[Mark of Cenla]

Most of my stereo is from the 80s: Hafler amp (DH220) and preamp (DH100) with Boston Acoustics speakers (their top of the line back then). When my old Denon CD player died, I started using my DVD player as my CD player. It does not sound as good as the old Denon or my current TEAC RW-D200,CD recorder/player. My DVD player is a Sony DVP- NS315 that I bought two years ago.

So, what DVD player under $200 is the best CD player? I heard something about some Toshiba DVD player that is also a good a CD player. Can anyone tell which one it is?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

P.S. I have good interconnects.

 

[Murdoch]

3950 and the new 3960. people say they sound good, but i get the sense that many people have to mod them to get them to sound their best. thats what i hear anyway.

 

[Demian]

For about $200 total you could pick up one of the toshibas as a transport and a used MSB Link DAC I or II on audiogon and have an impressive source for the money. Lots of upgrades available for the MSB down the road, as well.

 

[Mark of Cenla]

I looked at Amazon.com's customer reviews for the Toshiba DVD players, and about half the posts were complaints about them not working correctly. I was planning to put the Sony DVD player on our other TV and get a new one for the main system. Amazon recommends using separate DVD and CD players if the DVD players are under $300. So now I am considering the TEAC CD-P1250, a single-disc player.

What are the best single-disc CD players under $200? Sorry, but I am not into "mods".

Thanks for all responses. Peace.

 

[elrod-tom]

It's getting pretty hard to find a single-disc CD player for under $200 any more...most are combo units of some kind.

My younger brother just purchased a Pioneer DV-563A universal player, and it's a pretty nice unit. It can be had for about $150 at Best Buy these days. If you're worried about reliability, I have a VERY long history with Pioneer and Elite CD/DVD/LD players (I've owned close to 10 different versions over the years, including my current source and backup), and <<knock wood>> I've yet to have a mechanical issue with any of them.

BTW - Pioneer DVD players had been the player of choice for aftermarket modification by places like ModWright for years. If you can pick one up used, you'll get good value IMHO.

 

[Mark of Cenla]

I am going to go with the Pioneer DV-563AS next time I go to Best Buy. Pioneer stuff is very reliable, and the Pioneer also has 192kHZ/24-bit audio like the Toshiba. Thanks everyone. I'll post a review when I get it, which may not be for a few weeks.

Peace.

 

[sbulack]

I am a VERY happy owner of the Pioneer DV-563AS (for a few months now). I also purchased an AOS Piccolo DAC, which I share between my computer rig and my Pioneer (both my sound card and the Pioneer have optical digital output). For what I paid total for the sound card, the Pioneer and the AOS DAC, the sound I am getting from my computer and my CDP has to be one of the Sweet Spot deals of the audio industry. BTW, I purchased the AOS DAC because I owned the Pioneer 563AS first, and I liked its sound so much that I looked for a DAC with a DAC chip similar to the one in the 563AS and that had good reviews. The AOS Piccolo DAC was it. I use the Pioneer for Redbook CD playing mostly, some CD-R (MP3) playing, some SACD playing, and some DVD playing. I am VERY happy with its audio/video performance and ergonomics for everything that I use it for.

 

[Mark of Cenla]

Instead of the Pioneer, I bought a Sony DVP-NS725 after more research. It does sound better as a CD player than my older Sony DVD and my old Denon CD player that died last year. The bass has more presence, and there is more overall depth.

I also ordered a Sherwood CD-7080R single-disc CD player. It retails for $340, but I got it from Buy.com for $176. It has great specs:

http://www.sherwoodusa.com/prod_cd7080r.html

I am very anxious to compare the Sony DVP-NS725 to the Sherwood. Peace.

 

[Mark of Cenla]

Wahoo! I got the Sherwood CD-7080R a few days ago. It sounds great; I cannot belive how detailed the music is. The tonal balance is great too. The music really does sound like music. I cannot imagine a better CD player for under $200. I have not done an A-B comparison with the Sony DVP-NS725 because as soon as I heard the Sherwood, it blew me away. My stereo never sounded this good. I could not be more pleased. Peace.

 

[3lusiv3]

My Pioneer DVD player is very nice with CD's. I think Pioneer is often underrated and make some very good products.

 

[Juergen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark of Cenla I am going to go with the Pioneer DV-563AS next time I go to Best Buy.

Be sure to get one that was manufactured in Feb/2004 or later. I originally got one made in Nov/2003 and found that certain DVD-A discs would not play properly (Steely Dan - Gaucho is one). I then found out that it is a compatibility issue with the Pioneer hardware and the software used to master those recordings. From what I hear Pioneer has a fix and will do it for you free of charge but you have to send it into them. I only had it for a few days and went back to BestBuy to exchange it for a newer one since I heard that some new ones now ship with the fix in place. The Feb/2004 unit I now have works fine.

 

[Mark of Cenla]

I finally compared the Sony DVP-NS725 DVD player and the Sherwood CD-7080R. They were VERY close. The Sherwood had a little better detail and a wee bit better depth. I bought the Sony at Best Buy for $116, which makes it a great deal as a CD player and a DVD player. I am very pleased with how things turned out. Thanks to all and peace.

 

[TonyTripleA]

Just a warning to stay clear of Panasonic DVD players for use as a CD player. I have two, the RV31 and RV32. They were okay, I thought, then I bought a dedicated CD player and wow... what a difference to bass and treble. I had bought a Yamaha subwoofer to compensate for the lack of bass punch only to learn that when I plug my NAD C542 player in the bass is "right" and the treble fully extended as you would wish. I got headphones after that and noway would I use the Panasonics for anything but DVDs (at which they are good).

I still reckon a class CD player for CDs is a good investment.

Cheers,

TonyAAA

 

[mulveling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyTripleA Just a warning to stay clear of Panasonic DVD players for use as a CD player. I have two, the RV31 and RV32. They were okay, I thought, then I bought a dedicated CD player and wow... what a difference to bass and treble. I had bought a Yamaha subwoofer to compensate for the lack of bass punch only to learn that when I plug my NAD C542 player in the bass is "right" and the treble fully extended as you would wish. I got headphones after that and noway would I use the Panasonics for anything but DVDs (at which they are good). I still reckon a class CD player for CDs is a good investment. Cheers, TonyAAA

Those Panasonics you mentioned were not anywhere near top of the line, so I don't think it's valid to conclude that all of their dvd players perform similarly. My panny rp91 performs admirably in audio, it is at least on the level of the heralded toshiba 4900/3960/3950 for redbook & dvd. Looking inside the rp91, there's some decent stuff in there: elna caps; some of them cerafines.

That said, my Jolida CD player surely does beat all my dvd players for redbook playback, but of course it doesn't do dvd. So, I find use for both players

 

[mikeliao]

Kinda late since you already bought your equipment but...

If you already have a DVD player and are budgeting $200 for good music, then a DAC would be a great addition to your system. That $200, instead of going to the housing, transport, power, buttons, remote, and support electronics/hardware of a CDP, go directly into $200 of electronics converting 0's and 1's into good music (and smaller housing, and power). Yes there's jitter problems and a whole mess of related issues but hey, we're working with $200 here. For price vs. performance at the sub $1000 range, may I venture to say DAC's are a better value than CDP's.