Here's why I referred to the $410, 1987, Magnavox 650 as "superb". From one of the very few magazines that spoke the truth:
"If CD players can be said to be equal in most respects, it is nonetheless true that some are “more equal than others.” In our judgment, the Magnavox CDB-650 is possibly the “most equal” of them all. We have tested some forty-seven CD players over the past several years. Although a couple of others have matched or even slightly surpassed the Magnavox CDB-650 in a few of their measured characteristics, none has come even close to equaling its overall performance.
It is unlikely that any practical or audible benefit results from a noise level of — 125 dB rather than one of — 95 dB, or a 20,000-Hz phase shift of zero degrees instead of 90 degrees, or a channel separation greater than 100 dB at 20,000 Hz instead of only 85 dB, and so on. Nevertheless, these and all the other outstanding measurable properties of this machine convey a clear impression of excellence that cannot be disregarded."
www.hifi-classic.net
Stereo Review c.1987,
