analogman Posted April 24, 2004 Share Posted April 24, 2004 Gentlemen, I have recently put a modest system in the bedroom.It consists of decent mid-fi(early 1970s) pieces I have picked up along the way and given a second lease on life.I am now in need of an inexpensive CD player which is at least as good as a passable portable,my only absolutes are that it must have a remote and not induce ear hemorrhaging.There was a thread not too long ago in which someone was sharing with regards to a cheap player that seemed to be the ticket but I can't remember whom.The player in question seemed to be quite the over-achiever.I do not care if the suggestions are for "no name" players.I am going to use this for background and make-out music. Thank you for your time, Analogman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Shomaker Posted April 24, 2004 Share Posted April 24, 2004 What about them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatbass Posted April 24, 2004 Share Posted April 24, 2004 Denon, Sony, Harmon Kardon, Okyno, Toshiba, Pioneer.... My first choice would be the Denon with the Burr brown dacs, I think it is around $100-$150. Or the Pioneer 563a a universal(cd/dvd/sacd/dvda) player for $135 at BB(or it was a week ago on sale). Other than that cheap DVD players make the best cd players because the DAC has to handle much more data from a DVD than a CD, so CDs are no sweat for a DVD player. I think there is an $80 Toshiba that should fit your needs perfectly. It is really a choice of how much do you want to spend and what features do you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 In the used market, Rega Planets are tops. My AMC CD8b 24/96 is basic, yet musically satisfying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogman Posted April 25, 2004 Author Share Posted April 25, 2004 Gentlemen, I'm talking CHEAP,as in throw away sub-one hundred dollar cheap.Thank you for your input. Analogman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Robin Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 APEX Walmart were talking sub $50.00 Might even have one for $39.95 cant get much cheaper than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olorin Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 People were raving about the Toshiba SD3950 or 3960 not long ago. Should be $50 or $60. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul cbc Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 I have a Toshiba 3950 and it does NOT suck. I picked it up as I wanted to see what all the fuss was. Lots of info & ideas on mods over at the Audio Asylum. Not bad right out of the box. Lots of detail. Plays DVD's too if that is important. Has a remote. I paid $69 with a $20 rebate to come. Good luck! paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 Go find a Panasonic DVD-S55 at your local department or electronics store. I found out about this machine on one of the audio newsgroups, and is PHENOMENAL for the $$. It has very good sounding 2 channel analog outputs and an upsampler that makes this player sound quite good. A nice bonus: It plays DVD audio too, if it ever ends up in a system with the 6 channel analog inputs. This player is being closed out (in fact, I settled for a floor sample, and got it for $65). You may have to look a bit, but if you find one, it will be cheap, because they are discounted to move. The newer versions use different guts, and show it in the specs. My understanding was the unit was "too good by accident", that there was little audible reason to upgrade to the "better" decks in the Panasonic line. The DVD-S85 is the multi disc version of the same machine (same audio guts). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 Toshiba 3950/3960 all the way ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 Philips has cheap units that have upsampling built in. My not be sub-$100, but still cheap for a real nice unit. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manuel Delaflor Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 No matter which cheap CDP you buy, you can improve it up to the point of making it sound like a really expensive, top of the line CDP with this little device, the ADE-24: http://www.margulesaudio.com/index_magenta.htm It is a remarkable product, give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 I have heard nothing but praise for the previously-mentioned Toshiba model. It seems that this was one of those "accidents of engineering" that produced an INEXPENSIVE model in the "cheaper to throw it away than have it repaired" category that originated as a dvd multimedia player, but turned out to be so damned good for CD's it is selling like hotcakes for that use primarily! With the way things tend to go in cases like this due to corporate honchos seeing inexpensive units outselling their top-of-the-line units, it may not be long before the unit is discontinued...for corporate bottom-line reasons, alone! So, IMHO,if you are gonna get one, NOW is the time to do so! Hell...get TWO of em!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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