CD Player/Changer Recommendation?

dudeman

Do you still listen to CDs at home? Do you like your current CD player or changer? If so, what is it?

I'm looking at options for another system and need to choose a CD player.

2-feign-reluctance

I bought this 3 years ago and it has breathed new life into my CDs.

https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-C-7030-Compact-Player-Black/dp/B004UR487A/ref=sr_1_9?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1541180796&sr=1-9&keywords=cd+player

2-feign-reluctance

2-feign-reluctance said:

I bought this 3 years ago and it has breathed new life into my CDs.

https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-C-7030-Compact-Player-Black/dp/B004UR487A/ref=sr_1_9?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1541180796&sr=1-9&keywords=cd+player

Quiet, consistent, no skipping. I think the whole clock/percision thing is real after playing a few CDs for the first time - felt like there was better representation of the music vs. my stock Sony I had for 25+ years. I also picked up a Marantz receiver at the same time. Love my set up.

dudeman

2-feign-reluctance said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

I bought this 3 years ago and it has breathed new life into my CDs.

https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-C-7030-Compact-Player-Black/dp/B004UR487A/ref=sr_1_9?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1541180796&sr=1-9&keywords=cd+player

Quiet, consistent, no skipping. I think the whole clock/percision thing is real after playing a few CDs for the first time - felt like there was better representation of the music vs. my stock Sony I had for 25+ years. I also picked up a Marantz receiver at the same time. Love my set up.

Excellent player, not just "for the money". That's at the top of my list for single disc players.

Any positive experience with a good CD changer? I have an Onkyo now and it's good, but it's getting old. Time to start looking before it craps out.

With as many live, multi-disc albums as I have, a changer works for me.

Yamaha, Onkyo, Teac and Integra are the only new models that I can find.

bflynn1

2-feign-reluctance said:

I bought this 3 years ago and it has breathed new life into my CDs.

https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-C-7030-Compact-Player-Black/dp/B004UR487A/ref=sr_1_9?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1541180796&sr=1-9&keywords=cd+player

This is the one I have in my current setup as well. I share your same thoughts.

dudeman

I ordered an Integra CDC-3.4 today. 

Zod

I've mostly digitized my collection to FLAC so I used my set top media box (popcorn hour a400) to listen to my FLAC music.   I do like to listen to cd's the odd time.  I've kept my ps3 for that (for some reason the ps4 while equipped with a cd laser in the bluray drive, never included the software to play cd's).   Been using the ps3 for other things like netflix, nhl app, and tunein radio app too.   The apps having been dropping like flies at it loses support.   It's down to netflix and playing cd's :(

I've been thinking of buying an xbox one s or xbox one x just to have something in the living room that still plays cd's and supports modern apps.  I never thought of buying a standalone cd player.  Maybe that's not a bad idea either

dudeman

I have way too many CDs to rip in any amount of time that wouldn't be ridiculous. If I did a few per day, it would take several years. Then, I would have to find something to do with the CDs. Either continuing to store them or selling them for next to nothing seem like the only options.

It definitely looks like CD is a dead format for many people but I still like them. Something about having a physical, tangible collection that took many years and a lot of money to curate. They can sound damn good too.

My CD player is in the same category as my turntable: they each only play one format of physical media but they do that one thing very well.

I'm on the lookout for CD players and changers now just to keep as spares, as it looks like manufacturers are likely to stop production of new models.

tempo_n_groove

Do you guys hook up a DAC to the cd player?

I'm thinking about getting really serious with my sound system now.

HesCalledDyer

I'm looking to actually build a dedicated stereo system instead of having everything hooked up to my AVR.  I have my turntable and speakers, just looking for a stereo amp/receiver and a CD player.  Don't care if new or vintage, just needs to be good quality with a fair price point.  I'm honestly just looking at ebay and craigslist for a build.  I'd prefer compact/mini component footprint but that's not a deal breaker. But I'll also take any recommendations on things to look for, to avoid, etc.  I'm not as versed on hifi stereo equipment especially vintage stuff; model years, differences, what was good or trash, etc.

lolobugg

I just got rid of my 400 disc Sony CD changer last year and went straight Vinyl/FLAC. got some good trade in value on those CDS. Sony was a good "jukebox" option. had fire wire digital optical connection if you are into that kind of thing.

dudeman

tempo_n_groove said:

Do you guys hook up a DAC to the cd player?

I'm thinking about getting really serious with my sound system now.

I have always used the DAC built in to my CD player. Always worked well and sounded great. The one I just got has a Wolfson DAC which is reputed to be nice. It's still warming up from being on the UPS truck but I'll let you know how it sounds when the time comes.

One really nice thing about outboard DACs is the flexibility to use them with different sources and most of them afford settings and adjustments that aren't typically found on CD players and the like.

HesCalledDyer

What exactly is the purpose of a DAC?  I've read so many articles on them trying to figure out what they're for, but still have no clue what the purpose is.  I mean, I know it converts 0's & 1's to an electrical signal, but in what situations and why would you need to do that?  Everything I read seems to talk about headphones and I still don't understand.

dudeman

Typically, one would use a standalone DAC to process music from a computer, CD player or transport, network streaming device......pretty much any digital music source. It allows a high quality starting point from the source to connection to an amp and speakers of your choosing. 

The benefit is that a good, separate DAC is likely to be of higher quality, both in sound and build, than a DAC that is chosen as part of another component.

Often, DACs afford more control options as well. Many allow the user independent control of gain and volume. Some include headphone amps, too.

I don't know if this helps or makes sense. I'm having trouble communicating today. 

HesCalledDyer

dudeman said:

Typically, one would use a standalone DAC to process music from a computer, CD player or transport, network streaming device......pretty much any digital music source. It allows a high quality starting point from the source to connection to an amp and speakers of your choosing. 

The benefit is that a good, separate DAC is likely to be of higher quality, both in sound and build, than a DAC that is chosen as part of another component.

Often, DACs afford more control options as well. Many allow the user independent control of gain and volume. Some include headphone amps, too.

I don't know if this helps or makes sense. I'm having trouble communicating today. 

Kinda, sorta.  So, is it basically like a "pre-amp" (in a sense) for say, a computer or iPhone, something with low quality or compressed source music?  I don't quite understand the use with a CD player, though.  CD's are digital info, but they're full quality sound.

dudeman

HesCalledDyer said:

dudeman said:

Typically, one would use a standalone DAC to process music from a computer, CD player or transport, network streaming device......pretty much any digital music source. It allows a high quality starting point from the source to connection to an amp and speakers of your choosing. 

The benefit is that a good, separate DAC is likely to be of higher quality, both in sound and build, than a DAC that is chosen as part of another component.

Often, DACs afford more control options as well. Many allow the user independent control of gain and volume. Some include headphone amps, too.

I don't know if this helps or makes sense. I'm having trouble communicating today. 

Kinda, sorta.  So, is it basically like a "pre-amp" (in a sense) for say, a computer or iPhone, something with low quality or compressed source music?  I don't quite understand the use with a CD player, though.  CD's are digital info, but they're full quality sound.

You could think of it as a preamp. In a CD player, digital information is read from a disc and it stays in a digital form until it goes through the onboard DAC, which converts that digital information to an analog signal suitable for connection to your stereo.

Standalone DACs just do the last part, but they typically do it with higher bit depth and sample rate capabilities than standard, consumer grade CD players. 

There are exceptions, of course.

Some people like to have the ability to choose their own DAC for the increased sound quality and flexibility they can afford.

Personally, I don't own one and don't plan on it any time soon. The DAC in my CD player does a great job and that is the only way I currently play digital music.

If you're interested, there is a wealth of free information over on audiokarma.org, too.

dudeman

dudeman said:

I ordered an Integra CDC-3.4 today. 

This thing showed up a couple days ago: http://www.integrahometheater.com/Products/model.php?m=CDC-3.4&class=CD&source=prodClass

So far, it's pretty badass. Integra is the high-end, premium division of Onkyo. (If Onkyo = Totota, Integra = Lexus.) The thing I liked most about my old Onkyo it replaced is that it sounded warm, full and rich. (Some CD players have a clean, sterility that I am not particularly fond of.) The Integra has that same warm quality but it also presents a lot more detail than the Onkyo. It reads discs that I have had trouble with on other players. For example, my copy of the "Once" soundtrack wouldn't play on my previous CD players, the above-mentioned Onkyo and a Denon from the late '80's. This CDC-3.4 reads and plays it with no trouble at all.

Build quality is excellent, user interface is intuitive and it cues and loads discs at least twice as fast as the Onkyo. It has coaxial and optical digital outputs that can be used simultaneously with the analog outputs. The onboard DAC is a Wolfson 24/196. Performance-wise, it compares very well to the single-disc Onkyo C-7030.

Overall, I'm very impressed. There really isn't a lot of information out there about this model. The specs I found online were way wrong compared to the specs in the manual and there are only a handful of reviews that I found.

I know this is one of the last machines of a dying breed but it's a really good example of the CD changer format. 

HesCalledDyer

dudeman said:

HesCalledDyer said:

dudeman said:

Typically, one would use a standalone DAC to process music from a computer, CD player or transport, network streaming device......pretty much any digital music source. It allows a high quality starting point from the source to connection to an amp and speakers of your choosing. 

The benefit is that a good, separate DAC is likely to be of higher quality, both in sound and build, than a DAC that is chosen as part of another component.

Often, DACs afford more control options as well. Many allow the user independent control of gain and volume. Some include headphone amps, too.

I don't know if this helps or makes sense. I'm having trouble communicating today. 

Kinda, sorta.  So, is it basically like a "pre-amp" (in a sense) for say, a computer or iPhone, something with low quality or compressed source music?  I don't quite understand the use with a CD player, though.  CD's are digital info, but they're full quality sound.

You could think of it as a preamp. In a CD player, digital information is read from a disc and it stays in a digital form until it goes through the onboard DAC, which converts that digital information to an analog signal suitable for connection to your stereo.

Standalone DACs just do the last part, but they typically do it with higher bit depth and sample rate capabilities than standard, consumer grade CD players. 

There are exceptions, of course.

Some people like to have the ability to choose their own DAC for the increased sound quality and flexibility they can afford.

Personally, I don't own one and don't plan on it any time soon. The DAC in my CD player does a great job and that is the only way I currently play digital music.

If you're interested, there is a wealth of free information over on audiokarma.org, too.

Thanks, yeah that helps a lot. 

MedozK

dudeman said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Do you guys hook up a DAC to the cd player?

I'm thinking about getting really serious with my sound system now.

I have always used the DAC built in to my CD player. Always worked well and sounded great. The one I just got has a Wolfson DAC which is reputed to be nice. It's still warming up from being on the UPS truck but I'll let you know how it sounds when the time comes.

One really nice thing about outboard DACs is the flexibility to use them with different sources and most of them afford settings and adjustments that aren't typically found on CD players and the like.

The Wolfson DAC in the Onkyo C-7030 is where its at, no need to bypass this one.

dudeman

MedozK said:

dudeman said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Do you guys hook up a DAC to the cd player?

I'm thinking about getting really serious with my sound system now.

I have always used the DAC built in to my CD player. Always worked well and sounded great. The one I just got has a Wolfson DAC which is reputed to be nice. It's still warming up from being on the UPS truck but I'll let you know how it sounds when the time comes.

One really nice thing about outboard DACs is the flexibility to use them with different sources and most of them afford settings and adjustments that aren't typically found on CD players and the like.

The Wolfson DAC in the Onkyo C-7030 is where its at, no need to bypass this one.

I read somewhere the other day that they're not using Wolfson DACs anymore. They switched to AKM. 

The reviewers said the AKM is every bit as good as the Wolfson but I don't think Onkyo did a good job of communicating the change. They specified Wolfson in their ad copy for years. Now, nothing.

Must be the newest production runs that changed. I'm interested to hear one first hand.

MedozK

dudeman said:

MedozK said:

dudeman said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Do you guys hook up a DAC to the cd player?

I'm thinking about getting really serious with my sound system now.

I have always used the DAC built in to my CD player. Always worked well and sounded great. The one I just got has a Wolfson DAC which is reputed to be nice. It's still warming up from being on the UPS truck but I'll let you know how it sounds when the time comes.

One really nice thing about outboard DACs is the flexibility to use them with different sources and most of them afford settings and adjustments that aren't typically found on CD players and the like.

The Wolfson DAC in the Onkyo C-7030 is where its at, no need to bypass this one.

I read somewhere the other day that they're not using Wolfson DACs anymore. They switched to AKM. 

The reviewers said the AKM is every bit as good as the Wolfson but I don't think Onkyo did a good job of communicating the change. They specified Wolfson in their ad copy for years. Now, nothing.

Must be the newest production runs that changed. I'm interested to hear one first hand.

I have read those same things. I purchased mine before the change, and have not heard the new ones. But I LOVE mine.

2-feign-reluctance

MedozK said:

dudeman said:

MedozK said:

dudeman said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Do you guys hook up a DAC to the cd player?

I'm thinking about getting really serious with my sound system now.

I have always used the DAC built in to my CD player. Always worked well and sounded great. The one I just got has a Wolfson DAC which is reputed to be nice. It's still warming up from being on the UPS truck but I'll let you know how it sounds when the time comes.

One really nice thing about outboard DACs is the flexibility to use them with different sources and most of them afford settings and adjustments that aren't typically found on CD players and the like.

The Wolfson DAC in the Onkyo C-7030 is where its at, no need to bypass this one.

I read somewhere the other day that they're not using Wolfson DACs anymore. They switched to AKM. 

The reviewers said the AKM is every bit as good as the Wolfson but I don't think Onkyo did a good job of communicating the change. They specified Wolfson in their ad copy for years. Now, nothing.

Must be the newest production runs that changed. I'm interested to hear one first hand.

I have read those same things. I purchased mine before the change, and have not heard the new ones. But I LOVE mine.

Me too. Big time. Worth selling some vinyl to upgrade my set up. 

tempo_n_groove

The Onkyo is on ebay in black for just under 200 then there is a silver one from Japan for 400.

Is there a difference besides the color?

dudeman

Not that I'm aware of. Although, I'm not sure what Japanese electrical service is, both voltage and cyclic rate. Should probably know that before purchasing something intended to be sold in anorher market. 

tempo_n_groove

dudeman said:

Not that I'm aware of. Although, I'm not sure what Japanese electrical service is, both voltage and cyclic rate. Should probably know that before purchasing something intended to be sold in anorher market. 

I wasn't planning on buying as I'm not sure what duty cycle they run over there.  Just curious.

dankind

People swear by the PlayStation 1 as a great CD player.

dudeman

dankind said:

People swear by the PlayStation 1 as a great CD player.

I have heard that too. Never checked one out since I was never really fond of video games.

This new Integra changer is rocking my world. It has played everything I've thrown at it and it sounds fantastic.