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What was/is your favourite CD player

My favourite CD player I’ve had is the CD3.5 I bought new from my local dealer. It took on a new lease of life sonically when I added a Sonic Bliss dual psu and has never let me down. It’s only been opened to retrieve the puck that went for a wander inside when I moved it off its shelf.

It’s packaged as new waiting for me to decide if I should put an office or bedroom system together around it but I suspect I’m just delaying parting with it for sentimental reasons.

That’s the favourite CD player I’ve owned but my AN CDT2 Transport & AN DAC 2.1x/II Signature make magic from CDs that I’ve not gotten close to with any of the other players or streaming products I’ve tried.
 
I have a Naim CD5XS with flat cap in my main Naim system and very pleased with it although treble is good but not perfect. Very groovy and perfect bass though.
I also have a Marantz HD CD1 used as a transport through a SMSL M500 DAC in my second sound kit and some of my CD’s are simply breathtaking through my Naim 32.5/Hicap/160 BD.
 
Not had huge experience tbh
Numerous Rotel in my youth.
This time tried Marantz CD6006 UK or the current budget loved by what hifi? Never really took to it.
Rega Apollo great still love this player
Rotel 965bx surprisingly good
Rotel 955 modded by S-Man that is superb and a keeper
Rotel 06SE still undecided it works very well indeed and pairs with the 05SE amp to make something way better than sum of its parts
 
I have a cayin cdt 17 which sounds great but I no longer use due to its blingy ugliness. Current player is a rotel rcd 991 that I bought secondhand many years ago, I use it as a transport these days and it has never let me down. Dream machine for me would be the big canary audio transport.
 
Interesting to see that the OP asked an open question and several folks have nominated the CD3.5. There is something about the source components in the Three Series (CD3.5 and NAT03). Both punch far above their weight.
 
I started with a Marantz cd67 which at the time I loved but which was easily bettered by the Rega Planet that followed. The Planet was my last new CD player, from then on I bought 2nd hand.
I replaced the Planet with its bigger brother the Jupiter/Io which I slightly preferred but I never thought was an outright upgrade so I tried a naim cd 3.5 which lasted a few weeks because I just couldn't get on with it. The Naim cd2 which replaced that was much better and remains my fave.
I had to sell the cd2 to raise funds on a rainy day and relied on my squeezebox touch. Later I bought Cyrus cd 6 which sounded horrible and only lasted a few days. A naim cd5 followed which didn't sound as open as I remembered the cd2 (even with various caps) but reminded me a lot of the Planet (though better I think) and stayed put for years until I realised I was streaming most of the time.
Currently I have a stable platter Pioneer pd-s 707 which is used as a transport once in a while. Its funny but having had mainly Rega and Naim kit I think if I was buying a cd-based system now I'd probably go for a 90s Japanese system - a better versions of the Marantz kit I started with...
 
My favourite CDP has to be my current one, Electrocompaniet EMC 1UP, built like a tank and the most analogue sounding player I've heard, but would love to hear a top of the range Accuphase, or the Burmester 061
Mac
 
I’ve had many (too many), I have a modded Linn Mimik which makes a cracking transport, as a stand-alone player it’s rather dull. I also have a Genki, which is in another league, a Karik/Numerik, I think I prefer the Genki to the stand-alone Karik but it’s a close run thing, the Karik/Numerik is fantastic... but is beaten by an Ikemi (I have them all to hand for comparison right now). By the way I also had a CD12 for a couple of years and that is hands down the best player I’ve ever owned, just sublime.

Other highlights I’ve had include, an Avondale Arcam 5+, Arcam FMJ CD23, Naim CD3.5/Flatcap, Rega Planet (clamshell), Rega Saturn (absolutely superb and just ever so slightly behind the Linn Ikemi), Marantz CD17 Ki signature and a Roksan Caspian M1 (also fantastic and again, just slightly behind the Ikemi)...

So my favourite “affordable” player is the Ikemi,
My favourite currently manufactured player is a Rega ISIS (haven’t owned one but will one day),
and my favourite of all time, the Linn CD12 naturally, shame they’re still so jaw droppingly expensive 16 years after they went out of production!
 
Linds said:
Auditioned a CD5X and an Ikemi and bought an exdem of the latter £1,299 IIRC. I used to play it 2hrs+ every single day, sometimes 5hrs. I had to tell friends it was used more than my £4k car in spite of a 60 mile commute. It brought out textures and subtle details that were fabulous. One Saturday morning 7 yrs later, having set up Spotify and a Firestone DAC, I listed it on eBay for £850 and it was gone by lunchtime. An amazing machine, which still gets rave reviews by owners now. And strangely it hasn’t dropped much in 2nd hand value. Now I’ve got an Arcam D33 I feel I’m probably back at Ikemi joy. Hard to say as I’ve changed amp, room, house, speakers since. But the Ikemi defo had an ability to bring out singer’s personalities.
Click to expand...
The Ikemi, even at its final retail price of £2195, was a bargain, to better it, you needed to spend double that. A truly remarkable machine, and beautifully elegant to boot, that’s why they still change hands for north of £800.
 
I started with a Naim 3.5 about 20 years ago added a Hi-Cap which then was upgraded with a Avondale ASR unit. Then 4 years ago found nivarna a 1997 Naim CDS / CDPS never looked back.

Regards,

Martin
 
The God awful sound of a much praised original Meridan modified Phillips CDP through a Linn/Naim system put me off cd's for years. It was when I decided to emigrate to Oz in 1991 that I bought a cheap Technics multi play CDP before I left because the LP was dead there. I was surprised how good this sounded. A few years later I replaced it with a Marantz multi play which again sounded good. Funnily enough I was now playing more CD's than LP's! This was replaced by a NAD 521 BEE which was slightly better than the Marantz. I don't think there was a quantum leap between any of these 'upgrades'. I began to lust after something with valves so I purchased a tubed Xindak player which was superbly built and had a lovely sound. I now use a Pioneer PD-7700 stable platter machine as a transport connected optically to my Maverick D1+ DAC. This combination sounds so right and I can tell no difference to when I play ripped music from the Laptop. I very rarely play LP's these days - too much like hard work! I would love to try one of the high end stable platter CDP.
 
Had an Audioaero once - very nice, then a Nagra CDC for 13 years before selling it on - superb quality. Now an ARC cd9. Very dynamic and punchy. My favourite.
 
rabidlistener said:
The God awful sound of a much praised original Meridan modified Phillips CDP through a Linn/Naim system put me off cd's for years. It was when I decided to emigrate to Oz in 1991 that I bought a cheap Technics multi play CDP before I left because the LP was dead there. I was surprised how good this sounded. A few years later I replaced it with a Marantz multi play which again sounded good. Funnily enough I was now playing more CD's than LP's! This was replaced by a NAD 521 BEE which was slightly better than the Marantz. I don't think there was a quantum leap between any of these 'upgrades'. I began to lust after something with valves so I purchased a tubed Xindak player which was superbly built and had a lovely sound. I now use a Pioneer PD-7700 stable platter machine as a transport connected optically to my Maverick D1+ DAC. This combination sounds so right and I can tell no difference to when I play ripped music from the Laptop. I very rarely play LP's these days - too much like hard work! I would love to try one of the high end stable platter CDP.
Click to expand...

How does the pioneer sound on its own?Always been curious about the stable platter players. I had the Nad a few years ago. Nice player for the money.I think NAD are a fairly underrated company.
 
i have soft spot for meridian 506.20 which was my first'serious' cdp, a joy to use and look at, soundd a bit safe but nice. sound wise either a hot rodded alpha 5 or sony 337esd which had a lovley punchy, organic sound with plenty of drive and joi de verve!
 
Have had nothing for nearly 10 years since selling on an AVI Lab Series (good player, but not spectacular by any means) and before that a Resolution Audio Opus 21 (very decent player but unreliable). I realised quite recently that, like like the post further up, I missed having the tactile interplay of the medium and (to a lesser extent than vinyl, of course) liner notes. I borrowed my wife's unused CA player - a beat-up old thing - pressed it into use as a transport into my DAC - and realised that the time had come to re-discover the 25-50% or so of my CDs I never got around to ripping onto the NAS. A CA CXC transport will hopefully arrive today or on Monday to replace that CA player (as it's fussy with discs, a bit tatty and probably not that great a transport). I'm looking forward to re-discovering those forgotten pleasures in the cd cupboard :)
 
I haven’t owned a stand alone CD player for many years now - but my favourite from back in the day was the Marantz CD94 Mk2, still regarded by some as a bit of a classic. Since then I’ve relied on Universal players as I have a large collection of SACD’s and a few DVD-A’s. Current disc spinner is an Audiocom modified Oppo 105D but I must admit I do keep on coming back to the idea of buying a Rega Isis but the weight (19Kg) puts me off! There’s a very tempting one here: https://www.audioemotion.co.uk/rega-isis-reference-cd-player-24159-p.asp. Please - Someone else buy it - remove the temptation :p​
 
I was late coming to CD players but eventually succumbed with an Arcam Alpha Plus. This was stolen along with the rest of my HiFi and was replaced with a Naim CD3 and then finally I replaced this with a CDS3. Ticks all the boxes for me.
 
Started with a Sony D50 - big mistake, horrible sound and put me of from CD's for several years.
Second chance, I took the high end route, a Naim CDS, later rebuilt to a CDS2. Very good sound.
After selling of the big Naim rig I went through about four 1990's ones bought at SH stores for around £5 each. Yes, CD-players sound different and multi bit is better.
All the above broke down and as I listen a lot to to audio books I now have a Marantz 6006, sounds quite good and has a USB port.
 
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