Best way to go for budget CD playback?

Hi all,

I've been 'lurking' here for a while and have been very impressed with the lack of B.S., 'posing', and outright hostility one sees on many other audio sites. I'd like to ask for some opinions on this question...

What's the 'best' (I know, loaded word) way to go these days for good, musical CD playback on a budget...let's say $500 give or take. I'll give you some idea of my preferences for music reproduction. I'm pretty much a tube guy. I've got a couple of Dynaco ST-70s (one stock, one modded ala Welborne Labs), a couple of PAS preamps, an AVA preamp, a Scott 222C, a Dyna SCA-35, etc.

I'd like a good-sounding CD player for a second system. I guess my question is: what's the best way to go? Is it better to buy a decent one-box CD player or go with a cheaper transport and a nice outboard DAC (I've been eyeing something like the Scott Nixon Tube DAC)? Obviously, redbook playback would be the main focus -- SACD and DVD-A would be nice-to-haves but are not essential.

Any thoughts?

Thanks a lot,
Joe

 

Anyone?

 

I am also looking into a CD player in this price neighborhood, I would like to see a couple of suggestions as well. Welcome to the forum Joe.

 

Joe, I don't know how much my opinion counts since I am a vinyl junkie but I've been thinking about taking the plunge on a CD player. I'm going to go with the AH Njoe Tjoeb 4000. It's gotten rave reviews for 700 bucks.

 

I just recently got a NAD C542 for around $400 and it sounds really good. It does HDCD's also. I have no buyer's remorse and would recommend it.

It only does cd's but that is what I was looking for. Hope that helps.

 

I was looking at the NAD, but I have read so many negative things about NAD's durability. I really don't want to have a problem down the road.

 

It comes with a 2 year warranty. I also have a NAD amp and have had no problems with it. I believe the C540 and C541 had some issues with display lights and reading CD-R's. Obviously I have not had the cd player long enough to comment. I have had no problems reading CD-R's so far.

 

Thanks, Rocky.

And thanks all for the replies thus far...

Joe

 

Try and find a Sony CD player, something simple from the mid-90's. You might find it hanging around in a thrift store still working of $25. Then take that NAD and (just for fun) put it up to a shootout.

Dimes to Doughnuts the NAD will track poorly and sound lifeless compared to a midrange Sony player from the early to mid 90's.

 

In that case my suggestion would be go find one of those $25 Sony's.

 

I have a NAD C521BEE that I bought 6 months ago. I have nothing to complain about as it sounds real good, to me anyway.

PAT

 

Get the new Sony SACD/CD Five disc carousel Player. There's a thread for this player that includes other inexpensive Sony Players (like my $130.00 DVP NS 775V). www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=29741 The review is on page 10. Great sound with SACD, good sound with CD. Worth a listen.

 

Don't buy an old Sony, the DACs are crap. Buy a new one and look to include SACD which will turbocharge the sound.

 

I'm thinking of getting a single-disc CD player for $1000 or less for my second system. Among the players I'm considering are the Rotel RCD-1072, Arcam CD73, and Musical Fidelity X-Ray V3. All of them have gotten good reviews either on message boards or in print. It's going to be a tough choice should I decide to take the plunge.

 

Check out the recent issue of The Absolute Sound. I think they chose some players for under $500 and $1,000. I think their recommendations are usually on the money.

 

One of those players is the Sony DVP-NC685V DVD/SACD/CD player that lists for $250.00. If I may quote: "Although the DVP-NC685V's CD playback is utterly unremarkable, its SACD and DVD-Video Playback rivals anything you'll find under $1000.00"

Then there's the review I mentioned earlier:

Joe Audiophile Proclaims
"A Super Bargain!"
The Sony SCD-CE595

Review By Scott Faller

(the following is a short excerpt)


"just bet you are wondering about the Redbook reproduction of CDs, aren't you? For this one, I plugged in Gary Burton and Pat Metheny's Like Minds. This is a hybrid SACD/CD. The Redbook layer is extremely good as is the SACD layer. On Redbook playback I'm taken by how good this budget player really is. I've had a bunch of budget players through here over the years. Ones like the Teac's, Philips and the odd Denon. All of those tend to be a relatively harsh sounding. They typically have a very shallow soundstage depth. Imaging can tend to be a bit dodgy too. When you compare this little $150 player with those (and I still own several of them BTW) the 595 stands head and shoulders above them.

Now, on the Redbook side, the 595 won't compete with, say, an entry level Arcam or anything like that but it doesn't do a bad job either. The soundstage is fairly deep. It extends the best part of (oh say) five feet behind the speakers. The image placement is decent too. The performers show up right where they should be. Granted they are a little wider and taller than on a premium player but don't worry, it's not that bad, especially considering the price tag."

All the new SACDs I've encountered recently are Hybrid, which means you can play the Redbook layer on boomboxes or in your car. The price difference between SACD and Redbook CDs is not that great. In the case of the mid-priced RCA Living Stereo SACD series the price is the same and the Redbook layer sounds better anyway. The SACD sound I'm getting on my cheap Sony is better than any Redbook playback I've heard (including that Arcam gear) and the Redbook playback isn't bad either. This is the moment. Seize it!

 

Pierre Sprey of Mapleshade Records is working on a modified CD player. He says it will be ready by mid Febuary, for around $550.

 

What is he modifying? How is he modifying it?

 

Utterly unremarkable may be a bit unkind, but I can see the reviewer's point. For the money, the budget Sony SACD players are surprisingly good with CDs. However, if you compare them to $500-and-up single-disc CD players, they don't hold up. Of course, that's not a revelation.

 

But read down a little lower to the review of the audio only Sony SCD-CE595:

"The Redbook layer is extremely good as is the SACD layer. On Redbook playback I'm taken by how good this budget player really is. I've had a bunch of budget players through here over the years. Ones like the Teac's, Philips and the odd Denon. All of those tend to be a relatively harsh sounding. They typically have a very shallow soundstage depth. Imaging can tend to be a bit dodgy too. When you compare this little $150 player with those (and I still own several of them BTW) the 595 stands head and shoulders above them."

For me, the sound of Arcam's CD-82 has attenuated high frequency response (playing Redbook---it's a CD only machine) compared to my budget Sony playing SACDs. Frankly, all Redbook I've heard has attenuated high frequency response in comparison to SACD playback. It's not so much a matter of a rolled-off top as having pretty much the same tonal spectrum but severely lacking in low-level detail in the upper registers. Very much like the difference between good LP playback and good Redbook playback. Anyway, before buying one more Redbook CD, listen to one of these Hi-Rez players first. You may be in for a shock.

 

The new issue of "the absolute sound" does not contain a comparison of any CD players, but it does have a comparison of some universal players. This thread is about CD players.

 

Actually the thread is about CD playback. Discussing universal players is still on topic.

 

But they really liked the $679.00 Denon DVD-2910 as a CD Player. So let's not throw out the DSD with the bath water. Having that expanded frequency response and dynamic range in the analog output stages could help the sound of Redbook playback simply by being a better analog output stage.

 

You are absolutely right, my mistake.