[Albinoni]

I'm basically looking for a good, well built Sony Discman but more important one that supports Optical Out so I can connect it to my Sony MZ-1 MiniDisc player.
 
But whats important is build quality and Opt Out function and a backlit LCD panel would be a bonus too.
 
Any suggestions ?
 
Thanks

 

[shipsupt]

The D-555 seems to be heralded as the best Sony put out. Good luck finding one now... The few that pop up on eBay go for impressive prices.

Sony had a lot of models with optical out. I have D-EJ725 that I picked up for next to nothing.

There are a few old threads still out here listing some of the options.

 

[Albinoni]

Yes I was thinking of the D555 very nice unit indeed and looks very nicely built, probably metal construction.
 
Checked out on Ebay
 
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1312&_nkw=sony+d-555&_sacat=See-All-Categories

 

[warubozu]

IMO the D-555 is overrated, it's often hyped up about it's rarity and sound quality. The D-555 isn't as rare as everyone claims it to be as they show up often on ebay with prices on some of them so hyped up it's just amazes. There are also other vintage Sony PCDPs that sounds better than the D-555 and are more reasonably priced. I would suggest that you be on the lookout for the Sony D-303 as it has an LCD display and an optical out. I currently own three D-555 and to my ears my D-303 sound better, adjusting the EQ on the D-555 didn't do much to improve on it sound quality. The D-555 is sexy looking and is the only PCDP to have two LCDs on it. The D-303 like the D-555 is all metal construction

 

[Albinoni]

I agree 100% with you that the D555 is overpriced if you looked at the Ebay link I posted above you will see what I am getting at.  I also had the D303 in mind as well but wasnt sure if it supported Opt Out and thought only the D303 did.  They are both very nice players.  Ive actually got the Sony D350 myself another nice all metal construction pplayer with great feautures but sadly missed out on Opt and a backlit screen, but all in all a great player.  Infact I still have mine and its in A++ condition.
 
I've seen D303's on Ebay going for $145,
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-D-303-DISCMAN-/250810164750?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6573660e
 
 

 

[warubozu]

If you can get a D-303 that works flawlessly and is in decent shape go for it, IMO it's a good all around vintage Sony PCDP without having to break the bank in obtaining one. The D-303 also comes in two colors, black and gunmetal sliver. The D-350 is also a nice vintage PCDP and it has a powerful headphone out. Sadly the one I currently own is in need of repair as it skips like crazy when playing a cd.

 

[faichiu]

d303,d321

 

[chadbang]

The thing to a wary of with vintage PCDP is battery life. THe D-303 is nice but don't expect it to entertain you all day at the office. This ad from 1991 promise 2 full hours of playtime.
 
http://books.google.com/books?id=OukCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62&lpg=PA62&dq=sony+d-303+year&source=bl&ots=6aNUrvCDa0&sig=G_-oEe_7lsIpr6oQmy05sQC7PjQ&hl=en&ei=9j23TZrLCo_6sAO2-IipAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=sony%20d-303%20year&f=false

 

[tjohnusa]

You may also want to consider some older portable DVD players.....they go for cheap and many have optical outs. I have an older panasonic that I don't recall the model that sounds very nice through my total bithead...in addition these players will play mp3 cd's. One thing to consider with vintage cd players are the main spindle motors because they are quite small and very suseptible to bearing failure and dirt. They are spinning at quite high RPMs and were usually the first thing to break down.

 

[bozebuttons]

Look for a Sony PBDV30 portable DVD player,much better player then the disc man cd players.

 

[Albinoni]

Quote:

Look for a Sony PBDV30 portable DVD player,much better player then the disc man cd players.

Better in what way, as in ?

 

[bozebuttons]

Quote:

Better in what way, as in ?

Better build quality,better transport ,sounds even better out of the headphone out.This origionaly had a MSRP of $900 should be able to find one $150.00 - $200.
I have D777,D25  ,D25s & a modded D25s & a CD3400. The Dvd player  is the best of the bunch. 

 

[Shadin]

I recently got a D-33 and have really been enjoying the SQ.

 

[madnanny1]

i recently sold all my sony mp3 players (828/628) as i found that my old sony d-e340 cd player sounded much better than them.only listen to a limited number of cds so not bothered about having to lug cds around.can anyone out there tell me more sony pcdps that play cdrw discs,as i would love to collect sony pcdps(via ebay)   thanks

 

[Sparky191]

I wouldn't always agree. One of the reasons I ended up on Head Fi originally was that all the portable CD players I had at the time, just sounded so poor. I switched to MiniDisc which sounded much better. Then on to MP3 players which sound just as good but far easier to manage than a MiniDisc. 
 
SQ on portable CD players varied enormously. So you should be very picky about which ones you pick up.