Old classic CD player vs new

admin_exported

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Aug 10, 2019
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Hi All, I need your collective expertise please.

My Musical Fidelity CDT (Frogeye CD) died a couple of years ago and I have been playing my ipod through my system. I am looking to get a new CD player but am on a budget. I have been looking on ebay etc for players which, in their day received rave reviews such as Marantz CD63SE KI signature, Rega Planet or the Cambridge CD4SE. These are going for 120-170. However I can get a demo, warranted player from Richer sounds for the same sort of money, such as Cambridge Azur 640 Cv2 or Marantz 6002. Are these new, budget players going to give me the same quality as the older classics? I am running them through Musical Fidelity Preamp with bridged Typhoon monoblocks into Rogers LS3/5As on HEavy Foundation type stands. I have just bought QED Silver Anniversary XT speaker cable but not yet put into the mix. To add confusion I also have a Cambridge Azur 540R for my Home cinema set up. I use the direct out preamps from the 540R into my MF preamp so that I can have my Rogers as my front speakers and have Mission AF1 Cheapish NXT panels) for my surrounds with a Mission sub. This gives extra bass to the Rogers, and they obviously sound worlds better then the Mission fronts, but I want to get back to quality sound with the CD straight into the MF set up. So, I guess my first question is 'What CD...new or old....and what to recommend with a small budget?'

Thanks, PTB
 

unison

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I recently got my 63ki out of the loft and ran it through by Cyrus dac, as well as my amp. It sounded good. At the same time my friend has just bought a 6003 maranta. While the KI has a distinctive sound that I like I have to say the 6003 sounds better in every department to me. With speakers and amps you get good value secondhand. I guess because they are well developed technology , with no major advances in many years. CD player technology has, hasn't it. I am also familiar with Cambridge 640, which is much more full bodied than the KI , but may suit your system better. Another friend previously had a planet, when I was using the KI, it definitely didn't have the resolution of the KI, or the 640. I know it is a matter of system matching, but my friends 6003 really did impress me,, so audition that
 

unison

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I recently got my 63ki out of the loft and ran it through by Cyrus dac, as well as my amp. It sounded good. At the same time my friend has just bought a 6003 maranta. While the KI has a distinctive sound that I like I have to say the 6003 sounds better in every department to me. With speakers and amps you get good value secondhand. I guess because they are well developed technology , with no major advances in many years. CD player technology has, hasn't it. I am also familiar with Cambridge 640, which is much more full bodied than the KI , but may suit your system better. Another friend previously had a planet, when I was using the KI, it definitely didn't have the resolution of the KI, or the 640. I know it is a matter of system matching, but my friends 6003 really did impress me,, so audition that
 

Mr Morph

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PTB said:
I have been looking on ebay etc for players which, in their day received rave reviews such as Marantz CD63SE KI signature, Rega Planet or the Cambridge CD4SE.

Hi PTB. As you can see from my signature I'm a fan of the old kit, but I have to say that you should start to be aware that spares for the players you're mentioning ie, the Marantz 63KI and CD4SE are starting to be difficult to get. Neither of these players were built to survive long term (both of them 15yrs old) and personally I think you would be better off investing your money in a quality DAC. I can't really fault the players you talk about on sound quality terms, and you'll be doing well if you can find something that sounds as good for a similar price. It's always a gamble buying second hand.

Transports are easy to come by, and have relatively little impact on the sound quality, and a DAC will have a much longer life span. If I was in your position, I'd be more inclined to audition a few modern DAC's, and save for one that meets your taste.
 
T

the record spot

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Sound-wise, the old stuff can be excellent. However, the technology is moving on and standalone CDPs don't cut it for me anymore to some degree. I'm looking for more functionality and better connectivity (e.g. Harman's HD990, Audiolab's 8200 series gear) with onboard DACs. You get the idea.

With that in mind, compare and contrast. If the older gear is still holding up mechanically, try out an offboard standalone DAC. If they're starting to grind, think about alternatives. The HD990, incidentally, has dropped from its original £500 and can be had for £300 if you shop around (Edinburgh's Home Cinema Centre has it for that price just now) and it apparently a similar tech-spec to that found in the pricier Cambridge 840C, balanced XLRs, onboard DAC, etc. I heard it last year and was deeply impressed by what it could do. A fine sounding bit of kit and well worth considering.
 
For me the older CDPs are risky from a reliability point of view. Usually, like old cars, if one thing starts to go wrong you have a plethora of subsequent problems. If you do decide to buy oldies, try and purchase from a dealer - at least then you get a warranty.
 

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