Soundbar connection

[Hi-Fi newbie]

Hi 👋🏻
I’m looking for some help please.
I have an old Philips CDR 802 CD player/recorder that I’d like to connect to a soundbar or speakers. I have no amp as the old Technics Hi-Fi system I used to use, no longer works.

Is it possible to connect directly to a soundbar/speakers? The CD player has the following connections:
Optical In
Digital In/Out
Analog L/R, In/Out

I’d really appreciate your help/advice.
Thank you ☺️
Matt.

 

[Gray]

More important to say what inputs your soundbar (or any powered speaker) has Matt 👍
The good news is that it will be possible....

 

[Hi-Fi newbie]

Ah, so I haven’t actually bought one yet as I didn’t know whether it’d be possible… Could you please advise me as to what inputs the soundbar would need to have? Thank you for your reply and the good news, it’s very much appreciated 👍🏻

 

[Witterings]

If you've not bought yet you might want to think about what other uses you may have for either the soundbar or speakers ... whichever you buy, i.e. TV input or will you ever add a streamer to it?
The fact you're asking about attaching a CD player says you probably want it for music as opposed to TV in which case as a rule of thumb speakers will probably sound better than a soundbar.
Your outputs are coaxial and analogue L/R (commonly called RCA) so you need speakers / soundbar that has one of those inputs and then appropriate leads.
The fact you mention soundbar infers you want smaller so probably active bookshelf speakers may suit better than a seperate amp and speakers, a starting point may be a pair of Q Acoustic M20's but you can go from there to speanding 10's of thousands of pounds.

A budget would help and also room size and do you see this as a start of a HiFi journey in which case recommendations at this stage could be very different t save buying again on the future.

 

[Witterings]

Just noted as well you used to have an amp which I guess means you've still got the speakers?? in which case why not look for another amp to go with them??

 

[Hi-Fi newbie]

Thank you for your reply. I won’t be looking to add a TV or streamer, perhaps only my PC which is where I have additional music stored digitally. Yes the aim is to have smaller equipment, I’ve not heard of active bookshelf speakers before so I will have a look at those. Just had a very quick look on-line & prices are fine, would be happy to spend up to £500 maybe. The room they’ll be situated in is 2.6m x 3.6m. I don’t see it being a Hi-Fi journey, would just like a decent sound, doesn’t have to be amazing. The speakers I used originally were part of a standard Techincs Hi-Fi system but one of the ‘cones?’ has torn. Thank you very much.

 

[Witterings]

I've not heard them but I'm quite a fan of Elac speakres and have a pair of their B 5.2's in my kitchn living room, these may be worth a look at

ELAC Debut ConneX DCB41 Powered Speakers - Black Ash

Small speakers, big sound. The Debut ConneX DCB4 breathe new life into the world of powered bookshelf speakers. With an array of connectivity options and enhanced bass response, there's no limitation. These speakers are also compatible with smartphones meaning you can stream from all your...

petertyson.co.uk

Add a WiiM mini streamer for £89 (probably less on Black Friday) and you can play the digital music on your PC using a mobile phone / tablet as a remote control from the comfort of your armchair 😀

 

[Gray]

You've got a fair choice of powered speakers Matt.
In your position I'd be looking at the Adam T5 model*, sold singularly, but a pair will (currently) cost you £260.....because it does what you want, without including things you don't really need.
Trouble with many powered speakers, is that their own volume controls can be inconveniently placed - because they're not intended for frequent adjustment, rather for level presetting, with something upstream doing the volume controlling.
In the case of the Adam, there's a control on each cabinet - making things worse.
A passive volume control could be your answer - but you need to give it some consideration.
* Member Jason @Jasonovich is an Adam fan / owner - he'll probably explain why you should get them 😉

An alternative would be a small amp feeding a small pair of standard, non-powered (passive) speakers. That opens up your choices even further.

I'm one of those people that might have thought this little thing too cheap to be any good.....till I bought a couple:

LEPY LP-2020A Amplifier : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Compact, versatile amplifier with RCA input, blue LED, and aluminum alloy housing for efficient heat distribution. Ideal for cars, motorcycles, or boats.

www.amazon.co.uk

It's actually not unlike the sort of amps that are built in to powered speakers anyway.
And its single input would take your CD player - an input expander (simple switcher) could be used if necessary in the future.
It could give you more conveniently located control of your volume - as well as allowing for a choice of speakers.

Either way, as @Witterings rightly suggested - a pair of speakers will be better than a soundbar for your CD player (although a torn cone is another reason to forget any idea of using your Technics ones) 👍

 

[Witterings]

Trouble with many powered speakers, is that their own volume controls can be inconveniently placed - because they're not intended for frequent adjustment, rather for level presetting, with something upstream doing the volume controlling.

This is actually a valid point and probably a good reason for having a streamer as well which could be used as a Pre Amp .... A WiiM Pro would do the job if he wanted to control volume with a phone .... could buy a remote if not or for a small amount more a Pro Plus which comes with a remote and would give a choice of using the DAC on that or the speakers.

One of thse Micro amps you mention (especially if it had a trigger) a Pro Plus and a pair of Wharfdale 9 or 9.1 or 10.1 speakers would be a great little system ... if budget allowed maybe a Fosi Audio ZA 3 (currently on offer on Amazon with the 48v power supply) which does have a trigger.
Wharfedale 10.1's currently on offer at Audio Affair.

 

[Hi-Fi newbie]

Thanks so much for all your help @Gray & @Witterings i really appreciate it, plenty for me to look into 👍🏻