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Classic CD Players ?

Rotel 855 and 955 - both with 1541 DAC
and Rotel 965 - with 1bit Philips DAC.
Imho 855/955 was better than newer 1 bit version.
I had one 855 around 1992? and i was really shocked when it arrived and i turned it on. It was sooo wonderfull and dynamic sound !
Later tried highly awarded 965 - more details, but IMHO much worse dynamic and PRAT ;)
 
More praise for the Philips CDM-1 transport and TDA1541. I just brought a B&O CDX home from the second hand store for $17.95 - looks like it just rolled off the assembly line.

It sounds brilliant, to my ears anyway. Turns out several of my favorite cd players have had basically the same internals. I guess I'm a fan.
 
Thom PC said:
I'm running an Arcam Alpha 5 and it's actually quite good IMO. Should be possible to find it within the 100 £ budget.
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seconded, I have had a 5+ kicking around for about 12-13 years and it's as good as I have heard for the £100 mark!
 
Philips cd950, bought for £12.
Oscons on various sections and soon to have dedicated 5v supplies to each Oscon.
Swing arm transport feeding my modded chinese DAC, which is fussy about sources. Brilliant.
 
andy k said:
im using a marantz first generation cd 63b cd player (b for black) the standard finish was champagne. what a stonking player it is and still going strong after 26 years. a true testament to the first generation players.
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Yes I had a black one of these but debts mounted up and somebody close was screaming sell sell sell at me so it went way before time. The graph on the top :) It was well built and felt satisfyingly solid. I have modern Marantz players but miss having that one.

I would have kept it mint as well. Im currently doing up a Phillips cd104 which actually has a sound I can listen to for ages.

Cd was in its infancy and I think some people with their fancy vinyl set ups were very harsh on the early cd players. They were well built and did a very reasonable job for the money.
 
tomek said:
Rotel 855 and 955 - both with 1541 DAC
and Rotel 965 - with 1bit Philips DAC.
Imho 855/955 was better than newer 1 bit version.
I had one 855 around 1992? and i was really shocked when it arrived and i turned it on. It was sooo wonderfull and dynamic sound !
Later tried highly awarded 965 - more details, but IMHO much worse dynamic and PRAT ;)
Click to expand...

+1

Used to get folks to listen to the 965 based on reviews, then payed them a better step up player. They were always shocked and loved the fact it was cheaper.
 
colasblue said:
IMHO its a complete waste of time and money getting involved with aged CD players.

The technology has moved on in leaps and bounds since about 2000 when DVD chipsets and transports became available. The market has further moved as PC's have become more audio competent.

The best VFM for CD replay is a PC running a squeezebox or somesuch, and a squeezebox isn't far outside your budget. You obviously already have a PC.

Connect a PC with SPdif out to a Benchmark DAC and you have the equal or better of any high end CDP IMHO for a fraction of the price.

In contrast an old cheap (or even not so cheap) CDP will either rip your ears off with its screech or be so boring you'll just want to turn it off. Even worse its mechanism will give up the ghost and will be obsolete so you can't get it fixed.
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Even if it's true I don't think that was the question asked.
 
I still have an Arcam Alpha CD, the original with Twin Power Transformers and a metal case. It was pressed into action again when I replaced my Linn Ikemi with a DS. I am amazed at how good it still sounds, albeit through a Linn Klimax system.

There is no way that I'm selling it for £100......
 
Kasper,

I believe there is an enormous thread on DIY audio regarding the CDX, including some manuals. Well worth a service, the old electrolytics are way past there best by now.

I think the internals are very CD 104 iirc
 
My vote goes to the Rotel RCD 965BX. The Rotel has a digital output and using this into a Rega dac sounds excellent.
 
My 206B is a recent arrival, bought from one Vinylnut of this parish, and comfortably saw off a Naim CD5i
I'm putting a Densen in there next week hopefully. Will be interesting to compare it with the Meridian
 
My 206B is a recent arrival, bought from one Vinylnut of this parish, and comfortably saw off a Naim CD5i
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That couldn't have been that difficult - CD5i was the worst CD player I've ever owned. Great to listen for a few minutes then after that the sound was like pulling teeth. I must admit I love the sound of some of the older players and still have my MCD Pro and Marantz CD73.
 
I rather enjoy some older players. The Meridian 206, 206B (pre DAC7), and 207 players were excellent and I still have an example of each. However, to my ears my Naim CD3 beats them all for involvement. And yes, I'd take a CD3 over a CD5i any day, which I guess is no suprirse as the CD3 was a much more expensive player in real terms.

Most fascinating are the early 1st and 2nd generation players. I have a collection of these and I have to say that the early Marantz players were miles ahead of the rest sound-wise before the Mission DAD7000 and Meridian MCD came along. The aforementioned Mission, based on the CD104, is probably my favourite early player, closely followed by the Marantz CD74/84, which was at least beautifully built thanks to being made in Japan.

I must also mention the Hitachi DAD1000 - notable for being the very first CD player to make it onto UK dealer shelves, beating the Sony and Philips players by weeks, if not days. Quite a coup. I recall seeing and hearing one that had just arrived at Harrods. There was such a buzz around it, you had to patiently wait your turn to have a go. The whole thing looked just so cool at the time, and I still really like the way the disc is held and loaded. I have one, mint and boxed, that comes out every now and then and is still working perfectly - as it should with only about 30 hours on it. It still wows in its looks and function. Only shame is that it sounds fairly typical of the early type. Feed it something well recorded and simple and it's OK - impressive even, but anything else more complex and you'll run screaming from the room after a short while. That's why it has lived so much of its life inside its box...

Other earlyish players I have really enjoyed are the Marantz TDA1541A players, CD65SE, CD50SE, and CD60SE - such great sound for the money at the time, and still great, especially now, and pretty much bullet-proof. As good or better than a CD-85, and so much cheaper to buy. The Rotel RCD-855 belongs here too - just great value for the performance on offer. The Arcam Alpha and Alpha 5s are also wonderful for the money and a great buy second-hand. Weirdly I never really got on with the Delta series. Just a bit too smooth and civilised to be fun.
 
David F said:
I'd love to try one.
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You can try mine if you wish, pm me your address and I will happily post it to you, you try it for a few months and post back to me.

Not trying to sell it, I want to keep it. But if you want a listen then just PM me and all will be sent.

Deal?

:)
 
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