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Suggestions for affordable battleship CD players?

Thanks for the suggestions, budget (was originally thinking ~£600-750) has just taken a rather large and unexpected hit so I'll need to hold off for a month which is frustrating as I have an amp, speakers and nothing to play through them!!!
I'd have jumped on the 557 otherwise
In the meantime I'm going to look up that Denon.

@eastone at the rate I'm buying gear off you I might as well set up a standing order!
 
There is only one proper battleship vintage Japanese player - Technics SL-P1200.

It happens to be pretty good, too!
 
There is only one proper battleship vintage Japanese player - Technics SL-P1200.

It happens to be pretty good, too!

Nah, quirky design (ugly to my eyes) but the internal build quality doesn't look to be all that special.
 
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I think I might need a cheap streamer as well (need to research these things) but this is a sort of want for the front end of what is going to be a 'classic' system.

The less the box count the better unless I can get the big Marantz 2 box for a couple of hundred (ha ha).

Which is this Marantz 2 box you speak of? You've piqued my interest! For the first time in my life I now have 2 CD players... I think it's the start of a slippery slope.
 
Marantz: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marantz-...d=link&campid=5338728743&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

and you can guess who has one on here!

On the Denon front I had a DVD-3910 which has battleship build but I'd not managed to get it tried on CDs to see how it compared to my Rotel.

The Sony S9000ES looks nice, one good condition on eBay... collection only...bah.

Technics looks quirky but I'm not sure when I'd use the jog wheel.

Think I'll still aim for a Sony when funds replenish unless there's a sudden left field winner or I get bored and buy a cheapy.
 
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I don’t know if you got sorted out with a player but I know of a Philips cd880 in Kirkliston which can be had for a reasonable price. Check it out it has the desirable 1541 selected chip inside.
 
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Oh I give up! Shouldn't be posting from work anyway.

Above should be a pic of the rather nice Philips CD880 as supplied by Fergus. Ticks all the battleship points and sounds bloody good to boot!

Apparently a top notch TDA1541 crown in there too but I haven't looked....
 
Usually, the ES series 1, 3 and 5 were just consumer players (perhaps with wood side panels). 7 and 9 series are the way to go. But definitely, the upper level SONY ES players are hard to beat for sound quality and build quality.
 
Usually, the ES series 1, 3 and 5 were just consumer players (perhaps with wood side panels). 7 and 9 series are the way to go. But definitely, the upper level SONY ES players are hard to beat for sound quality and build quality.


Agree with bells on- can be picked up for food money, sound good, look good and built like a brick outhouse.
 
Usually, the ES series 1, 3 and 5 were just consumer players (perhaps with wood side panels). 7 and 9 series are the way to go.

Sort of....but the Sony model numbering system was incredibly inconsistent.

For example the CDP-555esd was an absolutely TOTL player, as was the 557esd.

To add to the confusion the 555esd and 557esd were sold as the 705esd and 707esd respectively in some markets.

Then you get some players such as the CDP-222esd and CDP-910, which were basically the same thing.

But definitely, the upper level SONY ES players are hard to beat for sound quality and build quality..

They certainly are.

The same also applies to other Japanese brands too. Denon for example also produced some amazingly high quality stuff.
 
Usually, the ES series 1, 3 and 5 were just consumer players (perhaps with wood side panels). 7 and 9 series are the way to go. But definitely, the upper level SONY ES players are hard to beat for sound quality and build quality.

so a 337ES is merely consumer grade? if that build quality and grade of components is standard consumer grade then we have been robbed by other manufacturers
 


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