Cheapo audiophile CDP ?

Hi folks, what's the current state of affairs as long as the cheaper audiophile CD players go.... eastsound E5, ah!njoe tjoeb, jolida 100, cayin 17,.... what is considered to be the best bang for bucks at the moment.
thanks g.

 

the e5 is very good .....ask jimbo

but ...theres always a but

The actual transport looks like a very cheap philips not certain of the model.

As its all big components[through the hole] its ripe for modding and would yeild seriously good results.....IMO

 

Yeah, the E5 is very good. Particularly excellent bass, but a bit too transparent, detailed & bright for my liking. Cheapo VAM12 mech that'll die after 5 years too

Never sure what to recommend when it comes to "cheaper" audiophile cdp's. For me, transport quality/reliability/serviceability is always & everywhere the most important factor. SQ comes second!!

In this regard TEAC, Naim, Exposure, Quad and older Meridians score highly, as they either have excellent service back-up or use proprietary transports.

I honestly find it disgusting that so many alledgedly reputable companies can sell four-figure cd players with VAM12's and KHM's. Shocking if you ask me

DT

 

Cant beat an Alba special.

 

things could be even worse i suppose.... just look at unison research, they are using teac CD-ROM drive in 1,500 pounds unico CD.

i fully agree with a good technical base being a priority but i am really wondering where ($$$$$) does your peace of mind start with CDPs. if E5 transport mech is limited to 5 years, how much will it cost to replace it. if it is 50 quid than it fully make sense to get it into account when purhcasing it. if your quad or naim mech (despite being superior) dies, how much it will cost you on the top that you've already paid twice or more....

 

Yes, very fair point.

I normally recommend the Unico too - it has a lovely smooth airy sound. As you say, it is very unfortunate that UR sully it (along with AA and thier gorgeous paganini/maestro) with crappy CD-rom mechs.

And I don't think any servicing is cheap these days. Regardless of the cost of the replacement mech, manual labour charges will always dwarf it.

DT

 

strangely, my psychology can't really accept a CD player to be a reliable device, except a very very few tank-built models (out of my $$$ reach) and some old studer/revox players i'd love to hear how would they cope today.

that's why i kinda don't bother if it is plastic or not. it gonna die sooner or later. no chance my next player will last 15 years as my good old philips CD614 from 1989.

 

Hi Jim here, yes my Esound is in dock think it must be the laser mech. It's the Vam 1202 made in China for Philips. Had a similar problem with my dvd recorder a few years back. That was a Philips one, what a coincidence. This transport is used in a lot of players some expensive ones too. Some people rave about the new Apollo but thats had its problems too. To be fair though the huge distances these units sometimes travel and get thrown about by carefull delivery men needs to be taken into conideration. Gone are the days when you kicked the tele and it worked. Jim.

 

Audio Analogue Puccini (standard,not the SE)

can be picked up now s/h for 100 quid ish

 

do you have a clue how much is a new mechanism?

and can you buy it at all on your own or you have to go through dealers? can cattylink sell some?

 

I think its somewhere about 20quid or more not too sure so not too expensive and it is supposed to be easy to install, only three screws and fix the face plate back on. There is some on the net sell them, dont know about Cattylink, worth asking them. Let me know if they do. Jimbo.

 

Hi,

I find that very few (if any) of the current crop of affordable players are remotely close to the really great players of yesteryear from the mainstream japanese concerns.

Most of these will need a service and most of their electrolytic capacitors replaced, but the old top of the range Marantz, Pioneer and Teak players (buy by weight) can be had for peanuts and re-build take on any modern commers.

Otherwise, there is a new cheap chinese player using the TDA1541, it's probably worthwhile getting as modification basis, but then, a 2nd hand Marantz CD94 is cheaper and of vastly superior build....

Ciao T

 

Also bear in mind that some of these older players, whilst having very reliable & hardy mechs, may be unserviceable. Caps/diodes/trannies would be easy to source I'm sure, but sourcing complete replacement transport mechs & lasers can be difficult and in some situations, impossible.

3D is right though. They certainly don't build CDP's like they used to.

DT

Strange really, especially when you consider that generally speaking, amps and speakers are still pretty reliable and well made, at the budget end of the market...

 

what make 20 kilos in E5?

 

Inch-thick aluminium armour-plating!

But they really should've spent the money on a better mech :-(

DT

 

if the new one costs 20 quid i can understand the point. just order 3 mech's along with a new player and you are safe.

 

This is a possibility, as the E5's mech is aparrently quite easy to replace.

Still not going to make it any less forgiving of poorly recorded & compressed material though :duck:

DT