CD Player failed.

[mhardy6647]

I'd buy a blu-ray player with digital out and button controls then get a $99 topping d10s. For 200 bucks or so, I'd have something better than most $1000 players.

Pretty much what I do/did -- 'cept the DVDP was a dump find and the (current) DAC is rather more elderly.

 

[Canuck57]

The original poster wants to continue with a CD player, why does everyone feel the need to convince him to go the PC route better or not? Leave it be.

 

[cistercian]

The original poster wants to continue with a CD player, why does everyone feel the need to convince him to go the PC route better or not? Leave it be.

Thank you. I am fully aware of the paradigm change and just wanted to hear from other CD player users...all 12 of them!
I like the format and enjoy using it. I cannot count how many PC's I have gone thru in the 3 decades I have used my old
CD player. PC's become obsolete a few weeks after you buy them...OS changes and other giant fails render them a truly
consumable product. File formats change too over time and converting them sucks. I like the stone age physical format...
and a dedicated player for it.

In my OP I stated I was sorry to even post it...and this is why. It is what it is.

 

[Canuck57]

Thank you. I am fully aware of the paradigm change and just wanted to hear from other CD player users...all 12 of them!
I like the format and enjoy using it. I cannot count how many PC's I have gone thru in the 3 decades I have used my old
CD player. PC's become obsolete a few weeks after you buy them...OS changes and other giant fails render them a truly
consumable product. File formats change too over time and converting them sucks. I like the stone age physical format...
and a dedicated player for it.

In my OP I stated I was sorry to even post it...and this is why. It is what it is.

I still play CDs as well, and gasp - vinyl - I also play digital files mostly while sitting at my PC listening to headphones though.

 

[cistercian]

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.

PC's fail much faster in my experience. They also cost more than a pedestrian player.

Now for the horrible part...I seriously doubt most my age have ears good enough good enough to tell much
of a difference anyway. There are exceptions of course. My CD player is the source I use into a XLS 2502 driving JBL SRX835 passives.
In no universe does it make sense for me to switch to a higher resolution digital format or to copy my mint library to
memory. I am not a DJ, I don't do mixes, sometimes I just want to put a disk on and go nuts. A CD player is completely adequate.
I am nearly 59. Better formats are wasted on me. Now, when I was 18 it would be a different story. But that was 40 years ago.

 

[cistercian]

I still play CDs as well, and gasp - vinyl - I also play digital files mostly while sitting at my PC listening to headphones though.

What turntable do you use? In my past I was fortunate to own some good ones and had rich friends who owned truly epic
ones. I love really good vinyl and think it does sound sound better...the first few times you play it. Then...well, it degrades.
Superior analog sound gear is wonderful but it has always been expensive. Digital formats have really democratized good audio
quality. Now, finding a truly epic grade of headphones or speakers still presents problems...

 

[A Surfer]

The original poster wants to continue with a CD player, why does everyone feel the need to convince him to go the PC route better or not? Leave it be.

Because people are like that, well some people. If it wasn't for my brother badgering me to get with the times I might have delayed the transition even longer. I am glad that somebody bothered to pester me into the modern age so I pass along the service. If somebody doesn't want to be pestered they will simply ignore me which I am fine with.

 

[A Surfer]

PC's fail much faster in my experience. They also cost more than a pedestrian player.

Now for the horrible part...I seriously doubt most my age have ears good enough good enough to tell much
of a difference anyway. There are exceptions of course. My CD player is the source I use into a XLS 2502 driving JBL SRX835 passives.
In no universe does it make sense for me to switch to a higher resolution digital format or to copy my mint library to
memory. I am not a DJ, I don't do mixes, sometimes I just want to put a disk on and go nuts. A CD player is completely adequate.
I am nearly 59. Better formats are wasted on me. Now, when I was 18 it would be a different story. But that was 40 years ago.

I am 52, so while younger I still am very much part of your cohort. It has nothing to do with being a DJ or making playlists, although what a godsend having the ability to make playlists has been. Speaking only for myself, and not presuming to be prescriptive, what a fantastic thing it was to get past having hundreds of CDs cluttering up my room. Now I simply fire up a computer, or better yet now since getting the M200 streaming from my phone I have everything right there, no muss, no fuss, all the album covers, everything right just a click or swipe away.

I know that many people resist change simply on principle, the principle that they don't like anyone suggesting they might enjoy trying something different. That is fine, everybody has the right to do as they see fit, there is no wrong or right. My apology if it is forward of me to push you in a direction that you don't wish to be pushed. As I said in a previous post, personally I am SO very glad that somebody pushed me, and believe me, I was just as resistant, CDs are fine, I don't need more convenience, yadda, yadda, yadda. I even had a lovely Rega Saturn CD player to really hold me back, but even so I moved on. I can't help but thinking a dead CDP is an opportunity. Call me crazy.

 

[GXAlan]

CD's always sound the same...they work or they don't. I have never had one fail.

Nothing wrong with sticking with CDs. The old Pioneer Stable Platter drives, Denon (Nippon Columbia era) and Sony ES line are all pretty good.

As you see with the Panasonic UB9000, you may be able to get very good performance out of old Denon DVD-5900, Pioneer DVD-09 or Panasonic DVD Players too. Denon has ALPHA which may be one of the better digital filters, esp. with older CD recordings.

 

[A Surfer]

The original poster wants to continue with a CD player, why does everyone feel the need to convince him to go the PC route better or not? Leave it be.

And do consider that sometimes people maintain something simply out of habit, and after a slight nudge they are happy to be open to change.

 

[Midwest Blade]

I am using a NAD C 516bee, picked it up at Music Direct a few years ago for $299, has served me well. Still plenty of good players available at reasonable cost.

While streaming from Amazon HD gets most of my music listening attention, I still prefer to get a CD of my favorite albums generally from Amazon as well. While people keep predicting the death of CD's I am finding no trouble finding both new and old music at very reasonable prices.

 

[GXAlan]

I know Amir is backlogged so it will be a month or so before he gets to my Denon DAC, but for big collections of audio, Alpha processing may very well be a useful feature for CDs. The interpolation and dealing with original brick wall’d PCM recordings may make a bigger difference than SINAD.

 

[MRC01]

First, if you play the CD in a computer using VLC (free open source), then it can send the digital bits out the USB (or Toslink, or coax, if you have a sound card that supports that) to an external DAC. Then you have bit perfect reproduction to the external DAC. Or, VLC will play it locally on the computer, which will sound as good or bad as whatever sound card you have. But VLC won't mess with the sound unless you tell it to.

But if you want a dedicated CD player with your stereo, maybe using the computer is inconvenient. Then a transport is the way to go. That way you don't need to spend a lot money on a fancy player because the specs don't matter. All it's doing is reading the bits off the disc and sending them out to an external DAC. Tascam makes professional gear that is solidly built and should outlast most consumer stuff. I've had a Tascam digital recorder for over 10 years, recorded over 1000 LPs and lots of other stuff, still works like new.

I use an Oppo BDP-83 as a transport, using its toslink digital output to my DAC. It can play any disc from CD to SACD to DVD-Audio, to movie DVDs and BluRays. It has a good on-board DAC but I don't need or care since I'm using its digital output.

 

[A Surfer]

@GXAlan how can a brickwalled mastering be overcome after the fact?

 

[cistercian]

I am 52, so while younger I still am very much part of your cohort. It has nothing to do with being a DJ or making playlists, although what a godsend having the ability to make playlists has been. Speaking only for myself, and not presuming to be prescriptive, what a fantastic thing it was to get past having hundreds of CDs cluttering up my room. Now I simply fire up a computer, or better yet now since getting the M200 streaming from my phone I have everything right there, no muss, no fuss, all the album covers, everything right just a click or swipe away.

I know that many people resist change simply on principle, the principle that they don't like anyone suggesting they might enjoy trying something different. That is fine, everybody has the right to do as they see fit, there is no wrong or right. My apology if it is forward of me to push you in a direction that you don't wish to be pushed. As I said in a previous post, personally I am SO very glad that somebody pushed me, and believe me, I was just as resistant, CDs are fine, I don't need more convenience, yadda, yadda, yadda. I even had a lovely Rega Saturn CD player to really hold me back, but even so I moved on. I can't help but thinking a dead CDP is an opportunity. Call me crazy.

It is fine man. I am nostalgic and building a gonzo stereo has been on my bucket list for decades. I built a modern version of a 70's stereo
and there just were not PC's then! I have new players on the way and I am sure they will be fine. All black components stacked neatly driving
giant for a house speakers that can cause police interactions as well as hours of pleasant normal volume listening.

My kids consume digital music and use horrible speakers for playback. Yuck.

I am not against change. Who do you think set up our router? I have to do networking and server troubleshooting at work.
I use my PC for photography and surfing...and the very rare movie. Using it for my audio source is not on my agenda at all.
I am a bit contrarian and enjoy demonstrating my antique/modern stereo system. And it does not need an internet connection.
Thank goodness!

 

[cistercian]

@GXAlan how can a brickwalled mastering be overcome after the fact?

I don't see how it can. The data is there...or not. A program to extrapolate it will almost certainly color the sound
too so I do not see how after the fact processing is a help. (Unless you had the original files and used a comparator...
not likely)

 

[A Surfer]

It is fine man. I am nostalgic and building a gonzo stereo has been on my bucket list for decades. I built a modern version of a 70's stereo
and there just were not PC's then! I have new players on the way and I am sure they will be fine. All black components stacked neatly driving
giant for a house speakers that can cause police interactions as well as hours of pleasant normal volume listening.

My kids consume digital music and use horrible speakers for playback. Yuck.

I am not against change. Who do you think set up our router? I have to do networking and server troubleshooting at work.
I use my PC for photography and surfing...and the very rare movie. Using it for my audio source is not on my agenda at all.
I am a bit contrarian and enjoy demonstrating my antique/modern stereo system. And it does not need an internet connection.
Thank goodness!

I feel that, and for the record you don't need an Internet connection to play computer audio files, although you would in most cases to retrieve the album artwork. I grew up on big gonzo stereo systems complete with a tape deck, turntable, CDP, tuner and of course the ubiquitous graphic equalizer so I am down with that. I still will hope that you test the waters and try computer audio, you really should and doing so doesn't at all mean you need to get rid of your CDs (although you just might be tempted). Both can enjoyed in the same system as complimentary ways of interacting with your material. I integrated both for quite sometime telling myself that I would still use my CDs. That almost never happened and now my CD collection is happily packed away in containers in my attic. Eventually I hope to sell them off, but even selling used CDs is becoming difficult. Not many people looking to add clutter that they can avoid which sucks as I thought that I could get some cash for my collection. Oh well, thems the breaks.

 

[cistercian]

I feel that, and for the record you don't need an Internet connection to play computer audio files, although you would in most cases to retrieve the album artwork. I grew up on big gonzo stereo systems complete with a tape deck, turntable, CDP, tuner and of course the ubiquitous graphic equalizer so I am down with that. I still will hope that you test the waters and try computer audio, you really should and doing so doesn't at all mean you need to get rid of your CDs (although you just might be tempted). Both can enjoyed in the same system as complimentary ways of interacting with your material. I integrated both for quite sometime telling myself that I would still use my CDs. That almost never happened and now my CD collection is happily packed away in containers in my attic. Eventually I hope to sell them off, but even selling used CDs is becoming difficult. Not many people looking to add clutter that they can avoid which sucks as I thought that I could get some cash for my collection. Oh well, thems the breaks.

I hear you. Unlike some of my pals my CD collection is not gigantic. Space is not that much of an issue. If I use the computer for audio I tend to use phones anyhow. And I am not that happy with the current offerings. I really miss my old Koss Pro-4AA set which eventually wore out...so I eagerly bought a new set only to discover they had "updated" the transducers and in the process ruined them. The new ones had bass and mids that were crap. I like my HD600's but they are not without warts either.
I have never bought a used CD. Some of the stuff I get is esoteric and not for sale digitally anyhow. Certain chant CD's I own are fairly rare and not streamed. One of my Rammstein CD's has a track that is CD exclusive as well. It does not even show up on my Amazon playlist!

 

[Alexanderc]

I have an Onkyo 7030 CD player. When the air conditioning isn’t running, it is the noise floor in room because the transformer hums so loudly. It’s been totally reliable for about 2.5 years, and of course I can’t hear the transformer when music is playing. For the $100 or so it cost I don’t regret it, but I won’t recommend it either.

 

[beefkabob]

Oh yeah, not d10s. Something with digital in, not digital out. Plenty of cheap, quality choices.