charlie_bird Posted April 22, 2019 Share Posted April 22, 2019 The CD player in my bedroom system has died. I'm shopping for a replacement. The player will only used analogue output into a two channel Yamaha analogue amp, JBL bookshelf speakers My search for a replacement to date has been focused on used single disk CD units. I'm thinking something modern verses vintage (that may have to be repaired in near future). It needs to sound good. Price well south of $500. Any suggestions on a good value modern player new or used? If I spend $400 on modern unit, am I giving up anything (sound wise) on a 'vintage' unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betty boop Posted April 22, 2019 Share Posted April 22, 2019 there are some great cd players in the under $500 mark. dont hesitate to spend on those... any usual suspects in brands are worth the asking. nad, rotel, marantz, denon, musical fidelity, rega, cambridge, arcam some that come to mind.... but likely plenty others as well. check the for sales .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
was_a Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 (edited) Well, no, a lot of those brands in that price category sound thin / clinical / unmusical. Look for a Rega Apollo. Or an NAD M5 if you're lucky. Edited April 23, 2019 by was_a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eLicky Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Don't forget to look on eBay, was seeing some decent ones earlier. May save quite a lot that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffnutz Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 I have a Rotel RCD-865BX you might be interested in. Philips CDM transport and all discrete analogue output stages. Right up yer alley I'd reckon. PM me if you're interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_bird Posted April 23, 2019 Author Share Posted April 23, 2019 9 hours ago, was_a said: Well, no, a lot of those brands in that price category sound thin / clinical / unmusical. Look for a Rega Apollo. Or an NAD M5 if you're lucky. Neither of those seem like they are well south of the $500 mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
was_a Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 Check out past classifieds - they've both sold for around $500. Either way, keep an open mind and do some research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryffles Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 If your looking at a vintage cdp then make sure the transport/laser is available as a replacement part. If not please don’t bother. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_bird Posted April 24, 2019 Author Share Posted April 24, 2019 any thoughts on the Rotel RCD-12? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rantan Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 If I were looking to buy a CD player under $500 it would definitely be vintage or near vintage . The new players under that price are thin, boring and un musical, and the build quality is schit IMHO. The old school Sony ES series and many other of the well known Japanese brands from the 80's are built to last and sound great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_bird Posted April 24, 2019 Author Share Posted April 24, 2019 2 minutes ago, rantan said: If I were looking to buy a CD player under $500 it would definitely be vintage or near vintage . The new players under that price are thin, boring and un musical, and the build quality is schit IMHO. That's the kinda straightforward advice i'm looking for. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 500 hundred smackas for an old CD... and old is sometimes equated with 'vintage' and as such you have to be aware of the laser and the tray mechanism and the internal dacs and...and... I'd suggest you go really cheap or raise your budget a bit. Put a WTB up for a Rega Apollo which are sub $500, no mechanical draw and the laser replacement is available on eBay Germany for small biccies. The Saturn can be had from $750 to $900. Try searching for a Raysonic 128 CDP. I just sold mine for $450...silly money, worth $700 but I was in a hurry. Consonance is another or just go and buy a current model Yamaha that meets your price point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat-with-one-t Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 I bought a Denon Dcd-3000 here a while back. It’s bloody fantastic, with a warm “analogue” sound due to its fantastic Burr Brown Dac. Also worth a thought - it has a digital in, so I connect an old iPhone and use the dac, giving me a great sounding cheap streamer! I think it wAs only $300 or something..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_bird Posted April 24, 2019 Author Share Posted April 24, 2019 25 minutes ago, Mat-with-one-t said: I bought a Denon Dcd-3000 here a while back. It’s bloody fantastic, with a warm “analogue” sound due to its fantastic Burr Brown Dac. Also worth a thought - it has a digital in, so I connect an old iPhone and use the dac, giving me a great sounding cheap streamer! I think it wAs only $300 or something..... Thanks I'm familiar with that one. I've got one connected in my "analogue" setup in the living room. I play it when I'm doing the dishes or cooking dinner and can't rush back to change the record. I'd be happy for a second unit if it came up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_bird Posted April 24, 2019 Author Share Posted April 24, 2019 51 minutes ago, Luc said: 500 hundred smackas for an old CD.. I'd suggest you go really cheap or raise your budget a bit. Try searching for a Raysonic 128 CDP. buy a current model Yamaha that meets your price point. Luc $500 is the tops. I'm looking to replace the CD player in the bedroom system (although the CD gets more use than in the main system). Your point is exactly the crux of my question, there a lots of 200-300 vintage players out there, but will they need need parts now or in the near future? Are the parts available and is it an easy fix? Is it better to spend $300 on something modern with a 24 month warranty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakey72 Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 This will give you a lovely sound. $370 posted plus step down transformer, there's your $500. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sansui-CD-617D-EXTRA-Compact-Disc-Player-in-Excellent-Condition/153391598788?hash=item23b6da0cc4:g:NdkAAOSwu3ZcSSm2&frcectupt=true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakey72 Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 I think these are decent too: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Marantz-CD-63-MkII-KI-Signature-KEN-ISHIWATA-CD-Player/192874941555?hash=item2ce83e0c73:g:vMcAAOSwsixcn0Wc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_bird Posted April 25, 2019 Author Share Posted April 25, 2019 Thanks to everyone for their advice and suggestions. I splashed out $160 on a very tidy Rotel RCD-965BX today. Sounds ok, reads CDs lightning fast. Job done for now.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian McP Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 an interesting read! https://www.stereophile.com/content/rotel-rcd-955ax-and-rcd-965bx-cd-players Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_bird Posted April 28, 2019 Author Share Posted April 28, 2019 Further update on my CD player journey... Whilst the Rotel is a good player, I wasn't really diggin' the sound. It was especially apparent when I took the time to connect it in my main 2 channel system. I ended up swapping out the the newly acquired for Rotel for the Sony CDP-XA3ES player that was advertised in the classifieds and that was a major improvement. The Sony is definitely a keeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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