Old cd players

[sibelius]

I've tried my hand with older cdps and have had problems from worn out lasers and generally crappy sound (these aren't totl btw) so I've found solace in a pioneer dvd 466 model I've had for a few years. much better sound. I would love to hear a cdp with the famous tda1541 chip one day just to see what all the fuss is about. I hear good things about Marantz players too.

 

[staf]

Hey again folks!

Thanks heaps for all your comments!

Now. I bought a Sony Blu-ray player and it dosent have a analogue output so I bought a $25 DAC which sounded good i guess. Then I bought a $45 one that, to my ears sounded abit better. So now im waiting for one that i paid $150 for. Cant wait to hook it up!

Thanks.

And also, it has a usb stick input so i ripped a heap of cds in .wav. So i guess i dont need to worry about how long the laser will last.

 

[rlisin]

Only how long your USB port works. And these die as often as laser heads in CDPs. Actually, I use a BD player with USB slot for music too, but I also have 6000+ CDs. So, sound quality differences between old/new DACS aside, I prefer to buy another CDP (or replace the laser) than to sit down and rip all of that.

I do find the sound from a good CDP better than from a good DVD/BD player, and I use SACD as well, and that's not that easy to rip (although doable now).

 

[blackfly]

There has been more improvement in CD sound over the past 25 years, then likely any other source. Especially from 1990-2000. The big problem with a lot of older cd players is that lasers are no longer available, so you end up with very pretty paperweights. Ask me how I know.....

My suggestion would be this: if you (or anyone) buys a new player today of "worth" get a new spare laser with the purchase. Will prolong the purchase by 20 years or so. Too many old players go to waste with no laser when there is nothing wrong with them (or the sound).

 

[blackfly]

Yep, the Denon DVD-5000 I have from over 10 years ago sounds better than its equivalently priced new unit (a few hundred bucks) but it might be an exception. It was a $2500 universal player with an excellent analog section. Some of the early SACD TOTL players still fetch a fortune, though, even thouh they're 10 or more years old.

Problem is: who really has SACDs or continues to make them? Such a waste if it is for a format that doesn't have any discs of music I listen to (or anyone).

 

[guiller]

Problem is: who really has SACDs or continues to make them? Such a waste if it is for a format that doesn't have any discs of music I listen to (or anyone).

SACDs have a reasonably sized market in classical music, with new titles that keep coming from a number of different recording companies.

 

[cwall99]

Im thinking a new cd player would have better electronics, design and technology. Or do old cd players sound better? let me know what you guys think.

I'm thinking that, in general, newer CDPs will sound better than older ones for the exact reasons you list. I understand that a new generation of DACs comes out every couple years or so, and that with each subsequent generation, the technology improves.

That's a general trend. Individual experiences may vary. in cases like these, while personal experiences carry great weight, they are just that: a single datum.

With older gear, due to the increasing variability in use over time, you're going to have an increasingly wider range of quality. John Doe may have a First generation Sony CDP that has lived a good life, used gently and well-maintained. But then Billy Bob may have bought that same CDP at the local thrift, and that CDP may have led a tough life. Came from a smoking environment, exposed to the elements. Whatever. Chances are, the latter machine won't perform as well as the former.

Olde gear just has more time for these sorts of experiences to creep in.

 

[rlisin]

Depends on your material. On well-recorded and mastered material, new CDPs have the advantage. On many older recordings, I prefer older CDPs because they produce less detailed sound and mask some flaws of these recordings. I'll take a new CDP with a Wolfson DAC for, say, Porcupine Tree, Bat for Lashes, last Nick Cave album but an old one with a TDA1541 or AD1864N for Led Zep, Hendrix, early Pink Floyd albums, pretty much the whole 80s hard rock/metal scene, early Nick Cave... I actually have two CDPs for different types of discs in each system.

There's a reason audiophiles tend to listen to audiophile recordings - hi(er) end gear often exposes the recording/mastering flaws so much it makes the listening experience unpleasant.

History of use does not affect the sound of CDPs as much as much as it affects their mechanics, at least that's been my experience. But capacitors do dry, same as in amps. and as far as mechanics go, in modern CDs transports tend to die after 1-2 years of use. Actually, if it is an option, when I need a laser replacement I prefer to buy an old CD and harvest organs then buy a new part, the one made 10-20 years ago is more likely to last longer. So, basically, as far as reliability is concerned, no advantage of one over the other, both old and new can die on you soon enough.

With SACD, don't forget Japanese SHM-SACD editions of rock classics (for Black Sabbath 'Paranoid' it's actually the only good sounding digital release), same from MFSL, Audio Fidelity. So, yep, thy still make those and people buy them.

 

[sensei91]

Depends on your material. On well-recorded and mastered material, new CDPs have the advantage. On many older recordings, I prefer older CDPs because they produce less detailed sound and mask some flaws of these recordings. I'll take a new CDP with a Wolfson DAC for, say, Porcupine Tree, Bat for Lashes, last Nick Cave album but an old one with a TDA1541 or AD1864N for Led Zep, Hendrix, early Pink Floyd albums, pretty much the whole 80s hard rock/metal scene, early Nick Cave... I actually have two CDPs for different types of discs in each system.

There's a reason audiophiles tend to listen to audiophile recordings - hi(er) end gear often exposes the recording/mastering flaws so much it makes the listening experience unpleasant.

History of use does not affect the sound of CDPs as much as much as it affects their mechanics, at least that's been my experience. But capacitors do dry, same as in amps. and as far as mechanics go, in modern CDs transports tend to die after 1-2 years of use. Actually, if it is an option, when I need a laser replacement I prefer to buy an old CD and harvest organs then buy a new part, the one made 10-20 years ago is more likely to last longer. So, basically, as far as reliability is concerned, no advantage of one over the other, both old and new can die on you soon enough.

With SACD, don't forget Japanese SHM-SACD editions of rock classics (for Black Sabbath 'Paranoid' it's actually the only good sounding digital release), same from MFSL, Audio Fidelity. So, yep, thy still make those and people buy them.

For the last dozen years or so, I have been using a Cal Audio Labs DX-1. I also have a secondary system running some outdoor speakers. I have had a few different sources hooked up to it, including various DVD players ( Onkyo, Sony and an RCA portable DVD player) . When I was cleaning out my shed recently, I found my old Technics MASH player from probally the early 1990's. It has been outside in the shed, subject to tempaerature variations of 100 degrees or so for a very long time. I hooked it up and it actually sounds better than all but the Cal Audio. Works perfectly. I have even played SACD hybrids like Eat A Peach and it sounds great.

 

[Zeppellin]

In my experience I have had with CDPs I have found the more modern equivalent to sound better.

I have a Kyocera DA-610
I recently got a Music Hall 25.2 CDP

They both sound very good. When new both players costed about the same ~$700. I can honestly say that the Music Hall edges the Kyocera by adding detail and an overall higher resolution of the music. Not that the Kyocera sounds bad by any means, just that the more modern player tends to represent the music better and more clearly.

I love both players for different reasons. The Music Hall is definitely staying in my main rig. I will even be attempting some simple modifications to hopefully further improve its sound.

-Josh

 

[rlisin]

That's kind of my point. There are recordings where adding detail and an overall higher resolution actually makes me want to listen to that recording no more and never again. I don't have a "proper" hi end CDP, but I do have relatively recent Marantz SA7001 and Onkyo C-S5VL I use for good recordings, and definitely prefer to use these, than my older CDPs - and these include a Yamaha CDX-630E which has the cult TDA 1541 DAC. But I would never play Led Zep I or II on those new CDPs. Not to mention some old punk albums (yes, I sometimes like me some old school punk with my morning coffee), now these recording can be real bad. She sound of these albums is simply more bearable with less resolution and more 'veil'. To my ears, at least.

Some old Technics CDPs were really good (for their time), this is one of the few things Technics actually managed to get right.

'Eat A Peach' on SACD sounds sweet!