Classic CD Players

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by gss, Jul 27, 2016.

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  1. Matt Richardson

    Matt Richardson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Suburban Chicago
    First CD player I bought was the Magnavox in 1984 (picture below is the sister Philips model). This was one of the first cd players ever released. I saw it advertised used in the local classifieds (long before Craigslist) for $130 (it retailed for about $800 I think).

    I used it daily for the next 24 years until it died in 2008. Sounded very good too. The a/d chip is something of legendary status as I understand it. Never cared for the top loader though. The center sprocket had a somewhat sharp surface that scratched my CDs if I didn't set them in just perfectly.

    [​IMG] free image uploading
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2016
  2. gss

    gss Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Jersey
    My thinking here was that we all agree now is an awesome time to be buying CDs, but that must mean some excellent gear can probably also be found at bargain basement prices.
     
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  3. BayouTiger

    BayouTiger Forum Resident

    I can honestly say that nearly every CD player I bought in the 80's developed tracking issues. Never got rid of one because it sounded bad, but always because it stopped playing correctly
     
  4. Solitaire1

    Solitaire1 Carpenters Fan

    This is the CD player that I still have (although I haven't used it in years):



    I retired it because it wasn't able to play CD-Rs and CD-RWs. But it had one feature that made it great for making your own cassettes from your CDs: Peak Search. After making a program you could do a peak search and it would scan the entire program, find the loudest moment and repeat it, allowing you to easily set the right recording level.

    As far as its appearance goes, it had the same look as the other Philips audio components of its time (and it could be integrated with other compatible Philips components). Although the video doesn't clearly show it, the surface on the front of the player has a slightly rough finish.

    When it comes to CD players, I prefer a 5-disc carousel over a multi-disc player that uses a cartridge due to its mechanical simplicity. Also, I could replace discs while the player played.
     
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  5. Ed Hughes

    Ed Hughes Senior Member

    Location:
    phila.pa.
    This was my first CD player also. Loved it til I sold it for a Denon 1500.
     
    Matt Richardson likes this.
  6. riverrat

    riverrat Senior Member

    Location:
    Oregon
    I haven't had a disc spinner in my system for awhile now. FLAC files for digital, a turntable for analog.

    But I have a few CD players that I cannot seem to let go of:

    1. Pioneer PD-65. One of several models in which you insert the CD upside down. "Stable platter" mechanism. Very nice sound, makes a great transport with external DAC and sounds very nice on its own.
    2. Two players with the lauded TDA1541 DAC chip- an Adcom GCD-575 (paid $10) and an Arcam Alpha 5 plus ($20).
    3. A Sony XA3-ES. Really solid build, allows listening to CDs without an amp via headphones. Paid $50.

    Sometimes I think I should sell at least one or two of these off. But I never seem to get around to it..
     
    rodentdog likes this.
  7. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    I'm going to throw in the Kenwood DP7090. A mass market player that kind of flew under the radar in the late 1990s. Came with eight of the then top of the line Burr Brown PCM1702 DACs. In a £400 machine! The likes of Accuphase, Linn (in their then TOTL CD12), and a good few others utilised it too (albeit for a fair bit more cash).

    I had one for years and got rid of it for a Linn (which was no better, not surprisingly) only to pick up another on eBay last week. Delighted to have it back and putting it through a system where it's going direct to the active AE22s with just the passive preamp managing volume and the connectivity for the XLRs to the speakers shows how exactly how good this player is.

    Seriously, if you find one, get it. For the £100-200 you'll spend, you'll have a very fine having and one that is great for modding if that's your thing.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  8. kuma

    kuma Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    [​IMG]
    Krell kps25s. Their last no-holds-barred digital playback.
    Preamp, CD player, DAC, Transport all-in-one. Incredible resolution and instrument separation with an impressive gigantic soundstage and solidity. It set a benchmark back then. ( 1998 )
     
    Shak Cohen, MikeJedi, c-eling and 6 others like this.
  9. Lester Best

    Lester Best Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Bklyn NY
    "When it comes to CD players, I prefer a 5-disc carousel over a multi-disc player that uses a cartridge due to its mechanical simplicity. Also, I could replace discs while the player played."

    Altho I have 2 single player CDs, I agree. Changers work for me. My Onkyo changer is plugged into an Emotiva DAC 1.
     
  10. gss

    gss Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Personally, 5-CD changers drive me crazy! I never know where anything is and go crazy flipping around trying to find it. First world problems, right?

    Give me a single drawer any day.
     
    scobb, basie-fan, The Pinhead and 3 others like this.
  11. xcqn

    xcqn Audiophile

    Location:
    Gothenburg, Sweden
    My cd-transport looks like this!
    Love oldschool cd-players they are usually well built. This one weighs 15kg. Solid as a rock and a joy to use. :D

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Ed Hughes

    Ed Hughes Senior Member

    Location:
    phila.pa.
    As I posted earlier this was also my first player Yes it did retail for $800. In fact I paid retail I wanted it so bad. Cuz there was like 6 CDs available. :laugh:
     
    gss likes this.
  13. gss

    gss Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New Jersey
    One doesn't see a lot of woodgrain when it comes to CD players. Love it!

    What's with the readout? Why does it say "jazz" or whatever?
     
  14. Gretsch6136

    Gretsch6136 Forum Resident

    My favourite is my Denon DCD3000 I bought in 1995. It blows away my Luxman D105u and its D/A converters sound way better than the D/A converters in my new Yamaha Aventage AV receiver.
     
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  15. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    I went though a lot and wound up with a Rotel. Smooth as silk. Sad I sold it.
     
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  16. Leeston

    Leeston Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    Luxman 105U, loved it to bits for the sound it gave me.
     
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  17. dxer2_2000

    dxer2_2000 New Member

    Location:
    Australia
    I love my Micromega/Audio Design Professional Solo-R. It gives a "vinyl" like audio quality to CDs, providing beautiful sound stage & can even temper harsh sounding CDs that have clipping. I really like the DAC inside this unit.

    I also love the look of the unit. Nice high end HiFi look with a nice display.
     
    bhazen likes this.
  18. xcqn

    xcqn Audiophile

    Location:
    Gothenburg, Sweden
    You could type in the titles of the cd's. The player would remember it and show it the next time you put that cd in.
     
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  19. bhazen

    bhazen ANNOYING BEATLES FAN

    Location:
    Deepest suburbia
    Original Rega Planet (mid-'90s?) with the "heat sink" casework. Not the most resolving, but totally non-fatiguing and a groove to listen to. All the decks I had prior to that sounded very slightly "digital" and edgy by comparison. So, let's hear it for turntable specialists having a go with CD!
     
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  20. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
  21. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Nuthin' fancy in my history, but they pulled their weight.

    My first was an Adcom GCD-575. Late 80s. Sounded great, but became finicky reading discs as I accumulated CDs.

    Swapped that out for a Rotel RCD-955AX. Early 90s(?). Not Adcom-good, but good. Lasted several years until the transport belt routinely broke.

    By that time I was using outboard DACs, so going forward it was nothing but economical Pioneer universals and/or CD recorders with their bullet-proof transports.

    I also had a Pioneer CDD-97 laserdisc player that, as a CD player, was better than the Adcom or Rotel.

    Now the only disc spinner here is an Oppo 103, performing multichannel duty in the 5.1 room.

    The 2-ch room is server-only. Disc-less. I even just recently packed up the Planar 3.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
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  22. peelaaa

    peelaaa Forum Resident

    Location:
    dublin
    The one i use. Micromega stage 6.
     
  23. UCrazyKid

    UCrazyKid Grand Puba of Funk

    Location:
    Illinois
    I have lived my Musical Fidelity A3.2CD for some time. The upsampling 24/96 has always sounded great. And when I got the itch to upgrade I just added and outboard DAC (a modified MSB Link DAC Gold with outboard power supply and upsampling to 24/132.3Hz) and it continues to read discs perfectly and serve it up to the DAC. And it looks good too!
     
    Mikeybc likes this.
  24. bruce2

    bruce2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Connecticut, USA
    Cool my first good CD player was the Rotel RCD-951. I remember it sounding nice and warm and having the HDCD capability. Wish I still had it but sold it years ago when I was short on cash. I'd be curious how it compares to the Marantz SA-8005 player I use now.
     
    chalkpie likes this.
  25. mdm08033

    mdm08033 Senior Member

    I'm not in any position to be buying my youth, but I would love to buy another Sony D5 portable. I would love to have it modified to have a spdif digital output.
     
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