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CD Player buying decisions

I am in the market for a CD Player. I have been looking at prices and reviews of both new and used equipment. I would like some advise on what to purchase. Right now, I have a generic 14 year old JVC CD player that I have had since college.

I have about $550 to spend, but I would love to spend less so I can buy more music! I will be playing regular CDs and CD-Rs. I probably will not be buying SACDs or DVDs anytime soon as I am a two-channel guy. I listen to a lot of jangle pop, power pop, ethereal pop, and post punk.

Here is what I have been thinking about:
Used -
Linn Mimik II
Rotel 971
Rega Planet
AH! Tjoeb '99

New -
Music Hall MMF CD 25
NAD 541li

My system is as follows:
B&K ST-140 amp
Polk Audio Monitor 7 speakers
Onkyo Integra P-304 preamp
Superphon Revelation II preamp (currently getting upgraded with Black Gates caps)

Any advise is welcome.

Johncan
johncan
jason321
7 posts
 
Check out the Arcam. You can find the Arcam 9 for around $500-600 used. They are simply superb, and are one of the top picks of "What HiFi" for sound and cost.
tweak1
870 posts
 
Look for a CEC Belt-Drive CD Player. The magic begins with the transport, and you can't do better then belt-drive at twice the $$$ your want to spend. Also, the CEC can be used as a transport, should you decide to try outboard dacs.
avideo
218 posts
 
I would give the Music Hall MMF CD 25 a serious try. I purchased the Music Hall early this year when I was moving out of Adcom electronics into a McIntosh Amp, Preamp, and Tuner. The Music Hall sounded great right out of the box; and improved even more with some playing time.
I might mention that I tried the Music Hall CD Player out with both the Adcom and McIntosh electronics - and it worked well with both sets of gear. While there are certainly better players on the market; it will be hard to find anything better at the Music Hall's price point.
Also, at a later date you can improve the sound a bit by replacing the stock power cord and getting an isolation platform.
bin
119 posts
 
What about the Sony SCD C333ES. Stereophile class A.
Excellent redbook player with the added bonus of SACD as well. In my opinion beats any player at that price point. It is a great deal at $400-$450. But as allways best to try with your components in your room if possible. (5 disc changer)
gold001
30 posts
 
Every few months this question seems to pop up. I think the best deals are always on used gear.

When I was looking for a new player I tried the NAD, the Music Hall, and Original Planet(used).

The planet is a great Player. It really doesn't have any major faults. I think it's better than the Music Hall or the NAD. You could find a used planet for $350, and still have $200 to spend on music.

-Patrick
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