I need a new CD player - Advice

My Sony's last me 4 years and I keep having the urge to replace it. When Kirstly McColl's voice sounds like she is on helium gas I know its time for a replacement.

I just don't enjoy listening to CDs anymore they just sound crap compared to vinyl. I am pretty sure its my CDP thats at fault since its a 4 year old Sony CDP530. On the otherhand Roy Orbison sounds damn fine on it.

Anyway I know if I don't replace it soon I will never will and I have a part time job so I can probably afford a new player if I put my social life on hold for a few weeks (I could have had a Linn LP12 and a decent Rotel CDP buy now if I didn't like clubbing).

Anyway enough woffle.

I have a budget of £250 max (in a months time) I have no idea whats hot as I am well out of the HIFI loop now, I don't even know whats out now, I still think I'm in 1999.

Some ideas for a replacement are:

Marantz CD54000OSE £150
Cambridge CD540 (I think?) £200
Cambridge Asuure (£250 model)
NAD CD160BBE (People have said this would only be a mild improvement)

I idealy want somthing thats got more attack, but is also smoother with vocals, better treble refinement, better bass but the other problem is it should idealy play strached CDs easily. My Sony's very good at this!

 

I've got the NAD C521BEE and am vey pleased with it. It offers a nice warm, detailed sound and decent bass. The only other CD player out of the ones you list that I've heard is the Marantz CD5400 - I auditioned this alongside the NAD. It was a very good player with great levels of detail, but too bright for my liking.

Your shortlist seems pretty good. I'm sure I've seen Arcam CD62s around for about £220, ex-demo and if you can track one down, it's another contender to add to your list. The best advice really is to try them all and go with whichever one you prefer - everyone has different tastes in sound and levels of expectations.

 

Yeah I guess I need to listen to them all. My sister has a Cambridge Audio CD32 which I like the sound of a lot, its very smooth, and this is going into an 80WPC mid 1970's amp.

However there are a lot of quality control issues with it that would put me off buying a Cambridge Audio amp, such as buzzing transformer, thbe transport won't read CDs with a slight scrarch on it, and remote control also controls her LG TV.

 

you may not have seen the ad i put up

but bennettsonline.co.uk are doing brand new Marantz CD6000ose le's, in Gold for £137 odd. Ideal match with your pm6010ose AT

if its not on their website, give them a buzz.

 

Thats pretty cheap, it would be better than the CD5400OSE I think and also if I sold my Sony for £40 on ebay it wouldn't cost me much.

Thanks for the tip, thats the CD player I dreamed of owning when 1999 when I was 16 and it first came out, I remember being in Dixons and drewling all over it, it was £300 at the time!

 

i had a look- its on their website

www.bennettsonline.co.uk for £139 + £8.50 delivery. comes with 2 year guarantee

i've heard it against the cd5400 and it trumps it. plus as i said the brushed metal finish is exactly the same as ur pm6010 whereas the cd5400 has a different plasic fascia. good luck anyway

 

Is this really possible, or am i just being a dirty slut?

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with your CDP - Krusty Mcdroall Has always sounded like that.

 

Its just because I have got so much involved in Vinyl my CDs now sound like they are lacking.

I also find its very sensitive to the recording, i.e some can be far too bright. This more an issure with the remastering than the CD player though, but if I got somthing a bit smoother it should not be as noticable.

 

hi mate,

only problem i can see with the CD6000 is that they can be a bit picky with scratched/dirty disks. other than that it's a lovely piece of kit, and should meet all your other requirements.

and at that price, it's half of what i paid for mine in 2000



Kirsty McColl? can't say i've heard anything other than 'Fairytail of Ney York' with the Pogues (was the one song on the xmas CD i could stand when i was doing our pantomime last year)

 

My girlfriend uses the 6010 and 6000 ose.

It's not set up in a way which highlights it's "hifi" abilities too well - speaker positioning, room compromises etc - but it plays a tune well.
And as others have said, it's a sexy lookin li'l number too!

The budget end of the market is going MOre and MOre dvd/cd combo, but there's still a few there from the usual suspects, and you should try to hear as many of the as possible. Second hand would obviously give you far MOre options, but spending £250 s/h and getting something worth about double that could well just have you feeling the rest of the kit is limiting it and you know what that leads to