Used Pioneer Amp and Stable Platter CD player.

[admin_exported]

Hi

I did a thread earlier in the week regarding buying a secondhand amp to go with a Marantz 63se cd player which I thought i might have been able to get back from my Dad, but unfortunately he won't let it go. Anyway, i've found an almost immaculate Pioneer A400 amp, fully checked out and with a 3 month warranty for £125 and a Pioneer PD-S703 stable platter cd player for £80, again in almost immaculate condition, fully checked and 3 month warranty. I don't know much about the cd player except that the discs go in upside down and that they were particularly good transports. Bearing in mind that I plan to buy a DAC in the near future, would this pairing be good value for money or should I try and get cheaper and take a chance on ebay?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Nick

 

[Tony_R]

nibbo:
Hi

..... Anyway, i've found an almost immaculate Pioneer A400 amp, fully checked out and with a 3 month warranty for £125 and a Pioneer PD-S703 stable platter cd player for £80, again in almost immaculate condition, fully checked and 3 month warranty......

Nick

If I remember correctly, the A400X was the amp to go for - not the plain A400 (but I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong!).

Also - the Pioneer player you refer to only has an optical digital output - and coaxial is generally considered to be best for sound quality.

The stable platter series of Pioneer players were good in their day - but laser replacement is expensive (if you can find one), so I would think that these players are best avoided, unless you're sure it's had little use.

A Cambridge 340 CDP would make a good transport, and you should be able to find one of those in ebay for around the £100 mark.

Another player to consider would be a Marantz CD5000 which has a good mechanism as well as digital coaxial output.

Tony.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Tony. I've been reliably informed that the A400 is the original and the best as the A400x used inferior parts.

I think to be honest I'll forget the Pioneer CD player. I'll get something much better for the money off ebay unless I can barter a good deal for the amp and cd player together.

 

[tonky]

I agree, the a400 is the best ( I have one). It seems a bit pricey tho'

cheers tony k

 

[Anonymous]

tonky:
I agree, the a400 is the best ( I have one). It seems a bit pricey tho'

cheers tony k

I thought it a little pricey but then it's been thoroughly checked, PAT tested and given a 3 month warranty and is in almost immaculate condition. I'd rather pay a few extra quid for this knowing I was going to get something like this rather than taking the risk of buying some old tat off ebay. Not saying that everything off ebay is tat but you take your chances... some people are a bit misleading in their descriptions. Would rather buy local so I can go and see it but waiting for an A400 to appear locally could take some time.

 

[matthewpiano]

I'm assuming the amp you are looking at is at Steve's Hi-Fi, in which case I'd say it was a very fair price. He's built a reputation for being very thorough and actually re-conditioning where necessary.

I think that A400 would make an excellent buy and serve you admirably for a long time to come.

 

[Anonymous]

fair price for an immaculate A400, especially with a 3 month warranty. great amp - I have two and love both of 'em!

 

[cjackson]

Those Pioneer CD Players are awesome, I had the PDS-707. With a disc in there on the stable platter you can pick up your deck and shake it and the disc will not jump! I know this from doing some lively gigs and using that cd player!

Mine cost around £200 new but sadly don't have it anymore as some of my equipment got sold off cheap in dire straits. There is a coll option on the remote for turning the display off whilst playing music. Small things amuse small minds lol!

I also had the Pioneer CTW-506DR cassette deck! Brilliant peices of kit those Pioneers I recommend them to anyone

Although I have seen speakers made by them aparently they arn't very good ? (pioneer speakers I mean)

 

[Anonymous]

matthewpiano:I'm assuming the amp you are looking at is at Steve's Hi-Fi, in which case I'd say it was a very fair price. He's built a reputation for being very thorough and actually re-conditioning where necessary.

I think that A400 would make an excellent buy and serve you admirably for a long time to come.

It was from Green Home Electronics. Seems similar to Steve's Hi-Fi. Very helpful and just ordered it.

 

[theadmans]

I am using a PD-S705 CD player - best £39 I ever spent on eBay. I use it as a transport with a Dacmagic but the internal Legato Link DAC is far from shabby. My machine has both optical and coaxial - I would check this out on the PD-S703 as sometimes the Pioneer UK models had coaxial as well. I am now a firm believer in the Stable Platter mechanism - even highly scratched discs read well in the player.

 

[matthewpiano]

nibbo:
matthewpiano:I'm assuming the amp you are looking at is at Steve's Hi-Fi, in which case I'd say it was a very fair price. He's built a reputation for being very thorough and actually re-conditioning where necessary.

I think that A400 would make an excellent buy and serve you admirably for a long time to come.

It was from Green Home Electronics. Seems similar to Steve's Hi-Fi. Very helpful and just ordered it.

I've bought quite a few things from Green Home and they are excellent. That guy knows how to pack as well. I'm sure you will be very pleased.

 

[Anonymous]

I have an old spare pioneer PDS-703 cd player .... also reads cd's upside down ... only paid a fiver for it from a carboot sale... immaculate condition and came boxed with original instructions, interconnect etc ....

sounds fine and can say that some of my sons cd's that are difficult to read on other cd players play fine on this cdp

Have upgraded my pioneer A400 amp to a Pioneer SA-9800 .... will definately not part with the A400 (this is my second one) .... will use it for a bedroom system

As far as the A400 vs the A400x .... have read many reviews on the net and most people say the A400x is rubbish compared to the original A400. I however have never personally compared the 2 and have never heard an A400x, but can also say that price wise there is not much to touch the A400

 

[Anonymous]

oh .... forgot to say ... for the Pioneer A400 amp, a very good combination (according to many who have owned the combination) ... is a Marantz CD63 MKII K1 signature cd player and a pair of old Mission 753 speakers (the 1st version ... not the freedom model)

I have the marantz cdp but opted for a pair of B&W DM2A speakers instead as I got them cheap ... £50 (these are the 1st version.... handbuilt 3-way transmission speakers) ....

The combination sounds excellent (to me) and bass is superb (you can actually feel the bass)

these DM2A speakers have the same tweeter and supertweeter as the Spendor BC1 speakers .... and sell for cheap on ebay. However, based on reviews, the Missions were my 1st choice