[Greg Grainger]

Well, it is the end of an era. My Revox CD player, bought in 1985,
has finally given up the ghost.

I could probably get it fixed but for a price that might very
well purchase a brand new one of good quality.

Does anyone have any ideas for a good CD player in the $300-$500
range? Simple, not fancy is what I'm after - the focus is on
sound quality and reliability. I have no use for all the bells
and whistles that seem to infect so much modern technology.

Any thoughts?

email or post is fine.

Many thanks in advance,
Greg.
--
Greg Grainger grainger(at)vex.net

'What a world of gammon and spinach it is, though, ain't it?'
- Miss Mowcher

[Greg Wormald[_2_]]

In article ,
(Greg Grainger) wrote:

Well, it is the end of an era. My Revox CD player, bought in 1985,
has finally given up the ghost.

I could probably get it fixed but for a price that might very
well purchase a brand new one of good quality.

Does anyone have any ideas for a good CD player in the $300-$500
range? Simple, not fancy is what I'm after - the focus is on
sound quality and reliability. I have no use for all the bells
and whistles that seem to infect so much modern technology.

Any thoughts?

email or post is fine.

Many thanks in advance,
Greg.

I suspect that dedicated CD players are getting scarce.

I can't say anything about reliability 'cause it's too new (and already
unavailable), but my Harman Kardon HD 970 has a beautiful sound. It also
has an optical input to the DAC that allows me to wirelessly stream
music from the computer via an Apple Airport. I also get to use my
iPhone as a remote for iTunes.

Greg

[Greg Wormald[_2_]]

In article ,
(Greg Grainger) wrote:

Well, it is the end of an era. My Revox CD player, bought in 1985,
has finally given up the ghost.

I could probably get it fixed but for a price that might very
well purchase a brand new one of good quality.

Does anyone have any ideas for a good CD player in the $300-$500
range? Simple, not fancy is what I'm after - the focus is on
sound quality and reliability. I have no use for all the bells
and whistles that seem to infect so much modern technology.

Any thoughts?

email or post is fine.

Many thanks in advance,
Greg.

I suspect that dedicated CD players are getting scarce.

I can't say anything about reliability 'cause it's too new (and already
unavailable), but my Harman Kardon HD 970 has a beautiful sound. It also
has an optical input to the DAC that allows me to wirelessly stream
music from the computer via an Apple Airport. I also get to use my
iPhone as a remote for iTunes.

Greg

[racerx66]

On Jul 5, 9:05*pm, (Greg Grainger) wrote:
Well, it is the end of an era. My Revox CD player, bought in 1985,
has finally given up the ghost.

I could probably get it fixed but for a price that might very
well purchase a brand new one of good quality.

Does anyone have any ideas for a good CD player in the $300-$500
range? Simple, not fancy is what I'm after - the focus is on
sound quality and reliability. I have no use for all the bells
and whistles that seem to infect so much modern technology.

Any thoughts?

email or post is fine.

Many thanks in advance,
Greg.
--
* * * * * *Greg Grainger * * * * * * * * * grainger(at)vex.net

* * *'What a world of gammon and spinach it is, though, ain't it?'
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *- Miss Mowcher

The Emotiva ERC-1 is an awesome player, in your price range.

http://emotiva.com/erc1.shtm

[MiNe 109]

In article ,
(Greg Grainger) wrote:

Well, it is the end of an era. My Revox CD player, bought in 1985,
has finally given up the ghost.

I could probably get it fixed but for a price that might very
well purchase a brand new one of good quality.

Does anyone have any ideas for a good CD player in the $300-$500
range? Simple, not fancy is what I'm after - the focus is on
sound quality and reliability. I have no use for all the bells
and whistles that seem to infect so much modern technology.

Any thoughts?

I saw a Revox in a radio station circa 1985; you won't find anything as
solidly built as that!

There are fewer choices for single-disc players, but I'd look at
Marantz, Pioneer Elite, Oppo and NAD in your price range.

Stephen

[vlad]

On Jul 6, 8:39*am, Greg Wormald wrote:
In article ,
(Greg Grainger) wrote:



Well, it is the end of an era. My Revox CD player, bought in 1985,
has finally given up the ghost.

I could probably get it fixed but for a price that might very
well purchase a brand new one of good quality.

Does anyone have any ideas for a good CD player in the $300-$500
range? Simple, not fancy is what I'm after - the focus is on
sound quality and reliability. I have no use for all the bells
and whistles that seem to infect so much modern technology.

Any thoughts?

email or post is fine.

Many thanks in advance,
Greg.

I suspect that dedicated CD players are getting scarce.

I can't say anything about reliability 'cause it's too new (and already
unavailable), but my Harman Kardon HD 970 has a beautiful sound. It also
has an optical input to the DAC that allows me to wirelessly stream
music from the computer via an Apple Airport. I also get to use myiPhoneas a remote for iTunes.

Greg

I think that in our time the function of DVD player is to read data
and redirect them through digital interface into DAC of your choice.
So it does not make sense to buy pricey player with its own DAC and
analog circuitry.

I invested good money into high-end receiver that can do very good
digital processing with good DAC and analog section. Now all my
devices - CD-player, old NTSC-DVD, PAL-DVD, Blu-Ray, Roku, AppleTV,
they all hooked into receiver through HDMI, Works very well.

Of course if you insist on old fashioned analog only stereo amplifier
then it is a different story. Then you have to pay for DAC with analog
section in your CD player.

My $0.02 worth :-)

vlad

[Walt]

Greg Grainger wrote:
Well, it is the end of an era. My Revox CD player, bought in 1985,
has finally given up the ghost.

I could probably get it fixed but for a price that might very
well purchase a brand new one of good quality.

Does anyone have any ideas for a good CD player in the $300-$500
range? Simple, not fancy is what I'm after - the focus is on
sound quality and reliability. I have no use for all the bells
and whistles that seem to infect so much modern technology.

The task of reading data from an optical disk is pretty much solved and
is a commodity. Likewise, the task of turning a bitstream into analog
audio is pretty cooked out. So, buy based on features, price, looks,
etc. Avoid the really cheap ones, other than that they sound pretty
much the same (except for a few that deliberately color the sound) .

The biggest difference I hear between one and another is how much
mechanical noise they make - the spinning disk can be noisy, and the
"high end" boutique manufaturers are sometimes the biggest offenders.
What's the point of 90db S/N if you're listening at 90 dbSPL and the
player is making a racket of 50 dbSPL?

Also, some players have trouble with Orange Book "burned" CDs. If
you've transferred some of your vinyl to CD by burning it on your PC,
you should make sure your new player can accommodate these CDs.

//Walt

[Steven Sullivan]

Greg Grainger wrote:
Well, it is the end of an era. My Revox CD player, bought in 1985,
has finally given up the ghost.

Wow, I hope you give it an honorable sendoff!

I could probably get it fixed but for a price that might very
well purchase a brand new one of good quality.

Does anyone have any ideas for a good CD player in the $300-$500
range? Simple, not fancy is what I'm after - the focus is on
sound quality and reliability. I have no use for all the bells
and whistles that seem to infect so much modern technology.

Any thoughts?

Have you considered moving to an all-hard disc playback system?
It would involve some tedium in transferring your CDS , but in the
end you gain fantastic amount of convenience and flexibility.

--
-S
We have it in our power to begin the world over again - Thomas Paine

[Greg Grainger]

In article ,
Steven Sullivan wrote:
Greg Grainger wrote:
Well, it is the end of an era. My Revox CD player, bought in 1985,
has finally given up the ghost.

Wow, I hope you give it an honorable sendoff!

I took it to a place recommended to me for repair. The estimate was free,
and the General Manager of the stereo store (who recommended the place)
told me to tell the repair guy that he was taking a'personal interest'
in this business.

So, we'll see.

Have you considered moving to an all-hard disc playback system?
It would involve some tedium in transferring your CDS , but in the
end you gain fantastic amount of convenience and flexibility.

When I win the lottery, I'm going to buy a Sooloos.

As a matter of fact, I have been in the process of ripping all my CDs
to WAV files. Nearly done.

Trouble is, the wiring, D/A design and output circuitry in your average
computer are all vastly inferior to those in your average high-end stereo
system (mine, for example). Even plugging the sound card drectly into my
power amp would not get around the weaknesses in the transport and other
cicuits before the signal finally got outside the box.

sigh So, I'll just wait and see what the repair guy has to say.

Speaking of lotteries, if I won, I'd buy a Bryston CD player. Yum.

Greg.
--
Greg Grainger grainger(at)vex.net

'What a world of gammon and spinach it is, though, ain't it?'
- Miss Mowcher

[Mr. Finsky[_2_]]

On Jul 9, 1:48*pm, Steven Sullivan wrote:
Greg Grainger wrote:
Well, it is the end of an era. My Revox CD player, bought in 1985,
has finally given up the ghost.

Does anyone have any ideas for a good CD player in the $300-$500
range? Simple, not fancy is what I'm after - the focus is on
sound quality and reliability. I have no use for all the bells
and whistles that seem to infect so much modern technology.


Have you considered moving to an all-hard disc playback system?
It would involve some tedium in transferring your CDS , but in the
end you gain fantastic amount of convenience and flexibility.


If you have a magic interconnect between your PC and preamp/receiver,
go ahead and try the music server route. If you want a good basic CD
player, you would probably be safe with Cambridge Audio. Their full
line is available from Audio Adviser. I have happily owned a Cambridge
for years without experiencing any major problems.

Good luck!

[John Stone]

On 7/9/09 11:40 PM, in article , "Greg Grainger"
wrote:

When I win the lottery, I'm going to buy a Sooloos.

The Sooloos is slick but very expensive. Have you ever considered a Logitech
(Slim Devices) Transporter? Pretty much a state of the art DAC with wi fi,
ethernet, etc., and all the music server flexibility you could ever want.
The Squeeze Center software is excellent and easy to use. You often find
them on Ebay or Audiogon at $1500 or less.
Add a cheap CD player with a digital out as a transport, and you've got a
setup that blows the doors off your old Revox.

[JWV Miller]

On Jul 10, 12:40*am, (Greg Grainger) wrote:

snip

Trouble is, the wiring, D/A design and output circuitry in your average
computer are all vastly inferior to those in your average high-end stereo
system (mine, for example). Even plugging the sound card drectly into my
power amp would not get around the weaknesses in the transport and other
cicuits before the signal finally got outside the box.


Do you have a technical basis to justify your statement regarding
"vastly inferior" circuitry and wiring in modern sound cards? What
transport weakness are you talking about? The digital information
captured from a CD and stored on a hard drive can be bit perfect and
extremely convenient. An external DAC can be used if one is overly
concerned about analog signal corruption but in reality, well-designed
sound cards will provide extremely good results. Some even have SNRs
greater than 100 dB. Given that real-world recordings rarely have an
SNR greater than 70 dB, there is little reason to avoid PC hardware
for music storage and playback.

[Steven Sullivan]

Greg Grainger wrote:
In article ,
Steven Sullivan wrote:
So, we'll see.

Have you considered moving to an all-hard disc playback system?
It would involve some tedium in transferring your CDS , but in the
end you gain fantastic amount of convenience and flexibility.

When I win the lottery, I'm going to buy a Sooloos.

As a matter of fact, I have been in the process of ripping all my CDs
to WAV files. Nearly done.

Trouble is, the wiring, D/A design and output circuitry in your average
computer are all vastly inferior to those in your average high-end stereo
system (mine, for example). Even plugging the sound card drectly into my
power amp would not get around the weaknesses in the transport and other
cicuits before the signal finally got outside the box.

My computer isn't ever doing the D/A (and the concerns about wiring and
transport(!) etc are IMO overblown). I've used USB, and wireless to
transmit the data to my AVR, which does the DA conversion. Currently I'm
using optical S/PDIF via a Creative Audigy 2ZS laptop PCMCIA card (which I
scored for $20 on ebay), because I've started ripping multichannel DTS and
Dolby Digital tracks and my USB/wireless can't transmit those.

Transmission is bit-perfect from my laptop (otherwise DD/DTS bitstreams
wouldn't work, and they do) and I'm outputting sample rates up to 96k kHz
with nominally 24 bit resolution. Player software is foobar2000
(freeware), which is massively user-configurable (though not exactly
user-friendly).

The main cost was for backup hard drives ( need about ~500Gb for all my
music + some space for more, at this point. ) And they're cheap nowadays.


--
-S
We have it in our power to begin the world over again - Thomas Paine

[[email protected]]

On Jul 6, 12:05*am, (Greg Grainger) wrote:
Well, it is the end of an era. My Revox CD player, bought in 1985,
has finally given up the ghost.

I could probably get it fixed but for a price that might very
well purchase a brand new one of good quality.

Does anyone have any ideas for a good CD player in the $300-$500
range? Simple, not fancy is what I'm after - the focus is on
sound quality and reliability. I have no use for all the bells
and whistles that seem to infect so much modern technology.

Any thoughts?

email or post is fine.

Repair the Revox if you can. They are _remarkably_ simple inside. I
have one of the same vintage (B225) that I have successfully repaired
several times. Once with a toothpick as the rack had warped a little,
once simply by replacing lubrication, once replacing two electrolytics
in the power-supply, once by re-setting the laser intensity. No
repairs in the last 5 years, however, and the cluster noted above was
all within one year.

Otherwise, after the basics are met (quiet, solid, decent ergonomics)
after about $100-$150 or so, there isn't much to choose between
players.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA