BillG
Major Contributor
I'm an expat American that's been here for 23 years now, and I'm never returning to the US...
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I'm an expat American that's been here for 23 years now, and I'm never returning to the US...
restorer-john
Grand Contributor
He's messing around with the 14bit TDA-1540D/SAA-7030 etc. Fantastic D/A converter if you aren't interested in low level resolution.
The guy is deluded. Where are the Japanese engineers?
The Philips engineers had nothing without Sony. No signal processing, no error correction, nothing. They had a noisy idea, that's all.
The early Philips machines are a sad mess of typical European 'design'. Bodges, fixes, glued on components, poor ergonomics, hideous aesthetics and unfathomable schematics drawn by the tea-lady after a few drinks.
It's actually funny to open up say a CD-200 and a CDP-101 side by side.
I just bought a beautiful Sony CDP-338ESD locally for $200. A pretty large purchase for me for something that old, but I have wanted a Sony ES CD player for quite a while (mostly for the “wooden sides” look, but they do have a great reputation for sound as well). These ES players seem to be quite a bit harder to find and generally command more money in the US than in Europe or Asia. Its cosmetic condition isn’t museum-quality, but it is acceptable to me. Now, unbeknownst to me when I bought it, it is a 100V Japanese model, as apparently the 338ESD was sold as the 608ESD in North America. Luckily, I found a high quality Japanese step-down transformer a couple of weeks ago for only a few dollars. I’m not sure if this Sony was ever used on 120V electricity for more than a few minutes - the guy I bought it from seemed like a collector/flipper, and I doubt he had used it much if at all.
Overall, it seems to be in good operating condition, and sounds quite good indeed. There are 2 things to mention, however:
1. It sometimes has problems starting to play track 1 on a CD. It either won’t start playing the track, or it will keep jumping a few seconds, like the laser can’t “lock on” to the CD. This seems to stop happening the longer it has been turned on, but it could also have to do with the laser being exercised, as I have kept playing CDs and/or skipping tracks whenever this has happened. Also, it will usually play the problem track if I stop and restart or eject and re-insert the CD. I have not had any skipping after it has already started to successfully play more than a few seconds of the track. Besides this, choosing tracks is effortless and quite fast. What is the most likely culprit of this problem?
2. The motorized line out/headphone jack will not move if I try to adjust the volume using the Sony RM-AV3000 universal remote control. Unfortunately, I don’t have the original remote, so I’m not sure if this is an issue of the remote not sending the right command or the motor being shot. Thoughts?
Thank you!
Overall, it seems to be in good operating condition, and sounds quite good indeed. There are 2 things to mention, however:
1. It sometimes has problems starting to play track 1 on a CD. It either won’t start playing the track, or it will keep jumping a few seconds, like the laser can’t “lock on” to the CD. This seems to stop happening the longer it has been turned on, but it could also have to do with the laser being exercised, as I have kept playing CDs and/or skipping tracks whenever this has happened. Also, it will usually play the problem track if I stop and restart or eject and re-insert the CD. I have not had any skipping after it has already started to successfully play more than a few seconds of the track. Besides this, choosing tracks is effortless and quite fast. What is the most likely culprit of this problem?
2. The motorized line out/headphone jack will not move if I try to adjust the volume using the Sony RM-AV3000 universal remote control. Unfortunately, I don’t have the original remote, so I’m not sure if this is an issue of the remote not sending the right command or the motor being shot. Thoughts?
Thank you!
Please check the tag "cd player", I have added some reviews/measurements and am preparing further ones.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?tags/cd-player/
restorer-john
Grand Contributor
I have two Sony CDP-338esds. One I bought new in 1990 and I only just took it out of its box after nearly 30 years. Of course it needed new belts, but both machines are perfect. They are a stunning CD player and only bettered that year by the CDP-X7esd which I also have a few of...
I have reviews where the technical performance was basically flawless. Channel separation was around 120dB, IMD non-existant, THD was incredibly low etc. The quote was "Put simply, the Sony 338ESD is an absolute stunner and worth every cent of the asking price", which, incidentally was AU$1399 at the time.
The motorized line out will need the Sony CD player codes and the universal RM-AV3000 doesn't cover it. But any and all dedicated Sony CD player remotes with the line out +/- will operate the motorized pot. I have plenty of Sony CD remotes here, if anyone has a foolproof way to capture the IR codes.
There are several possible issues causing the problem you describe. If you want to start a separate thread, I may be able to help you.
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Thank you very much for this information! It certainly sounds like this is a very worthwhile CD player. I’m happy to learn about the remote situation; I have ordered a remote with the dedicated line out volume buttons and am excited to try it out. I am definitely interested in getting to the bottom of the issue, as although it works most of the time, it can be frustrating to deal with when changing tracks. I already created a thread on AudioKarma about it, but I can create one on here as well when I get a moment. It has been suggested to check the PCB plug connections and also to oil the spindle motor bearing, neither of which I have gotten around to checking out yet. I appreciate your help!
Ben
Marantz SA7001 review/measurements added, just CD mode
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ments-of-marantz-sa7001-cd-sacd-player.10171/
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ments-of-marantz-sa7001-cd-sacd-player.10171/
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2019
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I have been interested in the Creek CD players and would be interested to hear more about your experience.
technophreak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2019
- Messages
- 16
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The build quality and user functions are great. Menus and buttons are straight forward. I also have the companion integrated amp EVO50A.
The DAC on the 50CD is limited compared to ones that can play DSD. It is limited to 96/24 max over USB, and it can do 192/24 over toslink. I now have a Topping DX7s that is my primary USB DAC and use the 50CD for just CD playback. I have no issues with it's sound and am curious how it performs from an objective standpoint.
gfx_1
Active Member
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2019
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- 96
In the nineties I bought a Cambridge Audio CD6 player and later got a Marantz CD5005 both don't like scratched secondhand CD's.
The 21 euro drive (DVD-RW) in my computer has no problems with those using Asunder and cdparanoia. I play FLAC mostly.
The 21 euro drive (DVD-RW) in my computer has no problems with those using Asunder and cdparanoia. I play FLAC mostly.
I actually took delivery of an Arcam CDS50 this week, sourced at a good price on Audiogon. It's meant to replace / complement an ageing Onkyo DVD changer that has been nice from a convenience and versatility standpoint but has left other things to be desired. The Arcam also has a USB input and handles FLAC files, allowing consolidation of that function to a single source. With so many live concert recordings on CD (along with the vast majority of my music collection generally and a lifelong addiction to reading liner notes) it is hard to see ever eliminating this somewhat antiquated format entirely, though most of my contemporary concert recordings are coming in FLAC format.
Not to get off topic, but $50,000....
https://www.stereophile.com/content...acdcd-transport-and-da-processor-measurements
https://www.stereophile.com/content...acdcd-transport-and-da-processor-measurements
Several Metronome bits of kit have been measured by HiFi News. They are dire, particularly jitter somethines 3 orders of magnitude worse than SOTA.
I assume they have to be that bad to sound different and we all know different=better if spectacularly expensive too...
Is that the CD-S2100? I’ve been eyeing a few players. I love how they sometimes hide measurements and you have to visit other sites.
Archsam
Senior Member
I still use my Cambridge CXU regularly to play SACD. I have most of my music in my NAS now but still have 2 big boxes of CDs that are not ripped. If I feel like it I still play them with my CXU through my Element X DAC via coaxial.
The CXU is great because it is so versatile. It can stream music and video from my NAS via dlna on my wifi network. That was my main setup for many years before I got my external DACs. I think Cambridge stopped making universal players a few years ago. The Cambridge CXUHD doesn't count because it does not have an onboard DAC, so you can't really play SACD unless you have a compatible AVR with SACD decoding capability via HDMI.
Apparently my CXU can rip SACD into ISO files via USB port (so can Oppo players). I have downloaded the software to do that but haven't had a chance to actually try it.
Ironically the function I use the least is to play Bluray discs, which is really what this player is mainly about!
As far as I know there is currently nothing in the market that can do what this player can do. Both Cambridge and Oppo stopped making this kind of players completely. The current Pioneer / Technics universal players do not cover all the functionality of the CXU. I am saving this player from wear and tear now, can't imagine what I can replace it with.
I still have an old Arcam CD73t CD player in a box in my spare room. It is a nice sounding CD player 10 years ago but I just don't have a use for it anymore.
The CXU is great because it is so versatile. It can stream music and video from my NAS via dlna on my wifi network. That was my main setup for many years before I got my external DACs. I think Cambridge stopped making universal players a few years ago. The Cambridge CXUHD doesn't count because it does not have an onboard DAC, so you can't really play SACD unless you have a compatible AVR with SACD decoding capability via HDMI.
Apparently my CXU can rip SACD into ISO files via USB port (so can Oppo players). I have downloaded the software to do that but haven't had a chance to actually try it.
Ironically the function I use the least is to play Bluray discs, which is really what this player is mainly about!
As far as I know there is currently nothing in the market that can do what this player can do. Both Cambridge and Oppo stopped making this kind of players completely. The current Pioneer / Technics universal players do not cover all the functionality of the CXU. I am saving this player from wear and tear now, can't imagine what I can replace it with.
I still have an old Arcam CD73t CD player in a box in my spare room. It is a nice sounding CD player 10 years ago but I just don't have a use for it anymore.
.... I have no idea why nobody sees a market for the CXU or the Oppos any more. In particular as I do not know of a stand-alone HDMI Mch DAC (except some 100 usd Amazon offerings which make wonder.....)
Yes. Solid as a rock. Worth every penny? Probably not, you’d do better with an Oppo 205, but I’ll admit I wanted it to match my A-S2100 amp.
Exactly why my Oppo 203 hasn’t been sold yet, even though I could sell it for almost double what I paid. It plays everything. Praying it dies after I do.
Yeah I can’t find a 205 At a reasonable price. Nothing below 3k. I have been comparing the measurements that I did find online for several players and they can’t touch the Oppo. Might check out the 203 and see how it compares to the 205
Archsam
Senior Member
Sadly the standard response is because of the popularity of streaming. Anybody who is not a hifi / AV enthusiast don't buy disc player anymore. They are more than happy with Netflix and Amazon Prime videos. Spotify have now rendered CDs irrelevant on the music playback front. There is simply not enough sales to justify the R&D for these kinds of players.
A Sony 4k bluray player can be bought for £200 now on Amazon and they're not selling. Imagine trying to sell a £1000 universal player that has functions and SQ that most people will not appreciate?
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