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

[Joe Smith]

There are smaller-form Sony DVD/Blu-ray players that have digital outs that can be used with either RCA outs or via Coax/Optical. I've been meaning to pull mine out of the upstairs TV rig and see what the sound is going into my JDS labs Atom+ (via Optical). I will do that and report back, comparing to my old tried and true Marantz CD-63 Mark II.

I've longed for years for a simple transport with coax/optical out, small form factor, for about $200-250, but that seems to be impossible. There are units like that with slot-loading, but they all seem to be about $500-600, which is more than I want to spend for just a transport.

I still use CDs a lot...I have a bit of an investment there

 

[Zek]

Something like this ...

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803919497823.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000014.2.40a02e25WwYpwd&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.40050.281175.0&scm_id=1007.40050.281175.0&scm-url=1007.40050.281175.0&pvid=1ec0cf32-0626-484b-a11f-4f4187ae918f&_t=gps-id%3ApcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller%2Cscm-url%3A1007.40050.281175.0%2Cpvid%3A1ec0cf32-0626-484b-a11f-4f4187ae918f%2Ctpp_buckets%3A668%232846%238111%231996&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000028051714966%22%2C%22sceneId%22%3A%2230050%22%7D&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21EUR%2140.0%2128.0%21%21%21%21%21%402101f6ba16788919694104223e2eb8%2112000028051714966%21rec%21SRB%21906297164&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt&_randl_shipto=US

 

[raindance]

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.

I found a review saying that the mechanical noise level while playing is very high.

 

[staticV3]

@Zek this is all useless tracking info that you don't have to include when sharing an AliExpress link:

Spoiler: Link

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803919497823.html

?spm=a2g0o.detail.1000014.2.40a02e25WwYpwd&gps-id=pcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller&scm=1007.40050.281175.0&scm_id=1007.40050.281175.0&scm-url=1007.40050.281175.0&pvid=1ec0cf32-0626-484b-a11f-4f4187ae918f&_t=gps-id%3ApcDetailBottomMoreOtherSeller%2Cscm-url%3A1007.40050.281175.0%2Cpvid%3A1ec0cf32-0626-484b-a11f-4f4187ae918f%2Ctpp_buckets%3A668%232846%238111%231996&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000028051714966%22%2C%22sceneId%22%3A%2230050%22%7D&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21EUR%2140.0%2128.0%21%21%21%21%21%402101f6ba16788919694104223e2eb8%2112000028051714966%21rec%21SRB%21906297164&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt&_randl_shipto=US

So the link can be just https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803919497823.html

 

[Palladium]

I would rather get a cheap PC laptop and play music from adblocked Youtube.

 

[notsodeadlizard]

It could be as bad as it should be. This is something very small-volume made by a tiny cooperative out of some unknown thing. It shouldn't even work.

Better look for vintage Discmans with optical output if you want something small.
Sony D-555, Sony D-EJ985, Sony D-303, Denon DCP-70, Kenwood DPC-77 and DPC-92 etc.
CD technology is dead, the heyday was short, CD players have lost a lot of value. What's funny is that cute and unusual outwardly ordinary CD players like the Yamaha CRX-TS10 can now cost much more than really high-quality machines in the form of a standard box. Because no one is going to listen to it.

 

[Talisman]

It could be as bad as it should be. This is something very small-volume made by a tiny cooperative out of some unknown thing. It shouldn't even work.

Better look for vintage Discmans with optical output if you want something small.
Sony D-555, Sony D-EJ985, Sony D-303, Denon DCP-70, Kenwood DPC-77 and DPC-92 etc.
CD technology is dead, the heyday was short, CD players have lost a lot of value. What's funny is that cute and unusual outwardly ordinary CD players like the Yamaha CRX-TS10 can now cost much more than really high-quality machines in the form of a standard box. Because no one is going to listen to it.

It might not be that bad. My identically priced mini dvd player sounds absolutely transparent once the digital signal has been extracted from the hdmi output and sent to my dac.
Is the cd dead? It certainly will be for you, many other people have a collection of CDs that they enjoy listening to, you can rip the CD, of course, and extract the file, but there are small gestures that can still give satisfaction, like taking out a CD original from its case, insert it into the player and watch the digital numbers begin to scroll.
Just like coffee, sometimes pleasure derives from rituals and not just from the flavour.

 

[Smitty2k1]

It could be as bad as it should be. This is something very small-volume made by a tiny cooperative out of some unknown thing. It shouldn't even work.

Better look for vintage Discmans with optical output if you want something small.
Sony D-555, Sony D-EJ985, Sony D-303, Denon DCP-70, Kenwood DPC-77 and DPC-92 etc.
CD technology is dead, the heyday was short, CD players have lost a lot of value. What's funny is that cute and unusual outwardly ordinary CD players like the Yamaha CRX-TS10 can now cost much more than really high-quality machines in the form of a standard box. Because no one is going to listen to it.

Thanks, didn't realize any of those old portable ones had digital outputs.

 

[Smitty2k1]

If you have a DVD player in your PC you could use a free program called Exact Audio Copy (EAC) and rip those CD's to your PC. If the CD's are in good condition it will rip the entire CD accurately. Then stream the tracks using Foobar2000 to your Topping DAC for premium playback.

Exact Audio Copy

Exact Audio Copy is a so called audio grabber for CDs using standard CD and DVD-ROM drives. The main differences

www.exactaudiocopy.de

https://www.mp3tag.de/en/ (tagging)

I've ripped and tagged 1100 CD's and 200 SACD's (with a PS3).

I do understand the allure of handling of optical media. I just purchased a Pioneer BDP-05FD for $100. (can be found on eBay cheap) It is incredible with a great Wolfson DAC that holds its' own with anything today. I use it to play my Bluray Pure Audio Discs and CD's (stereo and multichannel). I've also used it with optical and coax out to a Topping E50 and it works nicely although unnecessary.

I actually have an old PS3 collecting dust. It was such a good DVD/Blu-ray player, not surprised to learn it did SACD too. Cool that you can rip from it too.

That said, it's too large for my desk and I want something that doesn't require a screen to operate

 

[Chrispy]

I actually have an old PS3 collecting dust. It was such a good DVD/Blu-ray player, not surprised to learn it did SACD too. Cool that you can rip from it too.

That said, it's too large for my desk and I want something that doesn't require a screen to operate

Not all PS3s can do SACD, just the earliest ones (and are desirable for tweaking for SACD rips). Is there an issue in mounting an optical disc player in your computer?

 

[Smitty2k1]

Not all PS3s can do SACD, just the earliest ones (and are desirable for tweaking for SACD rips). Is there an issue in mounting an optical disc player in your computer?

I don't want to use my computer and display for this. I want a consumer electronic device that I just pop a CD in and hit play. Something akin to playing vinyl records. It's more about the process and experience.

 

[Chrispy]

I don't want to use my computer and display for this. I want a consumer electronic device that I just pop a CD in and hit play. Something akin to playing vinyl records. It's more about the process and experience.

Interesting, now I understand more. I played vinyl for so many years, disc handling is the last thing I really want to do (cds were a step up back in the 80s, tho, didn't have to get up and flip the record over ). I rip all my cds to drives and manage with a variety of devices for more options these days....no romance for me with a disc.

 

[drmevo]

I’ve been on a similar hunt lately. You’d think there would be something readily available for $50-$100. The best I’ve found is this for $279: https://www.moon-audio.com/cayin-mini-cd-mk2-cd-player.html
It has some Sanyo internals according to the description.

For now I’m trialing an old Blu-ray player with an HDMI extractor so I can connect coax, but it’s kind of buggy (the player, not the extractor). So, I might pick up the Cayin.

 

[staticV3]

I’ve been on a similar hunt lately. You’d think there would be something readily available for $50-$100. The best I’ve found is this for $279: https://www.moon-audio.com/cayin-mini-cd-mk2-cd-player.html

Tangent CD II is another compact CD player with digital out. Also not cheap at 200€ though.

 

[drmevo]

Tangent CD II is another compact CD player with digital out. Also not cheap at 200€ though.

It looks nice but it's $349 here in the US. I'm not sure if that includes shipping.

 

[jensgk]

It looks nice but it's $349 here in the US. I'm not sure if that includes shipping.

According to some Amazon reviews it sometimes skips a few seconds from the beginning of the first track and also does not have gapless playback.

 

[threni]

Interesting, now I understand more. I played vinyl for so many years, disc handling is the last thing I really want to do (cds were a step up back in the 80s, tho, didn't have to get up and flip the record over ). I rip all my cds to drives and manage with a variety of devices for more options these days....no romance for me with a disc.

I've seen projects where people emulate old video game systems, where the games are "ripped" and stored on a drive, but they're "loaded" by inserting an actual cartridge which is recognised via a NFC tag inserted within and this triggers the selection of the game (the cartridge is never actually accessed).

This NES Emulator Build Lets You Use Cartridges To Play Games

You may not remember this, but Nintendo hardware used to be a pretty big deal. The original Game Boy and NES both had remarkable industrial design that, like the Apple II and IBM Thinkpad, weren&#8…

hackaday.com

So for people who like fondling and sniffing bits of plastic while they listen (perhaps this is fun even without the music?) something similar could be constructed; an app which scans the barcode on the CD box (or for bonus points recognises the album art somehow) and adds the appropriate flac files to the playlist. For double bonus points, make some disks skip or do that weird thing I experienced a few times back in the day where there's a ticking noise corresponding to peaks in the music towards the outside of the disc.

 

[jensgk]

So for people who like fondling and sniffing bits of plastic while they listen (perhaps this is fun even without the music?) something similar could be constructed; an app which scans the barcode on the CD box (or for bonus points recognises the album art somehow) and adds the appropriate flac files to the playlist. For double bonus points, make some disks skip or do that weird thing I experienced a few times back in the day where there's a ticking noise corresponding to peaks in the music towards the outside of the disc.

Could also be made for vinyl..

 

[Your Mom'z Senpai]

I was also looking to spin some old discs earlier this year. I picked up an old Sony CDP-608ESD off of eBay. Needed a belt change, lube job and the wood sides had a hug chunk taken out of the back right corner. Cleaned it up and have been happily listening to old cds all year.

Just the other day I had some real rosewood panels made. Finished them in super high gloss. No longer original but I’m loving the look.

Did the OP ever pick up the player he was looking at?

 

[restorer-john]

I was also looking to spin some old discs earlier this year. I picked up an old Sony CDP-608ESD off of eBay. Needed a belt change, lube job and the wood sides had a hug chunk taken out of the back right corner. Cleaned it up and have been happily listening to old cds all year.

Just the other day I had some real rosewood panels made. Finished them in super high gloss. No longer original but I’m loving the look.

Did the OP ever pick up the player he was looking at?

Looking good!