Best Deal Cd Player 2026

[mliuzzi]

Hi Yall!

Im looking for either a new or used cd player that provides the highest performance per dollar on a budget -- i dont envision listening to a ton of cds, but id like to have the option to purchase and listen to them.

I want to use the analog out from the cd player, i dont want to go into my DAC. Ive seen recs for the tascam cd-200, the denon c733, etc. As far as i can tell the denon is specced for Japanese power, and I am in america.

Is the Tascam the best option for the american market?

 

[Redacted]

Did you mean Onkyo c733 ?

Either way, if you are on a budget, pretty much any recent CD will work fine - you could always run the digital out into your existing DAC if the sound was poor.

 

[Puddingbuks]

SMSL PL200?

 

[Bleib]

Fosi Merak

Fosi Merak Review (CD Player)

Hello Everyone, This is a review and detailed measurements of the Fosi Merak CD Player and Transport. Sorry, not the best picture ever, but done in a rush between two storms ;) Fosi Merak - Presentation This is a low cost CD Player and actually @Rocky Rococo did a good presentation and...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Salt]

Look up the reviews by @NTTY and select what serves your needs.

 

[mliuzzi]

Did you mean Onkyo c733 ?

Either way, if you are on a budget, pretty much any recent CD will work fine - you could always run the digital out into your existing DAC if the sound was poor.

Yes, that's what I meant.

I have looked at some of the reviews by @NTTY but there's a lot of information to parse and I was hoping someone had an easy one sentence answer! But thank you.

 

[mliuzzi]

Fosi Merak

Fosi Merak Review (CD Player)

Hello Everyone, This is a review and detailed measurements of the Fosi Merak CD Player and Transport. Sorry, not the best picture ever, but done in a rush between two storms ;) Fosi Merak - Presentation This is a low cost CD Player and actually @Rocky Rococo did a good presentation and...

www.audiosciencereview.com

This looks pretty good! It's a bit tiny for a more permanent AV setup but maybe that's fine.

 

[mliuzzi]

SMSL PL200?

Unfortunately that's a lot more than I wanted to spend.

 

[Salt]

I have looked at some of the reviews by @NTTY but there's a lot of information to parse and I was hoping someone had an easy one sentence answer! But thank you.

Ok, but: buy a cheap USB-CD and rip the CDs to Flac to any drive of your choice. Done.
Thats what I did years ago and do to any incoming CD today. Need them only for music in the car.

 

[Bleib]

This looks pretty good! It's a bit tiny for a more permanent AV setup but maybe that's fine.

The main downside of course is the small display, it simply can't be read from a "normal" distance. But otherwise it gives quite a lot for the money

 

[NTTY]

The Denon DCD-900Ne should be available in USA, else an old Sony would do the job.
The Tascam is a very good option and can be upgraded using an external DAC.

 

[johnsen88]

The Denon DCD-900Ne should be available in USA, else an old Sony would do the job.
The Tascam is a very good option and can be upgraded using an external DAC.

Got the 900NE because of NTTY. The review says it all. So, my vote goes to this model.

 

[mliuzzi]

The main downside of course is the small display, it simply can't be read from a "normal" distance. But otherwise it gives quite a lot for the money

I see it for sale on Best Buy websites, but do you know if its actually in stock there? or are they shipping it from china?

 

[mliuzzi]

The Denon DCD-900Ne should be available in USA, else an old Sony would do the job.
The Tascam is a very good option and can be upgraded using an external DAC.

Is the marantz 6007 the same as the denon? You mention its similar in the review and i see a few of them used.

 

[Cote Dazur]

Im looking for either a new or used cd player that provides the highest performance per dollar on a budget

For highest performance per dollar, any old DVD player you might find for free will work perfectly at playing CD, I dare anyone to hear any difference with any other CD player in a blind test.
Playing CD is fun, I do play them more often than I play the FLAC copy I have on my hard drive. Not because they plal any better or worse, it is exactly the same, but I enjoy the process of choosing the disk and play it.
I may or may not have a look at the booklet they usually have in the case.

 

[Bleib]

I see it for sale on Best Buy websites, but do you know if its actually in stock there? or are they shipping it from china?

Not sure where it's shipped from. I bought at release but things might have changed since then
___
If we're talking used DVD-players I can recommend HK DVD25. Quiet mechanically, many functions, remote with light etc

 

[NTTY]

Is the marantz 6007 the same as the denon? You mention its similar in the review and i see a few of them used.

Check it out:

Marantz CD6007

CD

 

[TurtlePaul]

$350 is a decent price for a factory refurb Yamaha. I bought the changer version of this from Accesories4Less and you would swear it was new.

YAMAHA CD-S303 Single-Disc CD Player

Yamaha Factory Refurbished

www.accessories4less.com

 

[Chrispy]

Just rip your CDs and play the rips, lots more flexible than an optical disc player generally. Not sure what you mean by "high performance", tho

 

[tjjrx7]

Just find any cheap CD player on ebay with a digital output to a dac. Make sure your dac has some sort of digital buffer / reclocker inside. Congrats. You will have fashioned yourself the world's best CD player.