Attn RF-7 owners (and everyone else) - recommend a CD player

[wuzzzer]

What CD player do you recommend in the $100-200 range? Can be an older model, single disc, multiple disc, etc. I just need something inexpensive that will sound great on my RF-7s. My current audio source is a $40 Magnavox DVD player that I got for free. [:$] I use a 10 year old Sony 200 disc changer as a CD storage unit since the audio on the Magnavox unit is much better than the Sony.

I went to Ultimate Electronics and the guy there recommended Denon. Any other brands? My receiver is a vintage HK 730 so digital outputs and SACD won't apply.

Thanks!!

(EDIT) The reason why I want a new player is that the Magnavox is very bright, especially with sibilant sounds. I need something much warmer. Right now I have the treble turned way down most of the time I listen to music loud.

[DrWho]

I've never been a fan of Denon simply because their transports (all the controls) are very 'stupid' for lack of a better word.

I've always been a fan of the Sony CD Players, but since you're forced to go with analog outputs I'm not entirely certain that is the best approach. My all time favorite CD player was built by Carver (who no longer makes them anymore). It is by far the best sounding playback mechanism I've ever heard. Rumour has it that Yamaha actually built the player and sold it under the Carvin name, so perhaps you might look into the Yamaha units (if they still make them).

[tigerwoodKhorns]

Philips 963SA dvd player used on Audiogon. Install a Blackgate capacitor. Best you will do for close to yoru budget (and you will be doing very well).

Chris

[Speedball]

My 7 month old Denon #2900 is just now starting to have trouble reading discs.........blah, I still like the looks and feel of it though.

[BobbyT]

Circuit City currently has a sony 5 disc DVD/SACD/CD player for $134.99.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-DVD-Changer-DVP-NC80VB-/sem/rpsm/oid/123095/catOid/-12872/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

I highly reccomend this as you get upgraded video and audio with SACD capability.

[wuzzzer]

Keep em coming!

One problem I also had with my old Sony 200 disc changer is that it would skip pretty easily when the volume was turned up. My Magnavox DVD player has never done that. Why is that?

[Daddy Dee]

I've got a Toshiba DVD player in my wife's two channel system. SD-4980 I think. It was under $100 on Ebay and it sounds very good.

[DrWho]

Keep em coming!

One problem I also had with my old Sony 200 disc changer is that it would skip pretty easily when the volume was turned up. My Magnavox DVD player has never done that. Why is that?

When turned up, the bass shakes stuff in the room - probably including that of whatever your cd player is standing on. Multi-disk changers are extra susceptable to this because of the nature of their CD holding mechanism. Any vibration of the disk or laser assembly causes the laser to misread the disk. Different players do different things when this happens and in the case of your unit you noticed the music skipping.

Going to a single bay cd player may or may not solve this problem and I wouldn't look at it as a fault of the player either. Instead, I would look towards achieving better isolation of the cd player or damping the thing on which it sits (to raise the resonance up higher in frequency where it no longer affects the performance on the player).