Toshiba 3980 First Impressions

[matt39]

As I indicated in my earlier thread I purchased this at Best Buy last Sunday. Now that I have had it for almost a week and finally had time to play some familiar music on it I thought I'd give my first impressions. I should indicate that I am using this solely as a cd player so I can't give any evaluation of it's video performance. I think I'll follow Punkerx's method and list the bad things first then the good.

The build quality is on the flimsy side. This doesn't seem to affect the sonic performance though. The cdp features are very basic and the display simply consists of the track number. You can access any track directly from the remote but I do wish the display included a time played component. Although I'm used to more features I must confess that I don't miss their absence as much as I thought I would. I do tend to be something of a minimalist when it comes to features anyway.

On the positive side, the sound is very good. I should say that my main player for the last year and a half has been a Denon DCM380 which retails for $300 vs. the Toshiba at $60. The Denon has decided not to read cd's anymore though. This didn't dissappoint me all that much as it never really performed as well as I expected anyway, pretty average or even below average. I liked my $100 Technics better. Back to the Toshiba! I really like it's sonic performance. Detail is better. Highs are more extended and seem somehow nicer (sweeter?) in quality. The midrange seems more prominent and properly out front. The bass seems tighter and more musical. What this boils down to is that, IMO, this player just sounds good. I'm finding myself experiencing that drawn into the music effect. I confess that I was intending to do some A-B comparisons with my other players but the more I listen to the 3980 the less I feel like using anything else!

I bought this player as an experiment after hearing a couple of it's prior models in use at the AK Fest and it has proved to me that an inexpensive dvd player can be a very satisfying cdp. My current system is very basic ( Harmon Kardon HK3375 receiver and Polk Audio Rti38 speakers with 16 gauge wire and manufacturer ic's) but sounds pretty good to me. I may move on to a Panasonic changer with more features but this little Toshiba is growing on me! Could be a keeper at least till the upgrade bug bites.

I may post a review at a later date but that will only be if I decide to keep the player. These so called first impressions may have turned into a review despite my original intention to be brief! One last thing--these remarks are my own opinions, nothing more or less. Your experience and opinion may vary from mine.

[ninetynine]

glad your liking it , I have the same one (Canadian version) I use it as a cd player aswell and I love it. It sounds incredible and I couldn't see myself spending 5 times the amount of money on a cd player that would be just as good or not even.

[hpsenicka]

ninetynine... the SD-3860 and the SD-3980 were both available in Canada.

They may be very similar units, but they are not the same. (see my recent thread on this topic http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=37152)

Having said that, it is entirely possible that the audio sections may be virtually identical, and I wouldn't be surpised if differrences in audio performance were indistinguishable.

I'm hoping to post pics of the internals of my SD-3860 in the next day or so.... perhaps someone will post pics of a SD-3980 to compare.

matt39.. I'm inclined to agree with your assessment. I've been enjoying mine for a couple of days now.. but haven't A/B'd it against anything else yet.

[abpeep]

After seeing several posts regarding this player, and needing to replace my changer that fell while I was messing with the stereo cabinet recently (maybe a subconscious justification to replace the old changer), I picked one of these up at Best Buy yesterday. With a fifty-dollar gift card I had, I walked out with the player and a DVD for about $30.

Had been thinking I would post for recommendations for a good used CDP that could be picked up for a reasonable price but thought I would go back through the recent reviews before posting a question. Upon seeing this post and checking the others related to Toshiba players, it prompted me to check out a few CDs on the Toshiba SD-2900KU that I already have on my HT. I was impressed with the sound of this player and decided that I probably couldn't go wrong with the newer player. Having a $50 gift card also helped in this decision.

Hooked it up last night and now have about two hours listening time in. Intentionally pulled out a few of the CDs that have always disappointed me as digital recordings. The improvement in the playback on those CDs is astounding. The sound of the better quality CDs is very satisfying although without more listening time and some A/B comparison, it would be hard to say there is significant improvement.

Just the ability to get some actual hi-fi out of some of the older CDs I have and to not be scared to buy some of the older stuff on CD without fear of serious disappointment in the sound makes this player a good buy for me. Also gives me a DVD player in the study where my main 2-channel system is located.

Alan

[matt39]

I have done a few limited comparisons with my Techics cdp and the Toshiba this week. I'm not sure, at this point, that on an objective basis one is definitely better than the other. Rather they are slightly different and which one you would prefer would be a matter of personal taste. The Technics has a little more warmth and body while the Toshiba is a little more detailed and tighter. While I like both I find myself drawn to the sound of the Toshiba. Currently I'm leaving the Technics in the system for those times when I want to play several discs at a time and use the Toshiba for more serious listening. I may also try some of the inexpensive mods I've been reading about. I will post the results if I try any. The 3860 does look different and, IMO, better. Wish it were available here. Thanks for the responses guys.

Gary

[jpciii]

Less that a year ago, I purchased a SD-3950 on close-out from a local big box store for $50. I was very impressed with the sound quality even though it was cheaply made, and have been singing its praises ever since. Two weeks ago, it started giving me distortion in the right channel and Toshiba said to send it to them and they would replace it. (One year warranty). They would have to replace it with the new model (SD-3980) since that is all that they have in their warehouses. Hmm... the rep said that it had the same Burr-Brown DAC, so whatever... better than nothing, maybe even a better model?

It showed up today.

Mixed feelings... It's build quality is about as cheap and flimsey as they get.... Much worse than the previous 3950/3960 models and they were pretty cheap already. The tray is so weak... I'm afraid that it is going to break under the weight of a compact disc. It is a total joke. The display is another area where they cut costs. It is on par with a first generation digital alarm clock... think two dollar calculator only it lights up green. It displays only the track number.

Another negative is that when you use the search feature (fast forward or rewind), you hear nothing.... no glitchy sounding audio clues, only silence. It travels to an earlier or later part of the song, but you cannot follow how far or how fast it is going. No time display means you cannot even tell with visual clues. This a major bummer for me, because I use the search all the time when I'm trying to transcribe a sax solo, or learn a section of a tune to solo over, or... well, lots of musician things. It is kinda useless as a learning tool for me.

The good news? It sounds EVERY BIT AS GOOD as the 3950 that it replaced! Yup, it sounds awesome. I'm not sure, but I think that the list price is lower also.

[ninetynine]

the canadian one that I have 3860 is exactly the contrary of what you are describing, there is a track number, time, and the search has the glitch also if you press once on forward it forwards every second, press twice, three times 4 times it goes faster and faster.

[mikeirwin137]

it does have the a/b loop funtion, which I haven't used yet but I imagine would be very useful for transcribing a solo. I use wavelab in my recording studio to loop parts when I'm writing and it's great... hands free baby