Looking to purchase a new CD player

Budget is around $300 to $350. Can't spend beyond that.

Seems like the following new CD players that I can afford are as follows and I would like to know what experiences people have had using any of these. Also, which one skips the least on scratched CD's.

Yamaha S300
NAD C338 (brand new model and supplants the 516Bee)
NAD 516Bee
Onkyo C-7030
Teac CDP 650

May be a couple more models I missed such as Tascam and Denon which make DJ models or rack mount units. Not sure if I want to use something like that with my home gear.
 
I've been partial to the sound produced by NAD CD players. At least the older ones. They seemed to have a distinctive character. I thought the 5000 and that 513 three disc changer were great sounding players.

Can't say from personal experience, but it would seem logical that newer models would carry on the tradition to some degree.
 
OP is looking for new. Used is not for everyone but if he is willing to take the chance, there are some fantastic DVD as CD players out there for very little money. For example, the Panasonic DVD-H1000D sounds just as good as my recently departed Sony CDP-XA7ES. The Panny weighs 37 pounds! My second example is due to arrive tomorrow and will see CD duty.
 
You could also try the Cambridge Audio CD players if you can get them where you are. Also, I've heard good things about some of the mid priced Denon units.
 
I have a Tascam CD-200BT with bluetooth connectivity that I like. I can play stuff from my phone through it. But if black is not your taste then it may not be right for you.
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+1 on Cambridge Audio, I've had a Azur 650c for quite a few years now. Great sounding player, smooth solid operation, built like a tank. All my other CD players are Denon DVD players. I have a Denon DVD-2500 and three DVD-900s. They can be picked up cheap, they sound good, and I have yet to have one fail on me.
 
Appreciate some of the suggestions. A little hesitant to try another Cambridge Audio. Had one for over ten years that I bought in 2003. Sounded OK but the tray would stick a lot and I had to use a butter knife to open it. Also skipped a lot on some CD's. Had a NAD prior to that and it crapped out two weeks after the warranty became void. Would be more inclined to try a new NAD since the reviews of the 526Bee are quite good and apparently the QC issues from the past are gone. Not really the case with Cambridge Audio at least with the Topaz CD 10. Azur line is more expensive and I don't really want to spend the money for that when I know I can get the sound I desire for less.

Purchasing used is a bit questionable. Have bought a couple of amp's off Ebay and also a Receiver. One has already more or less crapped out but the Yamaha's still work OK but have problems like input channels not working in a couple of cases and the Treble knob being broken. Not sure a used CD player is a wise purchase unless it is a Refurbished unit from a reputable source.
 
I've have NAD....But my Yahama CD S 300/usb...is one great sounding machine....my NAD 542 is also very good...but...the Yamaha has that usb port...streaming is easy ....
 
Appreciate some of the suggestions. A little hesitant to try another Cambridge Audio. Had one for over ten years that I bought in 2003. Sounded OK but the tray would stick a lot and I had to use a butter knife to open it. Also skipped a lot on some CD's. Had a NAD prior to that and it crapped out two weeks after the warranty became void. Would be more inclined to try a new NAD since the reviews of the 526Bee are quite good and apparently the QC issues from the past are gone. Not really the case with Cambridge Audio at least with the Topaz CD 10. Azur line is more expensive and I don't really want to spend the money for that when I know I can get the sound I desire for less.

Purchasing used is a bit questionable. Have bought a couple of amp's off Ebay and also a Receiver. One has already more or less crapped out but the Yamaha's still work OK but have problems like input channels not working in a couple of cases and the Treble knob being broken. Not sure a used CD player is a wise purchase unless it is a Refurbished unit from a reputable source.
My used Sonys have been trouble free and play any disc I throw at them. Seriously, I was given a box of used CD's from multiple sources, loaded all into the carousel without cleaning "any" of them, set it for shuffle play and it's never found one it wouldn't play.

And at the price I paid if they had only lasted a few yrs then I wouldn't be out anything, but they're tanks and just keep on going.
 
I dare to say almost a no brainer, Amazon has the Onkyo 7030 for $169.00. I own one and it's decent, no issues sounds good to me. Almost bought another one a few days ago but lucked into a nice older Shanling unit for the second system.
 
...Purchasing used is a bit questionable. Have bought a couple of amp's off Ebay and also a Receiver. One has already more or less crapped out but the Yamaha's still work OK but have problems like input channels not working in a couple of cases and the Treble knob being broken. Not sure a used CD player is a wise purchase unless it is a Refurbished unit from a reputable source.

New does have it's advantages in terms of warranty and in the case of AVR's, the latest features. I would note that at your price point, you are looking at an entry level model. Getting a used player is a risk but IMO it is a risk worth taking. My Panasonic was TOTL and had MSRP of $3k which shows in build and sound quality. Another great sounding DVD player is the Denon DVD-3910 which was near TOTL and very well built. It is a universal player which means SACD and HDCD capable. They sell for around $100 on ebay. With ebay rules tilted in favor of the buyer, you get a de facto warranty as ebay almost always rules in favor of the buyer. Anyways, totally understand the need for new.
 
I can second Sams recommendation on using older higher end players. I've been running a Yamaha DVDS-2300 (retailed for over a grand back in '05 or so) for a few years and it's been performing flawlessly the entire time. I've compared it to a handful of other players and outboard DACs but nothing has kicked it out of it's spot.
 
The.....Onkyo C7030 !!!

Realistically accurate in fine detail and it’s the cheapest player. Many members on this site own the C7030....
 
The only hesitation I have at the moment with the Onkyo is the fact that I've read a lot of reviews where people state it skips a lot. Not all reviews of course but a fairly large number. Sound quality is excellent otherwise. If I buy new then at least I can return it and replace it.

Sam and Cat. Where did you purchase your used players? Bay? Craigslist? I will at least give a look to see what is available. Want to have a good DAC in the unit since older CD players with older DAC's don't seem to sound as good as newer models with newer DAC's on board. At least that has been the case with my ears when comparing older units that I had to newer models.
 
Currently using a Yamaha S300. Works fine but I am building a second system and that is with a TubeCube 7 aka Miniwatt N3 tube amp. Wonderful sounding and bests all my solid state gear from years past. The only thing that comes close in audio quality is the 35 year old Yamaha A500 Integrated amp when it is biwired with some KnuKoncepts speaker cable to my Castle Conway 3 towers. Thinking that having a different CD player is a good idea since different pieces of equipment match up better with others.
 
The only hesitation I have at the moment with the Onkyo is the fact that I've read a lot of reviews where people state it skips a lot. Not all reviews of course but a fairly large number. Sound quality is excellent otherwise. If I buy new then at least I can return it and replace it.

Sam and Cat. Where did you purchase your used players? Bay? Craigslist? I will at least give a look to see what is available. Want to have a good DAC in the unit since older CD players with older DAC's don't seem to sound as good as newer models with newer DAC's on board. At least that has been the case with my ears when comparing older units that I had to newer models.

Ebay, Craigslist, thrift shops. Used is a crap shoot for sure but since most of us buy a lot, a duffer every once in a while is acceptable. Aggravating but it is the price we pay for high end units. My Panasonic has a pair of Wolfson 1741 D/A chips, which were used in high end CDP's. However, it is 18 years old so there is some age risk involved. Get lucky and find a low hour unit and you have high end for pennies on the dollar. I just picked Denon 2910 and 3910 from thrift stores. They work flawlessly. CL is good for the same reason as thrifts, you get to test. Ebay is more of a crap shoot because you cannot test the unit and must rely on the seller's word. Ebay sellers sometimes do not pack well and you are exposed to shippers who handle packages like gorillas. If you can find a local pickup unit on ebay, you can test which should remove some of the risk. Again, used is risky but a lot of us are comfortable with risk and have bought so many cheap units that an occasional and inevitable duffer is acceptable.

A separate DAC unit is an excellent idea. You can use a thrift shop DVD or BD player as a transport. You should be able to stay within your $300 budget. As for older players not sounding as good, that is true from about 1995 or so. This is when opamps improved greatly which resulted in faster, clearer sound. I've compared a few new-ish DVD and BD players against my pre-1995 players and found that the older CDP's were not as clear and forward as I like. This is a generalization from a handful of units. Cheap thrift shop BD players did very well. I am a firm believer that tech filters down over time.
 
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