MichaelShaffer Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 Hey, two questions 1) Do all cd players pretty much sound the same or do you get what you pay for? 2) Is it still possible to buy a cd player without a cd-changer, if so where? I have our original cd player from when cd's were the new thing and it's skipping tracks, but other than that I like it. So I just want something simple that works.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshannon Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 Like everything, you probably get what you pay for. I would like to find a CD player with tube output. I just bought a GO Video/Sonic Blue CD player for $79.00 dollars at Radioshack. It plays dvd's/cd's/ and cd's with MP3 songs on them. Its only a player (loads and plays one at a time). I only have it plugged into my stereo. It sounds very good. I am sure you can find something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksdad Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 you definatly get what you pay for, depends on what you want to hear, what other types of electronics you have, and what kind of speaks you have. good speaks need decent downstream, klipsch requires good downstream because of thier sensitivity, if you are running poor electronics the klipsches will put that nastiness out there for your listening enjoyment, but nowadays you can get pretty darn good cd players for well under 300, and yes you can get single or multi players, although from my experience and from reading reviews, the added flexibility you recieve from cd changers you give up in playback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prodj101 Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 playback on multidisc players is inferior to that of single disc players, which are stil widely availbe. you DO get what you pay for. unless you are planning on using an outboard DAC the quality of the one in your cd player makes all the difference. I've heard people say that a 100 dollar cd player with a 400 dollar DAC easily outperforms a 500 dollar cd player while using the internal dac. DAC quality is the main determining factor in cd players. I have quite a few cd players, and my Sony NSV-9000 is by far the best player for all formats (plays sacds, dvd, cd, cd r, etc.) while this is a 1,000 retail player it sounds obviously better than the others I have. I also have a sony 200 disc changer, which comes in last place, a sony 5 disc that comes in 4th, a cheapo samsung dvd player I got for 120 bucks at 3rd, and an onkyo dvd player in 2nd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productdetail.asp?sku=CAMBD300SE&product_name=D-300%20SE%20CD%20Player%20with%2024%20Bit%20DAC CD players do not all sound the same, and you do get what you pay for! The good news is that you don't have to spend alot on decent performance and reliability; the above player from AudioAdvisor.com is highly regarded. It's worth a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodog Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 For the thoroughly confused, and totally ignorant (me!) what is DAC? Also, I've heard about HDCD players... is the hype true? thanks in advance for the info, forrest ---------------- On 7/30/2003 7:43:56 PM prodj101 wrote: playback on multidisc players is inferior to that of single disc players, which are stil widely availbe. you DO get what you pay for. unless you are planning on using an outboard DAC the quality of the one in your cd player makes all the difference. ---------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 First CD players DO NOT SOUND THE SAME,anyone who tells you this is a deaf clown who poses as audiophile and in fact knows NOTHING.Punch any wannabe me too who tells you CD players sound the same.Any CLOWN who does not hear any change should hear the mega store plasti brand name CD player against my Pioneer DVAX10 in a great system...then make the same empty claim again. Yes the gain of quality is audible,the better the system the more gain you hear,on low bro systems the gain may be so minute most people will in fact not hear much if anaything at all. Second there is a sea of single CD players(non changers)in just about any audio store in the world.A quality CD changer is welcome but as you may have noticed the inexpensive changers are pieces of compost filler.You pay most of the tiny price for the trash can CD changer rotating plastic table. When you want maximum quality you pay for a quality transport and DAC,not some bozo 50CD changer with SUPER DUPER MEGA HYPER BASS EXTENDER. now What is a DAC,its a DIGITAL to ANALOG CONVERTER.Put it simply it converts the digital data into analog signal that is amplified again(gain stage in the CD player,preamp) and again(power amp) and finally power your speakers. The quality of a DAC is THE MOST IMPORTANT by far in ANY CD player. The DAC and quality gain stage is what makes a CD player signature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelShaffer Posted July 30, 2003 Author Share Posted July 30, 2003 One more question, my old cd player is like 25 lbs, at least. Why are the old ones so heavy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEAR Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Michael, That is a GREAT question... The older CD players used more and thicker metal and a lot less plastic.The older CD players also had larger less efficient transformers and the transports were more sturdy. My three CD players are all heavy,the Denon DCD 3520 weighs in at 40lbs,the Sony SCD1 weighs in around 60lbs and the Pioneer DVAX10 at around 60lbs too! Not the players you will find at Budget Mart.Oh yeah my little backup Toschiba DVD is a featherweight at around 4lbs,its also built like a Trabant. BTW the Denon is over 10 years old and still going strong,and I did play MANY MANY CD's for many many hours.The lens(laser pickup)is going,will have to be replaced.But the mechanical side is A1.None of today's cheapo CD's would last this long under a use this heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KdAgain Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Does anybody have experience using a good external DAC with a Sony 200-400 disc changer in a good system with Heritage speakers? If the DAC is the primary cause of high or low fidelity, might this combination not give the best of both worlds - great audio and lots of convenience? Thanks, Rod PS Sure have been enjoying the very enlightening information on the Forum. It's a wonderful sharing of the knowledge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 Long time poster, but not recently, Sound Dog (who bought my La Scalas) has exactly that sort of setup. Multiple disc servers (uh, that is, several things that can serve up discs and hold, like, 500 each, not something that serves up multiple discs) feeding sereral different types of DACs driving a system consisting of a - er - bunch of KHorns and La Scalas. If you search though the archives you should find some posts from him, and be contact him that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctiger2 Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 For a tube output CD player. I just bought the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb CD player. It is a Marantz 4000 upgraded with a 24/192k upsampling board and output power tubes. The sound is wonderful. Full, rich soundstage especially with the Siemens 8223 gold pins. You can get all the specs here -> www.upscaleaudio.com. I also recently bought a Marantz DV8400 multi player. Plays all formats including SACD/DVD-A/DVD Video. Wonderfull sounding unit. If you search audiogon you can find them for 1139 brand new! Both of these units blow away my old Yamaha 5CD changer. You truly do get what you pay for... Charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 At AudioAdvisor.com you can get a Cambridge or AMC with nice DACS for less than $ 300 I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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