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Recommend me a CD player

40K views 155 replies 34 participants last post by  bigshot 
#1 ·
I need a new one.

Some years ago I had a Cambridge, which was garbage, I'm afraid. Someone recommended I just get a cheep CD / DVD player from Best Buy for $30 - $40 and when it goes bad, throw it out and get a new one. So that's what I did. Now I'm thinking I'm probably not getting full soundstage from such a device, so am looking to "upgrade."

But ... I'm not about to go nuts. I'm thinking $300 - $500 and I'd like a small unit (no more than 13 inches wide) because of my shelving.

I was looking at this Pro-Ject CD player, which is a bit outside what I'd like to spend, but it got panned by the only review at amazon.

Was also looking at this Tivoli unit, which seems more in line with my budget and space limitations. Again, some negative reviews about breakdowns, problems with reading the disc, etc.

If anyone has any experience with either of these two products or can suggest something similar in size, I'm all ears.
 
#3 ·
So (forgive my ignorance) my prior advice was right? There's no difference in how a $40 player and a $400 player reads the disc? It's all a matter of how the data is processed after that. Yes?

Aside from my obvious technical deficiencies, I'm not sure I want to add another component.
 
#7 ·
I can't answer from a technical point of view, but the last time I bought a CD player, I spent a few hours reading reviews in conjunction with a shop's catalogue of available units, then I took five or six different discs with me and spent a couple of hours comparing my shortlist in the shop.

All I can say is that there was an eneormous difference in how CD players sounded through the same headphones or same speakers. Some units with excellent reviews were rubbish with polyphony, some were awful with string quartetes etc. And may simply sounded 'different' to each other. Only your ears will be able to tell you what you like.
 
#5 ·
I own a Panasonic DMP - BD80 Blu-Ray player that I use for movies and CDs. The wonderful thing about this unit is that it supports so many formats. I can play mp3 cds, because it supports folder access, it plays AVI files, org, AAC, SACD, FLAC and just about anything you can think of. It even does image files in slide show format. I think I paid around $200 new a few years back. I have a couple other methods for CD but the Panasonic has by far the best sound reproduction over my Sony or LG.
 
#6 ·
I use a Sony CD Walkman D-NE330 and it's really nice for playback... Line out and you are set:
 
#9 ·
Double blind tests show that people are not able to find differences between most CD players. As an example: http://matrixhifi.com/contenedor_pcm.htm. It is in spanish, but with chrome you can easily translate it. There are many more blind tests in that site. In summary, maybe a very cheap chinese player with a crappy DAC sounds bad, but once you get to decent (let's say 100$) players, music lovers cannot distinguish them in blind tests. If they see them and their price tag, then placebo effect gets into action.
 
#10 ·
Even my $40 Sony Portable CD player is just as good as any high end system.
 
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#11 ·
I took some CDs along to my friendly local dealer and fully expected the CD player to have such little difference I'd be wasting my time. I was wrong. The player chose itself. But that was for MY ears; not yours. You should road test some yourself.
 
#12 ·
Absolutely. Most of those double blind tests are worthless. They aren't done using a person's own listening room, system, and their music. They have them sitting in a building listening to short snippets of music on system's that are unfamiliar.
If your ears tell you that you are hearing a difference, follow them. There will be lots of people who will be trying to tell you that you can't possibly be hearing any difference. Don't worry about them.
And if you are one of the people who claim that you can't hear a difference between two players, then consider yourself blessed, because you will always be happy with sanely priced gear, and can spend your cash on something else.
 
#13 ·
CD players used as a transport should not be perceivably different, unless there's something wrong with them. On the other hand, the DAC implementation and analogue output stages could very well make a difference. For example, it is well attested that Sabre 32-bit DACs (eg. as used in the Oppo BDP-105) have a subtle yet discernable sonic signature.

It it were me I'd go for a separate DAC and transport, but I prefer separates so I'm biased. Fora a player, something like this is a bit over your price range but hard to beat for the money. The most important thing, though, is to listen and get the one you prefer.
 
#18 ·
Inspired by this thread, I did a little test yesterday afternoon. My daughter stopped by for dinner. She had coincidentally purchased a cheap DVD player from Costco. It had a digital out (optical) so I plugged it into the optical in on my Oppo BD 105.
I played a few discs that I have more than 1 copy of, using the Oppo and the DVD player as competing transports, and then switched between them on the Pre Amp.
There was a subtle but audible difference between the two sources, but not nearly as profound as one would expect given the significant price disparity. The DVD player was certainly listenable, and on a less resolving system, I expect the differences would be slimmer still.
As all things Audio, however, you will find people that will argue that a good transport is indispensible, because if it is a beadly readdisc in the first place, no amount of error correction by a DAC will compensate. In theory I get it, but I would advise most people who want to upgrade their CD players to get a good DAC first and use their old players as a transport.
 
#23 ·
I always chuckle at the posts that say that I can't hear a difference between different CD players.

I was going to recommend the Marantz 5004 at $350 (often on sale). Stereophile reviewed it and also performed a set of measurements that confirmed its "astonishing" performance.
I own a Marantz 8004, which is wonderful (around $1000 and discounted now that the 8005 is out).

Are the differences between CD players subtle? Gosh, I can only answer for myself and say that I only spend my money when I hear a repeatable difference in my (treated, dedicated) room during an audition. Would be silly to do otherwise.

I agree with the poster who said to consider yourself lucky if you don't hear a difference, you'll save a lot of money!
 
#24 · (Edited)
Of course you can hear a difference. And hypochondriacs do not lie; they really feel sick. Which doesnt mean they are. Most differences are due to volume. If you listen to a different source with a higher volume level, you'll hear better, with more clarity. And in uncontrolled tests it is impossible to set the same volume between different sources. And there is the placebo effect, produced by the nicer expensive box with brighter LED lights and tremendous pricetag. However, in double blind tests, people CANNOT tell the difference. The evidence, the reality, is stubborn. Unless you decide that the evidence does not matter, and we go back to the dark ages.
 
#25 ·
^ That.

I've done direct A/B switched level matched comparison tests with every player I have ever owned... from a $35 WalMart Coby DVD player to my iPods to a $900 SACD player and an Oppo BDP103. They have all sounded *exactly* the same. Indistinguishable. If I came across one that sounded different, I would pack it back up in its box and return it. If a player isn't audibly transparent, it isn't performing to spec and must be defective.
 
#26 ·
I would buy a Sony Blu-Ray player, as a few people have already suggested. I own the BDP-S590. It allows me to play my SACDs without a hitch, and comes with the additional bonus of YouTube connectivity. As for its sonic qualities, i find that it does the job. The only drawback is the slowness of the drawer/ load times when you first put in the disc.
 
#31 · (Edited)
http://matrixhifi.com/

Clic on the red pill, and on the left menu on "Pruebas ciegas", blind tests in spanish. There are many. With chrome is easy to translate. In science, (statistically) most people means all people from all points of view. In medicine, we use treatments that are documented to work in most people (using double-blind tests) of the sample population studied, and thereafter are used on all people. Interestingly, nobody is against this method when facing a deadly disease, but some are against using the scientific method to choose a CD player.
 
#38 · (Edited)
"I see what you claim but up to post #34 it sounds more like you misunderstand what the evidence suggests. an elementary knowledge and understanding of statistics and their use in providing evidence would have helped you to avoid the error of extrapolating the evidence beyond what is sustainable

The evidence can support the suggestion that many people cannot tell the difference. It certainly does not prove that no-one can tell the difference.

no amount of what you call 'basic statistics' can equate most people with everyone (or no-one)"



Sorry. Cannot help you. Take a course of basic biological research and statistics and then we can continue this discussion.
 
#40 ·
Sorry. Cannot help you. Take a course of basic biological research and statistics and then we can continue this discussion.
You are correct - I have knowledge and understanding in this area that is far in advance of 'basic'

I suggest you read the first paragraph of MacLeod's post - he is correct .... you are not if you still say 'no-one can tell the difference'
 
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#39 ·
The "evidence" seems to support both conclusions - that there is a random element, and that some people can tell the difference. What it doesn't support is neither that no-one can, nor that 'most can't'.

Furthermore, it seems too small a sample to claim that a difference can't be heard, or that there is no difference.

As I'm not into conspiracy theories (that the media industry is lying when it rates CD players), I'm in the camp that allows the possibility that there is indeed an audible difference between some players and others.
 
#41 ·
The "evidence" seems to support both conclusions - that there is a random element, and that some people can tell the difference.
There's nothing there that indicates people can tell the difference at all. Overall, the stats show a random dispersion. The only way to know if there are people who really can tell a difference is to take the people who picked the right answer and test them further to see if they can *consistently* do that. Of course, those sorts of tests have been done, and it's been found that golden eared audiophiles and sound engineers have human ears like the rest of us.
 
#46 ·
Oh, it's been a while since I checked in here.

Still with the old cheap-o CD player. Other priorities have kind of moved this down the to-do list a bit. But I forget if I mentioned upthread (and am too lazy to check) but one of the issues with my current player is no track readout and no ability to play specific tracks. So, for instance, if I want to listen to a specific piece on a CD with several pieces of music on it, I'm out of luck.

Ergo, a new CD player is what I really need, statistical analyses and blind sample sets aside.

I appreciate all the comments though.

:tiphat:
 
#82 ·
Then why does my old NAD 5420 CD player sound better than my more recent low(ish) end NAD DVD player?

Does anyone have a low end Sony blu ray player and mid-high end CD player? Which do you prefer?

Try listening to some serious orchestral music where weight of strings and shimmering contrasts of texture and balance make a difference. I just tried a comparison with the first movement of Beethoven's first symphony (Karajan '63.) The NAD 5420 brings out the weight of the strings and shimmering contrasts that the DVD player does not. I find this a significant aesthetic difference - Karajan still sounds great on the DVD player... just significantly better on the 5420.
 
#48 · (Edited)
These discussions will never end and you will never be able to convince others either way. The approach when buying audio equipment is just like buying everything else. Look at your budget, decide on what makes you happy, then buy the equipment that fit your needs. If you believe more expensive cables or speaker stands will improve your sound....then go ahead if you can afford it.

I bought a used Sony 5-disc CD player from Craigslist for $25 that was in new condition. It has both types of digital outs so that I can connect to my DAC. It works fine.

Personally, I've spent about 70% of the cost of my whole audio system on speakers because I believe they make the most difference in the sound.

If I was to recommend a new CD player that you can buy walking into a store for basic needs that I won't need to worry about using used equipment. I would go for something simple like this one: http://ca.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/hifi-components/cd-players/cd-s300__g/?mode=model

Yamaha CD-S300
 
#49 ·
I think for sound quality the DAC is more important , but it sounds like the OP needs a transport that will allow improved track access. Really any CD, DVD, or Blu Ray player should do this. A cheap Sony Blu Ray player with a smallish DAC should be able to do this and allow you to play movies and SACD, be within your budget, and probably sound better than your current player.
 
#54 ·
I think for sound quality the DAC is more important , but it sounds like the OP needs a transport that will allow improved track access. Really any CD, DVD, or Blu Ray player should do this. ...
Technically speaking this is mostly correct. The transport, including digital stream recovery should be exactly that - digital - that is either works or doesn't right? Well, asaid from the obvious like consistent track readout, recovery software should be well written, something not allways granted. CD's (and all digital media) rely on error detection and correction, but it must be done well. The other thing to consider is jitter but it is not an issue with current hardware and a good DAC may take care of it anyway.

Then, once DAC has been performed, there are infinitely many ways of doing things right or wrong.
 
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