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Flea Market: Sony CDP-102

AstroZon

AstroZon

Well-Known Member
I just bought a Sony CDP-102 with remote for $5 at the Colorado Springs Flea Market. Nice, heavy unit. Also 15" face vice the more common 17". Works with most CDs. Sometimes however, it can't seem to find the beginning of a track. Remote works fine. I'll give it a good cleaning tonight.

This was manufactured in 1985 and was Sony's second CD player. The CDP-302ES came out shortly after and was very popular.

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If you really get bored, please post a photo of the remote.
I've got two (I think) of the CDP-102s in the rubble downstairs, but as best I can recall remotes for neither of them. I am just curious.

Unlike some (most) modern Sony multiformat players, the CDP-102 is perfectly happy to play burned CD-Rs. Go figure. :-P
 
Growing up my parent's had almost exclusively Sony electronics from the 1980s. So that remote looks extremely familiar. Almost all of Sony's equipment from that time period used remotes very similar in design to that one (receivers, TVs, VCRs, etc.). They are actually quite hefty and well made.
 
Thanks all.

I've been listening to it for 3 days now. My only other CD player is a Nakamichi OMS-2A which I've had since 1987. (I've run CDs though my DVD player but never really got excited over the sound.)

The Nak is certainly mellower sounding - they started employing filtering circuits to get the music more analog sounding and mask the brick-wall high roll-off. Almost everything sounds good through it, but it sometimes lacks dynamics.

On the other hand, the Sony is bright and punchy - just D/As and out. That can be good or bad depending on the mastering of the CD. Some of the modern masters and remasters sound great, but CDs mastered in the 80s sound a bit dull (and a lot of 80s CDs used RIAA mastering curves meant for LPs.)

Recordings that are minimalistic like acoustic guitar and voice sound better through the Sony. Big orchestral stuff and heavily produced rock sound better through the Nakamichi.

One thing, and the reason I bought it: I like the the mid-80s styling of the Sony. I also like the urgency that the tray comes out and goes in. It's got a serious motor on it.
 
:-) That's a great review!

I never thought of a CD drawer as "urgent" before... but I concur that the 102's does its job with... alacrity :-)
 
I still have a CDP-302 I bought new. There's a couple of things going on with the logic. I think one of the ribbon cables needs reseated. I've used it in my garage system for many years. I believe it was a second generation machine. The only Sony CD I'd seen prior was a "portable" with a battery the same size as the player. It had terrible skipping problems, but all first generation machine did. I used the CDP-302 in a system with a Kenwood KD-4070 receiver, Sharp RX-3388 computer-controlled cassette player and Large Advent speakers (bull nose version). Great little starter system.
 
i have got a cdp-101 i am looking for a remote as it didn't have one when i got it .. i like the way the instructions say let it warm up for 20 mins or so to let the circuits stabilise ..they should have used tubes instead of transistors and chips they may have warmed up quicker
 
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