Looking to get a new CD player but don't know where to begin

[halkaloogie]

Long story short I've been using my computer for music since I lost most of my things in a house fire in 2006. I managed to save a lot of the music but the gear went up. I ripped everything onto the computer and bought a nice sound card and self powered speakers to get by while we lived in an apartment. It's never been great and the compression has always bugged me on a lot of MP3's.

So now that we've bought another house I have put together a decent system to start again with.

A refurbished and moded Sansui AU999
Dahlquist DQ16 speakers
and an AR XB turntable

I would like to add a Redbook CD exclusive player to it but I don't know where to start or what to look for in order to play nice with my vintage setup.

 

[MaxxVolume]

Long story short I've been using my computer for music since I lost most of my things in a house fire in 2006. I managed to save a lot of the music but the gear went up. I ripped everything onto the computer and bought a nice sound card and self powered speakers to get by while we lived in an apartment. It's never been great and the compression has always bugged me on a lot of MP3's.

So now that we've bought another house I have put together a decent system to start again with.

A refurbished and moded Sansui AU999
Dahlquist DQ16 speakers
and an AR XB turntable

I would like to add a Redbook CD exclusive player to it but I don't know where to start or what to look for in order to play nice with my vintage setup.

I would assume you are looking toward the used/vintage end of the spectrum ?
There are lots of good, older models out there. I currently have in my stable a Harmon-Kardon HD7600 (the first "bitstream" player on the market), a Denon DCD-1500, and a Pioneer PDR-W739 (a recording deck which makes stunning CDs). I love them all....

 

[halkaloogie]

I would assume you are looking toward the used/vintage end of the spectrum ?

I don't care about keeping it all vintage and used is always nice, but I'm looking for something that makes me want to play CD's again.

 

[JarredCrowe]

Just make it easy on yourself and get a new onkyo c7030. They are cheap, available in silver and sound pretty good.

 

[soundboy]

Just make it easy on yourself and get a new onkyo c7030. They are cheap, available in silver and sound pretty good.

Not officially available in silver in the US. Otherwise, the Onkyo would be my first choice recommendation.

 

[UncleBingo]

Lots of good reviews on the Line Magnetic, if you can sling the dough.

 

[Condorsat]

Onkyo C7030 is available at Walmart < click link

 

[rajoo]

I would be be looking at the Yamaha CD-S300 also (comes in silver) but is a lot more money than the Onkyo.

 

[halkaloogie]

Onkyo C7030 is available at Walmart < click link

Lots of good reviews on the Line Magnetic, if you can sling the dough.

Wow, Walmart special or a $2000 tube unit.... Maybe I'm not asking the right questions or giving enough information.

Also why is silver a big deal?

 

[charles64]

I wouldn't call the Onkyo a walmart special - even though it is inexpensive. I'm running a AU-717 with Dahlquist DQ-8's,a modest system similar to your own,and I replaced my reVox B-225 with the C-7030 a couple of years ago and find it to be really substantial player that works great. Its Wolfson DAC and build quality seem to be well reviewed also. You could spend more money I suppose but would you get more features for under $500.00?

Onkyo C-7030 CDP

 

[robert_kc]

Fairly basic new CD player?

 

[Yamaki]

A lot of folks are selling off their Oppo multi-players (CD/DVD/BluRay) in favor of the new 4K featured models and they make fine CD players. That would be a great bang for the buck.

 

[Grenadeslio]

Well, if having the ability to play SACD & DVD's isn't an issue, you could do a lot worse than a used upper crust Sony. These machines retailed around $1000 when new, I've purchased them recently for as little as $80. Do a bit of research on each and you just might find the machine for you. They also came in black and are usually a bit cheaper and more plentiful, but I like the silver face better. I currently have one 999ES, and three 900V models, built like tanks and sound much better than my highly acclaimed Sony DVP-NS500V, which was favorably compared with the Rega Planet by reviewers upon its release..

DVP-NS900V
DVP- NS999ES
DVP-NS9000ES

 

[bigx5murf]

I'm going to recommend probably an unpopular opinion. I think you should rerip CDs to a PC, and this time use FLAC lossless compression. I'm sure all the CD players in this thread are great, but they have one disadvantage they'll never overcome. They have to read in real time. When you rip on a PC, the right software can check, and recheck, and reread, and compared what it ripped through an online database. Because of this, the resulting rip will technically be more accurate than any standalone player. I will add that even though I do this, I also own an older OPPO, and an even older Kyocera cd player.

 

[zebra03]

Crutchfield and Music Direct are 2 good places to look for CD players .

 

[halkaloogie]

. I'm running a AU-717 with Dahlquist DQ-8's, and the C-7030. You could spend more money I suppose but would you get more features for under $500.00?

Onkyo C-7030 CDP
View attachment 1055869

Every CD or DVD player I've hooked into the Au999 sound "flat" and uninspiring, too trebbly with no bass. I like the idea of buying something I can return so I can test it out though. But I want something that really makes me want to play CD's not something that just will play them a little better than the 20 year old Sony carousel I found in my garage that the last owner left, or the kids DVD player from their room I bought at Kmart a few years ago on sale.

I currently have one 999ES, and three 900V models, built like tanks and sound much better than my highly acclaimed Sony DVP-NS500V, which was favorably compared with the Rega Planet by reviewers upon its release..

DVP-NS900V
DVP- NS999ES
DVP-NS9000ES

View attachment 1056087 View attachment 1056088 View attachment 1056089

I like the sound of this, The reviews are very positive the they can be had for fairly cheap, but am a little hesitant to buy a CD player online or through craigslist, because I can't take it back if I don't like the way it sounds. Even though I have only put incredibly crappy players through my system and a higher grade one will probably sound better, I just don't know.

This is much harder than it was finding a turntable.

 

[UncleBingo]

For $150 the Onkyo looks like a good starting point, imo. You can return it if you don't like it. With the others you're committed to some degree. Make a move and consider it research.

One downside of the information age is having too much data and no real ability to sort through it. We may not be able to see the forest for the trees, but once we fire up the chainsaw, we'll know if we have lumber...

 

[Mamrak1]

Every CD or DVD player I've hooked into the Au999 sound "flat" and uninspiring, too trebbly with no bass. I like the idea of buying something I can return so I can test it out though. But I want something that really makes me want to play CD's not something that just will play them a little better than the 20 year old Sony carousel I found in my garage that the last owner left, or the kids DVD player from their room I bought at Kmart a few years ago on sale.



I like the sound of this, The reviews are very positive the they can be had for fairly cheap, but am a little hesitant to buy a CD player online or through craigslist, because I can't take it back if I don't like the way it sounds. Even though I have only put incredibly crappy players through my system and a higher grade one will probably sound better, I just don't know.

This is much harder than it was finding a turntable.

If every disc player you have used sounds flat with the AU999, what does that tell you? To me it says you are either trying out crappy CD players or the Sansui isn’t up to snuff. I do like the ‘more expensive’ Yamaha player. It does give you the option of playing USB sticks and I generally like Yamaha over Onkyo.

 

[Markoneswift]

I started collecting CDs again recently when people starting getting rid of them (again) and replacing them with the scratched, mouldy, vinyl versions because they are 'cooler'. I've picked up some great titles so far and ones I would never see on vinyl here in good condition.

My player initially was an Arcam Alpha 5 which I found at a thrift for $5. It needed a new tray drive cog, a common issue and easy to fix. Sounds great and apparently REALLY great with some DAC mods. I then found a Sony CDP-203ES which has a lovely vintage look to it and just need a tray drive belt - also acquired for $5.

Best player so far though is the Pioneer DVD-969AVi that I picked up for $15. It plays all formats including DVD-A and SACD and looks great in champagne gold. I played Tracy Chapman on it last night - that CD is pretty old now but a DDD issue, and it sounded fantastic.

Today, I picked up a Technics SL-PS900 which I believe was TOTL or near to it back in the day. It's a MASH unit with twin power supplies but it's got an issue reading disks. Hopefully I can get it going, only paid $30 for it

 

[Markoneswift]

If every disc player you have used sounds flat with the AU999, what does that tell you? To me it says you are either trying out crappy CD players or the Sansui isn’t up to snuff. I do like the ‘more expensive’ Yamaha player. It does give you the option of playing USB sticks and I generally like Yamaha over Onkyo.

This is why I like my modern Yamaha R-S700 receiver - it has a CD Direct mode which really allows you to hear what the player is doing rather than what the preamp is doing.