Old CD player vs cheap New CD player
Advice please...
After already spending more money than I will ever admit to my girlfriend on my new amp and speakers, I would really like a CD player but have not got the money to buy the matching CD player from the same range as my amp.
I have got the rotel ra12 amp and the q acoustics 2050i speakers. As I have got a built in dac in the amp the cd player only really needs to be used for transport. It will not be for continuous use as I will mainly be using the spdif output on my laptop but I do still enjoy buying and playing cds which are all currently restricted to car use.
The question is would I be better off buying an old cd player such as the Rotel 965BX for around £50ish on ebay or buy a cheap new player for around £150-200 such as the MARANTZ CD5004, ONKYO C7030 or YAMAHA CDS300? Or do I wait until I can afford a more expensive player?
Thanks in advance
Adam
I would say no to a Rotel 9 series. Don't get me wrong they are wonderful machines, but given they are 15-20 years old, unless its been updated or serviced recently, the reliability issue comes into play. I owned the Rotel RCD 975 and the drawer mechanism broke, so I contacted Rotel an they said the achilles heel of the 975, 965 etc. is they had weak mechanism.
I would take Sizzers advice and use a DVD or Bluray player.
...alternatively, if your primary source is your laptop, you can play CDs direct from that
another vote for using a dvd/blu ray machine. Mine sounds just fine with music cds.
Q acoustics fan
Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately I haven't got a dvd or BR as do not really watch dvds. I have got a PS3 that I never use but for a number of reasons it wouldnt be a solution mainly because my girlfriend wouldnt/couldnt want to use it (plus it always has to update, its noisy, and have already used both optical ports on my amp for tv and laptop, and would need the tv on to control it).
Using my laptop is an option but I might as well just rip them all as flac if I do that or buy downloads, I dont know why but it feels more worth while buying cds if they are to be played through a cd player. Plus wanted to get a cd separate to go with my first proper stereo amp.
No biggie I am really pleased with what I have got just thought a cheap cd option could finish it off...
If you're a Led Zep fan, snag the new Blu-Ray audio Celebration Day (as well as the 4CD Blu-Ray / CD / DVD boxset) and get something like the the Panasonic BDT-210 (the forerunner to the current 220) and spin your discs through that. Trust, the Q's will love you for it. The Panasonic does a decent job with CD and delivers a great picture. It'll be fine as a transport, loads quickly, and is a neat fit. You might land a decent ex-dem one or even NOS.
Marantz CD63SE. Cheap, plentiful, reliable and will knock the spots off today's entry level offerings. You may well find the sound of the CD player's built-in DAC preferable to sending a digital signal to the Rotel, but however you connect it up at least you'll always have a choice depending on which sound you prefer.
Yep, can't go wrong with the Marantz (or the higher end Denon spinners either, as the Denon DCD-1420 I have just now testifies to). Top VFM, plenty of them as MP says and price isn't an issue. Got my CD52 Mk-II SE for about £35 delivered. Daft money.
Marantz CD63SE. Cheap, plentiful, reliable and will knock the spots off today's entry level offerings. You may well find the sound of the CD player's built-in DAC preferable to sending a digital signal to the Rotel, but however you connect it up at least you'll always have a choice depending on which sound you prefer.
You're absolutely right shafesk. No magazine whose survival relies on promoting the sales of new gear is ever going to officially say this in their pages, but the real truth is, unless you need HD or streaming capabilities, it will be incredibly difficult to improve on the best mid-range->high-end CD players from the 1990s by spending the same money on something new.
I would say no to a Rotel 9 series. Don't get me wrong they are wonderful machines, but given they are 15-20 years old, unless its been updated or serviced recently, the reliability issue comes into play. I owned the Rotel RCD 975 and the drawer mechanism broke, so I contacted Rotel an they said the achilles heel of the 975, 965 etc. is they had weak mechanism.
I would take Sizzers advice and use a DVD or Bluray player.
I have no idea who you contacted at Rotel, but saying that the Rotel have a weak mechanism is in my opinion false. The Rotel 965 uses the Philips cdm 4 and the 975 the cdm 9. The only thing I can think of is that the rubber elastic and the toothed wheel getting worned out after many years of use. The mechanism itself is one of the most reliable ever made.
You could try and pick up one of the lower end arcam dvd players. These have very good transports and can be had relatively cheaply on ebay. My mate did this and it works very well with his dac. Much better than the transport in the arcam cd player he had in fact. Hope that helps.
I totally agree with what was said about the cd63 ki above too. Will completely blow away any budget offering available now. Gave my 1500 quid naim a run for its money in some areas!!!!. You wouldnt regret getting one of those amazing machines.
I have no idea who you contacted at Rotel, but saying that the Rotel have a weak mechanism is in my opinion false. The Rotel 965 uses the Philips cdm 4 and the 975 the cdm 9. The only thing I can think of is that the rubber elastic and the toothed wheel getting worned out after many years of use. The mechanism itself is one of the most reliable ever made.
I spoke to their customer services dept. approx 6 years ago when the drawer mechanism broke on my 975. They said the internals were as good as any (Rotel) model, but the weak point, according to Rotel, was the drawer mechanism.
They advised me to have a listen to the defunct 10 series or look at the newer 06, and by the time I took into account carrige charges + parts and labour, it was more cost effective for me to look at a new machine.
I wouldn't give false information from a manufacturer or belittle any product, so you either take my word for it - or you don't!
Following Shafesk's impressions of the CD63KI, it (and other) second hand/older players are 'flavor of the week' here. Nothing wrong with that fundamentally.
It may be good to remember though that if one fails (most will eventually), repairs can be costly if you can't do it yourself. They can last a year, ten years or a month. Luck of the draw and to some extend, courtesy of the previous owner.
Be aware of that and you're fine ... perhaps.
love x
If you're just looking for a transport and assuming you have a BDP/DVD then plug that in (save yourself a few quid, too).
Putting out fire with gasoline