Lower end cd players- Single tray vs Changer

Well it's about time I had the capability to play cds outside of my car. Would I be better off with a HK or Onkyo 5-6 disc changers or a Denon single disc player? My cap is probably around $300.

 

Sony makes some very nice CD only players and 5 disc changers in the $200-$300 range, you might want to consider a Sony.

 

If you are looking at new CD players and are not considering DVD players, there aren't many choices in the $300 range today. With the wide acceptance of the DVD, many of the large manufacturers have gone away from straight CD players. Most of what is available today as budget CD-only players are changers. Denon, for example, makes no CD-only single-disc players anymore (not counting any pro audio players that they may still offer).

I second the recommendation for a Sony player. Sony makes a single-disc player -- the CDP-XE370 for $130. At least, I believe it is still available. For awhile, they offered the 'XE270 and 'XE370, which were the same player except that the 'XE270 does not work with a remote. I believe that one of these models was discontinued, and I think it was the 'XE270. Sony also makes the CDP-CE275 and 'CE375 carousel changers for around $100 and $130, respectively. The 'CE275 does not work with a remote.

Technics also makes a single-disc player for around $100 (the SL-4 or something like that). Last time I checked, J&R Music World (www.jandr.com) sold it. There are still a few other budget changers out there. Sony makes jukebox changers in your price range, which might be a nice option. The CDP-CX355 300-disc model sells for $200, and the 'CX455 400-disc model sells for $300. The 'CX455 plays MP3-encoded CDs. I have no experience with the current Onkyo six-disc changer.

Perhaps your best bet for a budget CD-only player would be one of the Denon carousel changers. The DCM-280 goes for $200, while the '380 sells for $300. They are very similar, but the '380 decodes HDCD. I have its predecessor, the '370, and it is a very solid player for the money. I believe Marantz also still offers the CC4300 carousel changer in this price range. Marantz makes solid players for the money, though I have found them to sound overly warm. Just my opinion.

For more on the Sony and Denon players mentioned above, check out www.crutchfield.com. Also, Best Buy and Circuit City sell the Sony changers, and if you have one in your area, Tweeter sells the Denon changers.

In general, a single-disc player beats a changer at a given price point. There are exceptions to this rule, and I also don't think it's going to make a big difference at the lower price points. You might want to look at DVD players since that will open up a lot of options to you. Many folks rave about the Pioneer DV-563A single-disc player for around $150-170. In addition to playing DVDs and CDs, it also handles DVD-Audio and SACD.

So, you have a number of choices. In all of this, if CD is your top priority, I recommend the Denon '380. If SACD and DVD-Audio are also of interest, check out the Pioneer '563A.

 

Personally, I've had it with changers. I've never liked them and after futzing with several DVD changers and my one Pioneer 101 CD juke-box changer (the wife wanted it, now she regrets it), any player I get next will be all single players. I swap out discs way too often for too many differnet moods to make it practical, and then taking them to work when I want to listen to something there...it's easier to just pick it off the shelf and stick in what I want at that moment - simple.

My old Sony CD player just crapped out and I'm thinking of getting that CDP-XE370 Keith mentioned. It's the only affordable single disc player Sony sells now (that $3k single disc SA-CD/CD player is a wee bit out of my range). You can even get on Sony's own SonyStyle website. None of the stores like Best Buy or Circuit City carry single disc CD players here in town - all they have are changers.

 

Check out the Denon DCM-380.

 

Toshiba 3950 - $60 at Best Buy. It plays DVD movies too with progressive scan output. But you can just buy it for the CD section. It's getting quite a bit of press over at Audio Asylum.

 

If MiniDisc is what you want, you can get the MXD-D400 (which replaced the very similar MXD-D40 I have) which has a single tray CD player and a MiniDisc recorder/player as part of the same player for about $270-300 at Sonystyle, J&R, etc. Other than that, I'd recommend a lower-end DVD player over a lower-end single CD player which there aren't that many of.

 

Changers are cumbersome and in fact, on the CD changer on the RCA minisystem in the living room, on most CDs, it clips the beginning second (my uncle's identical RCA minisystem corrects this bug) out of a song. Single CD and single DVD players are the best.

 

I have the MXD-D3, and it's a great component. It preceded the 'D40 and was Sony's first CD-MD component released in the US. It's very nice, and the 'D40 and 'D400 are similar.

 

I too have noticed all the talk on Audio Asylum about the '3950. Some there say it's a decent CD player out of the box. However, I think most folks there are looking at it as an inexpensive platform for modding.

Someone on Audio Asylum said there is a '3960 out now. Is that a replacement for the '3950?

 

For best music reproduction, a single disk CD player is the way to go. I'm not quite sure what $300 buys in the US of A, so I'll make my recommendations fairly broad.

Sony have a couple of single disk players out that were fiarly warnely accepted as budget players. But that was thee years ago, as the models are three years old.

I'm quite fond of Denon's two low-end players, the 485 and 685. Good dependable sound, nothing too flashy.

The NAD 521BEE is where CD players really get interesting. It's a tremendous CD player and is going on the AudioEnz (that's my hi-fi mag) recommended list later this month. The BEE version is a noticable step above the older 521i.

NAD's 542 is simply fantastic. It's the best CD player I've heard under NZ$1000 in New Zealand (not sure what it sells for in the States - $400, $500 US dollars). If you can stretch to a 542 then you won't regret it.

 

Just to note, The Denon '485 and '685 are not available in the US. As I said, Denon unfortunately does not sell single-disc CD-only players in the US. We have the DCM-280 and '380 carousel changers in the States. In perusing British hi-fi magazines, I've always noticed that most budget players sold in Europe are single-disc players, while most budget players sold in the US are changers. Perhaps single-disc players are more prevalent in Australia and New Zealand too?

The NAD C 521BEE and C 542 are available in the US. The C 521BEE may be available for around $300, but the C 542 will most certainly sell for considerably more. A good place to look for NAD components in the US at good prices is www.soundcity.com. I've bought from them and have gotten good deals. They are an authorized NAD dealer, but they didn't list NAD prices on their web site last time I looked. Another dealer to consider is Audiolab (www.audiolab.com).

 

As a follow up to my previous message, I just went to audiolab.com and got e-mail quotes for the NAD C 521BEE and C 542. Here are the prices I was quoted:

C 521BEE: $269
C 542: $449

The e-mail says that they offer free shipping and insurance and double-box most things they sell. They are an authorized NAD dealer.

 

single disc cd players can be picked up at garage sales for about $5.
everyone is getting ride of them in favor of a dvd player.

 

I've been meaning to hit some garage sales in the search of CDs and LPs on the cheap. Perhaps I'll find good deals on gear too. Great point!