Second Hand CD Players - Which ones to buy?

[Pandovski]

Somehow an implicit assumption here is that all vintage CDPs have no-longer available new laser pickup replacements or that these replacements are not good. Perhaps, as in most cases, this general statement may be true in many, maybe most cases, but not, perhaps, in all of them. A useful aspect of a thread like this is to focus in those cases that do not follow the general rule. I´ve gave before the example of the Denon DCD-1650G (Japanese internal market) whose laser pickup is still readly available everywhere. This is, of course, not the most common case. Let´s be positive and gather this type of information, wouldn´t you guys and gals agree on this?

You betcha! :thmbsp:

 

[onwardjames]

Honestly , I have had more problems with new gear than old gear . Let's put it this way , it all breaks down . I spent $450 on my last new CD player and it is still going at 20 years . I spent $20 on my last used CD player and it has lasted 10 years and it is 20 years old . Which one is a better value ?

Sure, that's awesome. I gave 250 for my Yamaha, and question if it was worth it. In your case, sure.

Let's see if we can make this thread a repository for available cdp's of great merit, and perhaps single out any that are take-it-as-is with unobtainium parts.

That's invaluable info. :yes:

 

[Pandovski]

The most persistent to never die laser assemblies and transports in old CDPs are the Philips (Magnavox) players.

They read any CD you try to play, scratched, cheap noname CD-R burned at 52X, filth... anything.

Their Achilles heal were the plastic cogs for the door opening and closing. Have those always lubed with lithium grease and they will last very long.

The most desired Philips players are the ones with magnetic suspended swing arm laser assembly. The best ones illustrated in this photo (cast alu and steel body).

Even the cheap plastic Philips transports are very reliable.

The Motherload: http://www.dutchaudioclassics.nl/?strPage=Info&strBrand=Various&strType=PhilipsCDM

 

[newzealand]

you seem to be a wealth of info on cd players

The most persistent to never die laser assemblies and transports in old CDPs are the Philips (Magnavox) players.

They read any CD you try to play, scratched, cheap noname CD-R burned at 52X, filth... anything.

Their Achilles heal were the plastic cogs for the door opening and closing. Have those always lubed with lithium grease and they will last very long.

The most desired Philips players are the ones with magnetic suspended swing arm laser assembly. The best ones illustrated in this photo (cast alu and steel body).

Even the cheap plastic Philips transports are very reliable.

The Motherload: http://www.dutchaudioclassics.nl/?strPage=Info&strBrand=Various&strType=PhilipsCDM

i have two cd players and like them alot ,but i have never heard any phillips cd players as in new zealand philips seems to have a bad name and is very cheap on line,i my try one of the philips you suggested,

any way my cd player uses MN6474 – MN6626 SOAD70A
and the other MN64761 MASH SOAD70A

they are technics units sl-ps700 and a sl-ps 840

what do you make of these to models ,would they compare to the philips gear that you speak of???

mike

 

[Pandovski]

MN6474 - 1 bit, MASH (4 built-in parallel DAC s)
MN64761 - 1 bit, MASH considered the best of the single-bit Panasonic

Those are decent chips from the Panasonic range. But they are no way close to the top stack of DACs in CDPs out there.

Sony and Philips created the CD technology (mostly Philips) and brought digital audio to our lives. With them it was always pretty straight forward. You get what you paid for. If you buy a cheap Philips you get a cheap unit.

The daddy:
PHILIPS LHH1000 - TDA1541A-S1 (Single Crown) - Philips CDM-1

http://www.stereophile.com/content/philips-lhh1000-cd-player
http://www.thevintageknob.org/philips-LHH1000.html

 

[Pandovski]

The Marantz CD73 (a Philips) Would you throw it away if it stopped reading discs?

 

[newzealand]

not at all ,thats a nice cd player ,is it your one that you use daily??????/

 

[Pandovski]

not at all ,thats a nice cd player ,is it your one that you use daily??????/

The Philips LHH1000? I have not yet sold internal organs to buy Hi-Fi. But soon that might change.

 

[4-2-7]

"The Marantz CD73 (a Philips) Would you throw it away if it stopped reading discs?"

I would depending on how much it was to fix Im no tech..
And how much I paid for it in the first place.

I must have 4 Black face Sansui cassette decks vintage 79-80 with melted belts. Cheaper for me to just buy another one.

 

[4-2-7]

I have not yet sold internal organs to buy Hi-Fi. But soon that might change.

Black Market Body Parts

 

[Pandovski]

A Marantz CD73 can be bought for 50 bucks on EB.

 

[jdurbin1]

What happened to the CDM2 & CDM2/10? Those belong in this group... even if Philips treats them as second-class. The lasers and other mechanism survive very nicely, like these others.

John

The most persistent to never die laser assemblies and transports in old CDPs are the Philips (Magnavox) players.

They read any CD you try to play, scratched, cheap noname CD-R burned at 52X, filth... anything.

Their Achilles heal were the plastic cogs for the door opening and closing. Have those always lubed with lithium grease and they will last very long.

The most desired Philips players are the ones with magnetic suspended swing arm laser assembly. The best ones illustrated in this photo (cast alu and steel body).

Even the cheap plastic Philips transports are very reliable.

The Motherload: http://www.dutchaudioclassics.nl/?strPage=Info&strBrand=Various&strType=PhilipsCDM

 

[Pandovski]

What happened to the CDM2 & CDM2/10? Those belong in this group... even if Philips treats them as second-class. The lasers and other mechanism survive very nicely, like these others.

John

Hi John, the link has all of them illustrated. I just took one image for posterity.

:wave:

 

[Pandovski]

The newer and brilliant Burr-Brown DAC ... the PCM1702

ACCUPHASE DC-61 12 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASE DP-55 6 x PCM1702 – SM5843AP
ACCUPHASE DP-65 8 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASE DP-65V 8 x PCM1702
ACCUPHASE DP-75 16 x PCM1702
ADCOM GCD-750 4 x PCM1702
ASSEMBLAGE DAC-2 2 x PCM1702
AUDIOLABOR 531 2x PCM1702
BOW TECHNOLOGIES ZZ-Eight 4 x PCM1702
California Audio Labs CL15 PCM1702
California Audio Labs Icon Mk II 2 x PCM1702
CEC TL5100Z 2x PCM1702
CLASSE AUDIO CDP.3 2 x PCM1702
CLASSE AUDIO CDP.5 PCM1702
DENON DCD-201SA 2 x PCM1702
DENON DCD-755AR 2 x PCM1702
DENON DCD-2700 4 x PCM1702-
DENON DCD-2880AR 4 x PCM1702
DENON DCD-3000 4 x PCM1702
DENON DCD-S1 4 x PCM1702
DENON DCD-S10 4 x PCM1702-J
KRELL KAV-250cd 2 x PCM1702
KRELL KAV-300cd 2 x PCM1702
LINN CD12 SONDEK 4 x PCM1702
LINN NUMERIC Mk 3 PCM1702
MARK LEVINSON No 36 4 x PCM1702
MARK LEVINSON No 39 PCM1702
MCINTOSH MDA4000 2 x PCM1702
NAIM AUDIO CDS II 2 x PCM1702
NAIM AUDIO CDX 2 x PCM1702-
NAKAMICHI DAC-41 2 x PCM1702
PARASOUND C/DP-2000 2 x PCM1702
PRIMARE D30.2 4 x PCM1702
PS AUDIO DIGILINK II PCM1702
SONIC FRONTIERS ANTHEM 2 x PCM1702
SONIC FRONTIERS Transdac 2 x PCM1702
STAX DAC-TALENT BD 4 x PCM1702
TEAC VRDS-8 4 x PCM1702
TEAC VRDS-9 4 x PCM1702
THETA DS PRO BASIC III PCM1702
ULTECH HDCD-10 2 x PCM1702
WADIA 16 PCM1702
WADIA 21 4 x PCM1702
WADIA 25 4 x PCM1702
WADIA 27 PCM1702
WADIA 830 4 x PCM1702
WADIA 850 2 x PCM1702
WADIA 860 4 x PCM1702

 

[J English]

Just had to toss my first player in a long time, a Denon 444. Laser wouldn't read and the changer kept sticking. Two strikes, so bye bye. But I paid $100 used for it 20 years ago and I call that fair value. All my others seem to be going strong. My Onkyo dx-1400 is now 27 years old and had had 0 problems. I love my Marantz 63 mk II - I'd pay for new laser for that one. Just got a PlayStation and yes, pretty good and definitely so for the money. Don't pay a lot and you can't go too wrong is my motto. And, don't try to fix everything...just the exceptional stuff.

 

[Blue Shadow]

I've collected a few different decent CDPs. For much less than Big Erik's limit.

Sony CDP-C705 with an AD1860N, changed the op amp and very happy with the sound. Freecycle
Adcom GCD-600 swapped for a $20 Yamaha DCD-665, but I got 10 pieces of gear for that 20 bucks and sold one of them for $25.
Onkyo DX-1800 with 2 x AD1860N - YM3433 and changed the opamp from first CL purchase years ago. Complete system and I'm up after selling some of it.
Denon DCD-1520 with 2 x PCM64P - SM5813AP given to me by a friend
Onkyo DX-705 with SM5861AP came with a receiver for $20 and I sold the receiver the new receiver replaced for $50 so I guess I'm ahead on that one, too.

I have not listened to the DX-705 to compare it, yet, but the Denon, the DX-1800, the Adcom and the Sony all preform very well. The comparison is to a Rega Planet, a machine I bought new that gets enough use that I'll be using it for years to come.

Knowing what to look for and understanding the issues (which Big Erik could have put into one post instead of what reads like thread crapping) is a lot of what AK is about. So this information about good CDPs is helpful.

Many may have bought these units and used them up but others, maybe not and that is where the deals come in. Getting one that plays well for a few years for cheap and then move on. They are not collectors items in almost all cases.

 

[Glen B]

The Marantz CD73 (a Philips) Would you throw it away if it stopped reading discs?

It would depend on how expensive repairs the repairs are, and more important, whether parts are available. i know on one guy with an expensive 2004 model year Classe CD player that is not reading discs. The new laser/servo board assembly needed to fix the player is no longer available, not even from the Classe factory. Their stock of parts for repairs is exhausted, and their former supplier is no longer producing the part. The player is now an expensive paperweight.

 

[KrisM]

It would depend on how expensive repairs the repairs are, and more important, whether parts are available. i know on one guy with an expensive 2004 model year Classe CD player that is not reading discs. The new laser/servo board assembly needed to fix the player is no longer available, not even from the Classe factory. Their stock of parts for repairs is exhausted, and their former supplier is no longer producing the part. The player is now an expensive paperweight.

So we can cross Classe off of the list then?

In all seriousness, it makes me wonder if buying a few extra parts might be smart if one owned an expensive player. Heck, I like my $13 GW Rotel players enough that I've thought about looking into how much some of the key parts might be. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a big dollar boat anchor.

 

[onwardjames]

Pandy you sure about that Marantz CD 73 for 50 bucks? Not seeing anything close to that price.

 

[Pandovski]

Pandy you sure about that Marantz CD 73 for 50 bucks? Not seeing anything close to that price.

Check PM for example.