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Budget top-loading CD players to use as transport

G

GruntPuppy

pfm Member
The system is coming together nicely, a change to a smaller power amp driving the subs has meant a fortuitous rack reorganisation has put the core of my system on one stand unique rack, which looks much nicer. If black menacing monolithic hifi can ever look nice...

Which led to my next chain of thunks. Just to be different, I'd like to use a reasonably priced top-loading cd as transport. There are of course the Rega units (have you seen the mk1 planet on eBay at the moment with the sub-£150 buy it now? Sweet Jesus that things had a life...), can any of you suggest any other low-end budget priced top-loading CD players?

Some of the Bang and Olufsen units look interesting, but finding out if they've got digi output is getting frustrating!

Any other suggestions for budget top-loading transports I can take a look at?
 
Restek Concret, built like a Panzer tank, also old though.

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The Rega units, having used Sony and Sanyo mechs, are the most serviceable out of those mentioned so far, you can still pick up a laser and bung it in if you get a failure, and nine times out of ten, it’ll restore function…

Phillips based units can be trickier. Actually, the older, the better with Phillips based stuff. CDM/1 mechs just never die, CDM/4 mechs are pretty robust too, and you can still find them. CDM/9, still good but I’ve had a couple fail on me, replacements are getting harder to find. CDM/12 and VAM/12 units are starting to fail now and good replacements are hard to find. Mike P has had some luck finding serviceable replacements from Cricklewood electronics I believe (ought to get one for my Naim machine), but most that I’ve bought from eBay have been duds.

I’d look for a Rega… Sony made a couple, the CDP-X3000 ES, and the CDP-X5000ES, but they came in champagne gold and they go for silly money (because they’re pretty desirable to be fair).

The Rega Planet on eBay, yes it’s had a life, but it looks like it’d clean up… if it were in collecting distance, it look at it in person and if it does indeed look like it’d clean up with a damp cloth, it’d male a sensible offer on it.
 
Chops54 said:
Cyrus did a top loader but these will be getting on a bit now. Spares will probably be an issue with a lot of these older machines.
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The Diskmaster CD transport and the DAD 7 CD player, really nice machines but I’d be concerned about serviceability too. I’ve seen damaged lid mechanisms, which would be impossible to replace. They used a CDM9/44 mech iirc, which might be tricky to find… great mech though.
 
GruntPuppy said:
Some of the Bang and Olufsen units look interesting, but finding out if they've got digi output is getting frustrating!
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The only B&O top loader with a digital output as far as I can remember is the CDX2. Sadly it’s not as good a player as the original CDX and the lasers are somewhat fragile. Buy with caution!

The other B&O players that definitely do have a digital output are the front-loading Beogram CD5500, 6500 and 7000 models. However, these are best used in the context of their corresponding B&O setup as they have no displays of their own and only one button that can play, pause or stop the disc.
 
GruntPuppy said:
The system is coming together nicely, a change to a smaller power amp driving the subs has meant a fortuitous rack reorganisation has put the core of my system on one stand unique rack, which looks much nicer. If black menacing monolithic hifi can ever look nice...

Which led to my next chain of thunks. Just to be different, I'd like to use a reasonably priced top-loading cd as transport. There are of course the Rega units (have you seen the mk1 planet on eBay at the moment with the sub-£150 buy it now? Sweet Jesus that things had a life...), can any of you suggest any other low-end budget priced top-loading CD players?

Some of the Bang and Olufsen units look interesting, but finding out if they've got digi output is getting frustrating!

Any other suggestions for budget top-loading transports I can take a look at?
Click to expand...

Does it really have to be top loading? That's going to limit your choices considerably.

Loading mechs rarely fail in a terminal way. 99% of the time a re-lube/new belt/a clean of the position switches has them running properly again.

Crap quality and/or unobtanium replacement lasers are a much bigger problem.
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
The Rega units, having used Sony and Sanyo mechs, are the most serviceable out of those mentioned so far, you can still pick up a laser and bung it in if you get a failure, and nine times out of ten, it’ll restore function…

Phillips based units can be trickier. Actually, the older, the better with Phillips based stuff. CDM/1 mechs just never die, CDM/4 mechs are pretty robust too, and you can still find them. CDM/9, still good but I’ve had a couple fail on me, replacements are getting harder to find. CDM/12 and VAM/12 units are starting to fail now and good replacements are hard to find. Mike P has had some luck finding serviceable replacements from Cricklewood electronics I believe (ought to get one for my Naim machine), but most that I’ve bought from eBay have been duds.

I’d look for a Rega… Sony made a couple, the CDP-X3000 ES, and the CDP-X5000ES, but they came in champagne gold and they go for silly money (because they’re pretty desirable to be fair).

The Rega Planet on eBay, yes it’s had a life, but it looks like it’d clean up… if it were in collecting distance, it look at it in person and if it does indeed look like it’d clean up with a damp cloth, it’d male a sensible offer on it.
Click to expand...

Look again, some of that muck on the Rega is paint, and sadly some of it is on plastic parts. The bodged bolts to hold non-standard feet on might well be the wrong size, just forced in as well.
 
Mike P said:
Does it really have to be top loading? That's going to limit your choices considerably.

Loading mechs rarely fail in a terminal way. 99% of the time a re-lube/new belt/a clean of the position switches has them running properly again.

Crap quality and/or unobtanium replacement lasers are a much bigger problem.
Click to expand...

I really don't know why, but I really fancy a top-loading transport - deviant that I am :p
 
GruntPuppy said:
Look again, some of that muck on the Rega is paint, and sadly some of it is on plastic parts. The bodged bolts to hold non-standard feet on might well be the wrong size, just forced in as well.
Click to expand...
Ouch, I saw it on my phone in bright light, it looked like someone had sanded filler down near it to me, probably one to leave alone then, unless it was very cheap, shame.

I don’t know how people manage to beat kit up so badly, it must take effort! My kit stays in the rack and gets wiped over with a slightly damp cloth as and when I can see any dust accumulation, it takes no effort and the kit stays pristine.
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
Ouch, I saw it on my phone in bright light, it looked like someone had sanded filler down near it to me, probably one to leave alone then, unless it was very cheap, shame.

I don’t know how people manage to beat kit up so badly, it must take effort! My kit stays in the rack and gets wiped over with a slightly damp cloth as and when I can see any dust accumulation, it takes no effort and the kit stays pristine.
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I might still rescue it. IIRC that's a cast aluminium case, I can do something with it. Stripping is easier than most people think, it's just the plastics to refurb then.
 
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