sub £500 CD players?

After the sad demise of my CD6000KI I'm now in the market for a new player. Haven't been reading the mags much so I'm not really sure what's out there.

Have noticed some of the following (new)

- Cyrus CD6 (£450 at Audio T)
- NAD C542 (£280 at Superfi)
- Marantz CD7300 (£250 at Superfi)
- Rotel RCD-02 (£380 RRP)
- Arcam CD73 (£400 RRP)
- Denon DVD2900 (£425 at Moorgate)
- Rega Planet (£500 RRP)
- Rotel RDC1072 (£500)

also stretching the boat a little:

- Sony SCDXA3000 (£600 Practical Hifi)


and then of course you've got a whole host of ex-dem and s/hand options to consider....

Any thoughts on this bunch? Anyone done any demoing lately?

Overall, I liked my CD6000. Sounded clean and dynamic. Could have done with a bit more bottom end though.

 

2nd hand quad 99, naim cd5 or (my favorite) a big hdd, squeezebox and nos dac, then buy cd's with the change.
cheers


julian

 

I recently paid £450 for a Denon DVD2900 and am very impressed with it. The CD sound is very good and on top of that you get excellent sacd and dvd-audio (if I can find any dvd-audio discs I want to buy).

The other benefit is the excellent DVD-video replay. All this from one (very big) box.

I would say a naim cd5 2nd hand (or a Linn Genki 2nd hand) would give you better cd replay if that's all you want but I suppose it depends on how many cds you have.

I have quite a few sacds (and few hundred dvd-videos) so the DVD2900 made a lot of sense. Most of my listening is on vinyl now but I still have a lot of cds. Having it all in one box is very convenient - be adding a nos dac to it soon as well.

 

Oh dear!

I'm sorry to hear of the demise of your CD 6000KI - it's a great player. I used to run one (I still have it) until I upgraded.

It doesn't seem as though you're looking to upgrade in which case you might want to consider getting another CD6000KI second hand? They go for bargain prices these days, and there appear to be enough of them about. You would probably be able to get your hands on one for about £220.

If you are really after something else, I would aim to get something that's at least as good, if not better (although IME, "better" in this case equates to a lot more money than you might think!) Certainly, judging by the calibre of the rest of your system, you could certainly justify an upgrade!

Since I've never heard any of the other players on that list, I can't comment on them. (Although from that lot, I'd probably lean toward the Rega Planet (2nd hand) - purely from reputation).

From my exprerience, I wouldn't recommend a bare Naim CD 3.5 in comparison to the CD 6000KI. This may be a controversial view, but I preferred the CD 6000KI to a bare 3.5. However, if you can stretch to a CD3.5 (or CD 5) with Hi-Cap, I would whole heartedly recommend it. It's a different beast altogether!

Anyway, I hope my ramblings have been of some use and I wish you good luck with your search

Lefty

 

Julian don't encourage him to keep his NOS DAC I've just bought it!!!!

Also re the Denon-2900, I bought a 2910 for £515 buts although its CD replay is good it wasn't up to my 12 year old Meridian 200/203.

I would add Meridian to your list but your'll defintely be s/h, but they are built to last.

Mr Perceptive

 

would a CD5 not be a bit steeper than £500?

 

Er, what happened to the CD6000 ?

 

Indeed, they usually go for at least £700. You could probably get a CD3.5 for around £450

Lefty

 

I guess an ex-dem CD5i might just be in reach.

Lefty, I thought about getting another KI (I paid £230 for mine) but I fancy something different. Which isn't particularly rational but there you go.

I suspect (as I've thought for a while) that my system would benefit from a CD player upgrade to get the best from it and this is clearly my chance. However, I am under financial constraints and would need to do some pretty slick negotiating to get it passed at the next financial AGM at Fort Maddog but I'll give it a go.

I think the main thing is trying to guage whether spending, say £600, will make a significant difference over a £300 player , such as the NAD C452. It's this point that I'd benefit from your feedback.

(I'm not fussed about DVD by the way, just music.)

 

if you search hard and have the cash ready to snap up a bargain there are some cd5's (not cd5x or cd5i's) out there sub 500 quid. it's also give you an upgrade route with various *caps / psu's but that's a slippery slope.
if the hdd route isn;t for you have a troll about on audiogon there are some fantastic players being offloaded by gullible americans eager to jump on the hi-def bandwaggon even though it's a moving target.
cheers


julian

 

Where's a good place to look for Naim stuff Julian?

 

try tomtom audio

 

How a bout a Arcam FMJ23?
Or get another KI - the 63 is just as good and even cheaper!
Liam.

 

could you find a Densen B400 for £500 if you really really tried? it would go well with your amps!!

 

tom tom, e-bay, pink fish, loot, central, audio-t, ex-dem, etc...
cheers


julian

 

NAD S500? Rotel 991? Arcam CD23?

 

Hi Maddog, long time no see.

It may be a long shot, but I'd give Les at Avondale Audio a ring and see if he has any Avondale Arcam Alpha 5s for sale. You could also keep an eye open for one secondhand (this one might still be available). The Arcam is getting on a bit in years, but Les gives them a full service when he mods them and backs them with a 4 year transferrable warranty.

If you want to hear one, I have one in my system, so feel free to call round. I still have my Marantz CD63KI to compare it to, and if you wanted to hear how a Denon DVD2900 sounds, I have one of those too.

Heath

 

Heath,

Good to hear from you.

I spotted the AAA5 (if that's correct...) being recommended over on pinkfish. I don't get over there much but I've been everywhere in the last few days researching a player to buy. Definitely gets some good reviews. How have you found it? I thought your CD63 sounded pretty good in your system actually so I have been looking at one of those as a cheaper option. How does the AAA5 compare?

I'm pretty close to a decision though, finally, if I can get it passed the financial controller.

 

I always find it hard to write reviews of equipment or describe how things sound. To me, the AAA5 just sounds more natural than the CD63. Everything just sounds cleaner - bass lines are easier to follow, you can tell that harmonies are several distinct voices singing together and I hear subleties in the music that I never knew existed. It certainly grabs your attention a lot more than the CD63 too. There have been numerous times when I've been working with music playing, only to find that without thinking I've stopped working and I'm sat there just listening to the music.

I still think the CD63 is a good player and I wasn't specifically looking to change, but I bought the AAA5 to see what the fuss was about on the basis that if it wasn't significantly better than the CD63, I could sell it on without any financial loss. The AAA5 is staying in my main system though and I'll put the CD63 in my second system.

I think if you want to spend £500 on a CD player, the AAA5 would be hard to beat at that price point and is excellent value, but you can get something (like a CD63KI) significantly cheaper that will still do a decent job.

Heath

 

personally, I find that much less diverts my attention these days :SLEEP:

Glad you like it. Sounds like a good player. What does he (Les) tweak on it?

The main thing for me is that I enjoy playing music on my system. Which sounds trivial in a hifi sense but it's key for me. If the system is balanced and clean then I'll enjoy using it. If it's not quite right then I tend to use it less often.

Which is quite odd really as the system in my garage is old and pretty rubbish but I always have it on and it never bothers me.