CD Player Recommendations?

[Peter]

I'm looking for a new CD player. Budget is under a grand. Hoping to find something that plays red book, SACD & HDCD. Needs to be a changer to please the management. And it's got to be a good tracker. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Edited April 25, 2008 by Peter

[porcy62]

A changer?

Why don't you buy a music server instead?

Edited April 25, 2008 by porcy62

[Peter]

wife

[Guest GregM]

wife

If you decide to go the server route, I actually recommend the Sony Playstation 3...it plays SACDs and of course Blu-ray. I've been exploring multichannel SACD on the PS3 (my high end player is two-channel) with some very good results. The processing power of the cell chip is just amazing.

[riverrat]

CD changer, and "high quality" are largely mutually exclusive. If it were me, with that budget and if I absolutely HAD to have a changer, I'd probably buy two players.

Does your wife care about SACD? If not, look into the Marantz CC 4001 changer. If the changer needs to read SACDs, look at a used Sony SCD-222ES. With the remaining $800, look at the Marantz SA-8001 SACD player.

Another option would be to go with one of Sony's newer SACD changers, e.g. SCD-C2000ES for ~$400, and put the rest of your budget into a good used DAC from eBay or audiogon. Most of the Sony players sound quite good on SACD but redbook playback leaves something to be desired. Using a good quality stand-alone DAC would address that issue.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I'm looking for a new CD player. Budget is under a grand. Hoping to find something that plays red book, SACD & HDCD. Needs to be a changer to please the management. And it's got to be a good tracker. Any suggestions? Thanks.

No such animal. There are a couple of SACD/CD changers (mostly, if not all, from Sony) but I would not consider them well built and I doubt they'll sound that great.

For a quick and dirty fix, order an Oppo Digital DV-980H. It isn't a changer, but it can hold you over until you find one. About $180 delivered. Don't worry about the DSD>24/96 PCM conversion. I don't know anyone who can hear it.

[jazzbo]

If you can find the deleted Sony changer Sony DVP-NC685V 5-disc DVD/Super Audio CD Changer you can have it modified by Steve Deckert of Decware High Fidelity and have a fantastic player; he takes the audio signal right after the DAC chip and runs it to a class A tube powered amplification stage. The transport on this is an interesting design, and the sound is excellent. I've enjoyed this in my system for years. It doesn't have HDCD but I don't miss it, I haven't been that impressed with HDCD cd players to be honest. It's also a DVD player, and I enjoy fantastic two channel nearly holographic sound from dvds, it's a player I don't want to be without. I've not had one lick of trouble with it. Steve doesn't offer the machine and mod right now, but if you provide the machine he'll modify it and it would be worth it. I might look for one in the near future.

Steve now offers a modified TEAC single drawer cd player that I have heard is even better than this Sony universal player, and if it were a DVD player as well I'd go for it in a hearbeat because I'm addicted to having one player with excellent sound for cd and DVD, and I'm not that attached to SACD--great, but not enough interesting titles to call it essential.

http://www.decware.com/newsite/mainmenu.ht...w.htm&intro

[clarke68]

I recommend the Sony SCD-CE595. It's $150, and turns up refurbished on sonystyle.com every now and then much cheaper. It doesn't do HDCD, but does an great job on SACD for the money.

I also have an Oppo 980 that I like, but it sounds a bit mushy compared to the Sony. Horses for courses.

[Peter]

I think I'm going to buy the Marantz cc 4001.

[robviti]

I think I'm going to buy the Marantz cc 4001.

i thought you wanted something that could play sacds. although marantz touts the cc4001 as having an "sacd-grade dac," it doesn't play sacds. it can play cd-r/rws and mp3s though.

[Sundog]

Steve now offers a modified TEAC single drawer cd player that I have heard is even better than this Sony universal player

I'd like to hear that! Those TEACs are workhorses, the tube "mod" is really peaking my interest. I really don't need a CD player, purchased a Rega Apollo about 1 1/2 years ago, but...

[jazzbo]

Steve now offers a modified TEAC single drawer cd player that I have heard is even better than this Sony universal player

I'd like to hear that! Those TEACs are workhorses, the tube "mod" is really peaking my interest. I really don't need a CD player, purchased a Rega Apollo about 1 1/2 years ago, but...

I know what you mean by rolling your eyes. . . . I've been tempted because I've hears it's better with CDs than my modified model from him, but hold back because I love the DVD and SACD playback from the machine I have, and don't want to introduce another machine into the system necessarily.

[Peter]

Ended up buying a Rotel 1055. Gave up on finding a changer with SACD & HDCD.

[Alexander]

If you can find the deleted Sony changer Sony DVP-NC685V 5-disc DVD/Super Audio CD Changer you can have it modified by Steve Deckert of Decware High Fidelity and have a fantastic player; he takes the audio signal right after the DAC chip and runs it to a class A tube powered amplification stage. The transport on this is an interesting design, and the sound is excellent. I've enjoyed this in my system for years. It doesn't have HDCD but I don't miss it, I haven't been that impressed with HDCD cd players to be honest. It's also a DVD player, and I enjoy fantastic two channel nearly holographic sound from dvds, it's a player I don't want to be without. I've not had one lick of trouble with it. Steve doesn't offer the machine and mod right now, but if you provide the machine he'll modify it and it would be worth it. I might look for one in the near future.

Steve now offers a modified TEAC single drawer cd player that I have heard is even better than this Sony universal player, and if it were a DVD player as well I'd go for it in a hearbeat because I'm addicted to having one player with excellent sound for cd and DVD, and I'm not that attached to SACD--great, but not enough interesting titles to call it essential.

http://www.decware.com/newsite/mainmenu.ht...w.htm&intro

This is deleated? I'm pretty sure that this is what I have (I'm not at home to check. I ran a search and it certainly looks and sounds like what I have). How do I got about getting this modification you speak of?