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CD player reliability

CD player reliability

  • Arcam

    Votes: 3 4.9%

  • Audiolab

    Votes: 1 1.6%

  • Marantz

    Votes: 4 6.6%

  • Nad

    Votes: 2 3.3%

  • Naim

    Votes: 4 6.6%

  • Rega

    Votes: 7 11.5%

  • Rotel

    Votes: 8 13.1%

  • Exposure/Meridian/Quad

    Votes: 4 6.6%

  • Pioneer/Denon/Yamaha/Teac/Onkyo/Sony

    Votes: 19 31.1%

  • Others

    Votes: 9 14.8%
  • Total voters
    61
gerlando

gerlando

Prog Rocker
Hello there,
this is just to satisfy my curiosity about which are the most reliable brands of CD player.

Thank you.
 
Philips all the way. Some are 40 years old and still run on their original laser units – I know, I have quite a few in my collection.
Then any players based on Philips or Sony technology, you name them: early Arcam, Quad (AFAIC) being two obvious examples.
 
Never had any trouble with Arcam, but my only one vote, went to Rotel.
RCD-965BX over twenty five years old and faultless when I sold it.
 
The vintage mechs using the Sharp LT022MC laser diode have proven to be especially reliable and long lasting. These include the Philips CDM-1 and Sony BU-1.

The Philips CDM-1 is the king as far as durability is concerned but Philips based players suffer much more from failed electrolytics than Sony/Denon etc which came fitted with more reliable Japanese brand capacitors. The BU-1 is a stunningly good mech too.
 
I don’t consider capacitor ageing a reliability problem. It’s just that once replaced, the players just keep going, possibly after a few adjustments (Japanese players mainly).
All my vintage players were thus restored. Only a few TAOHS laser units pose problems.
 
As above, mech should be first consideration - even Philips created some less than wonderful items like the CDM12.x. But it’s really about replacement availability, if they’re available, no problem. Then it’s down to electrolytIcs and other Mechanical issues like belts and switches.

Agree on the early Philips machines - I have a completely original CD204 here, completely original and working fine, even those blue caps on the servo board!
 
I've had a few brands and the only one that's ever needed any attention was a Quad 99 cdp-2 (new Elite mech fitted).

Only one vote so I plonked for the Sony collective as I've had a couple of 337 esd machines and they're chunky and well built with the smoothest draw action on the block.
 
I think the only dedicated CD player I had that left me while still working was my first one; a Marantz CD-273, as I recall. I traded up from that to a Technics SL-PS620; that lasted well, but was at the point where if I stomped my foot too much, I could get it to skip .... Audiolab 8000CD transport only lasted a few years; Quad 77 went on the fritz ... I think that's all of them.

These days I listen to digital stuff from files, but I have a Pioneer DV565 just in case - that handles CD, DVD-A and SACD, and seems to be lasting better than my CD players did.
 
My first player, Phillips CD473 never had a problem, passed it on to the father in law.

Next was an Arcam Alpha 5+, which needed a new laser after a few years, then got the usual Arcam tray gear disintegration issue. Fixed both, eventually sold it to get....

Cyrus CD6SE. Ran fine for around 8 years, then started skipping. I replaced the laser on it (took a lot of fine tuning to align it ok), but now works fine again (fingers crossed).

Vote list has no Cyrus. My vote would be Phillips.
 
1994 Naim CD3 still going after clicking back a dropped platter
2006 Naim CDX2 still going after a swinging drawer seized in cold weather. Paid for fix and update
2016 Naim CDX 2.2 still going after platter split, no official fix available but fixed with a Chinese copy platter

Love my Naim CD players for their dynamics
 
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