Best Quality CD player .. Not sound

[ematthews]

Let's say the budget is 1500.00 for a CD player. I asked about CD Player playback quality before. Now I want to know what the best BUILT CD player would be. Just in build quality... Would it be Yamaha? others???

 

[slipperybidness]

I'm not an expert and have not seen this one in person, but to me the pics make this one look like it is built like a tank!

Rega - Apollo R - CD Player-Audio Advisor
https://www.google.com/search?q=Rega+-+Apollo+R+-+CD+Player&client=firefox-a&hs=E9q&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Dxb2U_LQGMiV8gGKv4CABA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1560&bih=1089

But, I don't see any pics under the hood

 

[ematthews]

I forgot all about that one. Nice..

 

[ImcLoud]

Luxman had one for around $1500 I forget the model number but I seen it in person seemed pretty impressive... I would look into cambridge audio they have a good line all price ranges... I couldn't tell a difference between any of them sound wise, lol I listened to them all at Exchange and they all sounded the same but the price went from $300-$2000 lol...

 

[slipperybidness]

I forgot all about that one. Nice..

If I were you, I would look into that Rega a bit more.

Otherwise, if it is truly build quality that you are after, I would be taking a really long, hard look at a Pro CD player. Either a Tascam, Denon Pro, Pioneer, DBX, Yammy, or Marantz Pro. Those are built to be rugged and last a long time under stressful conditions and routine abuse.

 

[afterlife2]

I recently got a Rotel 5 disc player and that thing is built like a tank. Looks great in person and most important it sound fantastic.

 

[walter duque]

This is my next purchase, to match my Krell Processor.

 

[macddmac]

I'm not an expert and have not seen this one in person, but to me the pics make this one look like it is built like a tank!

Rega - Apollo R - CD Player-Audio Advisor
https://www.google.com/search?q=Rega+-+Apollo+R+-+CD+Player&client=firefox-a&hs=E9q&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Dxb2U_LQGMiV8gGKv4CABA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1560&bih=1089

But, I don't see any pics under the hood

would love one of them in my office!
Too beau coup price though :0
the Parasound Zcd is nice at AA for 199.00 now.. Don't need the mini rack-ears though.

 

[3db]

Here is one from Oracle which also make state of the art turntables.

 

[walter duque]

Here is one from Oracle which also make state of the art turntables.

Now your talking, that is cool.

 

[ImcLoud]

Those are cool but if I remember correctly they are over $6000, lol Kind of a way from the $1500 ob's budget.... definitely still sweet to look at..

I think if I was going to spend a lot {more than the cost of a parasound zcd} on a cd player I would get one of them older Bang & Olufsen units that held like 6 cds in a line and then the head moved, you could mount them on the wall, I remember there was one on ebay a while back but it went for like $2000 so I didnt buy it, I figured $500 but not $2K, lol...

I just found this one, seems like the price went up, lol http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Bang-Olufsen-BeoSound-9000-Mk3-with-stand-Beo4-remote-cables-/251618771994?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3a95a5c41a&_uhb=1

 

[TLS Guy]

Let's say the budget is 1500.00 for a CD player. I asked about CD Player playback quality before. Now I want to know what the best BUILT CD player would be. Just in build quality... Would it be Yamaha? others???

If you want the ultimate in build quality in a CD player, this is the one for you.

That was my first CD player, I bought in 1984.

A couple of years ago or so, a member wanted a CD player built like a tank. So I serviced it and sold it to him.

This is the player playing a 20 KHz test tone from a test CD.

 

[walter duque]

If you want the ultimate in build quality in a CD player, this is the one for you.

That was my first CD player, I bought in 1984.

A couple of years ago or so, a member wanted a CD player built like a tank. So I serviced it and sold it to him.

This is the player playing a 20 KHz test tone from a test CD.

That looks even nicer then my first CD player which was a Carver, also in 84.

 

[TLS Guy]

That looks even nicer then my first CD player which was a Carver, also in 84.

Yes, and it was a lot better as well. These units are still highly sought after and command high prices. I sold mine much too cheap.

If you own one of these your own a part of audio history. The unit was designed by Roger Lagadec of Studer/Revox. He was one of the great pioneers of digital audio. He designed the revolutionary range of professional Studer digital recorders.

 

[Irvrobinson]

If you want the ultimate in build quality in a CD player, this is the one for you.

That was my first CD player, I bought in 1984.

A couple of years ago or so, a member wanted a CD player built like a tank. So I serviced it and sold it to him.

This is the player playing a 20 KHz test tone from a test CD.

I'm sorry, but the player in your photos isn't even close to the ultimate in build quality, either mechanically or electronically. Just for starters, it has an obsolete, 14bit, non-linear by modern standards, Philips TDA1540 DAC chip. That 20KHz sine wave you're showing is proof of nothing more than run-of-the-mill "Red Book" CD performance. Mechanically, the CD drive is nothing special. There have been numerous dedicated CD players that have been made over the years, for example by Sony ES, that are superior to the obsolete Revox in just about every way. The XA777-ES, just to name one. The high-water mark for dedicated all-in-one CD players electronically and mechanically was probably the Mark Levinson No 390S, not that I'm recommending the OP buy one. Even years after they've gone out of production they're still going for $3500.

Edit - the player in your Ebay link at least has the 16bit DAC.

 

[ImcLoud]

If I were the op and wanted a cd player that would last a long time, I would but 5 parasound z-cd's, that should be a lifetimes worth...

 

[3db]

Actually, if I were in the market, I would get an Oppo BluRay player and be done with it... either that or the Yamaha that's been previewed. Looks nice as well.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Actually, if I were in the market, I would get an Oppo BluRay player and be done with it... either that or the Yamaha that's been previewed. Looks nice as well.

Every BD player I've tried, including an Oppo two years ago, took what seemed like forever to load a CD. Has anything changed? I'm too impatient to wait for some firmware-driven, low-power micro-controller to decide to let me hear a disc.

 

[jcparks]

This has been listed on craigslist for months at 750 here in Monterey...
SONY CDP-X7ESD CD Player
Seems like it fits the bill to me thought 750 seems high... I dunno

 

[TLS Guy]

I'm sorry, but the player in your photos isn't even close to the ultimate in build quality, either mechanically or electronically. Just for starters, it has an obsolete, 14bit, non-linear by modern standards, Philips TDA1540 DAC chip. That 20KHz sine wave you're showing is proof of nothing more than run-of-the-mill "Red Book" CD performance. Mechanically, the CD drive is nothing special. There have been numerous dedicated CD players that have been made over the years, for example by Sony ES, that are superior to the obsolete Revox in just about every way. The XA777-ES, just to name one. The high-water mark for dedicated all-in-one CD players electronically and mechanically was probably the Mark Levinson No 390S, not that I'm recommending the OP buy one. Even years after they've gone out of production they're still going for $3500.

Edit - the player in your Ebay link at least has the 16bit DAC.

I've serviced them, and I can assure you the build quality is very high and they sound excellent. People are not daft, and these players are sought after. They have stood the test of time, as there a lot out there still working.