What is the best new CD player you can buy today for under $1,000.00?

Economy of scale?

 

I am always apprehensive about these add-on boxes, but that's me. I have little use for this HDMI stuff — especially in view of the fact that a friend of 30+ years who owns a high-end audio/video store says it isn't as good as composite — and prefer to keep things simple. Simple is always better, as you probably know. That said, when lightning struck my house and killed off my TV set, I bought a Samsung from my friend and that FORCED me to buy a new receiver with this HDMI B.S. There simply isn't an asian-made multichannel receiver or integrated amp that sounds as good as my old tube analog stereo-only equipment. My friend with the vintage KLH 9s has the right idea with his Oppo, but, personally having auditioned both in my home, the SA8400 was far more musical; obviously YMMV.

+1

No kidding. But then what would the audiophools do without the ability to one-up their friends?

 

The question then is: what is the quality of the D-to-A conversion? Not good, is my guess. These splitter units make sense if you want to split the digital audio out of HDMI into SPDIF, for example, but not for converting to analog. A Marantz or Denon HDMI-equipped receiver will do a much better job.

The best option for you is to get a player like the Oppo (or an older M-ch player from Sony, etc.) with M-ch analog outputs.

 

How about under $200.? The Onkyo 7030. I think it sounds pretty good.

 

Jolida JD100 if you're into tubes. I'm very happy with mine.

 

First I thought I would not be able to use the Sony 5400ES, which Sony has made available once again, but only at Sony store. The 5400 ES is a multichannel SACD player with the HDMI output, which will not work with a surround preamp without an HDMI input. However, I found out there is an HDMI splitter box I can buy that can convert the HDMI output into RCA output.

 

I guess a stand-alone box is usually better, just as separates are usually better than a receiver.

 

http://www.onkyousa.com/Products/model.php?m=C-7070&class=Reference&source=prodClass

 

That Onkyo looks pretty nice and looks like a good unit.

 

I bought my friend's Rotel 1072 a couple of years ago. It's so hard to say because we all have different criteria, but never once have I thought, this could be better.

 

Yeah, Onkyo is quietly putting out some killer stuff at prices that are hard to beat. They need to publicize them a bit more, but then again the products might just sell themselves.

 

Tell us about which box this is? Does it accept DSD? Does it convert high bitrates?

 

Which Marantz is this? I couldn't find it on their website. Also, tell us about that box and its capabilities. Remember, it is also doing the D/A conversion.

 

As a guy who bought a barely used Sony SCD-XA5400ES CD player last month, with a super cable included in the deal, for about $800 in cash and trade, I'd second this ranking. It's now in my phono system and it sounds very good indeed. I can't say it's the best as I haven't done the comparisons but if you want a CD player that's built like a tank and sounds very smooth and still detailed, you won't go wrong with this one.

 

Have you guys ever thought of looking at lesser known brands. Exposure is very highly rated here in the UK as is Musical Fidelity, and they both produce players in your price bracket. I personally use a Sonneteer Byron but thats retailing at £1500 now but it is so much more musical than most players at twice the price. I suppose what I'm saying is you might find better in the NOT mass produced area.

 

Shop around for used gear too, I picked up a AVI Lab Series CD player in mint nick for £300 last month, it originally went for £1500 ten years before.

 

Love those AVI boxes - I nearly bought the integrated in the 90s

 

This has never been truer. With people abandoning CDs, there is a flood of great CD players right now for cheap. Some are used. Others are dealer and manufacturer closeouts.

 

NAD C-515BEE , CD 'only' player ($300)

Both my CD players crashed within one week of each other. (A Denon and a Sony - I really liked the old Sony, never cared for the Denon). A fellow friend here on SH Forums told me about the NAD C-515BEE, he said it sounded really nice, so I read up on it... and bought one.

I was really surprised when I hooked it up and played it. I never expected it to sound that good.

It's been 2-1/2 years now and it hasn't skipped a beat. It's a really nice unit.

Every time I turn it on... I'm still really amazed at how it sounds. Sounds great!

And I'm an LP guy saying that.

It's just a 'really nice' operating and sounding CD 'only' player. Looks great too. For me...perfect!

 

Yeah, personally I wouldn't pay no more than $1k for a cd player in this day and age.

 

I'm hopelessly biased, but I wouldn't spend money on any player without hearing one from Arcam.

 

Steve, get the Oppo-105.
I have it, it needs 200-300 hours burn-in to really bloom, and it was named co-component of the year
by Stereophile and The Absolute Sound magazines this past year in the USA. They've compared it to
the mentioned Sony 5400 as well as a Marantz or two, and they've said it was really no contest, with the
Oppo 105 prevailing by a country mile.
This disc player does many things very very well, the so-called best blu-ray video player on the market, in
addition to the blu-ray audio side, 5.1 & stereo SACD & DVD-A, CD, DVD, and on and on. I've got mine
XLR'ing out and into a pair of Reference Music EM7 tubed monoblocks juicing my HiFiMan HE-6 planar
headphones. The sheer detail coming out of the 105 feeds my tube amplifiers some great info inwhich my
amps in-turn turn it into some great sounding music.
All in the press calls the Oppo 105 Oppo's best giant killer yet. I bought mine this past March as part of my
tax return gift to myself, and it was thin out of the box but improved after several months of listening. I'm
really pleased with it, with every SACD & blu-ray audio disc I play. And yes, Music From Big Pink via
Capitol's 2000 remasters sounds great, MoFi's SACD edition putting the Band practically in my house, have
yet to play my DCC Band editions yet though...

Not $1000, but a huge value if you muster up an additional $200 + $20 shipping if you buy directly from
Oppo's website.
-Steve Kean

 

HDMI isn't as good as COMPOSITE???!!! Now I've read just about everything. Even if he meant component, he's still just being silly.

 

I subscribe to both TAS and Stereophile and that was not what I remember reading.

Stereophile have never reviewed the Oppo although it was featured in Kal Rubinson's column (May 2013). In the Recommended Components for this year, the Sony 5400 is in class A+ (with a few $$$ signs to indicate good value) and the Oppo 105 is listed with the Oppo 103 in class A. The 103 has the $$$ signs to indicate good value. If they had done a formal review of the Oppo 105, it may have been ranked in class A+, but they have not.

In TAS, the Oppo 105 was not listed by any of the writers in the 2013 Editor's Choice. It was reviewed by Chris Martens in April 2013, and highly recommended, but he was not one of the writers chosen to contribute to Editor's Choice. Perhaps if he had been given a spot he would have selected it.

I am looking for the references for "it was named co-component of the year by Stereophile and The Absolute Sound magazines" but haven't come across them. I have some memory of it, but can't find the issue. I can find the 2012 Stereophile "product of the year" page

http://www.stereophile.com/content/istereophileis-products-2012-product-year

and the Oppo 105 was not listed. I don't think they have created the 2103 listing yet.

I haven't found where either magazine claimed that the sound quality of the Oppo 105 was better than the 5400 "by a country mile".

I am sure the 105 is a great unit and I'd like to hear one in my system, especially one that is fully broken in.

 

One other advantage of Oppo - their customer support is superb.