[battleMAUS]

hello all, i'm just about ready to build a home setup for myself. right now i want to locate a decent cdp for my source. something lowend - mid range. im on a very tight budget (school text purchases!), so keep it cheap. shower me with your suggestions, it's all greatly appreciated.

 

[Asr]

State your maximum budget. $300? $500? $1K? I personally consider CDPs under $1K to be low-end.

 

[battleMAUS]

whaaatttt. $1K? i said i was a college student. i'm setting the budget at $500, but im willing to go slightly higher if it's worth it.

 

[Asr]

Well the top-rated <$500 CDPs are the Marantz CD-5001 and NAD C525BEE (an update to the previously successful C521BEE). The Onkyo DX-7555 has also gotten a fair share of positive reviews and is under $500. I don't think you could go wrong with any of those. Do your research though, and audition if possible.

B&H Photo/Video sells the Onkyo, if you live close to Manhattan then an audition from their store might be feasible.

 

[battleMAUS]

hey thanks for the quick reply. i live really close to the city (about 50min ride). so i'll definitely stop by to audition the Onkyo when i get some free time.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

I know I'm gonna get flamed because this player is out of fashion, but a few years ago the Toshiba SD-3950 was considered a 'giant killer' at $50. Do a search.

 

[Morph201]

Definitely do your research, there are some excellent cdps to be had for under $500 (NAD,Rega (planet 2000),etc...), whether new or 'used'. Check audiogon for some options, as a matter of fact I am considernig selling one of my players (NAD C542) it's in the FS forum.

Also, please don't confuse price with the term 'low-end' regarding sound quality, many people confuse price with quality and that's definitely not the case. High\mid\low end is relative, what matters is how it sounds to your ears.


What type of sound are you after? Warm tubey, detailed?

 

[riffer]

Why not use your computer with a good USB DAC?

 

[panda]

used original rega planet. it's one hell of a player for so cheap. really analog sounding.

 

[ounkchicago]

I have two recommendations.

(1) Marantz CD-5001 for ~$300 street price. Very good sound for the money, has a digital out for future upgrade (with an external DAC to use the CDP as a transport), and has a very capable built-in headphone amp (that is not as good as a standalone amp, but still good in its own right). The Marantz has a slightly warm sound to my ears.

(2) Cambridge Audio 540C/640C v2 for ~$500 (depending on which one) street price. Very nice DAC section in this price range, more neutral "hi-fi" presentation than the Marantz, very nice chassis with solid build, excellent remote.

Of course there are others, these are just two that I have had experience with.

 

[greggf]

I'll second asr on the Onkyo 7555; I have one and it's very good.

 

[battleMAUS]

i thought this thread died early. im going to have to do more research than i had planned, thanks for the advice guys!

Quote:

Originally Posted by riffer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why not use your computer with a good USB DAC?

1. my computer sounds like a airplane jet
2. im scared of my dvd drive scratching my cds
3. i'd like a separate music listening area with a nice lazy chair and my collection displayed on shelfs
4. also i did post this in the "dedicated" source forum section, i believe if i wanted to use my computer i would have posted in the "computer as source" section

 

[dclancy]

A couple months back I was searching around for a cdp in the same price range. All the above names came up a bunch, and are probably your best bet.
I found this site. They have some refurbished NAD and also check their used/demo section, I was very close to buying a vintage Rotel CDP until decided on a DAC.
I haven't dealt with them, just thought I'd pass on what I saw.

 

[ricthaman]

Well,

Those NAD and Marantz models are stellar choices.
I'd advice you to have a look at the Denon DCD-500/DCD-700. Those are very good CD players imho. I think the DCD-700 sounds better then the Marantz CD5001.

greetz

 

[mrarroyo]

The NAD C542 is a very nice player which can be bought new in the $500 range. It also plays HD CD's!