CD players -- 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc., generation

[13mh13]

I think that from the introduction of the CD player format (1982) until roughly the end of the 1980s, the press and mag. reviewers categorized CD players based on technology and year. Correct (or add to) the following list:

First (1st): 1982 1983: e.g. Sony CDP-101 and Philips CD101 (14-bit 4x os)

Second (2nd): 1984: 2x oversampling. e.g. Yamaha CD-X1; Philips CD104 (14-bit 4x os)

Third (3rd): 1985/86: 2x and 4x oversampling.

Fourth (4th): Late '86-1987: e.g. Philips cd-650 (16-bit, 4x)

Fifth (5th): Late '87-1988. 8x oversampling, 18-bit. e.g.Yamaha CDX-1100

Sixth (6th): 1989-??. 1-bit introduced (PLM, PDM)

Refs:

Philips CD player Timeline

Timeline overview of the large majority of classic Philips CD players.

www.hifi-advice.com

Four 3rd-Generation CD players: Adcom, Magnavox, Onkyo, Yamaha

I once told Stereophile publisher Larry Archibald it might be worth, say, a 10% loss in sound quality with CD not to have to jump up and turn over the damned record. Sometimes a CD saves you from popping up twiceMahler's Fifth or Bruckner's Seventh on a single disc instead of three LP sidesor...

www.stereophile.com

(note: Stereophile defines 3rd gen in a different time/technology frame)

 

[13mh13]

Another reason for bringing up this issues to get better figure out whether "early digital" was as hard and nasty-sounding as many audiophile and reviewers claim it was. Reading magazine reviews from that time -- in the US: Audio, High Fidelity, even gullible Stereo Review -- were all quite on board with CD and its sonics. And it's not as if they didn't have the best analog-playback gear at their comparative disposal--as well as (of course), the ultimate reference: live, un-amplified sound.
My own immediate impressions of my first CDP (1986 Philips 104, 2nd gen, completely stock) -- comparing to, say, a Dual CS-505/Ortofon Om-30/Van Alsitine super-PAS phono pre-amp -- were all very positive. I even (henceforth) opted for CD rather than LP as my default music format in purchases.
That Philips (TDA1540 based) has a bold, detailed, punchy sound that is not easy to come by in the mid-grade vinyl or digital gear of today.
It might be possible to use just the DFs and DACs from those 1st-3rd gen CDPs, put it in modern chassis, take it to local high end show or shop or fanyboy meetups, with their fancy Chords and Mola Mola's, and pull a fast on on 'em. [I know what my 1986 super DIY modded CD-650 is capable of -- and why my VPI-19/Rega RB300 / Sumiko BP special are in "like new condition!!] And yes, we can include the early hot-rod mods by Meridian, Mission and cottage-industry Magnavox mod jobs.