New CD Player required.

Rob998

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My old faithful Sony CDP-XE900E has started to misbehave of late, not reading discs and skipping. My discs are clean & in good condition and they play OK in other CDPs. I've cleaned the lens & it's not really had any real effect, so I think it may be curtains for the old thing. It's provided me with enjoyable listening for 15-16 years of almost daily usage so no complaints really.

I can probably justify up to £250 to Mrs Rob.

If I'm buying new, then a Marantz CD6003 would be the obvious choice at that price level, but what about the NADC545BEE? Or Cambridge Azure 550c, 640c or 740c (all on offer at RS at the moment).

2nd hand opens up a whole realm of delights: a quick scan of ebay reveals Arcam CD72 or CD73, Marantz CD63 or 6000 KI sigs galore, even the odd SACD player: Marantz SA7001 & various Sony & Denons.

I'm obviously open to other suggestions too, but no Bluray players please, my A & my V are kept strictly apart!

We listen to loads of kinds of music, so it has to be able to cope with Led Zep, Katie Melua, Moby, New Order, Bach & all points in between.

I look forward to reading your recommendations.
 

matthewpiano

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I'd recommend the Marantz CD6003. Better than the NAD C545BEE IMO (in sound and build quality), and a better sounding player than the CA 650C. (I've had the NAD and the CA and heard the 6003 on several occasions in different settings and systems).

In terms of pre-owned play careful. A lot of the CD63s and such-like are getting long in the tooth now. I've got a CD63SE and its a great player but I think the 6003 is better and has the benefit of being new with a warranty. Likewise with the CD63MkII KI Signature. The Arcams are excellent and I enjoyed owning a CD73T on two occasions but, overall, I feel the CD6003 is a more entertaining machine and stunning value at current prices.

One machine that does make an excellent used buy is the Rega Planet. Often a few about, very reliable, and a cracking sounding machine for the money, though I'd still probably err towards a new player with warranty.
 
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Anonymous

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rob998 said:
We listen to loads of kinds of music, so it has to be able to cope with Led Zep, Katie Melua, Moby, New Order, Bach & all points in between.

What superb taste you have! In my experience a good source sounds good with all types of music though.

I'd get any old CD player you like the look of with an optical digital output. It's digital, all the bits are the same, only the jitter and decode can affect the sound.

Then I'd get a DAC with an internal clock/dejitter and upsampling, with a very good DAC chip in it. Like the Behringer Ultramatch in fact. The analogue part of that is not as good as the digital but still very good, and can always be bypassed at a later date! I use this box to re-time and upsample the digital signal, plus it has very good DAC chips.
 
Concur with Matthew - I'm a bit cautious with s/hans cdps. If you can source one from a dealer with a warranty, it maybe worth the investment, otherwise it's a flip of a coin as regards to reliability.

If you're looking at older ones, check out Rotel. They are excellent players (RCD 965BX or 975) and I still own the 975. One thing to look out for with Rotel 9 series is the drawer. That's what died on mine and Rotel told me that their achilles heel was the drawer mechanism. If that's okay, SQ-wise, they are fabulous.
 

Rob998

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Globs said:
rob998 said:
We listen to loads of kinds of music, so it has to be able to cope with Led Zep, Katie Melua, Moby, New Order, Bach & all points in between.

What superb taste you have! In my experience a good source sounds good with all types of music though.

Well, some of those "points inbetween" might not quite meet the criteria for being "superb" ;)

I'm going to audition the CD6003. Much as I'd love to pair up an Arcam CD player with my Arcam amps, I can only get a CD72 or CD73 within my budget from ebay and I'm wary of ebay CDPs, just too much chance of buying a wrong-un.

As for a DAC, that can be a future upgrade, along with a rack with more shelves......
 

Rob998

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Marantz CD6003s are thin on the ground at the moment, due to being discontinued. Not wanting to buy without listening, my options are somewhat limited without having to travel a considerable distance!

RS say they'll probably be stocking the new CD6004 at about £250 so I think I'll hang fire for a few more weeks. In the meantime I got to listen to an Arcam CD73T at a friends the other day. His system is basically an updated version of mine: Arcam A85 & P85, although playing through some KEF IQ30s (lovely looking speakers with the walnut finish). It did sound very good indeed. If I find one cheap enough on the bay, I might give it a go....
 

stephennic

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Hi,

I was buying a replacement for my marantz cd63se. I tried the Arcam cd73t great on classical however lacked sparkle and drive for rock - got boring preferred the 63se. I tried the marantz 7001 and found it forward and didnt have the natural mids of the 63se. I bought a cambridge 640c v2 -detailed, airy however I was fatigued after half an hour. It was too clinical and not natural like the 63se. I tried the nad c542 and it wasnt as open as the 63se.

The 63se beat the marantz 6002 which seem to lack life. I tried a marantz 6000ose and it was more detailed but less cohesive and lacked warmth in the mids of the 63se.

Its only when I went the next level up - creek evo, rega apollo and consonance cd120 linear did it match or beat the 63se. l bought a consonance but ended up keeping the good old faithful marantz 63se which is still going strong. I hope that helps.

Cheers

Steve.
 

Rob998

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Thanks Steve, I appreciate the info. I nearly bought a nice looking CD73T from ebay but held off after re-reading some of the comments on this thread, especially yours about it's performance with rock music.

I love the idea of a CD63 KI sig, but as has been mentioned earlier they're getting a bit long in the tooth now so am wary of investing in one. I'm going to keep trying to find a CD6003 & hopefully do a direct comparison it with the CD6004 if I can.
 

stephennic

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Hi,

No worries. I havent heard the 6003 but hear good reports of it. A rega apollo or the new creek evo are nice sounding units.

Cheers

Steve.
 

MajorFubar

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rob998 said:
love the idea of a CD63 KI sig, but as has been mentioned earlier they're getting a bit long in the tooth now so am wary of investing in one.
Yeah I thought that til I bought one earlier this year. Best value purchase I ever made. If you fancy one, shop carefully and look for machines being sold boxed with the manual and the certificate. Of course that doesn't guarantee it's not worn out from constant play, but it's an indication the seller has valued it and probably looked after it. That's more important imo.
 

Greenwich_Man

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I know I'm joining the chat a little late - but I got the Maranz 6003 to replace an old NAD and love it. If you can hang on I think it's worth waiting for the 6004.

I don't think you will regret it.
 
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Anonymous

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I am in the same boat, currently looking for a new CD player and if I buy new it will be the CD6004 but I have seen a few nice 2nd hand players, namely the Cyrus CD8x and the MUSICAL FIDELITY X-RAY CD!!
 

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