[sage7]

I'm in the market for the best PCDP I can afford. I'm really only interested in cd's, not mp3's, etc.
Read lots of discussions re. the slim-x, but how does it really stack up purely as a cd player?
Is there anything superior on the market for approximately the same price?
Presently using Sony d-e885 cdp (barely adequate), & etymotic 4s's, & hope to eventually acquire a good headphone-amp.
Any information, experiences, or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Maxvla]

pardon the noob. pcdp = ?

 

[HD-5000]

wait, isnt the SlimX an mp3/CD player? Anyway, I would look into some of the Panasonic PCDP's with line outs in case you might get a headphone amp. Of course, it won't sound as good as a home CD player.

Good luck.

 

[dokebi]

I had the Slim-x for over a year now and I do not like them. A cool thin gadget that plays mp3 music from CD's but the sound quality isn't what I want. I recall liking even the cheapest CD only players better from a sound perspective. My friend also has the slim-x and complained about the hiss and sound. Pretty much the same complaints as me.

 

[Mr.PD]

I have a Slimx. I must admit that I have never played audio cd's on it. It gets mps's only. The line out jack on the Slimx is virtually the same as the headphone jack. All the equalizer settings effect both jacks as does the volume control.

Where you want just an audio cd player I think you could do better than the Slimx. I use a Panasonic ct570 for audio cd's. I haven't seen one of these advertised for quite a while. But they are worth searching for. Plus I think the Panasonic cost me less than half the price of a Slimx.

 

[Peddler]

I think the SlimX is an excellent machine. Yes there is a problem with hiss but it's fairly subtle and I suspect the higher impedence of the 4S will do a fairly good job of masking that to an extent.

The Line Out does share the same path as the headphone out but doesn't appear to suffer with the hiss problem as much.

What I like about the SlimX is the degree of control you have on the player, higher than average output from the headphone socket, good anti skip ( with the latest firmware anyway) and flexibility to play virtually any disc in your collection.

Whether it's the best is very subjective. Out of all the newer players I would definitely say it's in the running - when compared to some of the older players perhaps the answer is not so obvious from a sound quality perspective.

I have used the SlimX with the Etymotic 4P's and the hiss really doesn't bother me - once the music starts playing the hiss virtually goes away anyway.

I hope this helps.

 

[miroslav]

Quote:

Originally posted by Maxvla pardon the noob. pcdp = ?

pcdp = Portable Compact Disc Player

 

[austonia]

by the way there is a new SlimX just out in the last few months called the IMP400 which is an upgrade to the SlimX that most people recognize.

http://gear.ign.com/articles/374/374377p1.html
http://www.tbreak.com/reviews/article.php?id=160

 

[austonia]

here's some other sleek new MP3/CD players

http://www.mpio.com/product/product_...=20&category=2


http://www.tdk.com/cdmp3/mojo860.html


http://www.sonicblue.com/audio/rio/sp350.asp

 

[Maxvla]

Quote:

Originally posted by miroslav pcdp = Portable Compact Disc Player

 

[dparrish]

For headphone-out use, I think the newest SlimX, the IMP400, is one of the best PCDPs out there. The IMP400 is an improvement in sound quality over the IMP350 (original), mostly due to the improved remote. There is NO hiss on my IMP400, and only a SLIGHT hiss coming from the remote of the IMP350 (no hiss when plugging the headphones into the player directly).

I have compared the sound of my IMP400 to the Sony D-EJ1000 (which I own also), a Panasonic AM/FM PCDP which my girls have (forgot the model number), a cheap Audiovox player, and my 7-year old JVC PCDP. The sound coming out of the headphone out is better than all of these players, and MUCH better than most all other players I've heard, using Etymotic 4S headphones.

If you're planning on using the IMP400(or 350) with a headphone amp, you won't get much improvement, as the SlimXs don't have a true line out. BUT, the built-in headphone amp is so good that you won't really need one. Also, the SlimXs let you customize the sound--they have built in equalization. The latest firmware on both the IMP350 and IMP400 give you 9 built-in equalization curves to choose from , including one that is user-adjustable.

Both SlimXs have an FM tuner built in, and LOTS of customizable options (sleep timer, etc.).

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with the IMP400--even though its a bit more than the IMP350, the improvement in sound quality and extra features (nice player case, car charger, etc.) are well worth it. Or, you could buy the IMP350 and upgrade to the newer remote by buying it from Iriver seperately (but it really makes sense just to buy the IMP400).

 

[sage7]

Well, boys & girls, is it the best pcdp?
I could easily become confused with the conflicting responses I've received!
As with previous posts that I've read, much has been mentioned of the Panasonics, especially the ct570 & ct780. Unfortunately, I've made a pretty thorough search locally (Australia) & internationally for these units, all to no avail.
I'm reluctant to buy any second-hand units, so my search continues.
The Slim-x 400 is looking like the most likely candidate, but one final question.
Would I gain any extra benefit (sound improvement) if I were to use it with something like the Porta Corda?
Thanks to all that responded to my post; I will let you know what decision I make.

 

[abeautifulife]

I have an earlier version IMP250 which I'm told is the same as slim-x but not so slim. I use it with etys 4s (4p + 4s adaptor) and it sounds fine to me. If I use the 4p alone, I can hear a hiss from the headphone out but not the lineout. I don't have ears of a dog but I think the sound is a bit sharper too from the lineout.
Don't have other pcdps to compare it too except my old Sony D-33 -- which has a slightly smoother and fuller sound.

 

[dokebi]

Biggest complaint about my slimx was how it made audio cd's sound like higher quality mp3's. It doesn't flow well with me. I prefer philips, sony and panasonic portables for listening to music cd's.

 

[miroslav]

Quote:

Originally posted by Maxvla

Just curious, what was this supposed to be?