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A move has me thinking of a CD changer....?

I have moved to a city that is too far away for any quality FM stations....ie: no Jazz, no NPR/public radio stations..etc. simply two or three Country stations...

I have a very good extensive CD collection and both of my systems CD players are single disc players....so the question is, are there any good sounding CD changers? I could also use a changer with an outboard DAC. And no, I am not putting down Country music, it is just not what I choose to listen to. And to me, online/streaming is too limited in the dynamic range and frequency band width.
jusam
coralkong's avatar
coralkong
664 posts
 
You can pick up a Sony ES 5 CD changer for dirt cheap on any of the auction sites.
Feel free to IM me as I have several and have been using them for years. Some models were better than others.
If you're using an external DAC, you're golden.

I'm not going to tell you that a 15 year old CD changer will give you the same quality as a $10K single disc player, but as a replacement for FM radio, you should be good to go.


elliottbnewcombjr
5,460 posts
 
I also have been on a better CD Sound Quest. Many high quality Changers were made. Once the disc is twirled and in play, superior results should be the same as a single player, right? 

One source for detailed info, especially if dual processors?, features and specs?, is crutchfield, they leave info about discontinued models on their site.

I just made my own thread about my search here:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/better-cd-sound-the-search

best of luck,

Elliott
patrickdowns's avatar
patrickdowns
512 posts
 
  jusam

I haven't played a CD in months, since I ripped all my CDs to my Roon server (SGC SonicTransporter).

I stream Tidal and Qobuz (via Roon) and I can assure you, it sounds as good or better than ripped CDs or CDs played through my Rega CD player (a good one). Even at 16/44 it is as good as CD, and at 24/92 or higher (MQA or Quobuz hi-res) it's arguably better depending on how resolving your system is.


coralkong's avatar
coralkong
664 posts
 
"Hi, I think I want a CD changer, because I have a lot of CDs. Any recommendations?"

"Rip them all to a server."

"But I don't want a music server, and I don't like streaming."

"You should stream your music and rip all your CDs to a server."

Typical helpful A'gon advice right there.....



jasonbourne52's avatar
jasonbourne52
2,863 posts
 
Bits are bits. Whether played back from an optical disk (CD) or a hard drive/SSD it's still the same data! Digital is NOT like analog where every copy results in degradation! Those who claim to hear an "improvement" with changing data storage are plainly experiencing confirmation bias.
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