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Ideal CD player for vintage two-channel audio

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Woodwind

Member
I have looked for, but not spotted, a thread covering the criteria for selecting the best CD players to work with a vintage audio set-up. If there is one out there, perhaps someone could be kind enough to direct me to it. However, assuming there is not, then my question is as follows:

I have a few half-reasonable set-ups including Luxman, Revox and Quad, all dating from the mid-70s to mid-80s. The speakers are old British boxes including IMF TLS 80 Mk 2s etc.

The Revox includes the B-226-S CD player which is generally regarded as being a decent unit for its time. For the other set-ups I have players such as the Cambridge Azur 540 V.2 which are also regarded as being OK-ish (nothing that special of course), but which someone told me is just about all that vintage equipment can handle in terms of quality.

However, I have recently begun to look into upgrading the CD side of things and was wondering if there is a natural cut-off in terms of CD player development and older hifi in general. Assuming that the DAC-side of things is taken care of, has anyone specific recommendations for decent but affordable CD players to match, say, a Luxman M-4000 and C-1000?
 
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Not sure why it'd make a difference for a vintage system.
I think you're just looking for a good CD player.
You'll likely get feedback here. I suggest you search similar threads here deleting the vintage term.
You'll probably get the same answers that will eventually show up here. Good luck
An argument can be made that digital decoding continues to evolve. On the flip side some units over the years seem to have gotten it right.
 
Woodwind said:
I have looked for, but not spotted, a thread covering the criteria for selecting the best CD players to work with a vintage audio set-up. ... For the other set-ups I have players such as the Cambridge Azur 540 V.2 which are also regarded as being OK-ish (nothing that special of course), but which someone told me is just about all that vintage equipment can handle in terms of quality.
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As long as a CD player has an analog line-level audio output, it will work equally well with vintage or new amplifiers or preamplifiers that have an analog line-level audio input. There isn't really any notion of matching particular eras of CD player with particular eras of amplification.

There certainly isn't some limit that vintage equipment can only handle in terms of quality.

In other words, get the best CD player can find or afford. The better it is, the better it will sound, whether the rest of your system is new or vintage.
 
Woodwind said:
For the other set-ups I have players such as the Cambridge Azur 540 V.2 which are also regarded as being OK-ish (nothing that special of course), but which someone told me is just about all that vintage equipment can handle in terms of quality.
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Whoever told you that is an idiot.

Only two recommendations, many of the earliest decks don't sound very good, seems the late 90's early 2000's is the sweet spot for build quality and great SQ for mainstream decks.

Second, something with a silver face should look fitting with your vintage gear.
 
yup, unless you want to spend a ton for a high end cd player, get a new dvd player for less than $100 that is reliable. You won't hear a difference. Just make sure it has RCA or Coax outs to use with a vintage receiver.....
 
Agree with the others, unless you consider that there are such things as "vintage CD players" and you'd want one just for matching looks with 80's equipment. CD players don't age well so may as well get something modern like a DVD player. Unless what you mean is that you want a CD player from a prestigious brand like your other equipment? I don't think Quad is around anymore and as for Revox and Luxman they're $$$$$ If it's not that you're after and don't want a dvd player for some reason then I'd suggest a mid-fi unit from Rotel or Nad/ Those shouldn't disfigure your setups too much.
 
Sony made some nice decks that match well with my vintage silver faced gear, and here's the best part. These decks retailed for $1000 or more, I paid no more than $80 for each. Sony thought enough about the SQ of these players to allow shutting off the display and video sections.

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The only issue I can think of is that of output level; older amps usually assumed a lower line level input for things like tape, tuner, aux inputs (~150mV).

CD player output levels are usually a lot 'hotter' than this (2V).

Amps with a specific CD input usually have a lower gain/higher attenuation on this input, compared to other line level inputs.

You may have to get used to turning the volume down before selecting the input used for the CD player on a vintage amp. Or find a CD player with a variable output level.
 
You can always keep an eye out for Laserdisc players. These were made to spin discs the size of a vinyl record, so the motor inside is very overbuilt for playing something like a CD. Most Laserdiscs use PCM audio, same as from a CD, and so most Laserdisc players can play CDs also.

But personally, even if using something like a Laserdisc player or some other CD or DVD player, I would recommend feeding the digital output to a nice external DAC rather than trying to use whatever older DAC is built-in. The whole concept of a vintage CD player is a bit silly overall. A CD is just a storage medium for digital data, no different than something like a USB Flash drive. If you had a USB flash drive with PCM audio tracks on it, would you go looking for a vintage USB port?
 
cpt_paranoia said:
The only issue I can think of is that of output level; older amps usually assumed a lower line level input for things like tape, tuner, aux inputs (~150mV).

CD player output levels are usually a lot 'hotter' than this (2V).

Amps with a specific CD input usually have a lower gain/higher attenuation on this input, compared to other line level inputs.

You may have to get used to turning the volume down before selecting the input used for the CD player on a vintage amp. Or find a CD player with a variable output level.
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All of the Sonys I listed above have a gain setting in the menu options, I turned mine down.
 
Thanks for all the responses so far. I have three questions if I may.


The three Sony DVD players mentioned above - how would they rate against a more modern CD player such as the Marantz 6006 UK version?

Of the three mentioned - which would be the best when used with an external DAC?

And in the same sort of price range, and has anyone a strong view about a better alternative?
 
I agree the Revox was a nice sounding unit. But compared to my Mcintosh MVP 861 the smoothness and and staging just isn't there. Newer players have better timing control and better filtering and these two properties make for a better presentation. But that said if you want to use a Revox go ahead. Mine was very listenable. I would be more concerned about the quality of the CD in case as to looking for a significant improvement over the Revox. A lot folks say I speaking Hersey, but it more about the quality of the disc. There are some great discs out there, but there are more with much lesser presentations. If you want a great sounding CD player you want a MCD 500. But thats going to cost your because even though it has been discontinued its pedigree demands a high price. The great sounding players always demand a higher investment.
 
Woodwind said:
Thanks for all the responses so far. I have three questions if I may.


The three Sony DVD players mentioned above - how would they rate against a more modern CD player such as the Marantz 6006 UK version?

Of the three mentioned - which would be the best when used with an external DAC?

And in the same sort of price range, and has anyone a strong view about a better alternative?
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Without having the Marantz here I really can't say.

All should work fine with an outboard DAC, my preference is the DVP NS900V, but all have great built in DACs that might take some serious cash to beat. I posted the pictures in the order of my preference, although the carousel player gets the most use.
 
Once again - thanks to all who have contributed to the discussion.

I am going to try to summarise what I think has been said here, as well as incorporate one or two things that have come up in searches on the internet as a whole.

The CD format was well established as a 44kz 16-bit process by the early 2000s when SACD and DSD came along in an attempt to improve matters. This coincided with the take-off of cheap music downloads and streaming and the new, more expensive, high-fidelity audio disc formats were sidelined and quickly faded out of the market. Today only a few true" ultra-high fidelity" discs are available and they are typically very expensive.

However, new video formats made good use of the increased disc data-densities. (Blu ray etc.) These entailed reading more data per second and so video playback systems incorporated higher-spec lasers and decoders than typical in a straightforward CD player.

It then became apparent that if the newer video systems were treated as a transport only, and the output connected to a decent DAC, then the strengths of the DVD could be exploited, at the same time as by-passing any potential weakness such as poor quality built-in DACs.

So - it seems that unless you go for a very high-end CD player, there can be advantages in opting for a decent video player connected to a decent DAC. Moreover, "good video machines" include those made in the early 2000s - so there are potential bargains to be found on second-hand markets.

That said, when it comes to judging just where the crossover is in terms of comparing the output of a decent video player/DAC with a quality, dedicated CDP, the jury is out - and will probably remain so, given the somewhat subjective nature of assessing the quality of "sound".

Is this a fair summary?
 
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Personally I'd be more inclined to look at getting a nice DAC and use your existing CD player as a transport only. I use a Denon DN500BD Blueray player for my transport.

The best modern DAC's I've heard have all used the AK4497EQ chip..... My favorite overall DAC's are modern designs utilizing old Phillips DAC chips from the 80's. The TDA1541A or TDA1387 chips in parallel (4 or 8 depending on the DAC).
 
Grenadeslio said:
Sony made some nice decks that match well with my vintage silver faced gear, and here's the best part. These decks retailed for $1000 or more, I paid no more than $80 for each. Sony thought enough about the SQ of these players to allow shutting off the display and video sections.

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I'd like know where you found the top 2 single disc players for $80.....I find only $400--$500 asking prices .
 
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