Check out the Teac 701t. Music Direct has a good price on them now. I have had one since August. Nice machine.
Looking for a CD Player
I am in the process of replacing my Moon CD 5 CD Player --- or might be no reason to replace my present CD Player. The next CD player if purchased is probably going to be my last as I am a senior in age. My wife and I are tired of getting up and down and up and down did I mention up and down to listen to the other side of an album. So, we have a number of CDs and frankly like the ease of listening to them. Not wanting to purchase streaming music. Therefore, we / I need an education on two subjects - Do we need to have a DAC incorporated in the CD player and secondly do we need to have SACD capability?? Not wanting to spend more than 3000.00. All the help would be appreciated.
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You only need SACD Capability (super audio cd, read by a different laser) if you have or plan on buying SACD Discs. I had some and bought some more, but no longer, they aren't really worth it after the itch is scratched IMO. A standard CD, via great player, can sound terrific. Lasers get old/weak relative to hours played, use caution buying used. And, they can go out of alignment, many used units play CD, but errors when trying to play the SACD version. I went from a surprisingly great sounding Sony changer that died, CD only, to a Vintage Sony Single SACD/CD Player XA5400ES (learned about it here). I was playing almost all vinyl, until I got the xa5400es, now I am still re-discovering my many CDs, and buying used cds, used vinyl, trying not to buy anything and listen to what I inherited. IF you do not need SACD, you might consider a CD Changer, I had two changers that sounded terrific, the Sony that died, and I kept an Onkyo Integra CDC-3.4 in one of my systems, they still sell it new, Crutchfield has good info about old stuff, Amazon has it, dual wolfson processors was why I tried it, found out how great is sounded compared to 9 others I tried (none high end expensive). https://www.crutchfield.com/S-LESwRLiMqtt/p_164CDC34/Integra-CDC-3-4.html
My search's conclusion, it's a salad of ingredients, chosen processor(s), over-clocking, anti-jitter, proprietary filters, ... you hear and prefer ......,
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comments and help I got here note: they keep going up in price, I was shocked I had to pay $1,000 nearly 3 years ago |
A DVD Changer can keep you rocking some play Blu-Ray DVDs, SACD, CD, often not mentioned, just look for the SACD Logo on the face of the unit no mention in description, but it plays SACDs 400 disc dvd plays sacd/cd, seller says FLAWLESS GET A BAD BACK AND KNEES LOADING IT, THEN A FAT ARSE NEVER GETTING UP |
your 1st question, need a DAC, yes, somewhere a CD PLAYER has a laser to read the 1’s and 0’s and a DAC to convert them to analog line level signal. a CD TRANSPORT just spins, it’s laser reads the 1’s and 0’s, sends the digital out to an external DAC. some, not all, CD Players with their own DACs, let you choose to send the digital signal out to an external DAC, i.e. you can use the PLAYER like a TRANSPORT. |
@smerk I am a retired audio guy who has a vinyl set up but listen to CD/SACD's amost exclusively. I don't stream. I have had players from multiple companies over the decades. You don't need an SACD player unless you have a bunch of SACD disks. Get an all in one player with the DAC built in. I have had multiple players that were modified by Modwright: Sony 999es, 5400 and Marantz. My opinion is if you can get an upper end Marantz that is newer such as the SA-10 or Ruby that would be great. Also, The TEAC CD player is reported to be very good but slightly above you price range new. I own a current Esoteric player which is my end game player at a significant cost. Good luck! |
My goal was to find something I liked as much as my original Onkyo Integra DX-7500, hoping not to move way up high in price, When I asked here about better CD and SACD sound, OPPO was highly recommended by quite a few members. I tried two Oppo's, nothing special to my ears, that's why I say 'preferred' not necessarily 'better'. I kept going until I settled on my Sony xa5400es. I liked a Marantz's CD sound, but it wouldn't find SACDs, and I wrecked it trying to fix it. I bought mine used from a person not a store, once you narrow down your list, you just need patience to find a lightly used unit from the original owner. I see nothing but stores with the Sony at the moment. Here's a DX-7500, everyone liked it here like they do the current xa5400. SACD's didn't exist back then
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If you decide that you don't require SACD take a look at this Rotel. I try to keep up on what's fairly new/good as my CAL deck is pushing 25 years now. The Rotel is around $1500-$1600 with tax. https://www.rotel.com/product/rcd-1572mkii
DeKay
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We subscribe to Tidal as well as Qobuz (Qobuz was cheaper 3 years ago than it is now), at a cost of about 10 bucks a month each. We also rip our old CDs as well. We made sure we purchased very high quality streaming components and cabling in order to get the very best sound quality out of our streaming audio system that we could afford. The combination of #1-sound quality(most important), convenience, and ease of use, made streaming just irresistible for us at this juncture. We just love it, and couldn’t be happier!!! Happy listening |
I second the Rotel RCD 1572 MKII. It’s the single play CD player in my system. It has a good DAC. I would encourage you to try streaming. I’m over getting up and down too to change the disc. Old guys like us need to try new things that will help. To start you can get a free trial with Qobuz (actually all services have free trials for about 30 days but I found Qobuz to be the best in my experience). Start with an inexpensive but decent Streamer and DAC combo like the Bluesound Node. You can find a lot of used ones for about $200 US. Easy to setup and use. The Node comes with cables to connect to your integrated amp or preamp. They have a BluOs app you can use on your phone or tablet to choose your music on Qobuz and run the Node. You will need a wired or wireless wi-fi connection. Once you start streaming you’ll never look back based on my experience with friends. So much old and new music available at your fingertips. Once you decide streaming is for you, you can upgrade your system based on your budget. Now that I’m all in on streaming and ripping my CDs to the same music server, I have a Innuos Zen Mk3 streamer with a 1 TB storage to save the CDs I rip to the unit. Connected to a Holo Audio Cyan 2 DAC. Bought the Innuos used so both cost me about the $3K you have budgeted for a CD player. Enjoy your new musical journey and please share what you decide to do. |
There is a phenomenon here that when people inquire about getting a CD player they are told that they should be streaming. I suddenly lost access to a streamer last week when the app on my phone stopped working. It took me an hour to figure out the problem. The latest Apple update on my iPhone disabled the app. It took me another hour to figure out a workaround. If your tolerance for fun and games like this is low, I suggest sticking with CDs. Your original question has been answered by others. CD players come with a DAC installed. CD Transports do not. And if you don’t want to play SACDs buying that capability is a waste of money.
Now if you want to play CDs but think that you might want to explore streaming, there are combination products with DAC, CD Transport, and streamer all in one, at your price range
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Rotel and Marantz, and others, make nice mid priced (under $3K) players that are more than adequate for daily listening. A CD PLAYER has the DAC built in. The CD TRANSPORT requires an external DAC. Internal or external DAC you interface with the player or transport. SACD, HD and others are enhanced digital CD "formats". A normal, everyday CD can be referred to as a "Red Book CD". Many manufacturers source the Laser and Transport assemblies from suppliers, as do many DAC manufacturers with chips. Which Transport and which Laser is kind of getting into the weeds at the 3K level, it becomes a marketing issue. a $1500 player is hard to tell from more expensive units unless you have done a ton of critical listening and have sound quality parameters (AKA Golden Ears). If so, you will be auditioning individual units. |
76 yo: I have owned many hi-end CD transports and players over the decades. Several years ago I got a great deal on an Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5 for $1000. Recently I replaced a Audiolab 6000CDT transport with a Shanling ET3 transport MSRP $729. It is an absolute bargain, but if you want to keep it simple go to Shanling.com where you can buy direct a SCD 1.3 to play both CD and SACDs MSRP $1279 No waiting HTH |
If all you want is to play CDs, this new CDP from Exposure might work for you.
It uses old, 1990s tech with a CD only Sony transport and Burr-Brown PCM1704 multibit DACs and is a top loader, at just $3000. Here's a review of it and here's a video review of it:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewozXatHERA (it's a very British take on it). I haven't heard it myself but noticed the sliding door sounded a bit tinny on the video but that was on YouTube and through my computer system set up. There'll be more reviews coming soon as it's the new kid on the block. All the best, |
If you are into classical music, I would highly recommend SACDs. They are about the same price as CDs, and almost always include a Redbook CD layer so they can play (at CD quality) on any CD player or transport. I play them in native SACD mode where they normally contain 5 channels of Direct Stream Digital (DSD) sound, sometimes with an additional subwoofer channel. (They usually also have a 2-channel DSD version). I do not have a center speaker and the center channel is automatically added to front left and front right by my AV pre-processor. Over 6,000 SACD titles are available from Presto in the UK, and they also have a streaming service under A$20 a month which allows you to download, avoiding the issue of your streaming service removing the items you want. The latest CD players I purchased are universal players and play CD, SACD, DVD, BluRay and 4K Ultra BluRay. They output over HDMI, so function as transports, and the DACs are built-in to my AV pre-processor. All 8 DACs handle DSD natively, something to really check for! I have a very cheap Sony (about A$250) and a Reavon (about A$3,000) which is closer in execution to the famed but no longer available OPPO universal players. The Reavon has two Burr-Brown DACs, one for CD playback, and one for multi-channel SACD. Unbelievably, SACD is reduced to CD quality when using the internal DACs. I am older than you, but instantly picked the loss of sound quality, which I have not seen mentioned in any review. There is a cheaper Reavon which plays SACDs but skips the on-board DACs, but I have not used it so can’t comment on playback quality. I do understand that many on this site will be horrified by my suggestions! No streaming service that I am aware of provides the full resolution of either SACD or 4K. If a recording engineer has gone to the expense and trouble of recording 5 channels, why throw 3 away! And there are newer recordings coming out in more than 5 channels, such as 2L,no and their Atmos sound-only disks (Grammy award winners) |
You don’t need a SACD player or DAC. Instead, consider something currently in production with a strong dealer network. Personally, I recommend the Marantz 50n CD player, priced at $1,800 (the SACD version is $3,000). It’s built like a tank, sounds smooth, and offers many useful features. Do not buy a used CD player. |
@hasmarto How arrogant and typical of this site that you feel able to dictate to the OP what they need. SACDs have been around for 25 years, it is just a pity that the US was not ready for them. |
Now you’re trying to draw me into an SACD vs. CD argument. It’s not my fault that SACDs aren’t very popular here, especially with streaming readily available. I’m a senior and do own an SACD player (you can look up my system here), but I haven’t used it in the past seven years. This site is for sharing opinions and suggestions, not dictating to others. Please don’t reply to me; we’re clearly speaking different languages. |
"Now you’re trying to draw me into an SACD vs. CD argument". Far from it, this is a question the OP posed. Surely no audiophile can deny the sonic benefits of SACD over CD. I have looked up your system and I can see no SACD player there. Of course, you might play SACDs on a CD player, when they revert to being, well, CDs. If they are about the same price as CDs, what is the disincentive. Many years ago, the English comedian John Cleese was asked about the differences between the US and Britain. He said there are three things:
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Just a side note to the OP. It’s never been easier or more affordable to try streaming. Streaming audio is a joy in terms of selection of artists, convenience and hi-fidelity. The WiiM Pro is now at $263 and some change for Black Friday on Amazon. Room correction, touchscreen and it can connect directly to your app. If it doesn’t work out, send it back to Amazon. Easy breezy… food for thought. |
@richardbrand “If you are not interested, stop commenting.”
Finally, you’ve done what I was asking from the beginning, instead of pushing your ego-driven word-salad. And, just for you, I’ve added a close-up picture of the unit.
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OP,I know you said your NOT interested in streaming BUT you are missing out on an entire UNIVERSE of music,known & new to you & your wife..If you have a computer,ALL YOU NEED to start is a FREE,Pandora account!You can even check it out through your Smart Phone! |
OP,I wanted to expound on what Pandora offers to you.. |
I took the SACD plunge a few years ago with the Maranzt SA10 (which I know is more than you said you wanted to spend) and I found that generally I love the sound of a good SACD more than I love the sound of the average red book. I have also found that as with red books, not all SACDs are created equal. But in general, to me with my player, I find the difference between red books and SACD is like drinking 2% low fat milk compared to drinking 1% or skim. (It's been a long long time since I've drank whole milk, so that's why I didn't use that in my analogy.) |
If you’re tired of getting up and down and up and down, I second or third the vote for streaming. The $3000 you might spend on a new CD player will buy you over 15 years of CD-quality streaming music. I have a nice CD player in a pretty darn good system but Qobuz easily matches or beats it. Plus you can expand a streaming service to any room in the house for very little money. I read a review of a new album, go to Qobuz and there it is, ready to listen to. If you want it all--CD, streamer, DAC--in one package, check out the Black Ice CD/Streamer/DAC. A friend bought one to symplify his system of separates, and he loves it. It’s also opened up the world of streaming to him. https://blackiceaudio.com/daccd-players/p/black-ice-fusion-wifi-dac-transport |
For those with working memories, it was not that long ago that I and others noted that we’re not that into streaming, don’t think it’s as good as CDs, artists not properly compensated, etc. and got lambasted for "butting in" on an "open conversation". Hey, that shoe does fit on the other foot. All the best, |
@jayctoy ,he also said he's not computer or phone "savy" so all help is welcome...At our advanced age,it's hard for some not exposed to the tech to even comprehend how amazing streaming truly is..IMO spending good $ on a CD player is a WASTE! |
You don't need a "computer" to stream. Decent, small, self-contained streamers can be had for less than $500. It's a wonderful way to listen to an enormous variety of music for the price of a single CD every month. And anyway, the Black Ice unit I mentioned covers all the bases--a CD player, an excellent DAC, AND a high-quality streamer thrown in for good measure. The OP gets what he wants plus the opportunity to investigate a new format. As for artist compensation, well, that horse has left the barn. As of 2022, CDs accounted for less than 3% of music sales. If an elite classical label like Hyperion can finally hop on the streaming wagon, as they did last year, there must be a reason. |
As of 2023, in England, CDs and vinyl accounted for 9.4% of music sales and year to year growth for CDs is at 5.4% ($127 million). In the EU, CDs account for over 10% of all sales with growth at 7.3% year over year. In the US, CD are a bit less than 3% with sales (but account for over 10% of revenues) and hover around 37 million per year since 2023 and 25% of consumers say they use CDs for listening. There's as many ways to skew stats as there are to skin cats. The tremendous number of streaming sales is mostly from youngsters and Gen Zers downloading pop music and are not audiophiles. People have to stop using that red herring to validate their position. They listen on cheap, branded IEMs and headphones that no self respecting audiophile would use, or just blast it out of their smart phones (as anyone who spends even a few moments in public can attest to). And yes, there are millions of pieces of music out there with streaming that no one is listening to. Availability does not equate to acceptability (clumsy, but I was going for something catchy). It's like saying one library is bigger than another to someone who could care less what's in the cooking and home improvement section. All the best,
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@jayctoy Great!! Two other things I'll mention about streaming: 1) I've discovered artists on Qobuz who I would never have heard of otherwise, and who would not have a gotten a cent from me in CD sales; 2) Streaming is vastly less wasteful than CDs, which use fossil fuels and cannot be recycled. |
Honestly, nothing you have said there undermines my point: CDs account for a fraction of music sales these days. They are environmentally harmful to manufacture and cannot be recycled. And what difference does it make WHO buys streaming music, or how they listen to it? Talk about a red herring! ;-) Let the "kids" buy whatever they want. My daughter loves Spotify. So what? In a single week I can access more high-quality, hi-resolution music suited to my tastes than I could afford to purchase on CD in an entire year. Plus I can share new discoveries with friends with a simple text message. This month alone a fellow jazz lover who lives 3,000 miles away introduced me to six artists I was unfamiliar with. I can check them out and enjoy them (or reject them) at no extra cost. I'm currently reading a biography of Charles Ives. I can listen to almost every piece referenced in the book in excellent sound quality without spending a cent on CDs. And if I find something I want to be sure I can preserve in my collection, I can BUY it and store it on a hard drive.
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