips and Sony, developers of the CD technology, and of the 12cm CD, published their specifications for CD-Audio in 1980-- reportedly in a binder with red covers. The Red Book addressed the physical specifications for the CD; the tracks, the sector and block layout, coding and sampling of digital audio files, and other specifications. The Red Book was key for the high quality sound of CD-Audio, which became a standard and key for the worldwide CD-ROM industry. The International Electrotechnical Commission published the Red Book as their Doc IEC 908 (1987)
There are other "books"
Yellow - CD-ROM
White - CD-ROM XA
Green - CD-I
Orange - CD-RW, CD-MO, CD-WO
Blue - Mixed mode CD-A
Just one of the very 'inventive' names engineers come up with for their standards <sigh>
But there are exceptions of course, like the 'El Torito' CD standard (bootable CD-ROM) which was named after a Mexican restaurant where the inventors designed the standard...
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