Personally, as someone who has a good mid-level setup, if you aren't planning on listening to and collecting CD's as a hobby then just buy an okay CD player because most decks won't have audio controls and some won't even have a jack for headphones.
If you are wanting to collect as a hobby I would probably suggest going for an actual CD deck, for you find one with both audio controls and a jack, because if anything you have the option to upgrade in the future with good speakers, a nice amp or a high quality receiver in case you want to do that.
Or if you have a good amount of money to spend buy a good receiver and a seperate cdp because that will probably give the best audio quality for headphones. I am not an expert but that is what I have and it sounds pretty good.
Depends how invested you are in the discs. If you have a good collection. Then yes a good CD is worth it.
look for something with a headphone socket with a volume control. Then you have option to use the internal DAC and Amp and if you want to grow the system then of course you could use an external DAC amp down the road.
Having a good solid reliable deck is the way to go in my view.
I’m new to this forum, but I have five Sony CD libraries, a 400 and 300 cd capacity that work in tandem, and two 200 cd capacity libraries that I keep for spares if the 400 or 300 breaks. So far, no problems, and I keep an up-to-date IPad numbers spreadsheet by device & slot and sorted by performer. Hopefully this works for at least a decade. My crazy 2k vinyl collection is too difficult to maintain and too large of a footprint for a 70 year old, so I bequeathed it to my son. I’m fine with the sound quality of CD format, and burn them to MP3, then copy for use in a portable Sony Diskman in my car. Regards
If you have a component system where you can connect digital devices by coax, optical or HDMI, you could just get a cheap department store DVD player (or Blu-Ray) and connect it by optical or HDMI (depending on what your amp can handle) and the DVD player just acts as a CD transport while the conversion is handled by your amp.
I use a PS3 for my CD’s and I have it connected by optical to my Yamaha amp (it’s an old amp from when HDMI was just coming out, so it doesn’t have HDMI).
Get a real CD deck. I like nakamichi or denon. For sure makes a huge difference in sound quality. Even better if you just use your CD deck as a transport, and then run it into an external DAC.
You can get as crazy as you want basically. I will find that new speakers / adding a sub, is more of an upgrade - unless your CD player just sucks.
I aimed for the mid range and ended up with a Marantz CD6004. I've compared it to a few cutting edge DACs and it holds up perfectly. I'd bet money that no one could tell the difference. So basically I'm thinking don't break the bank, just aim for something half decent in the second hand market.
Gotta specify a budget. But imo yea it's worth it to get a dedicated CD player over a boombox
You can go vintage or even a DVD player that plays for CDs.
Just make sure it has a digital output - coaxial or optical. Then you can use it as a transport with whatever DAC digital to analog converter. That's going to give your CD player the sound you want.
As far as the unit - make sure it supports gapless playback (not all DVD players do). It reads discs quickly and the motors not to noisy.
Since your listening to your music on headphones you're going to need a stereo receiver.
For a purely headphones set up you could get a Sony DVD player and the schitt modi DAC and schitt magni head phone amp for under $400
not really, just get any old DVD player from the thrifty and plug it into yr setup. no need to waste money on audiophile BS. i wouldn't go for a cheap boombox tho, since from my experience there's some weird background noise when you use headphones for whatever reason.
Any cd/dvd/Blu-ray player that has a coax or optical output as well as phono output will allow you to grow a really good source, I had an old pioneer cd (8+ year old) that I added a SMSL dac to, to improve the sound with obviously wider soundstage and better placement of instruments in the soundstage, especially with acoustic music.
Yes via the optical output into the SMSL DAC and then to an amp, I was actually surprised at the difference, with a more open sound and better separation.
Kinda.
I bought a CD/Cassette combo for $20 that was made for teachers as a school aid (according to research since I had never heard of the brand). Pretty sure it’s the best sounding smaller player I have ever had and the fact that it’s portable is a great thing.
Glad you to ask. I recently found this CD player on YouTube, I was curious on the topic of the CD players (I dont have one in my current house) and I saw this one. Its pretty cool, it has a good audio quality, it has Bluetooth controls and a Jack for headphones. Its a japanese player and its not THAT expensive like the "good ones". Its minimalist and fancy at the same time, no wires, its portable and you can attach it to a wall.
Check it out here:
https://youtu.be/MZyRiHy46FQ?si=92bAngaDeaE2xiYh
I thrift all my stereo equipment. Using goodwill I've found and used plenty of decent receivers, cd players, speakers and the like for mega cheap. Waaaaaay worth it
I have a Marantz CD Recorder from 1998 and I think it’s pretty good. I seriously think..💭…if you plan on playing CDs 💿. Invest in a decent CD player. Just my opinion. I also have a CD DiscMan I bought in…probably the early 2000’s that still work great. I’m sure you can find one of eBay for a cheap price. Good luck 👍…
A lot of 1980s CD players will have problems though. Transports failing, lasers dying out. CD players don't have great longevity, at least in my experience. But yes, I do agree, when they are working they sound very good.
I have a thrifted Toshiba dvd player (sd-2200) that has a sweet, sweet sounding reference-quality DAC. Theyre only like $30 used. Sounds way better than streaming thru my standalone DAC or most discmans (and ive heard LOTS of them!). But i suspect a lot of early 2k Sony, Panasonic and Toshiba dvd players will be good.
Toshiba DVD players are great. I have a thrifted SD-K620. Generally speaking, any player that touts the quality of DAC inside on the front lettering is a good buy.
The old 2000s Sony Boomboxes sound great if you're into the idea of having that kind of player but want good audio quality. Otherwise most hifi component deck players are going to sound better than the average boombox especially if its one of the cheap new no name units. And a lot of the 90s and 00s hifi decks had dedicated headphone outs with volume control. With good headphones you will hear a difference between different quality output stages. I never really believed DACs could sound notably different until I got a Rotel 855 deck, an older unit known for having good output. And it does, getting that unit was huge for my interest in CDs. And it cost me $20.
I have a few vintage cd players including the excellent Rotel 855. It does make a difference in my opinion compared with newer and cheaper boombox players. I have a couple of MASH chipped portable players by Technics and Panasonic and they sound great....cheap entry point and lots on eBay.
I recently bought a second hand Sony CD Player, connected to my amplifier. Before, I played the cd’s in my blueray player. But it does make a difference!
But if you just want to listen to them on your headphones, why don’t you buy a diskman ?
Absolutely!.
Yes, Blu-ray players can play CDs but nowadays they all have HDMI out. There's a certain functionality to CDs that they have not put into Blu-ray and DVD players. Plus you can get amazing deal on vintage CD players. I just got a high-end nakamichi for 200 bucks Canadian bucks!!!
I have a lot of SACDs and DVD-Audio discs. I have a proper player for them. But, I was curious about a Blu-Ray player. Plus I have a regular CD player and a Sony CD Walkman.
Some can. BD and SACD are both Sony technologies, and their [top-of-the-line BD players](https://www.sony.ca/en/electronics/blu-ray-disc-players/ubp-x800m2?cpint=blu-ray-disc-dvd-players_golden_area-GoldenArea-en_CA-goldenarea_productsdetails_1#product_details_default) still have SACD functionality. Their cheap ones don't.
Also if you have hybrid SACDs that will play in redbook CD player, the BD player will just read the CD layer instead of the SACD layer and play like it like a normal CD.
I also got back to my cd collection recently & went ahead and bought an inexpensive boombox. Found one by Jensen w/blue tooth for $55! It was the best decision for me. With your headphones you should get the best quality sound. Now am looking for places to purchase used CDs to add to the collection
I’m using a used Yamaha dvd player that also plays sacd. It has a good dac because of the sacd playback demand. I have it analog connected to a Schiit Magni headphone amp. That’s my desktop setup.
So, what kind of difference can actually be heard?
I was always told (by several people) that "a laser is a laser" and that the attention should be paid to getting good speakers and that the CD player did not matter if the speakers are good.
Any truth to that?
It’s all down to the DAC (Digital Analogue Converter) that processes the digital 1’s and 0’s into sound. The quality of the DAC determines the quality of the analogue signal you get through your headphones or speakers. The DAC does make a difference, the main problems of a cheap DAC relate to the precise timing of the conversion of the signals which can lead to distortion and ‘jitter’.
All CD players will have an onboard DAC, but whether it is any good is the question. You can buy a standalone DAC to run headphones, speakers etc, but if you can’t bypass the onboard DAC of the player you play the disc on, you are stuck with whatever it gives you.
Example: I rip my CD to Flac on my laptop and plug my headphones in to the laptop to listen. It’s ok, but I’m using the DAC on the laptop, and it’s not a high-spec feature of the machine, it’s usually a cheap component. Alternatively I take the source signal out via usb, optical or co-ax, bypassing the onboard DAC and into a separate, dedicated DAC that I plug my headphones into. It sounds great. The problem with a cheap boombox etc is that it processes the sound through its own DAC first, and I can’t bypass that cheap DAC sound-mangler to get it to the dedicated external DAC in its unprocessed 1’s and 0’s form.
Hope that makes sense.
I with you. Sure, there is a huge difference with needles and cartridges when it comes to records. But, when all the info is gathered by a laser, how much difference is there, really?
I've had this question for over 30 years.
There's a lot of bogus stuff about the quality of the audio. Unless you're looking at something cheap enough to just be non-functional you probably won't hear a difference between CD transports. You *might* hear a difference between DACs, but still, as long as you're not scraping the bottom of the barrel you'll probably be perfectly happy with your sound.
However, there are a couple things I like about having a dedicated hifi CD player:
1) They're quiet! I find cheap-o CD drives make a lot of noise just spinning the disc around which *is* audible over the music. A hi-fi CD player won't do this.
2) It matches the rest of your equipment. A CD player and amp from the same product line is a much cleaner look than a boom box or a DVD player randomly sitting on my shelf with the rest of my gear.
3) No need for additional stuff to be on. I used to play CDs off of a blu ray player that required the TV to be on in order to play the CD. Very annoying when I wanted to just turn the lights low and listen to a little jazz before bed and instead I have to have this big glaring screen on.
The advice to focus mostly on the speakers is correct, but for the player I would recommend setting your aim *slightly* higher than the used DVD players that people on this sub tend to recommend.
I use a Rotel RCD-945AX that I got on marketplace for $40 and it sounds really good through my speakers. I can’t say how different the sound would be for you since you use headphones, but I definitely noticed the sound difference in my basement when using a dedicated CD component connected to my stereo.
I’m considering a MSB DAC for my next dac upgrade, then just feed my current transport into it or even downgrade to a cheaper unit. I like the idea of just one box though.
Define good. I have thrifted retro cd decks over the last 12 months. My daily driver was a 1990s Sony Cdp-M50 which sounds great but the digital output is pants. I then got a 1995 Technics MASH CD player for £30. It came with the original Panasonic batteries in the remote, manual and original box. That’s now my daily driver and the Sony has been tucked away as it’s worth more to me than it is someone else. A friend gifted me my amp and my Canon S-30 speakers cost £30. My two luxury items are my £70 topping dac which was a xmas present and a lovely sub, an MJ Acoustics Pro 50 mk3. That cost me £60 but it’s worth much more than that.
Be patient and build slowly. I’ve been happy with my setup now for many months but am just getting itchy with my speakers. I love the aesthetics, they are a conversation starter but I do wonder if I can get crispier tops with something else for similar bucks.
I'm old, so I might be wrong. So I have 4 aged cd players that all work. The best sounding one with a headphone jack and a volume control is my Marantz CD52 SE. But if I plug my Beyer dt1990s into it, it sucks. I have an Audiolab cd transport / MDAC setup for my phones. This down to the power supply? Not sure. Never been the technical type, im more of a romancer, a dancer, I'm a Capricorn and she's a Cancer.
I suppose it's how you define 'good".
I recently got a new player for a couple hundred, but it sounds a lot crisper than my old one.
But what is really going to differentiate a "good" player is the physical parts of the player like the transport. The durability of the moving parts is a consideration and are you looking for something as a for now or something for a while in the future.
I'm pretty sure I got a good bang for the buck player, but we'll see how it's doing a few years down the road.
The other aspect is to consider what your options are likely to be in ten years. This already 30+ year old semi-obsolete tech. It may be a lot harder to find players later on when the compact disc becomes a relic of the past like a 78rpm.
CD transports (anything putting out bitstreams digitally instead of analog line level signals) can vary in how well they read discs, and how accurate their error concealment is. It's practically impossible to tell how much a CD transport is making up bits with guesses. Better transports can be more revealing in detail and soundstage. It's quite subtle compared to turntable/cartridge differences, but it's there. For those really into CDs, yea I think a good CD transport is worth it. If you get a CD player with a built in DAC, make sure the DAC is good if you're using it. I got a strictly transport, Audiolab 6000CDT, which has a very high quality clock for ultra low jitter, plus a good power supply and digital out to ensure very low noise addition to the bitstreams.
(Bits aren't just bits. When sent through coax or optical, it's an attempted analog square wave, and how fast an AC signal can be made to mimic a square wave determines how well the bits are translated exactly. Any system voltage picked up elsewhere can have enough effect on this square wave output to offset it enough to switch a bit. This is why regular PCs can often be outperformed by CD transports—they tend to have a lot of system noise. DACs clean up most of this well, but the less significant bits that are associated with finer details may not be properly corrected in that process.)
https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-how-much-impact-can-cd-transport-have-sound-quality
In my opinion, yes. I bought a NAD C 538 brand new for $400 and even though I probably could’ve got something almost as good much cheaper (which I learned after the fact) I don’t regret it one bit. I use it all the time and it sounds amazing to me. I was using a boombox plugged into my receiver for a while but decided to invest in a good CD player after I had spent as much on CDs as the NAD was or more.
I have a small 50W receiver that has a single CD player connected to a pair of bookshelf speakers. I also have my turntable connected to this receiver. For listening to music via speakers the receiver is fine. But, like you, I do a majority of my music listening on headphones and the output via the headphone jack on the receiver just doesn’t sound good. There’s a hiss and don’t think it powers my HD6XX headphones properly. So, I ended up getting a separate headphone amp for listening to my records. My solution for CD’s was to connect a small CD/DVD drive that I already had to my laptop. I then connect a small desktop DAC to my laptop via USB and use the RCA outputs from my DAC to connect my headphone amp. Sounds much better.
Advice: I recently moved to France and left my stereo equipment behind. I brought my cds (many boxes worth). I have to start from scratch.
I need solid recommendations on a cd player, receiver(any decent European brands?) and speakers to look for that are old kit now (budget) but can be had for quite reasonable money now. Thanks for your help.
My old CD player finally died a death during the pandemic and I haven't felt the need to replace it since. My Blu-ray player could substitute but since the bulk of my CD collection was already converted to FLAC, I now just play those, and any new purchase, through a Raspberry Pi and a DAC into my hifi. A CD collection at the touch of any browser has not made me miss the physicality of a CD player at all, although I accept some like the experience. In fact it's made me listen to them more, especially since my vinyl nostalgia has also waned.
Lots of good vintage.CD players out there second hand. Ive gone through anything from old JVC to Sony to Marantz, it’s a neat way to enjoy some vintage components that do a job really well.
Yeah the difficulty with second-hand though is that there is no guarantee/warranty. Whereas my local Hi-Fi store has a free 6yr guarantee on new items.
You mentioned using a boombox for its headphone Jack. If you have or are thinking of picking up second hand a 90s model you’ll probably be okay. But I have a recent CD boombox and the sound quality is awful… I think it has a filter to block bass out of the cheap speakers that is still in the circuit when using headphones.
My suggestion is to either get a new portable cd player from Amazon, or go to a thrift store and pick up an old player (DVD player should be fine) and a receiver to connect it to so you can use the headphone Jack. If you aren’t an audiophile don’t worry about buying a high end player or DAC. The lower end gear will be good enough.
After trying a few out, I decided to pay a bit of extra money for a "proper" Denon CD player. While the sound quality on the boomboxes and cheap models is fine for my needs, the volume just isn't loud enough for me with headphones, even when its turned up to 100%.
Thanks!
I have the headphones for my guitar amp so was trying to avoid splashing out on yet another expensive piece of electronic equipment, but I got a fairly good deal.
Thanks everyone for your comments. In the end I decided to go for this bundle: [https://www.richersounds.com/denon-dm41-dab-silver-with-dali-spektor-1-light-walnut.html](https://www.richersounds.com/denon-dm41-dab-silver-with-dali-spektor-1-light-walnut.html)
just bought a cd and fm micro "system" player from Sony @ goodwill for cheap cuz it looked cool and wanted to use the tuner on my old receiver that needs tuner fixed. was disappointed when I realized it only had speaker output on back. but it has headphone out on front, and I use that to an rca input on the receiver. (not using headphones, but at least on this unit as a source output to my system, it really does sound good, better than I expected) it sounds great, was cheap and you have controls for volume and source on the unit, tho I was lucky and it has a remote
this is a great option, as audiophile grade stuff for cd is not worth it for a listener who just wants to hear some cds. also, a laser is a laser is a laser. for most regular listeners, an average player is all you need. I used a blue ray player for a while and was happy- because the rest of my system is pretty great (not really audiophile, just aware of getting it to sound good- have an old harman/kardon amp and some focal book shelf speakers, & smaller satellite speakers in tandem that work great in my apt)
if you can find a decent one (micro system), and you can, there's a lot of them out there- remember cds killed-mostly-vinyl. so they made a ton of the micros.
as others have said here, try and find one with a digital optical output- is maybe better made, and offers some flex for the future
I think great speakers and receiver/amplifier are more important. Personally, I've never been able to detect any difference in playback quality between expensive and cheap CD players when the output is directed to a quality sound system.
Kind of funny when people talk about listening to CDs in an almost apologetic way because it's older tech. CDs still produce the highest quality sound, when you have the right equipment.
Probably not. If you're exclusively using headphones, you'll want a player that has volume adjustment. A good component CD player isn't going to have that.
Absolutely. You can find quality cd players for cheap on local online auction sites like hibid.com
Personally, as someone who has a good mid-level setup, if you aren't planning on listening to and collecting CD's as a hobby then just buy an okay CD player because most decks won't have audio controls and some won't even have a jack for headphones. If you are wanting to collect as a hobby I would probably suggest going for an actual CD deck, for you find one with both audio controls and a jack, because if anything you have the option to upgrade in the future with good speakers, a nice amp or a high quality receiver in case you want to do that. Or if you have a good amount of money to spend buy a good receiver and a seperate cdp because that will probably give the best audio quality for headphones. I am not an expert but that is what I have and it sounds pretty good.
Depends how invested you are in the discs. If you have a good collection. Then yes a good CD is worth it. look for something with a headphone socket with a volume control. Then you have option to use the internal DAC and Amp and if you want to grow the system then of course you could use an external DAC amp down the road. Having a good solid reliable deck is the way to go in my view.
A good DAC is so important. I run an old Pioneer CD player through Marantz DAC... sounds amazing
I’m new to this forum, but I have five Sony CD libraries, a 400 and 300 cd capacity that work in tandem, and two 200 cd capacity libraries that I keep for spares if the 400 or 300 breaks. So far, no problems, and I keep an up-to-date IPad numbers spreadsheet by device & slot and sorted by performer. Hopefully this works for at least a decade. My crazy 2k vinyl collection is too difficult to maintain and too large of a footprint for a 70 year old, so I bequeathed it to my son. I’m fine with the sound quality of CD format, and burn them to MP3, then copy for use in a portable Sony Diskman in my car. Regards
If you have a component system where you can connect digital devices by coax, optical or HDMI, you could just get a cheap department store DVD player (or Blu-Ray) and connect it by optical or HDMI (depending on what your amp can handle) and the DVD player just acts as a CD transport while the conversion is handled by your amp. I use a PS3 for my CD’s and I have it connected by optical to my Yamaha amp (it’s an old amp from when HDMI was just coming out, so it doesn’t have HDMI).
Get a real CD deck. I like nakamichi or denon. For sure makes a huge difference in sound quality. Even better if you just use your CD deck as a transport, and then run it into an external DAC. You can get as crazy as you want basically. I will find that new speakers / adding a sub, is more of an upgrade - unless your CD player just sucks.
I aimed for the mid range and ended up with a Marantz CD6004. I've compared it to a few cutting edge DACs and it holds up perfectly. I'd bet money that no one could tell the difference. So basically I'm thinking don't break the bank, just aim for something half decent in the second hand market.
Marantz uses Burr Brown DACs . They are excellent.
They use all kinds of DACs. My CD6004 uses a Cirrus Logic which is a name I haven't heard since the 90s.
Gotta specify a budget. But imo yea it's worth it to get a dedicated CD player over a boombox You can go vintage or even a DVD player that plays for CDs. Just make sure it has a digital output - coaxial or optical. Then you can use it as a transport with whatever DAC digital to analog converter. That's going to give your CD player the sound you want. As far as the unit - make sure it supports gapless playback (not all DVD players do). It reads discs quickly and the motors not to noisy. Since your listening to your music on headphones you're going to need a stereo receiver. For a purely headphones set up you could get a Sony DVD player and the schitt modi DAC and schitt magni head phone amp for under $400
The Onkyo C-7030 is an excellent component CD player for not crazy money
Get a good CD "drive," rip to FLAC files, save to your phone or a dedicated music device, use your headphones with or without an amp.
not really, just get any old DVD player from the thrifty and plug it into yr setup. no need to waste money on audiophile BS. i wouldn't go for a cheap boombox tho, since from my experience there's some weird background noise when you use headphones for whatever reason.
Any cd/dvd/Blu-ray player that has a coax or optical output as well as phono output will allow you to grow a really good source, I had an old pioneer cd (8+ year old) that I added a SMSL dac to, to improve the sound with obviously wider soundstage and better placement of instruments in the soundstage, especially with acoustic music.
did it work?
Yes via the optical output into the SMSL DAC and then to an amp, I was actually surprised at the difference, with a more open sound and better separation.
Kinda. I bought a CD/Cassette combo for $20 that was made for teachers as a school aid (according to research since I had never heard of the brand). Pretty sure it’s the best sounding smaller player I have ever had and the fact that it’s portable is a great thing.
Glad you to ask. I recently found this CD player on YouTube, I was curious on the topic of the CD players (I dont have one in my current house) and I saw this one. Its pretty cool, it has a good audio quality, it has Bluetooth controls and a Jack for headphones. Its a japanese player and its not THAT expensive like the "good ones". Its minimalist and fancy at the same time, no wires, its portable and you can attach it to a wall. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/MZyRiHy46FQ?si=92bAngaDeaE2xiYh
I thrift all my stereo equipment. Using goodwill I've found and used plenty of decent receivers, cd players, speakers and the like for mega cheap. Waaaaaay worth it
I have a Marantz CD Recorder from 1998 and I think it’s pretty good. I seriously think..💭…if you plan on playing CDs 💿. Invest in a decent CD player. Just my opinion. I also have a CD DiscMan I bought in…probably the early 2000’s that still work great. I’m sure you can find one of eBay for a cheap price. Good luck 👍…
Get yourself a quality single disc player from the 1980s. They are the best built and sound great.
A lot of 1980s CD players will have problems though. Transports failing, lasers dying out. CD players don't have great longevity, at least in my experience. But yes, I do agree, when they are working they sound very good.
I have a thrifted Toshiba dvd player (sd-2200) that has a sweet, sweet sounding reference-quality DAC. Theyre only like $30 used. Sounds way better than streaming thru my standalone DAC or most discmans (and ive heard LOTS of them!). But i suspect a lot of early 2k Sony, Panasonic and Toshiba dvd players will be good.
Toshiba DVD players are great. I have a thrifted SD-K620. Generally speaking, any player that touts the quality of DAC inside on the front lettering is a good buy.
The old 2000s Sony Boomboxes sound great if you're into the idea of having that kind of player but want good audio quality. Otherwise most hifi component deck players are going to sound better than the average boombox especially if its one of the cheap new no name units. And a lot of the 90s and 00s hifi decks had dedicated headphone outs with volume control. With good headphones you will hear a difference between different quality output stages. I never really believed DACs could sound notably different until I got a Rotel 855 deck, an older unit known for having good output. And it does, getting that unit was huge for my interest in CDs. And it cost me $20.
I have a few vintage cd players including the excellent Rotel 855. It does make a difference in my opinion compared with newer and cheaper boombox players. I have a couple of MASH chipped portable players by Technics and Panasonic and they sound great....cheap entry point and lots on eBay.
I recently bought a second hand Sony CD Player, connected to my amplifier. Before, I played the cd’s in my blueray player. But it does make a difference! But if you just want to listen to them on your headphones, why don’t you buy a diskman ?
I agree. If you listen with headphones, buy a diskman.
Absolutely!. Yes, Blu-ray players can play CDs but nowadays they all have HDMI out. There's a certain functionality to CDs that they have not put into Blu-ray and DVD players. Plus you can get amazing deal on vintage CD players. I just got a high-end nakamichi for 200 bucks Canadian bucks!!!
Can Blu-Ray players..play SACDs? Because I do have a SACD player too.
I don't know, because I don't have any SACD discs, but some no-name DVD and Blu-ray players have undocumented support for DVD-AUDIO discs, so maybe?
I have a lot of SACDs and DVD-Audio discs. I have a proper player for them. But, I was curious about a Blu-Ray player. Plus I have a regular CD player and a Sony CD Walkman.
Some can. BD and SACD are both Sony technologies, and their [top-of-the-line BD players](https://www.sony.ca/en/electronics/blu-ray-disc-players/ubp-x800m2?cpint=blu-ray-disc-dvd-players_golden_area-GoldenArea-en_CA-goldenarea_productsdetails_1#product_details_default) still have SACD functionality. Their cheap ones don't. Also if you have hybrid SACDs that will play in redbook CD player, the BD player will just read the CD layer instead of the SACD layer and play like it like a normal CD.
I just played Elton John’s Madman Across The Water on a regular CD player the other day it a dual layer one. But, I have a Marantz SACD player too.
 I also got back to my cd collection recently & went ahead and bought an inexpensive boombox. Found one by Jensen w/blue tooth for $55! It was the best decision for me. With your headphones you should get the best quality sound. Now am looking for places to purchase used CDs to add to the collection
I’m using a used Yamaha dvd player that also plays sacd. It has a good dac because of the sacd playback demand. I have it analog connected to a Schiit Magni headphone amp. That’s my desktop setup.
So, what kind of difference can actually be heard? I was always told (by several people) that "a laser is a laser" and that the attention should be paid to getting good speakers and that the CD player did not matter if the speakers are good. Any truth to that?
It’s not about the laser, it’s about the DAC that converts the 1’s and 0’s to audio. I’ve tried to explain to the OP below.
I don't know. That's why I'm asking the question.
It’s all down to the DAC (Digital Analogue Converter) that processes the digital 1’s and 0’s into sound. The quality of the DAC determines the quality of the analogue signal you get through your headphones or speakers. The DAC does make a difference, the main problems of a cheap DAC relate to the precise timing of the conversion of the signals which can lead to distortion and ‘jitter’. All CD players will have an onboard DAC, but whether it is any good is the question. You can buy a standalone DAC to run headphones, speakers etc, but if you can’t bypass the onboard DAC of the player you play the disc on, you are stuck with whatever it gives you. Example: I rip my CD to Flac on my laptop and plug my headphones in to the laptop to listen. It’s ok, but I’m using the DAC on the laptop, and it’s not a high-spec feature of the machine, it’s usually a cheap component. Alternatively I take the source signal out via usb, optical or co-ax, bypassing the onboard DAC and into a separate, dedicated DAC that I plug my headphones into. It sounds great. The problem with a cheap boombox etc is that it processes the sound through its own DAC first, and I can’t bypass that cheap DAC sound-mangler to get it to the dedicated external DAC in its unprocessed 1’s and 0’s form. Hope that makes sense.
It does make sense! Thanks for taking the time to explain.
I with you. Sure, there is a huge difference with needles and cartridges when it comes to records. But, when all the info is gathered by a laser, how much difference is there, really? I've had this question for over 30 years.
The laser is not the issue, it’s about the conversion of 1’s and 0’s to audio. I’ve attempted to explain to OP above.
There's a lot of bogus stuff about the quality of the audio. Unless you're looking at something cheap enough to just be non-functional you probably won't hear a difference between CD transports. You *might* hear a difference between DACs, but still, as long as you're not scraping the bottom of the barrel you'll probably be perfectly happy with your sound. However, there are a couple things I like about having a dedicated hifi CD player: 1) They're quiet! I find cheap-o CD drives make a lot of noise just spinning the disc around which *is* audible over the music. A hi-fi CD player won't do this. 2) It matches the rest of your equipment. A CD player and amp from the same product line is a much cleaner look than a boom box or a DVD player randomly sitting on my shelf with the rest of my gear. 3) No need for additional stuff to be on. I used to play CDs off of a blu ray player that required the TV to be on in order to play the CD. Very annoying when I wanted to just turn the lights low and listen to a little jazz before bed and instead I have to have this big glaring screen on. The advice to focus mostly on the speakers is correct, but for the player I would recommend setting your aim *slightly* higher than the used DVD players that people on this sub tend to recommend.
Yes.
Why don't you buy a decent one second hand? I guess they will be better DAC-wise than a cheap boom box.
https://apos.audio/products/moondrop-discdream-cd-player
I use a Rotel RCD-945AX that I got on marketplace for $40 and it sounds really good through my speakers. I can’t say how different the sound would be for you since you use headphones, but I definitely noticed the sound difference in my basement when using a dedicated CD component connected to my stereo.
I just say that I really wish have the money to buy an Esoteric Grandioso player ($30K or around) 😏
I’m considering a MSB DAC for my next dac upgrade, then just feed my current transport into it or even downgrade to a cheaper unit. I like the idea of just one box though.
Define good. I have thrifted retro cd decks over the last 12 months. My daily driver was a 1990s Sony Cdp-M50 which sounds great but the digital output is pants. I then got a 1995 Technics MASH CD player for £30. It came with the original Panasonic batteries in the remote, manual and original box. That’s now my daily driver and the Sony has been tucked away as it’s worth more to me than it is someone else. A friend gifted me my amp and my Canon S-30 speakers cost £30. My two luxury items are my £70 topping dac which was a xmas present and a lovely sub, an MJ Acoustics Pro 50 mk3. That cost me £60 but it’s worth much more than that. Be patient and build slowly. I’ve been happy with my setup now for many months but am just getting itchy with my speakers. I love the aesthetics, they are a conversation starter but I do wonder if I can get crispier tops with something else for similar bucks.
I'm old, so I might be wrong. So I have 4 aged cd players that all work. The best sounding one with a headphone jack and a volume control is my Marantz CD52 SE. But if I plug my Beyer dt1990s into it, it sucks. I have an Audiolab cd transport / MDAC setup for my phones. This down to the power supply? Not sure. Never been the technical type, im more of a romancer, a dancer, I'm a Capricorn and she's a Cancer.
I use my old original xbox because I can rip cds directly to it. If I'm not ripping I'll just use any other console or disc based media player.
I use my DVD player. Search out thrift stores.
Yamaha cd-s1000 here…great
I suppose it's how you define 'good". I recently got a new player for a couple hundred, but it sounds a lot crisper than my old one. But what is really going to differentiate a "good" player is the physical parts of the player like the transport. The durability of the moving parts is a consideration and are you looking for something as a for now or something for a while in the future. I'm pretty sure I got a good bang for the buck player, but we'll see how it's doing a few years down the road. The other aspect is to consider what your options are likely to be in ten years. This already 30+ year old semi-obsolete tech. It may be a lot harder to find players later on when the compact disc becomes a relic of the past like a 78rpm.
If you reach high on your headphones why not reach high on an older high level CD player to compliment?
CD transports (anything putting out bitstreams digitally instead of analog line level signals) can vary in how well they read discs, and how accurate their error concealment is. It's practically impossible to tell how much a CD transport is making up bits with guesses. Better transports can be more revealing in detail and soundstage. It's quite subtle compared to turntable/cartridge differences, but it's there. For those really into CDs, yea I think a good CD transport is worth it. If you get a CD player with a built in DAC, make sure the DAC is good if you're using it. I got a strictly transport, Audiolab 6000CDT, which has a very high quality clock for ultra low jitter, plus a good power supply and digital out to ensure very low noise addition to the bitstreams. (Bits aren't just bits. When sent through coax or optical, it's an attempted analog square wave, and how fast an AC signal can be made to mimic a square wave determines how well the bits are translated exactly. Any system voltage picked up elsewhere can have enough effect on this square wave output to offset it enough to switch a bit. This is why regular PCs can often be outperformed by CD transports—they tend to have a lot of system noise. DACs clean up most of this well, but the less significant bits that are associated with finer details may not be properly corrected in that process.) https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/q-how-much-impact-can-cd-transport-have-sound-quality
In my opinion, yes. I bought a NAD C 538 brand new for $400 and even though I probably could’ve got something almost as good much cheaper (which I learned after the fact) I don’t regret it one bit. I use it all the time and it sounds amazing to me. I was using a boombox plugged into my receiver for a while but decided to invest in a good CD player after I had spent as much on CDs as the NAD was or more.
To buy one, probably for less than a hundred.
I got a portable one for about $45 on Amazon a few years ago. So you can get them fairly cheaply.
I have a small 50W receiver that has a single CD player connected to a pair of bookshelf speakers. I also have my turntable connected to this receiver. For listening to music via speakers the receiver is fine. But, like you, I do a majority of my music listening on headphones and the output via the headphone jack on the receiver just doesn’t sound good. There’s a hiss and don’t think it powers my HD6XX headphones properly. So, I ended up getting a separate headphone amp for listening to my records. My solution for CD’s was to connect a small CD/DVD drive that I already had to my laptop. I then connect a small desktop DAC to my laptop via USB and use the RCA outputs from my DAC to connect my headphone amp. Sounds much better.
Advice: I recently moved to France and left my stereo equipment behind. I brought my cds (many boxes worth). I have to start from scratch. I need solid recommendations on a cd player, receiver(any decent European brands?) and speakers to look for that are old kit now (budget) but can be had for quite reasonable money now. Thanks for your help.
Start ripping them to FLAC. Then you'll have a lot more flexibility on playback options
Marantz CD-63 MKII ...try it, and you might just fall in CD-love all over again
Anyone with a clean laser and working output is a good one.
My old CD player finally died a death during the pandemic and I haven't felt the need to replace it since. My Blu-ray player could substitute but since the bulk of my CD collection was already converted to FLAC, I now just play those, and any new purchase, through a Raspberry Pi and a DAC into my hifi. A CD collection at the touch of any browser has not made me miss the physicality of a CD player at all, although I accept some like the experience. In fact it's made me listen to them more, especially since my vinyl nostalgia has also waned.
What is FLAC
[https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/what-is-flac-the-high-def-mp3-explained/](https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/what-is-flac-the-high-def-mp3-explained/)
It sounds a bit too "space age" for me. I like to have physical items.
Lots of good vintage.CD players out there second hand. Ive gone through anything from old JVC to Sony to Marantz, it’s a neat way to enjoy some vintage components that do a job really well.
Yeah the difficulty with second-hand though is that there is no guarantee/warranty. Whereas my local Hi-Fi store has a free 6yr guarantee on new items.
You mentioned using a boombox for its headphone Jack. If you have or are thinking of picking up second hand a 90s model you’ll probably be okay. But I have a recent CD boombox and the sound quality is awful… I think it has a filter to block bass out of the cheap speakers that is still in the circuit when using headphones. My suggestion is to either get a new portable cd player from Amazon, or go to a thrift store and pick up an old player (DVD player should be fine) and a receiver to connect it to so you can use the headphone Jack. If you aren’t an audiophile don’t worry about buying a high end player or DAC. The lower end gear will be good enough.
After trying a few out, I decided to pay a bit of extra money for a "proper" Denon CD player. While the sound quality on the boomboxes and cheap models is fine for my needs, the volume just isn't loud enough for me with headphones, even when its turned up to 100%.
You mentioned having studio quality headphones, so I’m not surprised. Some of those need some power to drive them properly. Enjoy your new player!
Thanks! I have the headphones for my guitar amp so was trying to avoid splashing out on yet another expensive piece of electronic equipment, but I got a fairly good deal.
Thanks everyone for your comments. In the end I decided to go for this bundle: [https://www.richersounds.com/denon-dm41-dab-silver-with-dali-spektor-1-light-walnut.html](https://www.richersounds.com/denon-dm41-dab-silver-with-dali-spektor-1-light-walnut.html)
looks cool
I use an old Bose Wave IV - small and compact, but sounds really good. eBay and Mercari have them.
an actual deck yes. not one of those portable ones you used in high school they still make quality hifi cd players but they'll cost you 300+.
just bought a cd and fm micro "system" player from Sony @ goodwill for cheap cuz it looked cool and wanted to use the tuner on my old receiver that needs tuner fixed. was disappointed when I realized it only had speaker output on back. but it has headphone out on front, and I use that to an rca input on the receiver. (not using headphones, but at least on this unit as a source output to my system, it really does sound good, better than I expected) it sounds great, was cheap and you have controls for volume and source on the unit, tho I was lucky and it has a remote this is a great option, as audiophile grade stuff for cd is not worth it for a listener who just wants to hear some cds. also, a laser is a laser is a laser. for most regular listeners, an average player is all you need. I used a blue ray player for a while and was happy- because the rest of my system is pretty great (not really audiophile, just aware of getting it to sound good- have an old harman/kardon amp and some focal book shelf speakers, & smaller satellite speakers in tandem that work great in my apt) if you can find a decent one (micro system), and you can, there's a lot of them out there- remember cds killed-mostly-vinyl. so they made a ton of the micros. as others have said here, try and find one with a digital optical output- is maybe better made, and offers some flex for the future
I think great speakers and receiver/amplifier are more important. Personally, I've never been able to detect any difference in playback quality between expensive and cheap CD players when the output is directed to a quality sound system. Kind of funny when people talk about listening to CDs in an almost apologetic way because it's older tech. CDs still produce the highest quality sound, when you have the right equipment.
What’s the difference between a “good cd player” and my Xbox Series X?
Probably not. If you're exclusively using headphones, you'll want a player that has volume adjustment. A good component CD player isn't going to have that.
Anyone heard a Schiit Urd?