• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

A good used CD player ?

Angsty

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
1,862
Likes
2,215
Location
North Carolina, U.S.
I have Marantz CD63 and CD48. Both sound good. I'm planning to try a player with 1541 dac.
What leads you to believe that a different DAC chip will make the next CD player sound better?
 

Angsty

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
1,862
Likes
2,215
Location
North Carolina, U.S.
I’m appalled to see high-end CD players selling for thousands. I genuinely don’t understand it.
Actually, the whole “high end” plays this game. They are targeting people who have more disposable income than engineering insight.
 

isostasy

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2022
Messages
354
Likes
628
I just bought some active speakers so was planning to just use the line out of a portable CD player with them. Any real issues with this?
 

Doodski

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 9, 2019
Messages
20,745
Likes
20,757
Location
Canada
I just bought some active speakers so was planning to just use the line out of a portable CD player with them. Any real issues with this?
A line out running into the analogue input of active speakers is OK. :D You may need to adjust the gain switch to get enough volume out of the speakers and this is normal to do.
 

Angsty

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
1,862
Likes
2,215
Location
North Carolina, U.S.
I just bought some active speakers so was planning to just use the line out of a portable CD player with them. Any real issues with this?
Nope - it should work. Your output quality is likely to be more limited by the analog amp of the CD player.
 

Timcognito

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 28, 2021
Messages
3,349
Likes
12,552
Location
NorCal

HoweSound

Active Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2021
Messages
148
Likes
171
Location
BC, Canada
I have kept my Denon 2910, so called "universal" player because it plays SACD's and DVD audio discs. I have a Sony BDP S6500 Blu Ray player. It will play the SACD layer of SACD disks and you can use it to rip SACD to dsd as well. Just buy a Sony player - problem solved.
 

Angsty

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
1,862
Likes
2,215
Location
North Carolina, U.S.
I have Marantz CD63 and CD48. Both sound good. I'm planning to try a player with 1541 dac.
Do the players have a coax output? If so, you could try an inexpensive external DAC. I use one with my older Cambridge Audio Azur 540C CD player. I’ve determined that the DAC does not really make it sound better, but it did make me feel better when I bought it.

The cost was low enough that I never fretted about overspending and the transport continues to work well.
 

DavidM1

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2023
Messages
51
Likes
28
I’m one of those who enjoys playing an occasional CD, especially as background while working at the desk. For more attentive listening I’m likely to be streaming Apple Music or accessing our library of downloaded CDs via AirPlay.

CDs are a relaxing pleasure.
 

Timcognito

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 28, 2021
Messages
3,349
Likes
12,552
Location
NorCal

TimF

Senior Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Dec 15, 2019
Messages
491
Likes
874
I could be wrong, and I am the champion of being wrong, but I think just about all cd players in current production whether pricey or not use the same Phillips drive and Sanyo laser mechanism. No one else is making cd drive mechanisms for consumer grade home audio products. In a way, that makes this drive and laser mechanism the prevailing standard.
 

Middle Earth

Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2023
Messages
88
Likes
56
I am a big believer in something like this
I ❤️ M-Disc for Flac and full strength downloads and playing and recording every freaking disc format.
Transports just do not make sense to me. $120 gets you the keys to the kingdom.

PIONEER External Blu-ray Drive BDR-XS07S Silver Color to Match Your Computer.6X Slot Loading Portable USB 3.2 Gen1(3.0) BD/DVD/CD Writer. Supports BDXL and M-Disc Format. USB Bus Powered https://a.co/d/54VDZaj
 

WDeranged

Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2022
Messages
78
Likes
37
A couple of years ago I got a second hand Marantz CD6004. It sounds excellent. I did spend a few nights comparing it to my Topping D10S and it was near identical. Maaaaybe just a smidge of extra bass in the Marantz. Basically nothing.

I've no idea how it compares to other similarly priced CD players but I suspect there won't be much in it.
 
Top Bottom