Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Daniel Fox Daniel Fox is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 49
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

Home stereo question follows:

I've got a Marantz cd-63 Mk II from circa 1995 which I like a lot. It
has always been pretty highly regarded as a quality cd player without
breaking the break, but now mine is finally dying. I'm wondering
whether to try and get it fixed or just go for a sub $100 DVD player
instead. I've heard thru the grapevine that inexpensive modern DVD
players sound better than alot of the highter dollar CD players of
yesteryear. Is this true?

Thanks for any input,

Dan Fox

  #2   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Mike S. Mike S. is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 15
Default decent home cd player for under $100?


In article . com,
Daniel Fox wrote:
Home stereo question follows:

I've got a Marantz cd-63 Mk II from circa 1995 which I like a lot. It
has always been pretty highly regarded as a quality cd player without
breaking the break, but now mine is finally dying. I'm wondering
whether to try and get it fixed or just go for a sub $100 DVD player
instead. I've heard thru the grapevine that inexpensive modern DVD
players sound better than alot of the highter dollar CD players of
yesteryear. Is this true?


This is true, but I had the same decision to make when my CD-67SE started
failing to read discs. I reached the conclusion that no sub-$100 player
will come close to the audio quality of the old gem, and got the laser
assembly replaced for about $150. No regrets.

Contact Jeff Galin at Electronics Service Labs for a quote.
No business connection, just a (repeat) satisfied customer.

ELECTRONICS SERVICE LABS
1807 Berlin Turnpike
Wethersfield, Connecticut 06109 USA
860-529-3700
www.eslabs.com
  #3   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
jwvm jwvm is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 336
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

On Feb 25, 6:35 pm, "Daniel Fox" wrote:
Home stereo question follows:

I've got a Marantz cd-63 Mk II from circa 1995 which I like a lot. It
has always been pretty highly regarded as a quality cd player without
breaking the break, but now mine is finally dying. I'm wondering
whether to try and get it fixed or just go for a sub $100 DVD player
instead. I've heard thru the grapevine that inexpensive modern DVD
players sound better than alot of the highter dollar CD players of
yesteryear. Is this true?


you don't necessarily want to believe the grapevine in this case.
Inexpensive DVD players may very well sound similar to your current CD
player but there is no reason to expect that it will sound
significantly better. DVD players with no display are inconvenient to
use without a TV so you want to spend enough to get a display. If you
have a DVD player, why not just try it out? BTW, you might get more
interesting answers if you posted this question to rec.audio.high-
end.



  #4   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Daniel Fox Daniel Fox is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 49
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

On Feb 25, 7:08 pm, (Mike S.) wrote:
This is true, but I had the same decision to make when my CD-67SE started
failing to read discs. I reached the conclusion that no sub-$100 player
will come close to the audio quality of the old gem, and got the laser
assembly replaced for about $150. No regrets.


Are you saying that the original statement (about modern DVD players
vs older CD players) is true in general but the Marantz models are an
exception? I'm just trying to clarify.

Dan

  #5   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Daniel Fox Daniel Fox is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 49
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

On Feb 25, 9:34 pm, "jwvm" wrote:
Inexpensive DVD players may very well sound similar to your current CD
player but there is no reason to expect that it will sound
significantly better.


Hmmm. I'm not looking for an upgrade - just want to maintain the same
level of fidelity I have now for the least amount of money.

DVD players with no display are inconvenient to
use without a TV so you want to spend enough to get a display.


Thats important. I'd be annoyed without a display.

If you
have a DVD player, why not just try it out?


Dont have a TV (and hence a DVD player). By choice.

BTW, you might get more
interesting answers if you posted this question to rec.audio.high-
end.


Will do, thanks.

Dan




  #6   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Laurence Payne Laurence Payne is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,824
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

On 25 Feb 2007 19:06:29 -0800, "Daniel Fox" wrote:

BTW, you might get more
interesting answers if you posted this question to rec.audio.high-
end.


Will do, thanks.


I think he was being humorous :-)
  #7   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Julian Julian is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 644
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 09:32:30 +0000, Laurence Payne
lpayne1NOSPAM@dslDOTpipexDOTcom wrote:

On 25 Feb 2007 19:06:29 -0800, "Daniel Fox" wrote:

BTW, you might get more
interesting answers if you posted this question to rec.audio.high-
end.


Will do, thanks.


I think he was being humorous :-)


You think?

  #8   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Laurence Payne Laurence Payne is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,824
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 05:19:47 -0800, Julian
wrote:

BTW, you might get more
interesting answers if you posted this question to rec.audio.high-
end.

Will do, thanks.


I think he was being humorous :-)


You think?


That, or merely mischievous :-)

You'll get no sense out of the audiophools regarding a $100 player.
  #9   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Arny Krueger Arny Krueger is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 17,262
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

"Daniel Fox" wrote in message
ups.com
Home stereo question follows:

I've got a Marantz cd-63 Mk II from circa 1995 which I
like a lot. It has always been pretty highly regarded as
a quality cd player without breaking the break, but now
mine is finally dying. I'm wondering whether to try and
get it fixed or just go for a sub $100 DVD player
instead. I've heard thru the grapevine that inexpensive
modern DVD players sound better than alot of the highter
dollar CD players of yesteryear. Is this true?


AFAIK the Marantz CD-63 was a fine player. I did some technical tests on a
CD67 some years back and obtained these results:

http://www.pcavtech.com/play-rec/cd67se/index.htm

I did some tests on a good mid-fi DVD player of the day and obtained the
following, which I would performed comparably:

http://www.pcavtech.com/play-rec/dv525/index.htm

The most obvious downside that I noticed at that time was the fact that the
DV525 did not track CDRs quite as well (although it did track almost all of
the ones I tested it with), and that it took longer to get into play mode
after loading a disc. This loading time disadvantage seems to persist to
this day. It is understandable given that the drive has a lot of
alternatives to test.

I did some casual technical tests on a sub-$100 and then a sub-$50 DVD
player a couple of years back and found similar results. The 2 players I
tested unfortunately turned out to have relatively short lives. I took one
of them apart and found that its audio section was based on some Crystal
Semiconductor (a highly-regarded manufacturer of converter chips) 24/192 DAC
chips, and that the player easily outperformed the specs on the chips.

If this all seems a little risky, you might want to pick up one of the low
cost Universal players that play SACD, DVD-A, CD's, etc. They seem to be in
your price range.

Even sub-$40 portable CD players have improved their performance. It used to
be that their shock-resistance circuits severely degraded their audio
perforamance. There is still some degradation, but they aren't nearly as bad
as they were.



  #10   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
jwvm jwvm is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 336
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

On Feb 26, 8:29 am, Laurence Payne lpayne1NOSPAM@dslDOTpipexDOTcom
wrote:
On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 05:19:47 -0800, Julian


snip

That, or merely mischievous :-)

You'll get no sense out of the audiophools regarding a $100 player.


Me mischievous? Why on earth would you think that? Actually, as Arny
points out below, there are some low-cost universal machines that
might be good choices for the OP. Surprisingly, some of them have
received praise on RAHE. The OP could then use the money he saves on
the player and invest in $1000 power cords, speaker cable, and
interconnects needed to achieve audiophile nirvana. :-)



  #11   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Scott Dorsey Scott Dorsey is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16,853
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

Laurence Payne lpayne1NOSPAM@dslDOTpipexDOTcom wrote:

You'll get no sense out of the audiophools regarding a $100 player.


They'll tell you to buy a used Magnavox/Philips CDB650. It's good advice.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
  #12   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Daniel Fox Daniel Fox is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 49
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

On Feb 26, 9:18 am, "Arny Krueger" wrote:

player a couple of years back and found similar results. The 2 players I
tested unfortunately turned out to have relatively short lives.


No point in getting a temporary replacement...


If this all seems a little risky, you might want to pick up one of the low
cost Universal players that play SACD, DVD-A, CD's, etc. They seem to be in
your price range.


Can you think of a suitable example I might look into?

Thanks,

Dan

  #13   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Daniel Fox Daniel Fox is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 49
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

On Feb 26, 8:29 am, Laurence Payne lpayne1NOSPAM@dslDOTpipexDOTcom
wrote:
You'll get no sense out of the audiophools regarding a $100 player.


Right. So far they aren't interested in answering. Maybe i'll up the
ante by bringing up some stereo image enhancing moon rocks (which i'll
put on top of a $50 DVD player.)

Dan


  #14   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Arny Krueger Arny Krueger is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 17,262
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

"Daniel Fox" wrote in message
oups.com
On Feb 26, 9:18 am, "Arny Krueger"
wrote:

player a couple of years back and found similar results.
The 2 players I tested unfortunately turned out to have
relatively short lives.


No point in getting a temporary replacement...


If this all seems a little risky, you might want to pick
up one of the low cost Universal players that play SACD,
DVD-A, CD's, etc. They seem to be in your price range.


Can you think of a suitable example I might look into?


Check out the current Pioneer offering. I have one of their earlier
inexpensive universal players and it seems just fine.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/discplayers/1203pioneer/

I think the current model is DV-588

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers....&Search=Search

Here's annother review of some other items:

http://hometheater.about.com/cs/dvdl...pdvdasacda.htm

IMO it does not make a lot of sense to blow the big bucks on a player that
does not support both DVD-HD and Blu Ray.


  #15   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
William Sommerwerck William Sommerwerck is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,718
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

IMO it does not make a lot of sense to blow the big bucks
on a player that does not support both DVD-HD and Blu Ray.


At the moment, there's only one -- a $1200 LG.

I, for one, am waiting.




  #16   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Arny Krueger Arny Krueger is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 17,262
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

"William Sommerwerck" wrote in
message

IMO it does not make a lot of sense to blow the big bucks
on a player that does not support both DVD-HD and Blu
Ray.


At the moment, there's only one -- a $1200 LG.


I, for one, am waiting.


Just know that when these things go mainstream they'll be a fraction of the
price.



  #17   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Daniel Fox Daniel Fox is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 49
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

On Feb 26, 11:24 am, "Arny Krueger" wrote:

Check out the current Pioneer offering. I have one of their earlier
inexpensive universal players and it seems just fine.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/discplayers/1203pioneer/

I think the current model is DV-588

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers....&Search=Search


The DV-563 can be had on ebay for $50-$80 refurbished. The DV-588
goes for $120 new. Unless anyone thinks the Marantz CD-63 Mk II would
still sound better (i'm ONLY interested in audio) these seem like a
good bet. I like the idea of being able to play SACD and DVD-A too,
though I wonder how much of an audible difference there will be,
especially since I only listen in stereo.

Thanks for the info Arny.

Dan




  #18   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Paul Stamler Paul Stamler is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,614
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
Laurence Payne lpayne1NOSPAM@dslDOTpipexDOTcom wrote:

You'll get no sense out of the audiophools regarding a $100 player.


They'll tell you to buy a used Magnavox/Philips CDB650. It's good advice.


Yes, but will anyone fix the laser when it dies? Mine has.

Peace,
Paul


  #19   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Paul Stamler Paul Stamler is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,614
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...

Even sub-$40 portable CD players have improved their performance. It used

to
be that their shock-resistance circuits severely degraded their audio
perforamance. There is still some degradation, but they aren't nearly as

bad
as they were.


While we're here, can you recommend one of those? Mine just got smashed
(along with the back end of my car) by a nitwit in an F250.

Peace,
Paul


  #20   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Scott Dorsey Scott Dorsey is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 16,853
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

Paul Stamler wrote:
"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
Laurence Payne lpayne1NOSPAM@dslDOTpipexDOTcom wrote:

You'll get no sense out of the audiophools regarding a $100 player.


They'll tell you to buy a used Magnavox/Philips CDB650. It's good advice.


Yes, but will anyone fix the laser when it dies? Mine has.


It uses the same model laser that most of the third generation players
from Philips used. Parts Express and MCM Electronics may even still
stock them.

Replacing the head is much easier than it was with the first and second
generation players.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."


  #21   Report Post  
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Daniel Fox Daniel Fox is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 49
Default decent home cd player for under $100?

in case anyone's interested - I ended up buying a factory
reconditioned Pioneer DV-588A for $80. I got the Marantz working just
long enough to do some comparisons and heard no significant difference
work speaking of. This is thru a pair of very accurate NEAR tower
speakers in a semi dead listening environment. The Marantz ended up
under my bed. I also just picked up a "living stereo" Bartok SACD
reissue and Miles Davis "Miles Smiles" on SACD. Nice to be able to
listen to this format now. Thanks all for the input.

Dan

Reply
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Yahama "natural sound" amp specs? rumble Pro Audio 236 June 9th 06 06:04 PM
a decent car mp3 CD player alex Car Audio 4 April 6th 05 04:31 PM
Decent A/V Home Receiver R. Williams Audio Opinions 2 November 10th 03 09:35 PM
Best magazines for home theatre to subscribe to? Johnny Canuck Audio Opinions 4 October 16th 03 01:59 PM
home cd player / shock-resistant Damper General 0 July 14th 03 01:39 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:43 AM.

Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 AudioBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Audio and hi-fi"