Recommendations for CD Player

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Jmac2043, Dec 16, 2017.

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  1. Jmac2043

    Jmac2043 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Hey all, was wondering what would be a good recommendation for a CD player to pair with my Rogue Audio Sphinx amp and Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 speakers?

    Will likely upgrade speakers at some point in the future...thinking something from philharmonic audio.

    Would be nice to keep sub $500, but, willing to up the budget if its really worth it.

    Below is a pic of my current set-up:

    [​IMG]
     
  2. bruce2

    bruce2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Connecticut, USA
    I would buy the Marantz SA-8005. On sale for $899 at Music Direct. I have owned mine for three years and still love it. I doubt you can find a better sounding CD player for under a grand. SACD capability is a bonus.
     
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  3. vinylvin

    vinylvin Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
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  4. TheVinylAddict

    TheVinylAddict Look what I found

    Location:
    AZ
    Are you looking for double duty for Blu Ray potentially, and do you care about SACD and DVD Audio?
     
  5. chumlie

    chumlie Forum Resident

  6. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    My suggestion would be a Schiit multibit DAC along with some sort of CD player with an optical or coax S/PDIF digital output to use as a transport. I've found the Schiit multibits to be a fantastic match with my hybrid headphone amps. The Schiit Modi Multibit is $250 which leaves you $250 to spend on a CD/DVD/Blu-ray player to use as a transport.
     
  7. Jmac2043

    Jmac2043 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Great, thanks for the suggestions thus far.

    No, I do not intend to use as a video player...purely audio with no home theatre desires.
     
  8. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I suggest the Yamaha CD-S300. Great natural sound from this extremely reliable player for only $299. 24 bit DAC. And a nice, small footprint too!

    Yamaha CD-S300
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2017
  9. SquishySounds

    SquishySounds Yo mama so fat Thanos had to snap twice.

    Location:
    New York
    Onkyo 7030, NAD C516BEE, Yamaha CD-S300 are all well reviewed for about $300
     
  10. Linger63

    Linger63 Forum Resident

    Location:
    AUSTRALIA
    Based on the above.............
    Maybe you should consider wall mounting the TV or removing it from your system altogether.

    This would enable you to remove the huge cabinet and get a decent dedicated rack which will REALLY help your TT.........and give you room for the CDP!!!!
    SQ would also be improved by the opening up of the centre area between your speakers.
    An added bonus would be some extra space to play with regarding optimum speaker placement.
     
  11. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    If you just want a CD player, I would recommend the Onkyo C-7030, but only a refurbished model. I got mine from Accessories 4 Less. I wouldn't order one from Amazon because they got a bad batch. Not sure if those are done now but I wouldn't chance it. Refurb comes with a warranty and whatever issues some units had are likely gone over and fixed.
     
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  12. TheVinylAddict

    TheVinylAddict Look what I found

    Location:
    AZ
    One would question if it is for CD's only the need to spend 100's of dollars - the technology behind playing CD's is pretty darned good at affordable prices these days - the limiter to sound quality with CD is more the media than the player. The law of diminishing returns kicks in pretty fast here as opposed to TT's, phono stages, etc. where you are passing millivolts over small gauge wires.

    IMHO take the Onkyo 7030 as a starting point, as mentioned a couple of times and convince yourself (or your ears) if you need to spend more.... YMMV, especially if you decide you want to also play SACD and DVD Audio. (which in that case, I would use your $500 and get something that also adds Blu Ray audio to the mix and look at offerings by Oppo, even Sony for less).
     
  13. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Or hit your local thrifts, used electronic shops, it's a great way to help recycle some of the old gems + an excellent inexpensive way to test drive.
    Best 40 bucks I ever spent :D
    [​IMG]
     
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  14. TheVinylAddict

    TheVinylAddict Look what I found

    Location:
    AZ
    ..... ever?
     
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  15. k4rstar

    k4rstar Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Canada
    Look for an Arcam CD73 on the second hand market. Excellent choice to go with the rest of your system for $300 or so.
     
  16. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    I’ll endorse the Onkyo C-7030 as well. I’ve had one for several years with no issues and excellent sound. In my experience to achieve better sound from the Onkyo with a Schiit DAC you’ll need the Bitfrost model, the Modi Uber 2 was no better than my Onyo’s Wolfson DAC. Note though that more recent C-7030s seem to come with a different internal DAC.

    A great used option is the Pioneer DV-79avi. CD, SACD, and DVD-A. These were $1,000 units new, on Ebay they go for $210-$250. I own three, all were in near perfect shape in that price range. The highest price was for a silver unit which is hard to come by. Should you go this route be sure to get one with the remote which you must have to operate it fully, and us essential for set up.
     
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  17. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    We have seen some used Oppo 105s pop up here recently. Not quite as low as $500 but one was not far off that.
     
    Dave likes this.
  18. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Since we are in an audio hardware related thread, yes.
    Now if we were in an off topic thread, i'd tell you about about this girl I used to know... :winkgrin:
     
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  19. TheVinylAddict

    TheVinylAddict Look what I found

    Location:
    AZ
    :angel:
     
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  20. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    That is true for the delta-sigma versions of the Schiit DACs. Not so true with the multibit versions of the Schiit DACs. With the multibits versions the Modi Multibit and Bifrost Multibit are very similar. Close enough that I personally don't get concerned about those differences. I'm completely happy with my Modi Multibit and consider it a very good option for people trying to stay within a budget. My general recommendation with the Schiit DACs is to try the Modi Multibit. If you like that multibit style of sound then consider saving up for the Gungnir Multibit and skip over the Bifrost version.
     
  21. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    :p... and other famous tales. :winkgrin:
     
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  22. husafreak

    husafreak Great F'n music that's difficult to listen to!

    Location:
    NorCal, Bay Area
    I have a fairly recent Musical fidelity Transport that I use to feed an old Theta DS Pro Prime (25 yrs old). I often wonder how good the Pro Prime is compared to a modern unit. CD's hadn't really been around all that long when the Pro Prime came out, maybe 10 years? I much prefer the sound of vinyl over my home stereo than via CD's. But I do have way more CD's and still buy a lot of music that way. I often wonder if the Theta is holding my system back. But in its day it was considered an impressive unit. Maybe a Schitt Gungnir would be a good replacement for the Theta... I may inquire about their return policy if it turns out I still prefer my old Theta.
     
  23. fmfxray373

    fmfxray373 Capitol LPs in the 70s were pretty good.

    I have been using an Arcam Alpha 8 that I found used for about 5 years.
     
  24. soundboy

    soundboy Senior Member

    If you to keep your components silver in color, keep your eyes out on the OnkyoDV-SP506. It was available in silver as a domestic US model. SACD and DVD-A compatible as well.
     
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  25. Sgt Pepper

    Sgt Pepper Forum Resident

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    From what I hear don't pay maybe more than £150 for a player, maybe pick up a used model, most will sound exactly the same.

    I am not sure if this one is available in the US:

    Cambridge Audio CD Player
     
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