Do CD players sound different to each other?

[pinger]

I had, in the past (pre 1991) a great sounding Philips/Magnavox (both companies that I thought were junk at the time but it was what was available). Around 1995 I bought a SONY (5 disk carousel) that sounded horrid (I had given the GREAT sounding Philips/Magnavox away [one of the biggest mistakes I ever made in audio gear]) that day to a couple that was in a 80 piece band and had never had a CD player.
I had done this based on people telling me that all CD players sounded the same. I did not buy myself another CD player until after 2010.
So, in 2003, I moved from an island of 10,000 men & 4000 women to an island of 65,000 people where the ratio of women to men was 11 women for every man. Naturally, I got myself a nice, attractive girlfriend. In 2004, when her birthday came around, I thought that I would buy her a CD player for the small stereo that I had assembled for her consisting of an ADVENT 300 receiver (which is the one that Amirm tested on this site) and a pair of wood Minimus 7 speakers.
I searched every store on the Island and the ONLY CD players available where by Coby. Again, thinking that by now, it must true, what they say, that all CD players sound the same, so I bought her a Coby. It was around $80 to buy this (which was for some reason DUTY FREE). It had a 90 day warranty (which was 3 times the warranty of most electronics on the island). It actually sounded better than the SONY carrousel but worse that my memory of the Philips/Magnavox. So, it was tolerable. But: on day 91 it broke, it played but apparently no signal was coming out.
So we were back to FM only (quite a bit better than most people there at the time).
I am hoping that you people can understand the skepticism on my part of what I consider to be BS of 'Oh, all CD players, they all sound the same".
I did not buy another CD player until around 2018, when I got a great deal on a used, great sounding SONY CDR W-500C. And since then, I got another, unopened one in a box.
So, I want to know when did all CD players start sounding the same?
And, since I see no proof of that anywhere, which ones are you people talking about.
Also, looking at NTTY's (and others) tests, they do not all (each & every one) make the grade.

Thanks for being condescending, too.
People work with what they can get. Not always the same as what you can get.
You could just say: "Well, those Coby's, they weren't so great and maybe explain why.

But, instead, you choose to go out of your way to be nasty and say:

"LOL, *Coby*.

OK, you are *way* down on the audio food chain with that."

So you want proof that all CD players sound the same? LOL kind of hard to do. There are a LOT of CD players out there! Much easier to prove that ANY two players sound different which really has never been done. And going on your memory of how a given CD player sounded is absurd

 

[Mean & Green]

I must say that I thought that theory about transports saving you money would be proven to be true (and maybe I haven't looked in the right places) but transports seem to be rather high priced to me.

Transports will cost more than a CD player that includes a DAC because of the audiophile market. People who are not audiophiles will not understand what it means to need an external DAC and won’t be looking for such a product. A lot of audiophiles think some kind of magic is happening with an expensive stand alone transport so they are priced accordingly. They are aimed at a specific market.

You could use a cheap DVD player with a digital out as a transport and get the same sonic results as the expensive CD transport.

 

[Eric Natural]

I've had good luck w/CD players in the past. The CD collection started in the late 1980s thru the 90s and it prolly exceeds the LP number collected in 70s & 80s. I used to joke that I put-off actually buying a player and content because I was "burned" on Betamax as an early adopter. I thought it's superiority to VHS technically would allow it to win out the videotape war. Wasn't going to do that again w.CD. Hehe

 

[Andysu]

I have tried an old Denon DVD player from almost 20 years ago, a recent Blu Ray drive attached to a PC and an even older Sharp CD player in the same system. To be honest, I haven´t found a difference in any of them. Of course this is totally anechdotal, but my guess is that unless something is terribly wrong, there will be no difference.

yes unless player is faulty , no difference case closed

 

[Andysu]

this reminds me of the sony cd player the sony mini disc

 

[Vacceo]

I must say that I thought that theory about transports saving you money would be proven to be true (and maybe I haven't looked in the right places) but transports seem to be rather high priced to me.

Depends on manufacturer. From top of my head, Pro Ject transports are cheaper than players. Same for McIntosh, I think.

 

[EJ3]

Depends on manufacturer. From top of my head, Pro Ject transports are cheaper than players. Same for McIntosh, I think.

Thank you for your response.
That also brings up the next questions that are tied together, their durability (loading mechanism, laser, etc) & reparability, parts availability. etc.
I guess that I'll either buy spare parts to keep on hand or a second unit kept in the original box.
Which is why I'm really looking for a great CD player, when I find one, new or old, I'll buy 2.

 

[Sal1950]

I must say that I thought that theory about transports saving you money would be proven to be true (and maybe I haven't looked in the right places) but transports seem to be rather high priced to me.

Stand alone transport myth's just another marketing myth sold by the Hi-End media.
I don't ever remember a low cost stand alone CD transport, except the ones I put in my computers.

Do all CD players sound the same, maybe, maybe not, I never did any side by side bias controlled tests to begin a quess.
I do believe in the science, if the player used a decent DAC, and it's analog side was designed to be a transparent stage, they should.
But for all the BS and craziness we've seen over the last 5+ decades including things like tube analogs and ladder DAC's ???

Which is why I'm really looking for a great CD player, when I find one, new or old, I'll buy 2.

Why not just use a small computer w/ transport that you can replace at will?
I've got a Sony X800M2 BluRay at the front end of my system which will feed a digital stream via coax or HDMI to my AVR
It's seems to be built like a tank, dang near heavy as one and the transport is glass smooth. It's only negative is lack of any display.
Personally I've never had a CD player or transport fail, though I never used either for a really long term.
I did use a JVC XL-Z1050TN for around 20 years without issue but sold it after my total conversion to PC based.

 

[Doodski]

Personally I've never had a CD player or transport fail, though I never used either for a really long term.

Being a repair techy for a fairly long time most of what I have seen where broken in some way. Usually a cleaning, lubrication, spindle motor, laser, DSP or a RF amp and a recalibration set them back into good working mode. I really like the linear sled Sony CD gear and the upper end Yamaha CD players are pretty sweet too. It's a big world out there and there are many nice CD players to choose from. For me I would buy as @Sal1950 suggests a PC disc player and be done with that but there comes with that the lack of convenience of not having direct controls other than firing up a pooder and setting the operation into gear that way.

 

[Anton S]

I own four Sony CDP-CX455 carousel disc changers that are approaching 20 years old now, and I use them regularly. The only repairs they've ever required were belt replacements, which I performed myself.

A few years ago, I picked up an RME DAC and began using them as just transports. They are connected to the DAC through an optical switch box via TOSLINK. Do they sound better? No. Do they sound worse? No. My subjective, sighted impression is that they sound the same.

 

[Robin L]

I don't ever remember a low cost stand alone CD transport, except the ones I put in my computers.

I've got a Samsung DVD burner from at least ten years ago. Functions as a CD player. Has a USB A connector. If I hook it up to my laptop I can play CDs via the parametric EQ onboard. Didn't consider that until right now, thanks for the reminder. Set me back all of $27 (new from Amazon), FWIW.

 

[EJ3]

Stand alone transport myth's just another marketing myth sold by the Hi-End media.
I don't ever remember a low cost stand alone CD transport, except the ones I put in my computers.

Do all CD players sound the same, maybe, maybe not, I never did any side by side bias controlled tests to begin a quess.
I do believe in the science, if the player used a decent DAC, and it's analog side was designed to be a transparent stage, they should.
But for all the BS and craziness we've seen over the last 5+ decades including things like tube analogs and ladder DAC's ???


Why not just use a small computer w/ transport that you can replace at will?
I've got a Sony X800M2 Blu Ray at the front end of my system which will feed a digital stream via coax or HDMI to my AVR
It's seems to be built like a tank, dang near heavy as one and the transport is glass smooth. It's only negative is lack of any display.
Personally I've never had a CD player or transport fail, though I never used either for a really long term.
I did use a JVC XL-Z1050TN for around 20 years without issue but sold it after my total conversion to PC based.

Simple: so far, I don't want my computer (or phone) in my stereo system.
That is why it (a desk top) is on it's own only connected to the internet by a WiFi signal canister thing in the office.
My home is only 1100 square feet but my office is self contained.
If I did not have to have a phone on me (because my mother is 90 & who knows when I might be needed, I wouldn't carry it either.
I have always felt that the phone is for my convenience.
Back in the 70's, I had an answer machine on my landline, the phone would ring 6 times & then the machine would pickup.
If you did not say something to the answer machine, you would not get a call back (even though I could backtrack the number, if I wanted to).
And even if you did say something to the machine, you may or may not have gotten a call back.
A line installed in my room with my own phone # was my birthday present when I turned 14. But the monthly bill was mine.

 

[Wolf11Man]

I came across some cheap no name DVD player that did sound simply ugly. It sure depends on the reproduction gear and music you use whether such a player matters.
It is not so much the frequency response, compared to a loudspeaker in a room any 8$ CD player is dead linear. It is the sound stage and atmosphere that is missing with really bad gear.
You will not hear the difference of a 99.8% perfect CD player compared to a 99.3% one, but you sure hear when you change over to some 85% junk. Which does exist. Just think of those mobile players that use the same output for headphones and line out. That may not always result in Hiend quality.
It is a bit similar to cables. If you got a 100% cable, there is no one with 101% sound quality, but if something is physicaly wrong with it, the 80% cable is audible.

 

[aagstn]

I can definitely hear the difference on the modern CD players that don't support gapless playback. That pause between tracks on a classical or live album that is supposed to be gapless stands right out.

 

[Sal1950]

I can definitely hear the difference on the modern CD players that don't support gapless playback. That pause between tracks on a classical or live album that is supposed to be gapless stands right out.

Can't say for certain but I believe my 1991 JVC played Dark Side Of The Moon gapless, and quite possibly my mid 1980s Magnavox also?

 

[aagstn]

Can't say for certain but I believe my 1991 JVC played Dark Side Of The Moon gapless, and quite possibly my mid 1980s Magnavox also?

Anything of that vintage would be fine. CD Players followed the Red Book standard until the last decade or so when this inability to handle gapless started. It would be one thing if it was just cheap players that had the issues, but companies like Emotiva sell $700 CD players that can't handle gapless CDs correctly.

 

[EJ3]

I can definitely hear the difference on the modern CD players that don't support gapless playback. That pause between tracks on a classical or live album that is supposed to be gapless stands right out.

When folks talk about hearing a difference, it's not about gapless or not. It's about the actual audio when it is playing.
Gapless or not is a function of how it plays tracks (with a gap or not.
It has nothing to do with the FR, Dither, Jitter, etc. when it is playing music.
It's a feature.

 

[aagstn]

When folks talk about hearing a difference, it's not about gapless or not. It's about the actual audio when it is playing.
Gapless or not is a function of how it plays tracks (with a gap or not.
It has nothing to do with the FR, Dither, Jitter, etc. when it is playing music.
It's a feature.

I understand the thread. Those differences are nearly impossible to hear so I wanted to note something people actually could hear in blind testing.

 

[EJ3]

I understand the thread. Those differences are nearly impossible to hear so I wanted to note something people actually could hear in blind testing.

OK, it's certainly a difference.
Kind of like the difference between on & off.

 

[Sal1950]

Anything of that vintage would be fine. CD Players followed the Red Book standard until the last decade or so when this inability to handle gapless started. It would be one thing if it was just cheap players that had the issues, but companies like Emotiva sell $700 CD players that can't handle gapless CDs correctly.

Ah, apologies. I clearly read your post backwards thinking it said early CD's player didn't get gapless right.
I don't have any experience with late model CD players, since around 2005 or so I've only played CD's via the transport in my computer or internal rips of them. Also not being into Classical music, I don't think more than a handful of my 5000 albums are gapless. Why do you suspect modern CD players are ignoring proper Red Book std, that is surprising?