How bad can this CD player with optical out be for $70

[Smitty2k1]

Looking to add a tiny desktop CD player to my workstation to sit on top of my topping DAC. Hard to find CD players with digital outputs in tiny sizes at reasonable prices.

I'm not sold on this form factor but the size and price is right. What do you think could go wrong?

https://m.aliexpress.us/item/3256802665747355.html

 

[MRC01]

... I'm not sold on this form factor but the size and price is right. What do you think could go wrong?

Plenty of things. Transports have moving parts that can fail, light emitting elements that can burn out, etc.
Will it produce a valid S/PDIF data stream with consistent enough timing for the DAC to sync and de-jitter without glitches? Probably. Maybe. At least you'll have a few days to try it and find out. Then if it fails just after warranty expires you aren't losing too much money.

As an alternative, why not rip the CDs you have to FLAC, store them on a hard disk and play them back from a computer connected to your DAC? That should be more convenient and more reliable.

 

[restorer-john]

It looks very cute for sure. It depends on the CD processor IC on how good it will be. In the dying days of CD, they got pretty bad and were used in all sorts of portable boom boxes. Some were quite good (the Sanyo chipsets), others terrible. We have no idea what's in it, but I'd lay money on the 3.5mm output being not exactly SOTA. The optical could be good.

I'm tempted to grab one just for fun and test it.

 

[Smitty2k1]

As an alternative, why not rip the CDs you have to FLAC, store them on a hard disk and play them back from a computer connected to your DAC? That should be more convenient and more reliable.

To relive my glory days.

 

[Smitty2k1]

It looks very cute for sure. It depends on the CD processor IC on how good it will be. In the dying days of CD, they got pretty bad and were used in all sorts of portable boom boxes. Some were quite good (the Sanyo chipsets), others terrible. We have no idea what's in it, but I'd lay money on the 3.5mm output being not exactly SOTA. The optical could be good.

I'm tempted to grab one just for fun and test it.

I did see some others in a relatively similar form factor that advertised the sanyo internals. Maybe I'll see how much more those were. Lots had internal batteries too, but I figured that was wasted on my application

 

[Chrispy]

Why bother with aliexpress purchases at all is more my attitude. Surely you can do better, even with a used optical disc player.

 

[nsfgp]

Have a computer at your workstation I assumed?? Just get a slimline(laptop type) SATA CD/DVD/BD drive + [either an USB drive enclosure box OR just a 7+6 13 pins SATA-to-usb cable] depending on how you want to mount/put the drive. Can even Velcro the drive to the computer/laptop case if it works better.

 

[mhardy6647]

Coming up with a good, cheap CD transport with optical and coax digital out is easy-peasy.
Just snag an old DVD player. I have two more or less daily drivers (yes, I still spin those little shiny polycarbonate discs, more than occasionally).
Both freebies -- one a dump find (the revered and once renowned Harvard, MA town "transfer station"), and the other from the swap table at a semiannual antique electronics fleamarket here in New Hampshire.


(no, the DAC wasn't a dump find -- although it was inexpensive)


(the Yamaha RX-V1050, in full disclosure, was a dump find -- Grantham,NH, where our daughter & son-in-law live )

I like the Samsung because it will also play SACDs, so both are semi-permanently connected now "upstairs".

 

[mhardy6647]

Oh, and apropos of (almost) nothing, the Samsung is the source of my 'avatar' image here at ASR. It's a closeup of the P/S.

 

[restorer-john]

The OP wants a tiny CD player. He doesn't want a cheap old DVD player that takes up half his desk. I get that.

Hard to find CD players with digital outputs in tiny sizes at reasonable prices.

Anyway, I'm gonna grab one to test just for fun, as I want to see what it can or can't do.

 

[Chrispy]

The OP wants a tiny CD player. He doesn't want a cheap old DVD player that takes up half his desk. I get that.



Anyway, I'm gonna grab one to test just for fun, as I want to see what it can or can't do.

Not hard to mount a cd player off the desk, maybe just buy a case and a desktop-oriented optical disc drive and appropriate connector. I use a few old drives that way, but usually don't bother with the case.

 

[Smitty2k1]

The OP wants a tiny CD player. He doesn't want a cheap old DVD player that takes up half his desk. I get that.



Anyway, I'm gonna grab one to test just for fun, as I want to see what it can or can't do.

Thanks for understanding

I'm interested in hearing your results. I'm not in a huge rush to get a CD player but I'm inheriting my parents fairly large CD collection next time I visit. Should bring back a lot of memories of my childhood. Our home was wired for speakers in the 90s and the CD change was basically like the lights - first thing you turn on when you get home and last thing you turn off when you leave.

 

[Smitty2k1]

Have a computer at your workstation I assumed?? Just get a slimline(laptop type) SATA CD/DVD/BD drive + [either an USB drive enclosure box OR just a 7+6 13 pins SATA-to-usb cable] depending on how you want to mount/put the drive. Can even Velcro the drive to the computer/laptop case if it works better.

I would love something that size but don't want to have to use a computer. I actually have a little USB drive laying around I could use in the interim though.

 

[restorer-john]

Not hard to mount a cd player off the desk, maybe just buy a case and a desktop-oriented optical disc drive and appropriate connector. I use a few old drives that way, but usually don't bother with the case.

Oh I agree totally. And I have enough CD players to sink several ships.

Even so, if the unit performs well, there are a bunch of compelling reasons for it for many people. There are several different types out there too. I also have a full suite of industry test CDs here, including all the tracking, defect discs, interruptions to data stream etc. So we can see what it can do (or not)

 

[mhardy6647]

The OP wants a tiny CD player. He doesn't want a cheap old DVD player that takes up half his desk. I get that.



Anyway, I'm gonna grab one to test just for fun, as I want to see what it can or can't do.

... and I missed that. Whoops.
That said, there are plenty of tiny and cheap DVD players too, although I am not sure they'd all have (had) any digital outputs, much less optical ones.

Passed this one along to Gary Kaufman (www.the-planet.org) for his audio test bench. I don't think it has any digital output, though (although I don't remember with certainty).

 

[jensgk]

Some things to consider, besides bit perfect play back, are:
* How long does it take for it to start playing after disc is inserted?
* How long does it take to skip to next track?
* Does it support gapless playback?

 

[kemmler3D]

The player at the link looks cool, if (perhaps a big if) it outputs anything half decent over the optical, it's worth the money IMO.

My new CD setup is going to be one of these: (5.6" wide, 0.2" thick)

Hooked up to one of these:

At a total of $140. Unlimited bands of parametric EQ included.

It will be nice to listen or rip depending on my mood. I haven't used CDs much in years, but they're definitely a better value play right now if you want to buy used albums.

Almost the same size as the DX5 Lite I'm going to use, (that Apos sold to me even though it was out of stock for 2 weeks... )

 

[thecheapseats]

Oh, and apropos of (almost) nothing, the Samsung is the source of my 'avatar' image here at ASR. It's a closeup of the P/S.



View attachment 271775

gotta' love "DANGER PART"...

 

[Talisman]

Looking to add a tiny desktop CD player to my workstation to sit on top of my topping DAC. Hard to find CD players with digital outputs in tiny sizes at reasonable prices.

I'm not sold on this form factor but the size and price is right. What do you think could go wrong?

https://m.aliexpress.us/item/3256802665747355.html

If you want to spend less and buy with a reliable return guarantee, try this. Not finding any small cd player with digital output, I decided to get a small dvd player and pull the digital stream out of the HDMI output using the amazon basic extractor (so I have both optical and coax)
once you send the digital signal to a good dac it just sounds transparent

Mini Lettore DVD per Televisore, Region Free Lettore Portatili DVD HDMI 1080p con USB, uscita AV, NTSC/PAL, Lettore DVD per TV con AV/HDMI/USB https://amzn.eu/d/abuPeBe

 

[Chrispy]

Curious, is your computer lacking an optical disc drive or digital output or both?