Need advice for a bargain good sounding home cdp.

[boodi]

thread says it all ..

 

[rsaavedra]

What's the upperbound of your budget? (e.g. what does the word "bargain" mean for you?)

 

[boodi]

i'm entering in hi-fi so i don't want to spend many$ for cdp , but i definitely want a decent source.

 

[kartik]

You're not into specifics, are you? Budget could mean anything from $50 for me or $20K for Nik or $160K for Orpheus. You really need to specify the following:
a. What kind of system is the player going to be part of?
b. Do you want Hi-rez format compatibility (DVD-A/SACD) or only redbook (regular CD) or redbook + HDCD?
c. What kind of music do you listen to and what in the music do you appreciate?
d. EXACTLY what the upper limit of your budget is , give or take a couple of hundred bucks?

 

[rsaavedra]

There are too many variables to take into account:

Dedicated CD player vs inexpensive universal player?
One CD vs. a CD changer?
New or Used?
Again, budget?

For dedicated CD players (e.g. audio only sources), among the usual suspects in the bargain categories are NAD, Cambridge Audio, Rotel, some Denons, Marantz, Sony ES changers.

Now true true bargains outside the dedicated CD player pack, maybe the Pioneer 563AS universal. It's cheaper than all of the above, and has decent CD playback for the money, plus it plays anything you throw at it: SACD, DVDA, DVDV, MP3, etc. etc.

But again, too many variables and you haven't narrowed down what you'd be looking for.

PS. Kartik you beat me by seconds I guess

 

[kartik]

Quote:

Originally posted by rsaavedr There are too many variables to take into account: Dedicated CD player vs inexpensive universal player? One CD vs. a CD changers? New or Used? Again, budget? For dedicated CD players (e.g. audio only sources), among the usual suspects in the bargain categories are NAD, Cambridge Audio, Rotel. If used, some Denons, Marantz, Sony ES changers. Now true true bargains outside the dedicated CD player pack, maybe the Pioneer 563AS universal. It's cheaper than all of the above, and has decent CD playback for the money, plus it plays anything you throw at it: SACD, DVDA, DVDV, MP3, etc. etc. But again, too many variables and you haven't narrowed down what you'd be looking for. PS. Kartik you beat me by seconds I guess

Eagle-eyed does it!

Hmm... I've heard a lot of not so great things about the 563SA. Why not go for the 963SA instead. For under $500 you get a really solid SACD/DVD-V performer with respectable redbook performance. If you are hardcore redbook the CEC 3300 is another interesting option too. I think a minimum of $500 is necessary for a competent cd player. This is of course with the right amplifier and headphones/speakers.

 

[boodi]

HI and thanks for promt support..
I need a cdplayer capable of cdplaying ( and no more.. just sicnal clarity wise and bargain price )
Maybe i'd like mp3 playing capabilities , but indeed i hate mp3 compression so much i'd stay away from them

 

[kartik]

Quote:

Originally posted by boodi HI and thanks for promt support.. I need a cdplayer capable of cdplaying ( nad not ohter things! ) Maybe i'd like mp3 playing capabilities , but indeed i hate mp3 compression so much i'd stay away from them

Still no specifics! Curiouser and curiouser!
PLEASE answer rsaavedr and my questions if you want suggestions. This is like saying I want to buy a car that has 4 wheels, you need to narrow down your choices by some criteria.

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally posted by kartik I've heard a lot of not so great things about the 563SA. Why not go for the 963SA instead. For under $500 you get a really solid SACD/DVD-V performer with respectable redbook performance.

I tried a 563SA myself and wasn't very impressed, but it's a true bargain (can be found for $150 or so), and plays everything.

I understand the Philips 963SA indeed has excellent CD play back for what it costs.

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally posted by boodi I need a cdplayer capable of cdplaying ( and no more.. just sicnal clarity wise and bargain price )

Well I can tell you, go for one of the Cambridge Audio Azur's (the 540C model costs $349 in Audioadvisor.com). Now whether that's a bargain for you or not, I don't know, and it's only your fault that we can't help you further.

I tried a 640C (add $100 to the above) and sounds great, though the transport is noisy. If you plan to use it neither with open headphones, nor in an extremely quiet environment, shouldn't be an issue.

Good luck!

 

[boodi]

sorry for not giving information for being help more ( i 'm just amazed by the fact you want to help me so , maybe is for in the headphones +amp sections i didn't find so helpful and prompt posting-fiers

)

so....
Bargain for me - i'm realtively new in hi-fi - is not a big 500$ ; bargain it's a used unit that i can have in a price range of 100-200$ , and i also think philips unit is a good start to start with ..

the fact i'm not giving informations you need is the fact that i'm not so informed in cdp - i just now i have one cdp , it's a pioneer pd-s504 ( i thought it was a good performer , now i know it's a never spoken unit so i think it's one of the worse

) , and i just know i'd love to have a good source to pair my new upcoming phones .
What else can i say .. I'm not fond of a too much smooth sound , i prefer more a balanced-to-analitical sound .

 

[Edwood]

If you plan to get a DAC, then you're starting point should be the venerable NEC CDrom. Can't get cheaper than that for a CD transport.

-Ed

 

[oneeyedhobbit]

As a matter of pure entertainment I'm trying to ID the cans your hamsters are wearing EdWood.

1--K 1000
2--CD3k is my first guess, or maybe an Audio Technica Leatherhead?
3--No idea...never seen cans with antenna before...
4--Sennheiser something or other, HD-650? That or maybe a Beyer..
5--Ety ER-4something.

 

[kartik]

Back on topic.
given your budget, boodi, I'm inclined to believe you will probably get the best bang for buck from the DV-563SA. OTOH if used is an option, check out www.audiogon.com and checkout if you see anything you like in your price range. If you are spending more, i.e. ~500 then I suggest the following
NAD 541
Phillips 963SA
Sony 222ES
CEC 3300
for starters look up these and read a couple of the reviews on audioreview.com/ecoustic.com

 

[Bill Ward]

Antenna = Grado

BW