Kyocera DA-310CX CDP...

we were hauling some stuff from the house to GOODWILL about a week-odd back, downsizing for our move and all, and i get this nagging feeling to go on in and have a quick look around.
usually, my local GW only ever puts nothing but pure crap on the floor in their electronics section, but that evening i walked in,
and actually see something that appeared to be quite special, for once. and for just under $10.00, i just could not resist;















- i didn't really need it or anything, but those looks i just couldn't say no to. it seems that KYOCERA models in general are rather unappreciated gems,
as this DA-310CX example of mine suffered no tray issues at all upon my initial power up, was incredibly quiet and smooth mechanically,
and played any of several CD-Rs i arbitrarily plucked out of my collection without the slightest difficulty.

all this, and the DA-310CX was KYOCERA's entry level CDP for 1986/1987. if a BOTL model in this company's line is this bulletproof,
i can only imaging thay their best models must surely be like!! simply amazing, and quite recommended, if you can find one...

 

Congrats on your find. Beautiful 80's design. They were known for their use of ceramic parts.
http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?33426-Kyocera

 

I took one home for a demo back in the 80's and couldn't stand it. I returned it. You'd be much better off with an Onkyo 7030. But hey, if you enjoy it go for it.

 

Sweet player; I remember how incredibly expensive they were when they came out . Does it work ?

 

What is it that is special about this player? Is it the looks? I can't imagine the sound of this unit comparing at all the newer units considering the improvements in DACs over the years. Maybe it serves well as a transport?

 

Transports from the 80s are far superior to the Chinese cheap jobs we get now.

 

STEREO REVIEW listed this model's MSRP in 1988 or so as around $350 or so, IIRC. sounds mighty reasonable for what it appeared to have bought you in this model,
but i dunno; perhaps i'm not accounting for inflation? did $350-odd USD have like 2x/3x the buying power in the mid/late 1980s as it has today or something?

it might or might not perform all that well by today's standards, -i don't know at all for sure on that-
but it's design and build quality seemed a bargain at it's 1980's MSRP,
and an outright steal at the $10.00 USD i just recently paid for it.

further, it got right up and went perfectly in every mechanical regard
upon it's initial powerup/operation in my possession,
it has has spun up every CD-R i've loaded without a single fault,
and it seems to sound quite alright to my most probably non-discriminating, non-Audiophile-certified sense of hearing.

i, for one, would most enthusiastically consider this CDP an absolutely unabashedly solid "Score" in every conceivable respect...

that they are indeed. alas, this model lacks any form of DIGITAL output. all the same it sounds sweet enough for an entry level model...

 

I remember how expensive it was compared to other players. Indeed you're not accounting for inflation.

 

Any hifi DAC today will crush any 80s. Good grief, I bet MP3 via Dragonfly will beat a CD on this unit.

 

Always liked the look of the Kyocera players and I don't remember them a sounding any worse than players of the same vintage. Nice find!

 

Good Lord, you're right;




that's bad enough, but let's try my 1988 PIONEER ELITE PD-91 CDP;




JEEZ MAN, MERCY ALREADY!! let's see about my highest MSRPed component, the 1988 MITSUBISHI HS-U80 S-VHS;



S@&T MAN, I GET IT ALREADY!! JEEZ LOUISE!!!

anyway, all considered, it seems somehow kind of amazing how well many of these products sold, how many are out there, even today, considering their prices.
sure, there were the usual dealer discounts, often quite sharp, but still these components clearly weren't anything remotely approaching inexpensive.
guess middle class either were generally paid better then (D'uh) and/or they were simply much more careful spenders and often spent more money on fewer, more big-ticket items that served them far longer...

 

Keeper !

 

i certainly think so...

 

I read great things about one of the older model KYOCERA players, can't recall what one, but that unit looks nice.

Do you know what DAC chip and Mech' it uses?

Edit: I remember now, it was the DA-910 I read about.
Still, that unit looks nice.

 

oh yes... had i walked into that GW and found THAT sitting there for a whole $10.00, waiting for someone like me to come along, i think i might have just dropped dead right there on the spot;

 

so, here's photos of my actual copy finally, a series of minor mods made, and the side panels freshly oiled up;

 

GORGEOUS !! Mind to expand on the mods you performed ?

 

what you see is what you get; several packages worth of self-adhesive"SUPER SLIDERS" thick felt pads from WALLY-WORLD,
some liberal application of cable ties, to clean up internal appearances, (HAUTE COUTURE HI-FI)
and a set of large rubber isolator feet from a 1975 KENWOOD KD-1033 TT i found for free some years ago.
one of the four feet had to have a corner shaved some to fit right, but it all woks beautifully, IMHO.

all in all, absolutely nothing to improve electrical performance, all merely minor tweaks meant to tidy up and impart a more lavish, high-end sort of look and feel upon the player;

 

Nice player. I would like one of these "vintage keepers". But, why no digital outputs? I would like one as a transport in case I don't like its DAC...

 

I own a couple of these cd players and various other kyocera components - I believe this model is the only one without the digital output. The others all have spdif out. You have to remember at the time these were manufactured, it was rare to find a digital out, partly because the record industry thinking was that digital outs could allow people to make "perfect copies" of cd's, which they were deathly afraid of. (they never saw the computer and cdrom coming at all, I guess)

 

also, this was KYOCERA's BotL/Entry Level model, which lacks some of the niceties KYOCERA bandied about in their CDP adverts of the day, such as the ceramic PCB supports...

 

Back then, recordable CD was only a dream. Remember Radio Shack's recordable THOR-CD?