Can't believe I did this, but I did. (Anybody else still using CD changers)*

For >3 yrs, use an Onkyo DXC 390, a 6 CD changer. Have played 1,000s of CDs. If you want a rugged changer, I think this model is still current.

 

I have a Sony C222ES SACD/CD 5 disc changer in my 2nd/office system. It is about 14 years old and still works flawlessly and sounds great.

 

Still have in my system a NAD Monitor 5000 I bought new back in the 90's, still works fine.

 

I don't know if anyone has seen this changer....it is total silent in operation and feels like it is made of granite.

Btw, it is still in Onkyo's lineup and is readily available.

 

This is a great idea. I have a number of cd box sets that I rarely listen to and an old Kenwood 100-disc changer just laying around. Time to load it up!
Thanks for posting!

 

Why are people mentioning this is a good way to listen to box sets? Why is this better than choosing the albums in your media player and hitting shuffle?

 

Well, it has to get into the media player first(assuming people have a media player), and if you have the physical media, and the hardware to play it, just offers a convenient alternative to the more, uh, modern way, of hearing music.

 

Out the back, the in-laws had a Sony (mostly) one piece system that had been in-and-out of use over the last 25 years. As they have passed away (several years ago) and the volume knob was starting to die (static when turning, mainly) I wondered if it was any good for anything. Well, it was better than I thought: The 5 CD changer on the bottom of it was actually a component. So out it came, to be integrated into our component hi-fi system! It is a Sony CDP-C322M. It won't replace our single disc CD player but it can compliment it.

As for when I added it to the hi-fi, about half an hour ago!

 

I'm posting this because it deserves to be a separate post from the above.

I've been looking at CD mega-changers on eBay, the sort that hold 100/200/300/400 depending on the model (I'm in Australia and it seems the 400 disc ones are all from the US so would be no good without a voltage converter, something I wish to avoid). The thing is, as I look at them, like I did in the late 1990's, and imagine all the CD's I could load up into one, I realise that thanks to the record industry's obsession with getting louder and louder, I wouldn't be able to do what I want - load up a bunch of "Now" type CD's and just hit "all discs - shuffle" - without having to change the volume between almost every song, which would defeat the purpose of doing this - namely sitting back and relaxing on a weekend for hours on end. (Further explanation: In Australia these compilations have been available since 1970 and in 1987 they started coming out on CD, a 200 disc changer would hold every "now" CD from 1987 to 2010)

 

I recently inherited a Sony C67ES from about 1991 I believe. 5 discs lots of features and sounds good to me. Hooked it up to a Pioneer SX 434 receiver and ADS L300 speakers. The changer is a lot of fun and nice for uninterrupted listening of multi-disc sets.

 

My last carousel changer lasted about 20 years. I replaced it last year with a singer disc player, not because it broke but because it was too deep to fit on my 13" shelf.

 

A few years ago I bought a very nice Sony C79 ES changer used from a local shop. I was nervous about failure but it had a 90 day warranty so I went for it.. Still plays great. Thing looks like new with the wood panels on the side.

 

Been using it quite often for over a year now, and other then the occasional disc which gets hung up because it needs a little cleaning, this thing works without issue. Happy with the purchase.

 

coming back full circle, cool! the 5 cd changer has its pluses!
i used to make awesome mix cassettes for the car by programming the 5 cd changer to play the songs i wanted to record.
i had one of the earlier sony units and it must not have had that much computing memory because when you put it on shuffle mode it repeated songs before playing each CD all the way through. Crapped out a long time ago. I do have a slightly used technics player that i used to use for work. still sounds great but haven't used it in years.

 

Now that's what I call...a reason for a media server.

If you rip or rescan your media library with replaygain, it adds a tag that indicates the volume correction so the track will play back at a standard level. Many players recognize this and apply the level correction on playback (it doesn't actually change the digital file).

I've had the same 5 CDs in my DVD changer since I decided to hook it up again.

 

I've got a 6 CD changer in my car, that I never use. It is however loaded with burned CDs for the just in case moment.......

 

I would recommend moving it up a few spots on your list. I swore off them 25 years ago because of this.

 

I had two of these back when I ran and worked in a store all day. They were lashed together so when a song stopped on one the other one started and the first one queued up the next disk and so on - continuous music. Used them daily for over 10 years, it was great. The first one started to skip, and the second locked up with two disks caught in the mechanism. I spent a day last summer retrieving the disks, which involved taking the second one apart. Once emptied they both went in the dumpster. Now I have three multi-hundred notebooks full of CDs and boxes and boxes of empty jewel cases with booklets. It'll be a long time before they are remarried.

 

Agreed. Never liked them. In the 90s they were trendy; no one wanted a single player anymore. I rarely listen to more than one CD, so....

 

Along with the replaygain, that's pretty much it. The thing is, being a 1990's teenager, I can't help but look still. I think .... scratch that, I know I'm going through the "after all these years I can finally afford it!" phase. I'm looking at CD mega-changers, mini disc recorders, I even bought a (TOTL for 1997) cassette deck last week - just waiting it to arrive (replacing one that broke after five years, was 20 years old when I got it). Always been kind of "meh" about Philips DCC. 8 tracks are before my time. I'm not obsessed with old media, just wanted certain things growing up and now I can afford them. On that note, I finally have the complete Beatles collection! Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

I figured out a use for a CD changer that I never thought of before: Playing a double album in one go. In spite of what I said above, I still don't like the white album. All 93 minutes of it in one go is way too much.

 

I use 2 each Sony 300 disc CD changers, connected, and play them in shuffle mode with no delay. I don't do this as often as I used to, and neither of them are full, so I think that means my collection is nowhere near as extensive as some other posters. I have them ripped to FLAC as well, and loaded on microSD card on my Pono player for on-the-go listening, along with hi-res content. Haven't had any issues with the CD changers, except for the time when I was moving them around inside a stereo cabinet, took a shortcut, and tipped it the wrong way. Needless to say, I had to open up the changer to get the CDs out lol.

 

I have a 5 disc CDP-CE345 that is my main source of in-home listening. Not sure how old it is, I acquired it from a radio station I worked for about 20 years ago. The station was sold to a new company and they wanted to move the studios and update equipment. If you wanted something it was a "make us an offer" deal, I think I offered $5.

 

Nah it's all good. Honestly life is too short to worry about a cd getting stuck in a player, or getting damaged. If it happens so be it. LP's are harder to replace. CD's not so much, and there is so much music in this house that one cd will not ruin anything for me.

Gonna load it up with Dave/Dicks Picks shortly and use the day to remember Mr. Garcia.

 

I bought a Sony C75 ES at a thrift shop a couple years ago, when there seemed to be more of these. The "ES" made me do it. No wood on it, but I haven't been sorry at all. For casual listening, it's great. And it actually sounds good. For a little more critical listening, I have an Oppo 103 in the same rack.

 

I had one, but the sound was not as good as my single disc player.