Are all CD players really equal?

[Al ears]

Ha . bonus a day early ! Enjoy ok.

Good job he was in to take delivery.... 🙂

 

[matthewpianist]

Good job he was in to take delivery.... 🙂

Haha, I mostly work from home.

 

[Al ears]

Haha, I mostly work from home.

Nice!

 

[matthewpianist]

Nice!

It works for me because of my not being able to drive (health), but I do enjoy my day onsite each week as well.

 

[ToppingSMSL]

The Rotel RCD-965BX is still the most enjoyable CD player I have owned, so much so that I'm expecting a boxed one tomorrow.

I find my 950 and 970 sound the same.

 

[davidf]

The Rotel RCD-965BX is still the most enjoyable CD player I have owned, so much so that I'm expecting a boxed one tomorrow.

The Rotel players were usually a lower output voltage (around 1.5v instead of the usual 2v), so tended to sound a little smoother and laid back compared to most CD players. They were certainly quite popular at the time - most people bought Marantz or Rotel.

 

[matthewpianist]

The Rotel players were usually a lower output voltage (around 1.5v instead of the usual 2v), so tended to sound a little smoother and laid back compared to most CD players. They were certainly quite popular at the time - most people bought Marantz or Rotel.

I like the Marantz and Philips players of the same period too, also the NAD 5425 (of which I have a very nice example), some of the Sony models (especially the CDP-990 I have), and the first Arcam Alpha player. All quite different sounding, but all with some very engaging qualities.

 

[Jasonovich]

I like the Marantz and Philips players of the same period too, also the NAD 5425 (of which I have a very nice example), some of the Sony models (especially the CDP-990 I have), and the first Arcam Alpha player. All quite different sounding, but all with some very engaging qualities.

Marantz really make them good. I have to say my Marantz SA8005 SACD is the best sounding CD player I ever owned, don't know what magic ingredient they're using, they do sound mighty fine.

I was tinkering with the idea, using CD transport with the Marantz. Something I read on one of the forums, the Oppo BDP-103 Blu-ray player makes an excellent transport due to it's sturdy construction and these are selling second hand on eBay for around £200.

Actually it must be the sun baking my brain, I have no place to put it, unless I add another tier to my rack. Anyway, food for thought for anyone looking to add transport in the near future.

 

[ToppingSMSL]

The Rotel players were usually a lower output voltage (around 1.5v instead of the usual 2v), so tended to sound a little smoother and laid back compared to most CD players. They were certainly quite popular at the time - most people bought Marantz or Rotel.

Was the output voltage really that low? It would certainly make them sound quieter and so they wouldn't do so well in group tests. Might explain the 950/970/975 tending to get four stars rather than 5 in whf. In fact the 975 got 3 stars I think.

I don't see why they'd sound "smoother" though. Unless people think quieter = smoother.

 

[Rui]

Haha, I mostly work from home.

Yes, i also currentelly do my work at home as i work in agriculture which is a litle hard work some monthes of the year ,

but like today i´m on internet at the countryside with air conditioned yesterday it were 40 degrees celsius but with the sun +8 degress ,

there´s a street in the old part of town very narrow and all houses painted white by this time more than 25 years ago we used to carry old man inside the coffee house,

as they were falling everyday in this street due to the reflection of the sun , really ancient one, the heat was too much and inside the coffee house there was air conditioned,

all came back to life when feeling colder, only after the coffee house closed we have no info. about the older men, but i think no casualties happen or i would have heard it ,

as it is 100 meters from my family house near the Castle, the highest tower in Europe, interior south of the country close to the Spanish border

 

[Jasonovich]

Yes, i also currentelly do my work at home as i work in agriculture which is a litle hard work some monthes of the year ,

but like today i´m on internet at the countryside with air conditioned yesterday it were 40 degrees celsius but with the sun +8 degress ,

there´s a street in the old part of town very narrow and all houses painted white by this time more than 25 years ago we used to carry old man inside the coffee house,

as they were falling everyday in this street due to the reflection of the sun , really ancient one, the heat was too much and inside the coffee house there was air conditioned,

all came back to life when feeling colder, only after the coffee house closed we have no info. about the older men, but i think no casualties happen or i would have heard it ,

as it is 100 meters from my family house near the Castle, the highest tower in Europe, interior south of the country close to the Spanish border

My DNA is 37% Genoa Italian and I have an affiliation and warmth for my brothers in the Mediterranean.
It's a long time I was back in Tuscany, what you said takes me back to the coffee shops and cobbled narrow streets.
I hope one day I can live out my retirement on a plot of land filled with olive trees 🙂

 

[Revolutions]

@matthewpianist - did you got the Rotel ok & does it sound as good as you remember?

I picked up an older Cyrus CDT this week for £200. It sounds great. Despite unnecessarily deciding I needed a cd player, I did accept that size was important unless I wanted to keep the unit on an isolated platform on the floor (like I did previously & it was annoying, so say the least).

I came close to buying a CD6000 ki signature, which I’m sure sounded equally as awesome. One day, I’ll move somewhere with a bit more room & build myself a budget classics setup for no reason other than my own pleasure.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Rotel RCD-965BX

Excellent player 👍

 

[Jasonovich]

@matthewpianist - did you got the Rotel ok & does it sound as good as you remember?

I picked up an older Cyrus CDT this week for £200. It sounds great. Despite unnecessarily deciding I needed a cd player, I did accept that size was important unless I wanted to keep the unit on an isolated platform on the floor (like I did previously & it was annoying, so say the least).

I came close to buying a CD6000 ki signature, which I’m sure sounded equally as awesome. One day, I’ll move somewhere with a bit more room & build myself a budget classics setup for no reason other than my own pleasure.

Cyrus CDT for £200. Very nice🙂

 

[matthewpianist]

Excellent player 👍

Yeah, I just need a nice pair of 751s now to complete the classic 90s trio

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Yeah, I just need a nice pair of 751s now to complete the classic 90s trio

I had a pair of 753's 🙂

 

[record_spot]

I've had 751s, 752s and briefly, the rather poor 751 Freedom.

The first two were excellent, probably the 752 getting the nod.

As to the wider question, I tend to go for a sound I like but I've noticed a few players stand out for one reason or another, but I'd say those differences were modest in the main.

 

[Stuart83]

👍😁Talking missions I'm on restoring a pair of 763i to snug back up to the pioneer a400 and Marantz CD 52 MK2 CDP that took a long route of demoes and a more than a few in-between players of all kinds to finally get a noticeable, although subtle improvement I could say was actually there which took another Marantz this time the CD 60.

I regularly listen to the much, much older CD 52 MK2 still and it's as good as any modern budget player IMO, more to the point I had the CD 60 (main player/transport) the 6007 (lives in the bedroom) and CD 52 (part of a mainly sentimental collection of hifi keepers that also lives in the bedroom) running a/b via RCA only recently and found what I believed to be true.

The differences are very subtle even with 33yrs gap in age and almost non existent between the 6007 and CD 52 MK2 if indeed I wasn't convincing myself of something that wasn't there.
I've never been a neophile and cycling through the three players without a bias for either one, i could only honestly say given a blind test it's highly probable I'd know the CD 60 but not be able to spot between the other two.

To the contrary of what is written about technology advances in this and that and even understanding some of it 🤔🤷 I can only say with my two ears I do not hear them here, obviously there is as with anything and instant audible drop in quality with ultra cheap anything in which CDP's aren't immune but asides that it appears a pinnacle of sorts seems to of been reached with quality Red book CDP's awhile ago even in the budget end that gap closes immediately.
The DAC being the obvious fluid part that i find makes the most difference despite other claims of further advancement like hdam and optimized power supplies etc, the Hegal in my small living room has a good reviewed dac that I do hear a very subtle improvement or rather difference with if I listen long enough, maybe there's a hint of the illusionary truth effect going on suffice to say the CD 60 is mainly a transport 🤷

I for one would like to see the return of the older solid built CD trays instead of flimsy ones fitted even to some of the higher end ones, the mid range on release CD 60 (it can be snapped up much cheaper now) CD draw is both wafer thin and bendy yet it's 33yr old CD 52 MK2 counterpart is built like a tank with it's Philips mechanism further testament to their reliability.

 

[ToppingSMSL]

👍😁Talking missions I'm on restoring a pair of 763i to snug back up to the pioneer a400 and Marantz CD 52 MK2 CDP that took a long route of demoes and a more than a few in-between players of all kinds to finally get a noticeable, although subtle improvement I could say was actually there which took another Marantz this time the CD 60.

I regularly listen to the much, much older CD 52 MK2 still and it's as good as any modern budget player IMO, more to the point I had the CD 60 (main player/transport) the 6007 (lives in the bedroom) and CD 52 (part of a mainly sentimental collection of hifi keepers that also lives in the bedroom) running a/b via RCA only recently and found what I believed to be true.

The differences are very subtle even with 33yrs gap in age and almost non existent between the 6007 and CD 52 MK2 if indeed I wasn't convincing myself of something that wasn't there.
I've never been a neophile and cycling through the three players without a bias for either one, i could only honestly say given a blind test it's highly probable I'd know the CD 60 but not be able to spot between the other two.

To the contrary of what is written about technology advances in this and that and even understanding some of it 🤔🤷 I can only say with my two ears I do not hear them here, obviously there is as with anything and instant audible drop in quality with ultra cheap anything in which CDP's aren't immune but asides that it appears a pinnacle of sorts seems to of been reached with quality Red book CDP's awhile ago even in the budget end that gap closes immediately.
The DAC being the obvious fluid part that i find makes the most difference despite other claims of further advancement like hdam and optimized power supplies etc, the Hegal in my small living room has a good reviewed dac that I do hear a very subtle improvement or rather difference with if I listen long enough, maybe there's a hint of the illusionary truth effect going on suffice to say the CD 60 is mainly a transport 🤷

I for one would like to see the return of the older solid built CD trays instead of flimsy ones fitted even to some of the higher end ones, the mid range on release CD 60 (it can be snapped up much cheaper now) CD draw is both wafer thin and bendy yet it's 33yr old CD 52 MK2 counterpart is built like a tank with it's Philips mechanism further testament to their reliability.

Did you consider the CD60 may have a slightly higher output voltage?

 

[nopiano]

I was tinkering with the idea, using CD transport with the Marantz. Something I read on one of the forums, the Oppo BDP-103 Blu-ray player makes an excellent transport due to it's sturdy construction and these are selling second hand on eBay for around £200.

I bought a BDP-95 for a similar reason a few years ago, when they were going relatively cheaply. I think I paid about £225, though they’re often more like £400 now.

But I scarcely used it. It does play SACD which was part of the appeal, though since then I find the dedicated CD player from Tascam much quicker to respond and with a clearer display. SACD machines all seem to spend an age chugging along to read the contents! Very tiresome when you just want it to play.

 

[Jasonovich]

I bought a BDP-95 for a similar reason a few years ago, when they were going relatively cheaply. I think I paid about £225, though they’re often more like £400 now.

But I scarcely used it. It does play SACD which was part of the appeal, though since then I find the dedicated CD player from Tascam much quicker to respond and with a clearer display. SACD machines all seem to spend an age chugging along to read the contents! Very tiresome when you just want it to play.

I'm not sure it's unique to SACD players, my Marantz is pretty zippy on both CD and SACD formats.

Sony CD players I owned in yesteryears seem to experience some sluggishness when loading up the CDs.

My Denon 2800 is a little slow with SACD but I think it's the case with multi formatted players, the laser red and purple beams need to adjust.

 

[nopiano]

I'm not sure it's unique to SACD players, my Marantz is pretty zippy on both CD and SACD formats.

Sony CD players I owned in yesteryears seem to experience some sluggishness when loading up the CDs.

My Denon 2800 is a little slow with SACD but I think it's the case with multi formatted players, the laser red and purple beams need to adjust.

Yes, I read somewhere that these multi-format devices look for disc types in a certain sequence. My Oppo seems to ask, is it a DVD, is it a Blu-Ray, is it a Compact Disc, is it a CD-R, is it a SACD?, very steadily! 🐌🐢

A regular CD player just goes for it, straight out of the blocks! 💨🏎️

(I’ve probably missed off some formats!)

 

[Al ears]

Yes, I read somewhere that these multi-format devices look for disc types in a certain sequence. My Oppo seems to ask, is it a DVD, is it a Blu-Ray, is it a Compact Disc, is it a CD-R, is it a SACD?, very steadily! 🐌🐢

A regular CD player just goes for it, straight out of the blocks! 💨🏎️

(I’ve probably missed off some formats!)

Certainly correct. My Oppo takes a while to determine disc type but certainly doesn't take long in setting it up to play.
Still no idea why someone would use one as a transport though.

 

[nopiano]

Certainly correct. My Oppo takes a while to determine disc type but certainly doesn't take long in setting it up to play.
Still no idea why someone would use one as a transport though.

Yes, good point, as it has a perfectly good DAC and makes far more sense as a player.