Hi all..need some input here..just bought some vintage (late 70's) Silver Pioneer equipment and plan to get back into vinyl with it...BUT, I also have a pretty extensive CD collection...the knock on CD's in the early eighties was that they sounded tinny compared to vinyl...was that a function of the medium or the early cd player hardware??..Should I get a dedicated older CD player or is any current generation "off the shelf" multi format player capable of delivering "audiophile" quality sound???..Thanks for the input..Greg
Do dedicated CD players from the 80's/90's produce better sound??...
- Thread starter greg33418
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To answer your thread title, no...in most cases. Some older Arcam and Rega players still sound quite nice. Chipset sound quality and technology have grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade. The only reason I would buy an older player would be to use it as a transport with an outboard DAC. IMNSHO, of course.
wsjoe
Well-Known Member
Your question is so broad you will hear all kinds of answers. To me it is as wide as asking are red wines from 80's and 90's better? There is no answer to that.
You have to be a little more specific. Such as American, Japanese or European cd player or brand name, price range and then compare to something like todays new cd player and what price range.
A nice cd player from 1990 that went for $900 in today's dollar is over $1500. I would have to agree with Urizen that a $1500 today's cd player is better than many from 80's and 90's. I agree that electrolytic capacitors and internal components such as the opamps are bettered by todays technology with better price and quality.
BUT a modded cd player from 1988-1992 for about $300-600 will beat many cd players that are new going for $1500. It's my real personal opinion.
You have to be a little more specific. Such as American, Japanese or European cd player or brand name, price range and then compare to something like todays new cd player and what price range.
A nice cd player from 1990 that went for $900 in today's dollar is over $1500. I would have to agree with Urizen that a $1500 today's cd player is better than many from 80's and 90's. I agree that electrolytic capacitors and internal components such as the opamps are bettered by todays technology with better price and quality.
BUT a modded cd player from 1988-1992 for about $300-600 will beat many cd players that are new going for $1500. It's my real personal opinion.
New and great sounding players can be had from a Benjamin on up that will trounce most 80's and 90's players. Offerings from Denon, Oppo and Cambridge are available at real world pricing.
guiller
Toscaninichus Australis
There are several brands that sell stand alone CDPs: Cambridge Audio, Arcam, Music Hall, (I believe -but I'm not sure- that the high end brands like Accuphase and McIntosh do, and Yamaha and perhaps Marantz, Denon also do?).
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Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
There are literally dozens of brands of stand alone cd players out right now. I have 2 different Rega players which are fabulous. Recent Absolute Sound has a good review of the latest offering from Rotel.
soundboy
Super Member
Actually, amongst Japanese mainstream brands, almost all of them still have dedicated single-disc CD players. I'm talking about the likes of Yamaha, Sony ES, Pioneer Elite, Onkyo, TEAC, etc. However, almost all of these are also SACD capable.
blownsi
Super Member
Your question involves opinions and lots of them. While many people say that vintage cdp's pale in comparrison to todays multi players, I disagree. That said I am referring to the models I own. I have an 80's swing arm magnavox with phillips dac, 90's HK, a 4yo Toshiba dvd, an original playstation, and a recent $300 denon dvd player that's supposed to be great. IMHO the Denon and PS1 are all hype, both sound better than the junk portables at walmart but are nothing worth bragging about. The HK is not good nor bad, it's limits can easily be revealed but it's good for the $10 I paid for it. Which brings me to the Maggie and Toshy.... it's really tough to pick betwen the two... both shine in different lights. I'd still like to hear something that blows away both.
TheAnalogman
Tell me about it.
I agree 100%. Many of the older units could be used as an excellent transport.
BostonDave
Lunatic Member
In my experience relying on older CD player alone without a modern DAC will generally give you a more 'tinny' sound. The technology (for mid to low end units) seems to have matured by the early 90's. I haven't heard any real high-end units so can't really comment on that, but I have a 1983 Toshiba CD Player with fixed and variable outs, an external heatsink on the back, volume control, etc which retailed for over $800 new and doesn't sound as good as a circa 1993 Akai CD player which cost $149 new.
I have a number of Sonys from throughout the 90's and they have a nice clean sound. I also have a couple of Yamaha's which sound great (Yamaha calls is 'natural' - hard to argue with them). I have a Nikko player from the early 90's which sounds horribly thin (although when I play it through a reverb amp it actually sounds ok). I also have a Technics from 1991 with their 'MASH' system and although it isn't 'tinny' sounding, it is not as good as the Akai mentioned above (kind of muddled sounding). Again others experiences will vary, but imho for budget CD players Yamaha is my first choice, with Sony not far behind and then perhaps a Pioneer or Akai.
I have a number of Sonys from throughout the 90's and they have a nice clean sound. I also have a couple of Yamaha's which sound great (Yamaha calls is 'natural' - hard to argue with them). I have a Nikko player from the early 90's which sounds horribly thin (although when I play it through a reverb amp it actually sounds ok). I also have a Technics from 1991 with their 'MASH' system and although it isn't 'tinny' sounding, it is not as good as the Akai mentioned above (kind of muddled sounding). Again others experiences will vary, but imho for budget CD players Yamaha is my first choice, with Sony not far behind and then perhaps a Pioneer or Akai.
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whoaru99
Epic Member
As long as the ancient laser holds out, anyway.
audiozaz
rtfm!? - tl;dr
Older machines will usualy have a better build quality for the same price point compared to today's units. This is something that I appreciate, even if it does not automatically translate into a better sound quality.
My 1983 Sony CDP-200 is not as precise in the high frequencies as most units a few years older that I posess, from 1985 to 1989, but man is it build solid! It is the only CDP of that generation I can say I've heard, so I won't make a generalization.
My second oldest is a Luxman D-103 from 1985. It has a lot of Toshiba inside and performs very well, better so than the older Sony.
My other luxman that I like a lot is a 1989 DZ-112. It is not as well built as the D-103, although acceptable and sounds a bit better to me.
My current favorite is my Sony CDP-505ESD. 1987 IIRC. Nice enough build quality and has the TDA1541 DAC that someone else mentionned earlier. I very much like how this one sounds.
In fact, I don't have that much experience with CDP's after ~1995. I did hear a bunch, but no extensive listening.
Even if technology did evolve and everything, some of those old CDP's are still nothing to sneeze at.
az
My 1983 Sony CDP-200 is not as precise in the high frequencies as most units a few years older that I posess, from 1985 to 1989, but man is it build solid! It is the only CDP of that generation I can say I've heard, so I won't make a generalization.
My second oldest is a Luxman D-103 from 1985. It has a lot of Toshiba inside and performs very well, better so than the older Sony.
My other luxman that I like a lot is a 1989 DZ-112. It is not as well built as the D-103, although acceptable and sounds a bit better to me.
My current favorite is my Sony CDP-505ESD. 1987 IIRC. Nice enough build quality and has the TDA1541 DAC that someone else mentionned earlier. I very much like how this one sounds.
In fact, I don't have that much experience with CDP's after ~1995. I did hear a bunch, but no extensive listening.
Even if technology did evolve and everything, some of those old CDP's are still nothing to sneeze at.
az
Laserdude
No polar bears here...
Let me just say, I love CD sound, at one point I collected 1. generation CD players. At some point though I gave it up, both for the money there was to be made selling them, and all so be course I think i found the best "early" CD drive made to my ears. A 1986 Luxman D113D . It needs a DAC to work, so it is a pure Transport.
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In combination with the Audio Alchemy Dac In The Box it sounds more analog than the two other CD players i have (Micromega Stage 3 and Marantz CD72MK II) even if I use the Audio alchemy as DAC on the others, the Luxman still wins. The two other CD players are not mush newer than the Luxman, The Micromega is from 1995, and the Marantz is from 1992.
Here comes the point, none of the CD players I´ve heard, was as good as a good turntable/cartridge combo IMO but the CD still takes second place in my setup
In combination with the Audio Alchemy Dac In The Box it sounds more analog than the two other CD players i have (Micromega Stage 3 and Marantz CD72MK II) even if I use the Audio alchemy as DAC on the others, the Luxman still wins. The two other CD players are not mush newer than the Luxman, The Micromega is from 1995, and the Marantz is from 1992.
Here comes the point, none of the CD players I´ve heard, was as good as a good turntable/cartridge combo IMO but the CD still takes second place in my setup
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
This depends on what new CD players you're talking about. Typically in the $400+ range, newer offerings by Rega, Cambridge Audio, Jolida (what I have), Naim (what I wish I had 
), and many more are thought by many to be the apex of CD player design. Having owned a mid-90s Rega Planet (which I consider a "new" CD player), and now the Jolida, I'm quite surprised at what a long way the technology has come. Both of these CD players offer exceptional performance that have transformed my CD collection into an exciting, new world.
If your budget is limited - because the better new CD players cost many hundreds of dollars at least - consider looking at a used model by someone like Rega or Cambridge audio. But not too used.
), and many more are thought by many to be the apex of CD player design. Having owned a mid-90s Rega Planet (which I consider a "new" CD player), and now the Jolida, I'm quite surprised at what a long way the technology has come. Both of these CD players offer exceptional performance that have transformed my CD collection into an exciting, new world.If your budget is limited - because the better new CD players cost many hundreds of dollars at least - consider looking at a used model by someone like Rega or Cambridge audio. But not too used.
Due to a switch around in my lounge system I've recently replugged my Mission DAD7000 back into my main system & it really is my preferred player for analogue quality sound. Plays most CD'r's & WAV files & has a warmth that's just not available on any new player I've heard. circa 1985. Early Phillips. Heavy little beast.
butch4695
Super Member
http://www.audioreview.com/mfr/onkyo/cd-players/dx7555/PRD_372945_1586crx.aspx , I plan on picking one of these up soon .