[ben_r_]

Bumping this OLD thread just in case anyone has any new models they know about. Still looks like the Teac PD-H600 is where its at, but they are so darn expensive and now getting a bit harder to find...

 

[project86]

  Bumping this OLD thread just in case anyone has any new models they know about. Still looks like the Teac PD-H600 is where its at, but they are so darn expensive and now getting a bit harder to find...

 
 
I recently picked up a Litte Dot CDP_II because I really liked the original model but found it way too slow in reading discs or skipping tracks. Supposedly this refreshed model would fix that issue. Mine arrived damaged and I have not yet had time to return it. The device itself seems nice and if I can get it fixed locally I might just do that instead of shipping to China. Note - they also have a CDP_III which is a full size top loading CD player, not a compact transport at all. Might be nice but it's not applicable to this thread. 
 
I also have a YBA Design WM202 on the way. It's not quite as small as some of these others, but still reasonably compact. It has analog outs, digital inputs AND outputs (including USB), but I'll mostly just use it as a transport. I'm hoping it cures me of my search for a small transport but we'll see. 

 

[Noirkw91]

Shanling has a small cd transport as well. Pretty reasonable at $199 USD
 

 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shanling-Tempo-eC1A-Mini-HiFi-CD-Player-Brand-New-/271141686234?pt=US_CD_Players_Recorders&hash=item3f214dcbda

 

[project86]

  Shanling has a small cd transport as well. Pretty reasonable at $199 USD
 

 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shanling-Tempo-eC1A-Mini-HiFi-CD-Player-Brand-New-/271141686234?pt=US_CD_Players_Recorders&hash=item3f214dcbda

 
 
That one looks very similar to their PCD-300 series which we discussed earlier. A member HERE mentioned some operational issues and I've heard the same thing from other sources. With Tempo being the budget version from Shanling, I'd be weary of this model. But you never know - it may work well and be a perfect match for someone. 

 

[Black Stuart]

Looked at the Project CD Box S but not sure about the o/put level with my hybrid amp, so decided to seek out a Project CD Box SE.
 
As usual the price difference between the US and Europe made me angry -US $499/UK £499 and in Euro land even more expensive. Saw an ex demo model on Ebay.de and bought it - it cost including UPS tracking/signed for delivery in total £309.
 
It arrived yesterday and looks brand new, certainly the tiny remote was and all packed very well (very important). I bought this CDP for it's transport which is all metal and made by the Austrian company that makes transports for Wadia and Ayon - it was silent in operation, so different from my 63KI Mk 11.
 
I have yet to take off the lid to look at the entrails but it is heavy for such a small chassis. As both my h/amp and power amp are in pieces for modding I'm taking it round to a friend to get an idea of how it sounds using the DAC.
 
I have never had a slot feed CDP before and I can say that it is way better than the tray type a la Marantz - a really smooth action, I would say almost impossible to scratch the CD.
 
I also like the fact the PSU is a wall wart, OK a proper external PSU is preferred but it is way better to externalize the PSU. The display can be really 'in your face' but happily it can be dimmed, I bet no one will like the full-on display.
 
If the DAC sounds good, great but so far I'm certain that the transport will be exactly what I wanted - now for a really good ADC.
 
BTW it has excellent user reviews for both transport and DAC.
 
.

 

[brhfl]

I just recently got a Pro-Ject CD Box S, and so far am pretty happy with it. It seems a little bit sensitive to disc read errors, which gets to be a nuisance with the long fade-in after loss of sync on the Concero DAC — my unit was an open box, however, and the problem may not be universal. The box itself is quite small, fits nicely under my monitor. Small display that is always on — when the unit is 'off,' it says 'STANDBY' in tiny dim letters; when the unit is on but empty, the word 'EMPTY' pulses gently on the display; when active, the display is at full brightness, and has a function indicator, track number, and time, all tidily fit into a 1" diagonal display. You'd never know it from the promotional pictures, but the display is color — when starting up, the Pro-Ject logo is shown in red and white. All other display is done in a rather traditional VFL blue.
 
I haven't used the remote with mine, as the open box unit was lacking a battery, and I'll only be using the box nearby anyway. The manual incorrectly explains the use of the four front buttons. Play/pause and track forward/back are quite self-explanatory (holding track forward/back seeks, I don't think there's any way to cue by index). The stop button does triple duty as stop, eject, and power. Press once to turn the unit on. If playing a disc, pressing once stops it, pressing again ejects it. If there is a disc inside, holding stop turns it off, if the slot is empty, simply pressing it turns it off. 
 
I have only been using it as a transport, and aside from the aforementioned disc reading sensitivity, it does this just fine. I have not heard the DAC, I believe it's an upsampling unit with a TI chip. To me, any integrated DAC in a unit like this is a backup plan. 
 
All in all, for the price I'd recommend it if one needs a compact transport, particularly if it's supplementing an existing source. It's a pretty no-nonsense machine with a tidy little footprint. I am very curious about the Little Dot now, however… had no idea they made a compact transport…

 

[IanS]

Bit of a revival of an old thread, but I'd like to find a small CD player with digital out (Coax SPDIF is fine) no more than 9.5" wide that I can sit on my desk.
 
My requirements are:
 
* needs to read almost any disc. I have a collection of 2000 odd CDs (too lazy to rip) and my current Cambridge Audio CD player is struggling to read many tracks. I want it to just work with everything.
 
* it needs to be silent when spinning. If it's sitting on my desk it would drive me nuts if I could hear it spinning
 
* digital out (Coax SPDIF is fine). it will likely be feeding a Centrance DACmini CX also sitting on the desk
 
 
I've been looking around, and I have come up with 3 options:
 
* TEAC PD-H01 - only seem to be available in Japan, but I like the specs (113 dB SNR) and think the slot load might be quiet. about $300
 
* Parasound Zcd - on sale for $200 at Audio Advisor
 
* Toshiba BDX3500. Can't find the specs, but I might be able to demo it and see if it's quiet. Can be had around here for about $80 and has SPDIF optical audio output.
 
Thoughts?

 

[Microcuts]

These days many small DVD players are sold, and for lower prices than most CD players. In my experiences DVD players are more forgiving playing CD's and I have never seen one without coaxial output.

 

[Maxvla]

Try cleaning the laser lens on your current CD player?

 

[project86]

Try cleaning the laser lens on your current CD player?

 
This.
 
Or for the discount price, the Parasound is a good buy. It's quiet and sounds pretty good. 

 

[powdersurge]

Bumping once more. Hope it's alright with the rules here. Looking after such a unit myself, I might add a few more..
 
Denon has the DCD-F109 in its offering, though it seems only operable by the remote that comes with the amp from the same series, so pay attention (290USD)
Also by Denon, the higher end DCD-50 which comes with its own remote, can be placed vertically and looks minimalistic.
It has a subdued OLED display that rotates along with orientation. 192 kHz/32 bits BB PCM5102 DAC, coax SPDIF, no optical out (480USD)
 
Cheers

 

[project86]

  Bumping once more. Hope it's alright with the rules here. Looking after such a unit myself, I might add a few more..
 
Denon has the DCD-F109 in its offering, though it seems only operable by the remote that comes with the amp from the same series, so pay attention (290USD)
Also by Denon, the higher end DCD-50 which comes with its own remote, can be placed vertically and looks minimalistic.
It has a subdued OLED display that rotates along with orientation. 192 kHz/32 bits BB PCM5102 DAC, coax SPDIF, no optical out (480USD)
 
Cheers

 
 
Thanks, and welcome to the forum!
 
I had been eyeballing these two as well. Neither appears to be released in North America which means I'd have to order from overseas and use a step down transformer to get 120V operation. Not the end of the world but not ideal either. I was close to getting the F109 just due to the low price but I decided against it in the end. The DCD-50 doesn't really cut it for me in the looks department, not exactly sure why.
 
More options for the list: a company called Olasonic makes a new(ish) model called the Nano CD1:
 

 
 
It's a dedicated transport only with upsampling that can be turned off if you want. Not easy to find in the USA but it is universal voltage so no transformer needed. Looks like a Nintendo Wii doesn't it? Also looks similar to the Pro-Ject CD Box S, though clearly different enough to not be related.
 
Unfortunately it goes for around $600 which seems a bit steep to me.
 
The Pro-Ject line has expanded. Several nice looking options to choose from including the top dog, the CD Box RS:
 

 
This one is a top loading transport only unit that goes for $1299. Interestingly it can play FLAC files up to 24/96 via CD-R. Which is cool except a CD doesn't have enough room to fit many songs.....
 
 
 
Lastly, the Teac PD-501HR which is CD player, transport, and even does DSD playback when files are burned to DVD-R. That's actually pretty nice as a disc can hold several albums worth:
 

 
It goes for around $850 give or take. Seems like a great option, though it's larger in width than many of these others.

 

[PoRidge]

thank you very much for the updates. the olasonic looks interesting. and did the shanling pcd300 go out of production. can't find it from official retailer.

 

[project86]

I think Shanling stopped making that model, somewhat "replacing" it with another called the Tempo EC1. I think Tempo is meant to be their spin-off for more affordable models. I'm not sure if the EC1 uses the same guts as the PCD300 or not. 

 

[PoRidge]

why do those new Japanese cdts use slot in mechanism? doesn't it tend to scratch your cds?