guitarman50
Super Member
Right now I have a cheap Pioneer DVD player that I'm using on my 2 channel system to play music. I'd like some recomendations on good single play CD Players for around $500 used. Can I get something decent for that price?
Suggestion for decent CD Player
- Thread starter guitarman50
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guitarman50
Super Member
Wow. I may have found my own answer. The search begins. Who would have thought that the original sony playstation is a $6,000 cd player.
http://www.switched.com/2007/06/05/playstation-is-a-6-000-cd-player/
http://www.switched.com/2007/06/05/playstation-is-a-6-000-cd-player/
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
Absolutely! Number one, consider a used Rega Apollo, but be advised they're somewhat hard to get on A-gon because they go very quickly when listed.
I can recommend two of the CD players I own that you could find in that price range when used. The first is the Jolida 100 tube CD player, which generally goes for about $400 used, I believe. There's also the Musical Fidelity A3.5, which I paid $600 for used, but one might come up cheaper - it's a very fine CD player. I think the world of my Naim CD5i-2, but unfortunately you're unlikely to ever find a used one under $800 at the moment, so that's probably out of the question.
There's a lot more, but off the top of my head those are my immediate recommendations. Yes, with that budget you can definitely get a great used CD player. If I were you I'd stick with something not much more than 5 or 6 years old, but that's a personal choice.
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
That's bs. The Playstation is a decent CD player, but anyone who's naive enough to suggest that it would compare to even most of the newer sub-$1000 CD players has obviously never heard much of anything but the Playstation. To claim that it's a $6000 CD player is complete nonsense.
guiller
Toscaninichus Australis
Besides the excellent Rega already suggested, you can also consider models of Arcam and Cambridge Audio within your budget, used or even new. The Cambridge Audio 640 C v 2 is an excellent CDP that can be bought new within your budget, at least on some sales.
guitarman50
Super Member
The Rega Apollo looks interesting. In my area its listed at $1,300 new. Way above my budget. Even used I can see it being outside my budget. Maybe I'll check it out any way and see if its worth waiting a bit for and increasing my budget.
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
You said in your first post that you wanted to know what you could get for $500 used. A used Apollo will run $500, and you shouldn't pay more than that. If you're able to find something fairly new, so you can be confident about how many years it has left, buying used will allow you to get something that would normally be way out of your budget range.
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
One of the things the OP should take away from these suggestions is that it's going to be hard to go wrong considering where CD players are at this day and age. Just do some research online once you've narrowed it down.
guitarman50
Super Member
I scan the for sale ads on a number of local on line sites and have bought quite a few things in the past few months. It seems that people want high percentage of the original sale price for their used items. As the Rega Appollo costs $1,300 new I can see people wanting more like about $800 for them used. Thats just based on experiences.If its worth the extra I'd probably stretch my budget to $700.
I like the idea of the Cambridge Audio Azur 640C V2 as its only $695 new so getting it used within my budget is easier. As well I've seen them listed used. I have yet to see one Rega Apollo for sale in my area.
I don't like buying from ebay or any other place that has to ship. I prefer being able to do local pickups.
Thanks everyone for suggestions. I'm going to take a serious look at the Cambridge Audio Azur 640C V2 and if I can find one not to far out of my budget the Rega Apollo.
watt
no on
Just FYI, an Apollo sold on Audiogon for $450 a few days ago. It probably went pretty fast at that price, but if you keep an eye out and are willing to act fast you can find them in the ~$500 range.
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If your Pioneer DVD player reads discs well and has a coaxial digital output, you might want to consider buying a standalone DAC instead of a new player. Audio Advisor offers quite a few models under $500, including the Cambridge Audio DACMagic that a number of AK'ers favor. Grant Fidelity also has a DAC under $500 that has found favor here on AK.
guitarman50
Super Member
Yes my Pioneer reads the discs very well and doesn't sound all that bad I just wanted something better. I have no idea of these standalone DAC's. How do they work? Is it kind of like my Phono Preamp where the DVD player would plug in to it then another set of cables in to the receiver?
Exactly. You run a digital interconnect from the DVD player's digital output to the DAC's digital input and your normal stereo RCA interconnect from the DAC's analog output to the Aux or CD input on your receiver. The digital interconnect can be an inexpensive composite or component video cable -- something with decent construction quality and an RCA pin plug on each end.
Mr. Lin
Lunatic Member
That's because:
You have to go to Audiogon.
IMO $450 is a good deal for an Apollo.I have an old Marantz CD63 MKII K1 signature cdp .... never misses a beat and has good synergy with my system .... in the UK, they sell for approx £130 ... hge soundstage and sounds awesome
there are many upgrades available for this cdp, and some companies offer an upgrade that costs in excess of £1000
there are many upgrades available for this cdp, and some companies offer an upgrade that costs in excess of £1000
guiller
Toscaninichus Australis
Another suggestion that can be found for less than 100 $ is Cambridge Audio CD 4 SE (the SE is important!). It was listed in Stereophile recommended CDPs in the early 90's and it's asuperb player for the money! The laser pickup is Philips CDM 12 and it is readily available (and cheap). I've owned one of these units for a while and it was my second real CDP.
soulfarmer
Active Member
I paid about $500 for mine less than a year ago. Very nice player.
