[Pangaea]

I run most of my music off my computer thru a pioneer amp but was thinking it would be nice to get a decent, maybe even old stock CD player to hook up to the Pioneer. It has been awhile since I have hunted down anything in this dept. so I could use some guidance. Not really looking to spend more than a couple hundred- hoping maybe to find an old gem on ebay. Can anyone recommend make/ model that fits above.

 

[ldj325]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pangaea /img/forum/go_quote.gif I run most of my music off my computer thru a pioneer amp but was thinking it would be nice to get a decent, maybe even old stock CD player to hook up to the Pioneer. It has been awhile since I have hunted down anything in this dept. so I could use some guidance. Not really looking to spend more than a couple hundred- hoping maybe to find an old gem on ebay. Can anyone recommend make/ model that fits above.

Do a search in this forum for the Oppo 970 or the new 980. A lot of bang for the buck and SACD/DVD-A/other format capabilities too.

 

[Pangaea]

That does sound very interesting. Now is getting a DVD player a good option if all I will be using it for is a cd player? Like I said I haven't looked for this type of equipment for awhile.

 

[4N6]

An old gem would be the Rega Planet. Probably $200-300 on Audiogon or E-Bay. Fantastic sounding player that was in production about 10 years ago, but can still hold its own even today.

 

[cisforchooch]

How about a Sony SCD CE595... you get SACD and it's a changer. And you can get it modded.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Rega Planets are like Marantz Receivers, there are just too many collectors jacking up the price. Oh ye annoying babe boomers.

I don't think they're worth it strickly for its sonic qualities IMO.

The CE595 is well-known because it is the first affordable SACD player that doesn't sound like crap, the Toshiba 3950 got a lot of hype a year or two ago and you might be able to pick one up for much less than $100.

For the very budget conscious, recommendations for entry-level CD players are often DVD players because pure CD-players do not make nearly enough units to be made cheaply, whereas DVD players are made in enough volume to benefit from the economy of scale to offer the units at rock bottom prices. Some of the DVD players don't sound like complete garbage that we hype them up because (to an audiophile) they offer great bang-for-the-buck. If you do take a look at the measurements, though, you'll find that you get what you pay for and that's that.

Audiogon would be a good place to start.

 

[silverrain]

Marantz CD5001 for around $300 new is supposed to be good SQ for a CD player with decent DAC.

 

[DJShadow]

Like everyone else I shall throw in a completely different recommendation and say check out the NAD C542

The CE595 is mad cheap for what it does and how it sounds.

 

[Pangaea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dept_of_Alchemy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Rega Planets are like Marantz Receivers, there are just too many collectors jacking up the price. Oh ye annoying babe boomers. I don't think they're worth it strickly for its sonic qualities IMO. The CE595 is well-known because it is the first affordable SACD player that doesn't sound like crap, the Toshiba 3950 got a lot of hype a year or two ago and you might be able to pick one up for much less than $100. For the very budget conscious, recommendations for entry-level CD players are often DVD players because pure CD-players do not make nearly enough units to be made cheaply, whereas DVD players are made in enough volume to benefit from the economy of scale to offer the units at rock bottom prices. Some of the DVD players don't sound like complete garbage that we hype them up because (to an audiophile) they offer great bang-for-the-buck. If you do take a look at the measurements, though, you'll find that you get what you pay for and that's that. Audiogon would be a good place to start.

Thanks for that... that is a good explanation and makes sense. The SE595 is looking pretty good for 100 bucks on ebay. Anyone else care to weigh in on my top 3 recommendations thus far:

1)SE595
2)oppo
3)Marantz CD5001

 

[Asr]

The new NAD C525BEE is also $300. According to NAD, it replaces the legendary C521BEE.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

I couldn't find any published data for the SE595, but the Oppo is not worth it strickly as a CD player. Compare the Oppo measurement with a Entech DAC that you could get for ~$100 on ebay and you will see that hype is no substitute for quality parts and careful engineering.

 

[vcoheda]

not sure about a model. but audiogon is good place to look, if it hasn't been mentioned already.

 

[tbonner1]

Oppo 970 is good sounding for an all in one machine. Not much else to choose from in this price range for all in one players. HDCD is worthwhile.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbonner1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oppo 970 is good sounding for an all in one machine. Not much else to choose from in this price range for all in one players. HDCD is worthwhile.

I disagree, it sure measures pretty bad (See post 11) - always be weary of FOTM items. I would go with a 3~7 years old dedicated CD player in your price range, given how quickly digital front end depreciates (much faster than any other component except for cables) I think that's where the best bang for the buck is.

 

[Pangaea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dept_of_Alchemy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I disagree, it sure measures pretty bad (See post 11) - always be weary of FOTM items. I would go with a 3~7 years old dedicated CD player in your price range, given how quickly digital front end depreciates (much faster than any other component except for cables) I think that's where the best bang for the buck is.

Yeah... I am leaning toward some of the NAD players on ebay. They look like they are built like tanks. While SACD would be nice- all my stuff is redbook.