To those of you trying to decide which is better to use as a budget CD player- a cheap modern DVD player or a high end CD player from the 80s, I hope this helps you.
Now this all started because I got rid of my Sony DVD player I was using as a CD player, and exchanged it for a used older high end CD player thinking I'd get better results- boy was I wrong.
So we all know that if you've got $100 to spend on a amplifier/receiver you're better off spending the $100 on a used old discrete solid state amplifier/receiver from the 70s and 80s than a brand new cheap one for that same $100. So what about CD players? I have often asked myself this question.
So would you be better off buying a used CD player that is heavy, has awesome build quality, perhaps it was TOTL back in the 80s sometime, or are you better off taking that money to a box store and buying the $88 DVD player that also plays CDs and using that?
Well my results surprised even me. I asked a few people who I know and they said that you'd be better off with the old player. This is what I expected too. Before I did this test I was expecting my CDs to sound way better on the older high end CD players.
To my surprise, I found all this to be wrong.
Amplifier in my test: (2 systems)
Kenwood Receiver KR4140
Kenwood basic M1 power amp with NAD 1155 Preamp
Speakers:
Energy C2 Speakers.
3 high end CD Players from back in the day I used as a test:
Sony CDP-302 from mid 80s.
NEC CD-810 from late 80s.
Denon DCM-1300 from late 80s.
1 humble modern DVD/VCR combo player that costs about 50 bucks from Panasonic.
My test material were 3 CDs- 80s heavy metal CD by a german band called Accept, instrumental Jean Luc Ponty CD and 1 more modern electro-pop CD by a band called Empire of the Sun.
I got the same results on all 3 CDs.
Well I hooked up the high end CD players, one after the other from the 80s and they were loud, gritty, digital and harsh, with a forward-in your face with digital artifacts and aliasing noticeable. The sound of kick drums felt like they were poking my eardrums. To be honest, they hurt my ears and were not pleasant to listen to. Then I was so frustrated that I went into the bedroom, yanked the Panasonic DVD/VCR combo unit that I have, hooked it up to my receiver and the sound was to my surprise, much more round. Gone was the harsh highs, there was more bass and I was treated to a less fatiguing sound.
Before I did this test, I was expecting that the older high end players would sound better, warmer, less harsh etc... The only thing the older players did was sound a tad louder. Other than that in every way, the old high end players were way worse than the modern crappy little VCR/DVD combo unit I tried.
In conclusion, My guess is that DACs have come a long way since 1985 and my tests prove to myself that even the crappiest modern DACs on a $50 DVD/VCR combo player sound better than the high end 80s DACs of yesteryear in these players. I was really disappointed in my findings and found the exact opposite of what I thought I'd find.
I really admire the design and construction of the 80s Japanese players and normally I'll gladly throw money at 70s and 80s Japanese electronics all day long but not in this case. Now I'm sure if you spend a lot of money and buy a NEW/MODERN high end CD player, that will sound better yet, but for those on a budget like me who can't spend $500+ dollars on a CD Player and have to settle for spending $100 on either a high end used player from the 80s or a cheap modern DVD player, I’ll from now on go the DVD player route.
Now this all started because I got rid of my Sony DVD player I was using as a CD player, and exchanged it for a used older high end CD player thinking I'd get better results- boy was I wrong.
So we all know that if you've got $100 to spend on a amplifier/receiver you're better off spending the $100 on a used old discrete solid state amplifier/receiver from the 70s and 80s than a brand new cheap one for that same $100. So what about CD players? I have often asked myself this question.
So would you be better off buying a used CD player that is heavy, has awesome build quality, perhaps it was TOTL back in the 80s sometime, or are you better off taking that money to a box store and buying the $88 DVD player that also plays CDs and using that?
Well my results surprised even me. I asked a few people who I know and they said that you'd be better off with the old player. This is what I expected too. Before I did this test I was expecting my CDs to sound way better on the older high end CD players.
To my surprise, I found all this to be wrong.
Amplifier in my test: (2 systems)
Kenwood Receiver KR4140
Kenwood basic M1 power amp with NAD 1155 Preamp
Speakers:
Energy C2 Speakers.
3 high end CD Players from back in the day I used as a test:
Sony CDP-302 from mid 80s.
NEC CD-810 from late 80s.
Denon DCM-1300 from late 80s.
1 humble modern DVD/VCR combo player that costs about 50 bucks from Panasonic.
My test material were 3 CDs- 80s heavy metal CD by a german band called Accept, instrumental Jean Luc Ponty CD and 1 more modern electro-pop CD by a band called Empire of the Sun.
I got the same results on all 3 CDs.
Well I hooked up the high end CD players, one after the other from the 80s and they were loud, gritty, digital and harsh, with a forward-in your face with digital artifacts and aliasing noticeable. The sound of kick drums felt like they were poking my eardrums. To be honest, they hurt my ears and were not pleasant to listen to. Then I was so frustrated that I went into the bedroom, yanked the Panasonic DVD/VCR combo unit that I have, hooked it up to my receiver and the sound was to my surprise, much more round. Gone was the harsh highs, there was more bass and I was treated to a less fatiguing sound.
Before I did this test, I was expecting that the older high end players would sound better, warmer, less harsh etc... The only thing the older players did was sound a tad louder. Other than that in every way, the old high end players were way worse than the modern crappy little VCR/DVD combo unit I tried.
In conclusion, My guess is that DACs have come a long way since 1985 and my tests prove to myself that even the crappiest modern DACs on a $50 DVD/VCR combo player sound better than the high end 80s DACs of yesteryear in these players. I was really disappointed in my findings and found the exact opposite of what I thought I'd find.
I really admire the design and construction of the 80s Japanese players and normally I'll gladly throw money at 70s and 80s Japanese electronics all day long but not in this case. Now I'm sure if you spend a lot of money and buy a NEW/MODERN high end CD player, that will sound better yet, but for those on a budget like me who can't spend $500+ dollars on a CD Player and have to settle for spending $100 on either a high end used player from the 80s or a cheap modern DVD player, I’ll from now on go the DVD player route.
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