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A good used CD player ?

FTB

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Hi there,

I buy back some audio gear after a period where I sold everything and I am looking for a nice CD player.

I have a good collection of CD and this is my second listening source after streaming so yes, I am in to buy a CD player.

In the past I had a Cambridge Audio CD6, pretty good I remember the deep and solid bass and it sounded like "large spectrum".
Then I had a Arcam Alpha, I can't remember if it was Alpha 7 or 8. I remember the sound was sweeter, more "velvet cloth", less bass tight...
But we all know sound memory can be very tricky.

I am a student, I would like something about 100 €.

Here : https://www.whathifi.com/features/best-24-cd-players-what-hi-fis-lifetime

they talk about the Marantz CD52 and the Arcam Alpha 7 I may already had.
Both can be found for around 100 €.

Does someones know these two CD players and can tell me "go for the Arcam again you won't be disappointed !" or "go for the Marantz that's a true stuff from a great audio brand !"

Or any suggestion in my budget !

Thanks,
Florian
 

DVDdoug

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pretty good I remember the deep and solid bass and it sounded like "large spectrum".
CD players don't normally have any particular "sound". They are generally very good at accurately converting digital to analog. That's actually true of most electronics. (Different amplifiers and receivers will have different "features" and different power output.)

On the other hand, every speaker and headphone sounds different. With headphones there is almost no correlation between price and sound quality (chec the reviews here). But with speakers more money can usually buy better sound. Room acoustics also affect the sound from speakers.

Anything that works should be OK. CD/DVD/Blu-Ray players can be found cheaply these days but most don't have analog outputs or any kind of display (relying on the video display).
 

MaxBuck

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CD players don't normally have any particular "sound". They are generally very good at accurately converting digital to analog.
True as far as it goes, but I've found that some CD players emit a somewhat high-pitched whine from the mechanics associated with the transport. I didn't think about it when I had the equipment but since streaming is absolutely silent, it would be a consideration now.
 

Doodski

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I've found that some CD players emit a somewhat high-pitched whine from the mechanics associated with the transport.
Totally normal to have hissing, chirping and high pitch whine. If it is really chirping loudly or hissing excessively the laser pickup RF amp and servos may require calibration.
 

Doodski

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Yeah, but it obviously should be minimized. I find it extremely annoying, one of many reasons I prefer to stream.
Sonys tend to make a lot of chirping and hissing if the calibration pots are over boosted. I've heard CD players that are obnoxious like you say.
 

dedobot

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CD players don't normally have any particular "sound". They are generally very good at accurately converting digital to analog. That's actually true of most electronics. (Different amplifiers and receivers will have different "features" and different power output.)

On the other hand, every speaker and headphone sounds different. With headphones there is almost no correlation between price and sound quality (chec the reviews here). But with speakers more money can usually buy better sound. Room acoustics also affect the sound from speakers.

Anything that works should be OK. CD/DVD/Blu-Ray players can be found cheaply these days but most don't have analog outputs or any kind of display (relying on the video display).

To be fair the cd players can sound different. Tried 4-5 ,mid to low high level, second hand, '94-2004 .What I found with sure is the newest device always outperforms oldest. So I ditched the cd-players and went to files and simple Fiio DAP. With out any regrets.
 

Doodski

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To be fair the cd players can sound different. Tried 4-5 ,mid to low high level, second hand, '94-2004 .What I found with sure is the newest device always outperforms oldest. So I ditched the cd-players and went to files and simple Fiio DAP. With out any regrets.
I had access to 40 CD players on a slat wall display all powered ON and connected to an amp and speakers and headphones handy for testing too. I listened extensively to inexpensive players to expensive players and they all sounded the same. Other people tested them and found the same thing. Some people imagine a difference in sound but they sound the same.
 

dedobot

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I had access to 40 CD players on a slat wall display all powered ON and connected to an amp and speakers and headphones handy for testing too. I listened extensively to inexpensive players to expensive players and they all sounded the same. Other people tested them and found the same thing. Some people imagine a difference in sound but they sound the same.
I swear by obvious simple differences like less/more bass/treble, but that's pure subjective and don't deserve discussion.
 

dedobot

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It deserves discussion when you are claiming they sound different.
Technically if you measure precisely the outputs of random cd-players from different years,, there will be not 1:1 match.
The subjective question is how we feel.
 

Doodski

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Technically if you measure precisely the outputs of random cd-players from different years,, there will be not 1:1 match.
The subjective question is how we feel.
The voltage at the RCAs may be higher on some models and that will trick a person to believe that one sounds better. If level/voltage matched then they sound the same. This is not a subjective website it is Audio Science Review.
 

threni

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The voltage at the RCAs may be higher on some models and that will trick a person to believe that one sounds better. If level/voltage matched then they sound the same. This is not a subjective website it is Audio Science Review.
 

Doodski

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LoL. Funny. :D Component test drives for sound quality are very difficult with amp and CD players because they are so transparent. Yes, they won't be exactly the same under empirical testing but for intents and purposes the specs on CD players are so good that people have no ability to hear differences at those levels of accuracy.
 

dedobot

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The voltage at the RCAs may be higher on some models and that will trick a person to believe that one sounds better. If level/voltage matched then they sound the same. This is not a subjective website it is Audio Science Review.
The players have equal noise levels or this also don't matter ? Or some of tens of types attenuation in both digital/analog domains.
Pointless...
We're in a thread where the Op asks for opinions/experience , not for philosophical theses.
 
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