[Target1]

I'm sure I should be able to find this with a forum search, but for the life of me it seems to be a topic that is pretty light on info. I now have a fairly good system with HD 580s, SR225s, and a recently ordered Gilmore Lite. Now, I feel that this system is being bottlenecked to some degree by using it out of an ipod, or powerbook. I have an oldish 5 CD changer Kenwood player at home that I will grab if this is my best option, but I'm wondering if there are any CDPs out there that will do my current system some justice. The price limit up there is pretty rigid because I just don't have much cash right now. I'm more than willing to buy used. Thanks for any help here.

Target

 

[gordolindsay]

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....lay&1146076133

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...Fencoding=UTF8

Honestly, I'd go with the sony so you'd have SACD if you ever want it and it's new.

Or you could buy a good soundcard if you have a computer you want to use that might sound better than a $150 cd player.

Or one of the $150 DAC's that are being discussed here lately and use it with that player you said you have.

 

[fewtch]

You could look for a vintage Rotel RCD-855, RCD-955AX or Denon DCD-1500 or DCD-1560 on eBay or Audiogon... not a bad option if you need to go to the sub-$150 category. These players have older DACs, but good power supply sections, good transports and decent analog stages.

You could also consider one of the cheap Toshiba DVD players (SD-3960, 3980, etc). which will sound decent out of the box and are amenable to future modding to truly bring out their potential. I like my SD-3980 stock, although you can tell transparency is hurt badly by the poor power supplies in these players (which are one of the first targets for modders).

 

[Target1]

That cambridge audio d500se looks really intrigueing. If I can get it, and fix it cheap, is it a good deal for $100? Info on those seems to be very sparce. I have thought about getting a dac for my computer, but I would rather go the CDP route for now. If I choose to get a DAC in the future, it should work for both this CD player, and for my computer. Plus, the sound coming out of my laptop is pretty noisy, and I don't think I'd get as good quality sound from my $100 in a DAC over a CDP. Thanks a ton for the help thus far, this decision i tough. I can't wait for the day when I have 3k to plunk down.

Mark

 

[Target1]

If I go the DAC route, will it effectively turn my current Kenwood into a relatively decent CDP? I figure a $125 DAC could also be paired with my computer from time to time, so this might be a good route.

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[andyshedd]

If you are not averse about going the traditional CD route Amazon has the SCD-CE595 for $119.99, which could be paired with an optical enabled DAC or modded at a later date. It has gotten good review out of the box also.

 

[Target1]

How is the Sony DVP-S7000? Its listed most places as a transport. Does this mean that it has no internal DAC, and won't sound good without an external? Further, can anyone comment on its video quality vs a new DVD player with progressive scan etc. I'm really intrigued, because it can be had pretty cheap, and was certainly a top of the line player years ago.

Target

 

[els0rz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch You could look for a vintage Rotel RCD-855, RCD-955AX or Denon DCD-1500 or DCD-1560 on eBay or Audiogon... not a bad option if you need to go to the sub-$150 category. These players have older DACs, but good power supply sections, good transports and decent analog stages. You could also consider one of the cheap Toshiba DVD players (SD-3960, 3980, etc). which will sound decent out of the box and are amenable to future modding to truly bring out their potential. I like my SD-3980 stock, although you can tell transparency is hurt badly by the poor power supplies in these players (which are one of the first targets for modders).

Man I got the Toshiba SD-3980 for 30 bux on black friday, and it just crapped out...such sadness...I also need to look for a cheap replacement.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by els0rz Man I got the Toshiba SD-3980 for 30 bux on black friday, and it just crapped out...such sadness...I also need to look for a cheap replacement.

You might want to open it up... could be a problem that's easy to fix, like one of the ribbon cables coming loose.