cd player recommendations
- Thread starter ArnieZ
- Start date
One of these has been in my repair shop for a year and a half and in my possession for about eight years or so. Used daily over its lifespan and it is still going strong. Bang for the buck is surely there. Bonus points for its ability to tolerate dust - mine stays covered with all the flying stuff you'd expect in a wood shop/workshop.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-dvd-player-black/4790684.p?skuId=4790684
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-dvd-player-black/4790684.p?skuId=4790684
+1 on Sony.
I've got several 100-year-old Discmans still being used in the garage, the shed, and the mixing board, and a 5-disc changer in the living room I bought used years ago that still works perfectly. AND (I just remembered) the one in the guitar room is dated Oct 1991 - still going strong! All Sonys.
I will admit the original one my wife got me in '86 finally gave up the ghost, though. Used it to death.
I've got several 100-year-old Discmans still being used in the garage, the shed, and the mixing board, and a 5-disc changer in the living room I bought used years ago that still works perfectly. AND (I just remembered) the one in the guitar room is dated Oct 1991 - still going strong! All Sonys.
I will admit the original one my wife got me in '86 finally gave up the ghost, though. Used it to death.
Get something with the HDCD chip. Even if they don't master CD's with that system that much today, the CDs that are HDCD mastered sounds awesome. And there are still CDs released done with this mastereing system. The latest one I bough was Chris Isaaks First Comes The Night, about a year ago.
And a HDCD ready player is probably better over all in sound quality.
HDCD records will play as any ordinary CD on an ordinary CD player.
Buy a used player, you will get more for your money. Lots of hifi-nerds buy and sell gear all the time. Lot's of great deals to be done.
Or look for a used DVD-player with the HDCD chip. You can probably score something good used. The thing I don't like with playing CDs in DVD-players is that it takes so bloody long for the records to load. You press play, then have to wait like 30-40 seconds before it starts playing. Really annoying.
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HDCD
HDCD is a variation of the existing CD standard. By extending the information stored in the CD signal by 4-bits (CDs are based on 16bit audio technology) to 20bits, HDCD can extend the sonic capacity of current CD technology to new standards, but still enabling, HDCD encoded CDs to be played on non-HDCD CD players (non-HDCD players just ignore the extra "bits") without any increase in the price of CD software.
Also, as a by-product of more precise filtering circuitry in HDCD chips, even "regular" CDs will sound fuller and more natural on an HDCD-equipped CD player. When buying music CDs, look for the HDCD initials on the back or internal packaging.
Also Known As: High Definition Compatible Digital, High Definition Compact Digital, High Definition Compact Disc
And a HDCD ready player is probably better over all in sound quality.
HDCD records will play as any ordinary CD on an ordinary CD player.
Buy a used player, you will get more for your money. Lots of hifi-nerds buy and sell gear all the time. Lot's of great deals to be done.
Or look for a used DVD-player with the HDCD chip. You can probably score something good used. The thing I don't like with playing CDs in DVD-players is that it takes so bloody long for the records to load. You press play, then have to wait like 30-40 seconds before it starts playing. Really annoying.
"
HDCD
HDCD is a variation of the existing CD standard. By extending the information stored in the CD signal by 4-bits (CDs are based on 16bit audio technology) to 20bits, HDCD can extend the sonic capacity of current CD technology to new standards, but still enabling, HDCD encoded CDs to be played on non-HDCD CD players (non-HDCD players just ignore the extra "bits") without any increase in the price of CD software.
Also, as a by-product of more precise filtering circuitry in HDCD chips, even "regular" CDs will sound fuller and more natural on an HDCD-equipped CD player. When buying music CDs, look for the HDCD initials on the back or internal packaging.
Also Known As: High Definition Compatible Digital, High Definition Compact Digital, High Definition Compact Disc
This review is pretty enlightening. Reviewed in 2008, the purchaser picked it up 10 years ago at a Salvation Army for $25. It measured rather poorly, but the commentary indicates that some of the poor measurements indicate that the nonlinearities help mask and smooth out some amusical digital artifcats. Also, it looks like there are various versions of Playstation 1, and the best-sounding one was the original release (I think).
Bear in mind that CD players' laser assemblies usually crap out at some point and they usually have to be replaced, not repaired. And if the laser assembly is out of production, you're out of luck. Conrad (Belgian) and I both ran into that problem with our Philips CD/SACD players several years ago.
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https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/sony-playstation-1-for-a-cd-player?highlight=PlayStation&page=2
Not disagreeing with you JB, but if the thing is that good it might be worth buying a backup or two at such cheap prices.
Just so you know, HiFiSoundGuy is a nutcase, and his every new discovery is the end-all and be-all of high fidelity reproduction (I've been a regular on Audiogon for quite awhile.) That aside, the referenced post is from over 9 years ago. If you can come up with a 1st gen. Playstation 1 for $25 or less, it's probably worth the money. And as it turns out, replacement laser assemblies are still available. So you can probably get a pleasing playback system.
Is it so that you have to have it connected to some kind of TV set or computer screen to see what is going on, which track you are playing, time etc? It does not appear to have a little LCD screen on it? If so, that is a bit of a hazle, isn't it? I for sure like to look at the screen to see which track is playing, how long the total is of a CD, total of a song etc.