[beni]

I know there has been a lot of discussion on the pros and cons of the various PCDPs out there, but I only have one interest, and that is good analog line-out quality. I will only be using whatever I can find as a source for my Cosmic/Porta-corda. I don't care about the headphone amp. I don't care about the size/style. Good battery life would be nice but isn't essential.

What should I be looking for? I'm willing to try to find a discontinued model if that will give me better quality than something that I can buy new.

 

[coolvij]

Well, I don't think any OLDER models save for a few truly ancient Sonys would be better than a decent pcdp made today.........

I'd say - go with the Sony DE-J01 - Sony's flagship PCDP.....supposedly has an amazing DAC......Kevin Gilmore is using it as his portable source in his STAX (!!!!!W O W!!!!) system........

 

[Russ Arcuri]

Quote:

Originally posted by beni I know there has been a lot of discussion on the pros and cons of the various PCDPs out there, but I only have one interest, and that is good analog line-out quality. I will only be using whatever I can find as a source for my Cosmic/Porta-corda. I don't care about the headphone amp. I don't care about the size/style. Good battery life would be nice but isn't essential. What should I be looking for? I'm willing to try to find a discontinued model if that will give me better quality than something that I can buy new.

It sounds like you're looking for a really definitive answer. Sadly, it's not available. No one here has compared the line outs on every portable that has one.

I have compared the line out on a Sony D-211 (8 year old model), a Panasonic SL-CT470, and a Panasonic SL-CT570.

The two Panasonics sounded identical from the line outs, and were more than good enough to serve as a source in most headphone setups. The Sony D-211 sounded slightly better on its line out than the Panasonics, but that may have been due to the DAC rather than the line out. The difference was subtle, in any case. A different person may well have preferred the Panasonics.

Good luck trying to find a definitive answer. You'd do well to just pick one with reasonably good feedback, like the Panasonic 570, and try it for yourself.

Personally, I'd recommend the Panasonic 570 if you're going to be using it in a mobile rig, since it's one of only two available these days that has non-compressed antishock from the line out (10 second antishock). The Panasonic 780 is the other. Two things to note: Yes, you WILL want antishock for mobility, and yes, all the newer PCDPs with anti-shock use lossy compression methods that degrade the sound (apart from the Panasonic 570 and 780).

Russ "The Peripatetic Audiophile"

 

[beni]

What about the SL-CT580? Is it similar to the 780 or not?

Thanks again.

 

[Russ Arcuri]

Quote:

Originally posted by beni What about the SL-CT580? Is it similar to the 780 or not?

It's similar, in the sense that it's incredibly thin and is based on the same basic design as the 780. However, I read here somewhere that the 580's antishock is lossy and on all the time. Not a good choice if you're concerned about sound quality above all else.

Russ "The Peripatetic Audiophile"

 

[beni]

Grr...well...that DE-J01 sure does look nice...$400 is a little higher than I had been aiming for a portable though. I guess I'll have to keep my eye out for a good used 780.

 

[Flumpus]

The 580 does NOT have a line out...so keep that in mind

The 780 is great with the line out, that's what I use and love it!

 

[chych]

I'm pretty damn happy about my Sony D-EJ815's Line out. Has a built in screen too, and is one of the reasons I chose it over the 915.

 

[wilbur]

You could pick up one of those Sony D-25S being auctioned at Ebay, 5 years or so old model, new old stock, not much of an antiskip if any, no digital-out, but reportedly a very good line-out. At $45 + S/H perhaps worth a shot?

 

[beni]

hey...that looks like a nice deal. thanks for the heads-up. now i'm off to do some research on this thing.

 

[Surfaday]

I recently got a Sony D-E565. I use it with my JMT amp and its line out is just fine. (Its and optical out but has great sound as a regular line out too.) When the model first came out it was in the $150 range, but I got it for $70 so maybe its the good time to look for that model.

 

[Russ Arcuri]

Quote:

Originally posted by wilbur You could pick up one of those Sony D-25S being auctioned at Ebay, 5 years or so old model, new old stock, not much of an antiskip if any, no digital-out, but reportedly a very good line-out. At $45 + S/H perhaps worth a shot?

I did some research on this model. First, all I could find was information on the "regular" D-25, not the D-25S. Assuming they're basically the same thing, here's what I found out.

1. It's not a 5 year old design, it's about 10 years old.
2. Because the ones being sold on eBay come with no accessories, you'll end up spending a lot more to make it actually work.
3. The Sony power adapter (which also recharges the battery) will cost $46 plus shipping. That doubles the cost of the unit, and gets you to the point of using it while plugged into a wall.
4. The Sony proprietary rechargeable battery will cost $31 plus shipping, making the total cost of getting this 10 year old, '$45' CD player running as a portable a cool $122, without a manual. The manual is available for $5 plus shipping.

Now, it is built solidly, but it doesn't have anti-skip. I don't know if I'd be willing to drop more than $130 on a 10 year old portable, no matter what its condition is.

I am considering it, though. A friend of mine has an old D-15, which is a very similar design. I always liked it.

Russ "The Peripatetic Audiophile"

 

[RickG]

Russ,

I just picked up one of those units on ebay. You get an adaptor at Radioshack or Wal-Mart dirt cheap. Where did you find the info on the battery, manual, etc?

 

[beni]

I was thinking of getting a cheap adapter for it too, but I'm not so sure I want to have to find a proprietary battery in order to ever use it when I'm not near a wall socket. Hmph.

 

[blr]

I'm very happy with the line out of my Sony D-EJ725.
OK, it is not as dynamic, extended and musical as my stationary CDP Marantz CD6000OSE, but considering that it is a portable it does very well, better IMO than my 6 years old D345. The line out also doubles as optical, digital out, which is nice for MDeeing or if you decide to get a DAC later. The player is well built for its price (better than Panasonics IMO), has an excellent battery life and feature list.
The headphone out is less spectacular however