What Budget CD Player?

[vibralux]

I am split between the marantz cd5400 and the sony cdpxe370 can any advise me as to which would be the best for general listening (mostly melow rock and soft hip hop) so i need good clean bass.

[Mash]

You can get a progressive scad DVD player with a 192 kHz/24 bit CD chip included for $70 or less. What else do you need to meet your specifications? Then you can watch your melow rock and soft hip hop being performed on HDTV as you groove to your tunes.........

I expect to see DVD players soon with all of the 'super' CD chips included.........

[shokhead]

Yep,i think cd players are fading out. I havent had one in years,everything on my DVD player but if you really want one,i like the Onkyo DX-C390. 6 disc,optical and coaxil out.150 bucks or so. Now you can get a 6 disc dvd player thats plays every kind of disc and DVD-A and SACD for 300 bucks.

[WAF!]

I am split between the marantz cd5400 and the sony cdpxe370 can any advise me as to which would be the best for general listening (mostly melow rock and soft hip hop) so i need good clean bass.

The marantz is a great CDP at it's price point. You may want to look into the NAD CDP's. The NAD C521BEE MSRP's for $299 and IMO will be better in the bass section than the Marantz. If you don't mind used the NAD C541i and C541 go for around $299 or less and have better DAC and does HDCD.

[Feanor]

I am split between the marantz cd5400 and the sony cdpxe370 can any advise me as to which would be the best for general listening (mostly melow rock and soft hip hop) so i need good clean bass.
I agree with other respondents that a low-cost CDP isn't good value. Get a machine that is SACD-capable in any case

If you want to use it in home theatre set up, consider a Pioneer DV-578A-S ($130), or, for a bit more cash, a Yamaha DV-S5770 ($400) that has Faroudja DCDi DVD processing too.

If you want music only, (whether stereo or multi-channel), consider a Sony SCD-CE595 ($150 or less).

[shokhead]

I agree with other respondents that a low-cost CDP isn't good value. Get a machine that is SACD-capable in any case

If you want to use it in home theatre set up, consider a Pioneer DV-578A-S ($130), or, for a bit more cash, a Yamaha DV-S5770 ($400) that has Faroudja DCDi DVD processing too.

If you want music only, (whether stereo or multi-channel), consider a Sony SCD-CE595 ($150 or less).

A yamaha c750 will play both DVD-A and SACD for $299.

[IRG]

I have both a Sony dvd player (newest model) and a high(er) end Roksan cd player. Recently I played a burned cd that a colleague made for me. It played ok in the dvd player for a while. At first, the music was fine - the first 7-8 tracks ok. Then the tracks started to sound real bad, like a lot of background noise, and almost a skipping sound. Totally unlistenable after a while. I took the cd out, checked for any visual defects, nothing, and tried it again. Same result.

I decided to try it in the Roksan player (which ironically uses some Sony internals). What a difference. Every track sounded great now, not just the first few. No noise, distortion, skips, just good sound. The Roksan is a few years old too - I wasn't sure it would even play burned cds, but it did just fine. So maybe a dvd player isn't always the only way to go. A good cd player still seems to have some uses. Could be just this disc, who knows, but I never have had any problems with this player. The Sony unit does great as a dvd player, but for music, I will stick with the separate cd player.

[WAF!]

I have both a Sony dvd player (newest model) and a high(er) end Roksan cd player. Recently I played a burned cd that a colleague made for me. It played ok in the dvd player for a while. At first, the music was fine - the first 7-8 tracks ok. Then the tracks started to sound real bad, like a lot of background noise, and almost a skipping sound. Totally unlistenable after a while. I took the cd out, checked for any visual defects, nothing, and tried it again. Same result.

I decided to try it in the Roksan player (which ironically uses some Sony internals). What a difference. Every track sounded great now, not just the first few. No noise, distortion, skips, just good sound. The Roksan is a few years old too - I wasn't sure it would even play burned cds, but it did just fine. So maybe a dvd player isn't always the only way to go. A good cd player still seems to have some uses. Could be just this disc, who knows, but I never have had any problems with this player. The Sony unit does great as a dvd player, but for music, I will stick with the separate cd player.

My experience is similiar to IRG's and that is the reason I suggested a seperate CDP. I was using a Pioneer 563a as my only source and decided to get a CD player. I found a second hand NAD C541 for an incredible price and picked it up. The difference in sound between the two is very different. I use and prefer the DAC of the Pioneer 563a and NAD C541 compared to the DAC in my NAD T752 receiver via coax or optical. The Pioneer on CD playback seemed very forward and a bit harsh in the highs. The NAD C541 is so much smoother and more detailed and at the same time not as forward sounding. My listening has been mainly 2 channel due to the prefered sound of the NAD.

[toenail]

"If you want to use it in home theatre set up, consider a Pioneer DV-578A-S ($130)"

I've had to return two of these units and have ordered the Toshiba SD-4960 as a replacement.