Need a new CD player

[tinpanalley]

A CD player I've had for over 10 years might be dying so I feel like I need something to replace it that will be able to stand the test of time if well taken care of but I know that in many cases older machines might be better than something new. I don't need anything special, I own no SACDs, but I'd like to think about getting something better than what I have (a Tivoli: Model CD) so that I can see for myself what it is exactly that can sound so much better in a nicer CD player, as I keep hearing when people tell me that my Tivoli wasn't very good. I consider myself an audiophile and I don't think I've ever found it to be lacking in any way, but tech is tech and if it really is lacking, then I'm all ears to considering something better.

I have no idea where to begin here. Older used model, new one that everyone thinks is the solid all round performer even if not the most expensive (usually the case). I'd say my budget is sort of unknown as I don't know what I'm shopping for but let's put an arbitrary $300 Canadian on it. I know that that alone will make people laugh, I've heard of CD players going for well over 1000.

Thanks for any help!

 

[sdifox]

Marantz Pro PMD-526C CD/Media/Bluetooth Player with RS-232 [PMD526C] : AVShop.ca - Canada's Pro Audio, Video and DJ Store

Marantz Pro PMD-526C CD/Media/Bluetooth Player with RS-232 [PMD526C] - Audio Sources: The Marantz Professional PMD-526C is a highly versatile yet affordable media player that excels in applications where users bring their own devices to the venue. The PMD-526C plays not only CD media but...

www.avshop.ca

 

[repoman0]

I liked my Onkyo C-7030 before I gave up on actually loading CDs and just used the Bluetooth and Spotify features in my receiver. Still lying around unused and it’s apparently worth twice what I paid 7 years ago …

 

[tinpanalley]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I like that marantz. But I'm curious, to learn, what is it that made you know to recommend that particular player?

 

[sdifox]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I like that marantz. But I'm curious, to learn, what is it that made you know to recommend that particular player?

Availability and price point. CD players dissapeared in the consumer market. You usually get a blu ray player, but you have to pay alot to get one with good CD playback.

Personally I would get a BluRay player and see if its analogue out is better than using the receiver's DAC and decide where to do the conversion. It's a 38 year old tech, so not much innovation.

 

[Thump553]

Don't all blu-ray players play audio CDs? I have an el-cheapo blu-ray player that I use to play audio CDs on the rare occasions I need to and never noticed any problems.

I still buy quite a few CDs but I immediately rip them to FLAC on my computer (using Exact Audio Copy-free and great). Just replaced the internal CD reader/burner on my desktop computer for less than $20US.

Speaking of cheap, about a month I was walking through Walmart and saw a blu-ray player for about $25US with a sticker on the box saying it included (3-5, I forget the exact number) free redbox rentals. That's getting close to a zero net cost.

 

[tinpanalley]

Availability and price point. CD players dissapeared in the consumer market. You usually get a blu ray player, but you have to pay alot to get one with good CD playback.

Personally I would get a BluRay player and see if its analogue out is better than using the receiver's DAC and decide where to do the conversion. It's a 38 year old tech, so not much innovation.

I've got a PS4 and PS3 but they're not connected to the stereo receiver in the same way as the other components and you'd need to have the TV on for a display. Sort of annoying.

 

[sdifox]

I've got a PS4 and PS3 but they're not connected to the stereo receiver in the same way as the other components and you'd need to have the TV on for a display. Sort of annoying.

Then get a blu ray player with a lcd display and hardware playback buttons on the faceplate.

You don't have any old dvd player lying around? I stil have my Pioneer DV-505 from 1997. Also have a 3 CD player/ MD recorder and a 60 CD changer.

 

[tinpanalley]

Then get a bly ray player with a lcd display and hardware playback buttonson the faceplate.

You don't have any old dvd player lyong around? I stil have my Pioneer DV-505 from 1997. Also have a 3 CD player/ MD recorder and a 60 CD changer.

I do, I have a Philips DVP-6950 I bought in 2006 because it was easy to make region-free. But how could that possibly be better than the Marantz you showed me?

 

[sdifox]

I do, I have a Philips DVP-6950 I bought in 2006 because it was easy to make region-free. But how could that possibly be better than the Marantz you showed me?

300 bux cheaper. Hook it up, try it out. If you are not happy then buy the Marantz.
I would rather spend the 300 on content.
My home theatre setup cost me ten grand, but my content is around 40 grand.

 

[tinpanalley]

300 bux cheaper. Hook it up, try it out. If you are not happy then buy the Marantz.
I would rather spend the 300 on content.
My home theatre setup cost me ten grand, but my content is around 40 grand.

What do I look for if I want to compare specs? Between these two or any other. The marantz doesn't seem to specify what kind of DAC it has? But the dynamic range on the marantz does have a far deeper lower end.

 

[sdifox]

What do I look for if I want to compare specs? Between these two or any other. The marantz doesn't seem to specify what kind of DAC it has? But the dynamic range on the marantz does have a far deeper lower end.

No one buying pro gear care about what hardware is in it. They just care that it works and will keep working. They do have a threshold they have to meet to be in pro market.

The whole dac marketing thing is aimed at consumers.

 

[tinpanalley]

No one buying pro gear care anout what hardware is in it. They just care that it works and will keep working. They do have a threshold they have to meet to be in pro market.

The whole dac marketing thing is aimed at consumers.

Ok, but pro gear has some discernable difference from consumer gear, doesn't it? My Philips DVD player cant be the same as a 300 CD player can it?

 

[sdifox]

Ok, but pro gear has some discernable difference from consumer gear, doesn't it? My Philips DVD player cant be the same as a 300 CD player can it?

Why not? CD is old tech, it doesn't take much to get decent playback.

 

[tinpanalley]

Why not? CD is old tech, it doesn't take much to get decent playback.

Alright.. Well then, and this is sheer ignorance on my part, and perhaps getting more philosophical than we expected to get but then is more expensive gear purely there for the self gratification of people with lots of money to spend to make themselves feel more savvy about tech than they actually are? The internet seems flooded with people willing to believe you dont get good sound for less than $1500 (as I say this I can hear you and even myself saying "the internet is flooded with people willing to believe lots of things ..")

 

[sdifox]

Alright.. Well then, and this is sheer ignorance on my part, and perhaps getting more philosophical than we expected to get but then is more expensive gear purely there for the self gratification of people with lots of money to spend to make themselves feel more savvy about tech than they actually are? The internet seems flooded with people willing to believe you dont get good sound for less than $1500 (as I say this I can hear you and even myself saying "the internet is flooded with people willing to believe lots of things ..")

AV world is full of snake oil salesmen and lots of willing believers. This predates the internet. Hookup the Phillips dvd player, stick in an album you are intimately familiar with and listen. If you like the sound, use it. Otherwise buy a dedicated CD player.

Also, isn't your current player still working? What makes you think it is dying?

 

[tinpanalley]

Hookup the Phillips dvd player, stick in an album you are intimately familiar with and listen.

Doing that right now.

Also, isn't your current player still working? What makes you think it is dying?

Buzzing and crackling no matter how I connect it. Tivoli wrote me back and said,

"This isn't a known issue with this product, but if you're hearing a buzzing sound with the unit on, then in my experience it's most likely a power supply issue. I recommend replacing the power cord for your Model CD"

They link to this but don't ship to Canada. I suppose I can find any other on Amazon or Ebay?

 

[sdifox]

Lol a wallwart? You just need to find one with the same voltage, same or bigger amperage and same size barrel connector. There is a polarity so check your current one and match that. Usually the inside is positive, but you never know. I can tell you that is not a very good CD player lol. Clock radios have internal power supply.

I never get rid of my wallwarts, you never know when you need one.

 

[tinpanalley]

Lol a wallwart? You just need to find one with the same voltage, same or bigger amperage and same size barrel connector. There is a polarity so check your current one and match that. Usually the inside is positive, but you never know. I can tell you that is not a very good CD player lol. Clock radios have internal power supply.

I never get rid of my wallwarts, you never know when you need one.

So wallwart indicates a less than optimal cd player because it has no built in power supply? Is that more or less it?

 

[sdifox]

So wallwart indicates a less than optimal cd player because it has no built in power supply? Is that more or less it?

Normally you have the power supply inside. That way you can control noise. Mind you, Tivoli is probably doing it that way to reduce the cabinet size.

 

[biostud]

I still buy quite a few CDs but I immediately rip them to FLAC on my computer (using Exact Audio Copy-free and great). Just replaced the internal CD reader/burner on my desktop computer for less than $20US.

This

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Ok, but pro gear has some discernable difference from consumer gear, doesn't it? My Philips DVD player cant be the same as a 300 CD player can it?

Actually...
Here's the thing: Digital is digital. It's either 0 or 1.
Now, the thing that USED to differentiate between CD players was the quality of the transport mechanism and the precision of the motor/lens reader assembly.
A plastic-made deck would not sound as good as some "established" HiFi players with dampening mechanisms and heavy transports.

And then came the DVD. Compared with the CD, the precision of the DVD playing mechanism was three times better, starting with a more focused laser lens and a better error/jitter correction at the electronic stage. And then came the Blu-ray, which made the laser even more precise.

So it's pretty much a given that even the absolute cheapest blu-ray player would be an absolute stellar CD player, with a digital reproduction quality indistingushable from top-of-the-line CD players from the mid-90s.

The only other thing that makes a difference is the digital-to-analog converter... if you're listening to your CDs via analog (why?) outputs, a cheap integrated player will have stereo output comparable to a motherboard chipset... because the manufacturers will assume you will use the digital connection.

 

[tinpanalley]

Actually...
Here's the thing: Digital is digital. It's either 0 or .
Now, the thing that USED to differentiate between CD players was the quality of the transport mechanism and the precision of the motor/lens reader assembly.
A plastic-made deck would not sound as good as some "established" HiFi players with dampening mechanisms and heavy transports.

And then came the DVD. Compared with the CD, the precision of the DVD playing mechanism was three times better, starting with a more focused laser lens and a better error/jitter correction at the electronic stage. And then came the Blu-ray, which made the laser even more precise.

So it's pretty much a given that even the absolute cheapest blu-ray player would be an absolute stellar CD player, with a digital reproduction quality indistingushable from top-of-the-line CD players from the mid-90s.

The only other thing that makes a difference is the digital-to-analog converter... if you're listening to your CDs via analog (why?) outputs, a cheap integrated player will have stereo output comparable to a motherboard chipset... because the manufacturers will assume you will use the digital connection.

Hmm.. I haven't got a digital input though on my Sonos Connect. So that would impede the way we listen to CDs. And coax audio is the only digital output on this dvd player.

 

[sdifox]

Hmm.. I haven't got a digital input though on my Sonos Connect. So that would impede the way we listen to CDs. And coax audio is the only digital output on this dvd player.

Your receiver doesn't have coax digital input?

 

[tinpanalley]

Your receiver doesn't have coax digital input?

I knew someone was gonna ask that. And probably you.
Yes. It does. And in fact, it's how I usually set up the DVD player for DVD watching so I can get 5.1 audio from them. However, unfortunately when you let sources go through the amp first and THEN to the Sonos, it causes a delay of 2 seconds between the instant play of the receiver and the Wifi play of the Sonos Connect to the Move in the other room. And we didn't think it was gonna be annoying, but it is. As we do stuff around the apartment the delay is just audible enough everywhere.
What's the real-world comparison here? AM radio and 24-bit SACD (yes, I'm exaggerating for effect) or just an on-paper technical improvement? And if it's a worthwhile thing to invest in then maybe I need a CD player with a good quality DAC?