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CD Player failed.

cistercian

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I hate to post this...especially because CD use seems to be vanishing. All of my collection is CD's and I have used a
pedestrian Sony CDP-291 for 30 years! It finally bit the big one last night. The generous use of nylon in the tracking
mechanism was the failure mode...it is binding due to the Nylon changing shape over the decades and cannot be repaired.
It needs a new drive. I ordered 2 new players. A Yamaha 300 and a Tascam CD-200BT professional unit. The Yamaha has better
specs than my old player and the Tascam has similar or lower specs. I will post my impressions of both but the tascam will
arrive first. The Yamaha is on backorder. I find the dearth of good CD players somewhat depressing. I hope others here will
post what they are using and how they like or hate them. CD's...I feel like a dinosaur posting this!

I figured players was the forum to use. Sorry if it is not the best place. Thanks all!

I should add I used the drive in my computer to play some CD's last night and was appalled by the comical bass boost
that was applied...ridiculous. And I can't change the response curve! I don't want to use the PC anyway but holy cow
is it lame!
 

Kal Rubinson

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I should add I used the drive in my computer to play some CD's last night and was appalled by the comical bass boost that was applied...ridiculous. And I can't change the response curve! I don't want to use the PC anyway but holy cow
is it lame!
Not if you do it right.
 

GXAlan

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You can use EAC (Exact Audio Copy; Windows) to get high quality extraction of audio CDs which are essentially bit perfect (There can be error correction across all 700MB). Not sure what is good for MacOS.

Using a player like Foobar (Windows) or Colibri (MacOS) lets you have full control of the output. Pair with a cheap USB DAC and you should get superior audio quality.

I have sent Amir a Denon ALPHA DAC to see if there are any measurable benefits (as well as the set of test tones used by Denon for marketing).
 
OP
cistercian

cistercian

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Not if you do it right.
My on board audio driver is not adjustable for frequency response. I am aware that software and
hardware exists that functions much better. I have zero interest in using my PC for audio use.

I just want a decent standalone CD player. The curve baked into my PC is very modern consumer grade...yuck.
 
OP
cistercian

cistercian

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You can use EAC (Exact Audio Copy; Windows) to get high quality extraction of audio CDs which are essentially bit perfect (There can be error correction across all 700MB). Not sure what is good for MacOS.

Using a player like Foobar (Windows) or Colibri (MacOS) lets you have full control of the output. Pair with a cheap USB DAC and you should get superior audio quality.

I have sent Amir a Denon ALPHA DAC to see if there are any measurable benefits (as well as the set of test tones used by Denon for marketing).

This is why CD players are going extinct. The computer and good software is much nicer. I know I am a dinosaur(and cretin) in my taste but
a good CD player is all I want. I am running win10 on a 7700 intel processor. Not the 100 watt 7700K chip, the 65watt 7700 regular
chip. Aside from giant thunderstorms it is on all the time. I use it for digital photos and surfing the web.
 

Kal Rubinson

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You can use EAC (Exact Audio Copy; Windows) to get high quality extraction of audio CDs which are essentially bit perfect (There can be error correction across all 700MB). Not sure what is good for MacOS.
Agreed.
My on board audio driver is not adjustable for frequency response. I am aware that software and
hardware exists that functions much better. I have zero interest in using my PC for audio use.
Then it doesn't' matter.
 
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I hate to post this...especially because CD use seems to be vanishing. All of my collection is CD's and I have used a
pedestrian Sony CDP-291 for 30 years! It finally bit the big one last night. The generous use of nylon in the tracking
mechanism was the failure mode...it is binding due to the Nylon changing shape over the decades and cannot be repaired.
It needs a new drive. I ordered 2 new players. A Yamaha 300 and a Tascam CD-200BT professional unit. The Yamaha has better
specs than my old player and the Tascam has similar or lower specs. I will post my impressions of both but the tascam will
arrive first. The Yamaha is on backorder. I find the dearth of good CD players somewhat depressing. I hope others here will
post what they are using and how they like or hate them. CD's...I feel like a dinosaur posting this!

I figured players was the forum to use. Sorry if it is not the best place. Thanks all!

I should add I used the drive in my computer to play some CD's last night and was appalled by the comical bass boost
that was applied...ridiculous. And I can't change the response curve! I don't want to use the PC anyway but holy cow
is it lame!

What’s your budget for a new CDP? Plenty of options, almost obscene
 
OP
cistercian

cistercian

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Agreed.

Then it doesn't' matter.
Exactly. Being a cretin, I am content with the limitations of CD reproduction. I love them because I used to have a big vinyl collection
and became sad as my records wore out. CD's always sound the same...they work or they don't. I have never had one fail.
I actually agree that fantastic turntables and virgin pressings are epic. But the vinyl wears out...curses! And there is the whole diminishing
returns thing. CD's are good enough for me.
Eventually I will cave and start using digital files. But I would prefer not too yet. My ears get older every day...
 
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cistercian

cistercian

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What’s your budget for a new CDP? Plenty of options, almost obscene
Well, I bought a couple already. The Yamaha CD-S300 and the Tascam CD-200BT. The Yamaha has better specs but the Tascam has a headphone out
and control for it as well as some other silly features like pitch bending. I am hoping the Tascam will sound good enough and be durable.
I very seriously doubt either will last 30 years like my Sony did...but to be fair, I have had to service the drive twice on the Sony.
I am a good tech and can service optical drives. Mostly, they need cleaned and lubed. Dust and age are the enemy.

I saw units for over 1000 dollars...that struck me as outlandish. I paid about 100 dollars for the sony new in 1990 or about
187 dollars in today's money. So the Yamaha is about the same price!
 
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Well, I bought a couple already. The Yamaha CD-S300 and the Tascam CD-200BT. The Yamaha has better specs but the Tascam has a headphone out
and control for it as well as some other silly features like pitch bending. I am hoping the Tascam will sound good enough and be durable.
I very seriously doubt either will last 30 years like my Sony did...but to be fair, I have had to service the drive twice on the Sony.
I am a good tech and can service optical drives. Mostly, they need cleaned and lubed. Dust and age are the enemy.

I saw units for over 1000 dollars...that struck me as outlandish. I paid about 100 dollars for the sony new in 1990 or about
187 dollars in today's money. So the Yamaha is about the same price!

To each his own.

If you plan to service yourself, a savvy buyer can find some of the earlier Sony SACD players in need of TLC for bargain bin prices. Could also look to brands like Naim which have great reputations for CDPs.

Here’s a listing for a McIntosh in need of repair- https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa411a-mcintosh-mcd-7000-non-working-cd-sacd-players

Point being, there are tons of options for you if all you need is high quality redbook playback
 
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cistercian

cistercian

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To each his own.

If you plan to service yourself, a savvy buyer can find some of the earlier Sony SACD players in need of TLC for bargain bin prices. Could also look to brands like Naim which have great reputations for CDPs.

Here’s a listing for a McIntosh in need of repair- https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa411a-mcintosh-mcd-7000-non-working-cd-sacd-players

Point being, there are tons of options for you if all you need is high quality redbook playback
Thanks!
 

RayDunzl

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I have a plain Tascam CD-200, but just use it as a transport.

Digital out to the switch, then to the EQ, and on to the used-for-everything DAC.

It replaced a player from 1997 that became too skippy to be relied upon.

Audio buddy recently bought an Onkyo for his transportation needs.
 
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cistercian

cistercian

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I have a plain Tascam CD-200, but just use it as a transport.

Digital out to the switch, then to the EQ, and on to the used-for-everything DAC.

It replaced a player from 1997 that became too skippy to be relied upon.

Audio buddy recently bought an Onkyo for his transportation needs.
How long have you had it and has it been reliable? Does it sound OK?
 

RayDunzl

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How long have you had it and has it been reliable?

Two or three or four years, don't remember... It works.

Does it sound OK?

It outputs digits. Sound comes much farther down the chain.

CD-200 -> Audio Authoirty 1177A (switch) -> Focusrite Clarett 4 Pre USB (as a mixer at the moment) -> DEQ2496 -> miniDSP OpenDRC- DI with AcourateDRC -> Benchmark DAC2 HGC -> Krell KCT preamp -> Krell FPB350mcx -> MartinLogan reQuest
 

rgpit

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I have a plain Tascam CD-200, but just use it as a transport.

Digital out to the switch, then to the EQ, and on to the used-for-everything DAC.

It replaced a player from 1997 that became too skippy to be relied upon.

Audio buddy recently bought an Onkyo for his transportation needs.

I am also using the Tascam CD-200 as a transport to a Benchmark DAC2 HGC. Had it for at least 4 years or more and never had any issues. I've also used the CD-200's analog out and was amazed how good it sounds as a stand alone CD player. The transport in it is fast, quiet, and durable as it is intended for studio use.
 
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A Surfer

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Seriously, a decent computer with any reasonable DAC will easily replace and surpass even expensive CDP. Not to mention, seriously, rip your CD collection and get on board the wave that literally started a decade ago. Physical media offers Zero advantages and is so less convenient. I am likely older than you and grew up on LPs and then CDs as the transition happened. I used to spend $1000 without blinking on a CDP but I would never under any circumstances put money into a CDP. About 8 years ago I ripped my collection to my PC and invested in a DAC. I have never looked back. I was slow to transition but I can't help but be honest, refusing to transition is stubborn and equates to cutting off your nose to spite your face. You have so much to gain from moving to PC based music listening.

Sorry for being so adamant, but I really can't fathom why anybody would stick to using their physical media. Absolutely no advantage to doing so as far as I can see.
 

KeithPhantom

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Sorry for being so adamant, but I really can't fathom why anybody would stick to using their physical media. Absolutely no advantage to doing so as far as I can see.
Consider that there is some nostalgic factor when using physical media. Even though there are no audible advantages in the physical media camp, the preferences of everyone can be respected. If he/she wants to use physical media to play his/her music, so be it.
 

KR500

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I bought a Marantz 5005 CDP from Music Direct years ago and it is excellent ....but the transport is weak .
Drawer started acting up a week after the warranty expired so bought a Tascam 200 for it's rugged transport .....but the stop button failed after a few years , so I have to use the remote.
Purchased an Onkyo CDP which is okay....... but makes a bunch of noise if you pause it.
I still use all 3 players, a Squeezebox ,a Mac and Sony Minidisc
Should have just bought a Yamaha CDP to begin with
 
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