Should I get a new CD player?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Guy Gadbois, Mar 26, 2017.

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  1. Guy Gadbois

    Guy Gadbois Chief Inspector Thread Starter

    For many years, I was a CD guy. I had about 800 of them.

    Sometime around 2008, I heard vinyl for the first time in my adult life, fell in love (with vinyl!), sold 95% of my CD collection, and used the money to fund a new vinyl collection.

    Guess what?

    I didn't even own a CD player for a few years. But there's some titles I really like that are unavailable on LP, or they're too expensive. So I've had to resort to getting CDs. Oh, the indignity!

    Here's the CD player I have:

    Onkyo USA Corporation

    It does what I want and sounds good to my ears. But I thought about getting one of these:

    Sony UHP-H1

    The Sony plays SACD and DVD audio formats.

    I love the Onkyo because it is a 6 CD changer. I can load it up and work around the house for hours. But I am wondering if the Sony or something like it would be a sonic step forward.

    I've also considered the Marantz 6005, but that doesn't play SACD.

    Suggestions?
     
    CrazyCatz likes this.
  2. BIGGER Dave

    BIGGER Dave Forum Resident

    I'm not familiar with your Onkyo, but I would think a 2016 player (UHP-H1) would have a much better DA converter than a 2003 player (Onkyo). And if you're going to get the UHP-H1, you better hurry. Last I checked, Amazon and Crutchfield are out, but Best Buy is still showing as available.
     
  3. Guy Gadbois

    Guy Gadbois Chief Inspector Thread Starter

    @BIGGER Dave you're right. I hate making quick decisions but time is of the essence here
     
  4. heyMo

    heyMo Forum Resident

    Location:
    LKN west, NC
    Not sure how one of these fits in your budget, but an Oppo is a really good player.
     
  5. Vinyl Addict

    Vinyl Addict Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    What about a used player via your local CL?
    I found a Pioneer Elite DV-45A DVD/SACD player for $25 w/remote.
     
  6. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Silly question - do you have any SACD's left? Do you plan to buy any (the supply is limited, and so are the choices)? If the answer is "no" - why not stick to a dedicated CD player, or even a transport/DAC combo, and keep it single-disc, if you're looking for better sound?

    I have owned a supposedly good Onkyo single disc CD/SACD player, the cs5vl, and it was really mediocre at playing regular CD's, worse, in fact, than the venerable NAD it replaced.

    Then I switched to a Cambridge transport/DAC combo, and, while I do admit the CXC transport has reliability issues (waiting to get it back from service), it's a dedicated CD-only component, and the sound produced by the combo is way better that the Onkyo it replaced.

    Generally, and YMMV, dedicated function components do produce better results than multi-format gear, and, keeping the mechanical parts to a minimum is another way to get better sound, hence - single-disc vs. carousels, or even separate transport, to go above and beyond.

    However, if you're not sure you want to spend a lot, NAD 546BEE should do the trick quite nicely, and wipe the floor with your carousel player at a reasonable price.
     
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  7. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    A used Pioneer Elite DV-79avi is an incredibly good player for CD, SACD, and DVD-A (and video of course). You can usually find near perfect units with remote (a must) on Ebay for around $210-$230. I like this player so much I've bought three of them, two for stereo systems and one for home theater.

    https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pio/pe/images/portal/cit_3424/277940821Elite DV-79AVi.pdf

    A great dedicated CD player is the Rega Apollo, used they're around $350. I have one connected to a Schiit Bitfrost Uber DAC.

    For less money a brand new Onkyo C-7030 is a terrific player for around $170. I have one in my bedroom system.

    All these suggestions fall behind the Italian Lector CDP 0.6 Tube CD player I recently bought here in the Forum. This is the most vinyl-like CD play I've ever heard, and the deal was fantastic. I'll be getting some NOS tubes this week that according to a review of the Lector bring it up to a whole other level, an exciting week lays ahead.
     
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  8. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    I second the Onkyo C-7030 - it is good for the money. I own one as well, and also in the bedroom. It's good for secondary systems, generally, but I daresay it's better than OP's carousel for CD playback.
     
    Guy Gadbois likes this.
  9. Mike-48

    Mike-48 A shadow of my former self

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    All I can say is, you'll find a far wider range of music available on CD than on vinyl. Oh, and I agree that DACs have improved lately, and that's boundto include ones in disc players.
     
    Dynamic Ranger and Guy Gadbois like this.
  10. High Fidelity

    High Fidelity Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London
    Avoid s/h CD/SACD players ,go for Sony UBP-X800
     
    Guy Gadbois likes this.
  11. Guy Gadbois

    Guy Gadbois Chief Inspector Thread Starter

    I should mention that I only own about 50 CDs. But my collection keeps growing
     
  12. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    If you want to play CD only I would suggest a dedicated CD transport into a DAC or DAC/streamer. The Cambridge CXC is great sounding for the money. IMO universal players don't do CD particularly well. I can see that cheap Sony being rather underwhelming on CD but maybe adequate for SACD.
     
  13. Guy Gadbois

    Guy Gadbois Chief Inspector Thread Starter

    What's a CD transport?
     
  14. BIGGER Dave

    BIGGER Dave Forum Resident

    Will you be needing Analogue Audio Outputs (L / R)? If so, the UBP-X800 does not have Analogue outs, only HDMI outputs. The UHP-H1 does have Analogue outs.

    Maybe get a UHP-H1 from Best Buy for $199 before they sell out? If you don't like it, you can always return it.
     
    JediJoker, dbsea and Guy Gadbois like this.
  15. Gibsonian

    Gibsonian Forum Resident

    Location:
    Iowa, USA
    I have heard the Onkyo 7030 is a good sounding unit as well, though not first hand. Whatever you get I would make sure it has digital out so if later in life you wish to upgrade the DAC portion you can use your CD player as transport and output digital signal to DAC.
     
  16. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    Transport (draw) without the DAC. You connect with coax or optical cable. Dedicated speed and laser for reading CD.

    CXC

     
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  17. Guy Gadbois

    Guy Gadbois Chief Inspector Thread Starter

    Yup I need analog outputs
     
    Carlox likes this.
  18. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    I may have missed it, but I didn't see a price range.

    You already have a transport in your current player. If you want to improve the sound quality, get a better dac and use the digital out from your player. Hard to recommend specifics without price target.
     
    Guy Gadbois and Bob_in_OKC like this.
  19. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    Two points. One is that anything new, with few exceptions, will have a better sounding DAC in it, so the CD's played will sound better. The second is that only an entirely new player (not necessarily new but entirely different) will allow SACD and DVD Audio formats as that is the function of the transport section / disc reading mechanism.

    I would agree with another fellow here and avoid any used machine with a transport, ie a "player" as many people keep these until they have issues and the issues almost always begin as intermittent, so you can't always spot them, even when testing it. Many of these players will have analog only outputs or only offer PCM as a digital output, so a DAC upgrade may mean only an upgrade for Redbook CD sound.

    Now, if you thnk that you can live wthout SACD and DVD-A, and since you are happy with the function and utility of your changer, then I recommend that you just buy a new DAC. The DAC is what is responsible for the sound quality upgrade in new players as that technology has moved along quickly and forwardly in the last few years. I find, for instance, that the Rega DAC sounds wonderful, and has a sound that is close to what you hear from an Lp but with lower noise and deper, more full bass performance. All new new DACs shoud provide higher resolution, but not all will offer a similar smooth sound and rich bass performance. Look for DACs that have 24/192khz converters on board. The other benefit of a DAC is that it may have additional inputs, so you can connect other devices nearby if you have those, and you'll get the same upgrade there as well. Even a single input DAC, which can be found more cheaply, will likely improve the sound of your player. The better your loudspeakers, the more evident the improvement will be.
    -Bill
     
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  20. enfield

    enfield Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex UK
    I would buy a second player .Older Philips players with TDA -1541 or TDA-1543 DAC's sound superb and are available for about £30-40.
     
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  21. Bob_in_OKC

    Bob_in_OKC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    Just because a Blu-Ray player can play CDs doesn't mean it sounds good doing it. The stereo sound quality from the analog outputs of my Sony and LG players isn't nearly as good as running it through a separate DAC.
     
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  22. Guy Gadbois

    Guy Gadbois Chief Inspector Thread Starter

    I really only want to spend about $400 tops. And that's pushing it a bit

    @KT88 So a new DAC is the way to go? What do you recommend? Keep in mind that my amp (VPI 299D) only has analog inputs
     
  23. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    Exactly my point. Multi-format players are mediocre at playing CD's. I own a CXC, love the sound, but - caveat emptor of reliability issues.
     
  24. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    If you current CD player is working fine, just stick with that. 50 CDs hardly justifies an investment in a new CD player, IMHO.

    I'd only buy the Sony if you want it specifically due to the DVD/Bluray/SACD features. If you don't care too much about the features, then you probably don't need it.

    Re: the DAC, you could buy the DAC now and simply run the coax or optical output from the CD player into the DAC. Then figure out if you prefer the DAC + CD player over the CD player alone.

    $150 will buy you a very good entry level DAC. $300-400 would buy something better, and many people spend a lot more than that on them. I'd adjust your budget according to how interested in digital music you are. By digital music I'm not necessarily talking about hi-rez either, though I suppose hi-rez fanatics are willing to spend more on their DACs.
     
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  25. Ephi82

    Ephi82 Still have two ears working

    Location:
    S FL
    There have been posts on this thread that multi format players don't play cd's well.

    This is bollocks. Not true.

    If I were buying a disc player, I would get one that plays Blu Ray, DVDA, SACD, DVD and CD. if you are going to buy a player why limit yourself to be or two formats?

    I have had three multi format disc players. A Pioneer from the early 2000's that is still working today, (pre Blu Ray) and two OPPO. My first OPPO was a BDP 93 and I have used it extensively for 7 years. I sold it on eBay last week for $300. The video and audio quality is very very good. I also have a BDP 103 which is simply newer than the 93.

    The DACS in these are very good. as good as most players out there. They also made 95 and 105 models which have more expensive DACS, which imo are targeted at the audiophiles out there.

    OPPO's equivalent new model sells for slightly over $500, but you can get as noted A 93 or 103 for $300-$400 on eBay.

    Very important. OPPO has great service and support. If your player needs repair the fee is a flat rate $79, and they pay shipping back to you. Turnaround is one to two days!
     
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