[peterpan188]

Hey guys,
I have been using my laptop, a portable CDP and Ipod as my sources. Considering the growth of my CDs collection, I decided to add a dedicated CDP into my rig.

Budget is under $400, because it will be a start for me to see the improvement I can get through a CDP. Any brands are welcomed.

I looked at the Cambridge Audio 640C, which seems to be pretty nice to me. How much is it in USA? Where can I get it? How's the sound of it?

Thanks,
Peter

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'm not familiar with the Cambridge, but I just bought two new CD players under $400 that are impressing me.

The first is an original Rega Planet. I picked it up in the For Sale forum here for $350 shipped. It arrived yesterday, unpacked it today and just jacked it via coax into my Central Station. I've got the AKG K-501 plugged in and am leafing through my CD collection. I love the aesthetics and it sounds just amazing. A bit smoother than the ALAC->TOSLINK->Central Station that I had mostly been listening to. That's good, but this is more musical. I've only had it working a few hours, but it sounds better than I expected. Based on early impressions, I'd give the Planet a strong recommendation. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a good used one under $400 on Audiogon.

The second player is the Sony SCD-CE595 that's the subject of a lengthy thread here. It is a 5 disc SACD changer. I got that a couple days ago and have had it jacked into the HeadFive with a Grado RS-1. They're running $89 refurbished, and I just could not help myself. SACDs are very impressive. I've A/B'ed between the CD/SACD layers on some hybrid discs, and the SACD is excellent. The CD player is good, but not as good as the Planet. I might hook a DAC to it sooner or later, but it's alright now.

So take a look at the refurbished Sonys and used Planets. Both are very good for the money. If you're into classical or jazz, you might really enjoy having SACD capability. And at $89, you could spend $300 on a DAC and possibly put some life into the Redbook playback.

 

[Spareribs]

That Sony CE 595 sounds like an amazing deal! I really should get one.
Maybe hook it up to the Zhaolu that everyone is talking about. Or perhaps a Lavry.
I should get this. Cheap.

 

[Asr]

Well there's the Cambridge Azur 540C and Marantz CD-5001, both $300 from AudioAdvisor.com. Either one should be a nice upgrade. Or you could get an NAD C521BEE, which has a number of good reviews.

 

[peterpan188]

Thanks guys.
I don't see the need of a SACD player any time soon, so SONY is out of the list.

The Cambridge Audio players seems to have quite a variety of prices for the same model. I understand that it's imported, so the price varies a lot, but what is the cheapest price for their players? Are these distributors trustworthy?

Another option came up, a used Eastsound E3 for $300. How does this compare to the Planet, CA 540C/640C, NAD C521BEE? Is there any other players from Chinese maker worth looking at this price range?

Thanks again,
Peter

 

[cfo]

Pioneer DV-578a for $100.
It is a "universal" player but I only use it to play cd's and a few sacd's.
Sounds a little better than my $600 Sony SCD-555ES.
Very close in sound to a $1000 dac I use.
Needs revealing interconnects to sound its best.

 

[Jose Garcia]

If you buy used, you can get a unit double your price point. The Rega Planet is a great unit at under $500 used.

The Sony 595 is about the same to my SCD-2000ES with some minor differences. I bought mine due to the great reviews and 5 years warranty. The SACD was the icing although after comparing it to my unit as a transport through a Shagiraki 4715 DAC , the SACD was short in comparison.

The NAD units, C54X (0,1 and 2) and 521BB are good at the price point too.

The CA units seems to be similar but they has a difference in the DACs used and the amount of chips. The last encarnation are the C640v2. This seems to be the better unit.

You have another option. Buy a used transport or the Sony 595 as one with an external DAC mentioned here, and you will get a good digital source. At the same time, you may use the 595 as a CD player, a SACD unit and the DAC by itself.

The options are wide, Lite Das, Zhaolu, Derek Shek, MoodLabs, Monica 2, etc....

Good luck,

Jose.

 

[peterpan188]

The idea of Sony+DAC is great, but unforunately, the amount of space I have only allow for one additional unit, so even the price is right, it probably can't be done.

 

[Jose Garcia]

Peter, some of these DACs are so little, that they can find a few inches to be seated anywhere.... You can even hide them behind any piece of equipment and forget about it.

Jose.

 

[Taosman]

The hot CDP option of the moment is the Oppo DV970! $150
It's a universal player that up-samples for a smoother sound.
Has to be ordered direct from Oppo.com.

 

[purk]

The Toshiba SD9200 gets my vote. Streophile Class A on DVD-A and the redbook is denitely better than the stock SCD-C555ES. You also got an exceptional DVD playback, and the built quality is impressive at 25lbs. The chasis is copper plated. Search in audiogon and you should land one for under 350 dollars. I like the sound of of the Toshiba better than my Eddie Modded Zhaolu DAC.

Purk