One thing to keep in mind- the better LD players (Pioneer mostly) were about the VERY BEST POSSIBLE SOUNDING CD players of their era (1985-1990), PERIOD. No expense was spared in the analog electronics in these players! Heck, most of those players were in excess of $500, back in the '80s!
In fact, IMHO, the Pioneer LD players of the late '80s are about the ONLY CD players of that age, that I can STAND to listen to anymore... pretty much none of that "digital grunge" top end "edginess" that was endemic to stuff like the Yamaha, and even some of the Luxman and other higher end CD-only players, of that era. Only the Magnavox/Philips units come close, IMHO... and the Pioneer LD sounds "faster" and more dynamic than the Philips-built units, to my ears, even then!
Also, those late-'80s Pioneer LD players tend to be about the most BRICK RELIABLE CD players EVER. I don't recall ever having one fail on me while I've owned it, and I've only seen ONE dead one owned by anyone, PERIOD... and I'm not convinced that one hadn't been dropped pretty heavily, at sometime in the past...
So, if you're buying sheer functionality and ruggedness, it's hard to go wrong with these CD/LD players. I know I certainly ain't selling any of mine cheap, they WORK TOO DANG WELL to just get rid of for the hell of it!
Regards,
Gordon.