Other: Big Buck CD Players

[Craig Shipley]

>
> What I found much more significant was the ease of use.  I originally
> bought a mid range Phillips, which sounded fine, but had very poor
> controls.  Just for example, it had a very noticeable (and
> aggravating) delay between the time you punched the "next track" key
> and the time that it actually jumped to the next track.  Not so bad if
> you're only jumping one tracj, but if you're like me, and like to
> track hop, it's maddening.  The Phillips also couldn't be programmed
> with the same degree of precision (I like to make tape mixes of my
> favorite album tracks, or, more significantly, parts thereof).  So I
> returned it for a slightly more expensive Sony, which I've been very
> happy with ever since.
>
This is kinda odd, since I think that my old (1989) Magnavox CDP-650
(which was _the_ CD player of its' day and the basis for many a tweaker's
modifications) has a much more precise method of programming tracks. It
did use a swing-arm geared mechanism for the laser, as opposed to the
much faster linear motor sled that most everyone uses now (and is in
my Sony ES carousel), so the track to track access time is slower, but the
Maggie has proven to be a helluva more robust unit than the 3x expensive
Sony. Sure, the Sony has nicer features (especially the fade-in/out
function, non-repeating random play, remote volume control), but the
Maggie is the one I'd keep if I had to sell one! (FYI, Magnavox is/was
the name slapped on Phillips units in the US before Phillips sold them
under their own name).

> >  Don't take something obscure like that Hawkwang I hear tell of.  Then
> > compare to something in the range of what you have.  I've done this and got
> > very interested in speakers.  I've also read audio fanzine articles that
> > reach the same conclusion.
> >
Why not? Take music that _you- are familar with, and of a genre that you
listen to. Why audition a CD player with classical music if all you'll
ever play is heavy metal. And remember, you are listening to the _speakers_
on display, unless they are the same ones you have at home (me, my speakers
were made in 1982, so fat chance of that happening!). Take your headphones,
your CD's and a scratched/defective CD to see if the player will pass a
"torture test" (I think that at one time you could buy a torture test CD,
that would test to see how well the player handled less than ideal CD's).

> > Ironically, some of the more exotic units have more trouble reading discs
> > than cheaper ones.   If you really want to improve sound, the speakers are
> > still the best place to attack.
>
I agree with this. My Sony skips on CD's that the Magnavox plays error-free.
The Maggie even played one of the "corroded" copies of Tangerine Dreams'
Flashpoint soundtrack, when everything else barfed it back up!

> There's no reason to buy an exotic CD player.  Exotic speakers, yes.
> Exotic ampflifiers, maybe.  For CDs, though, there's really no reason
> to get too funky, the sound difference just isn't that great.  As
> already noted, you'll get 100x as much difference by changing
> speakers.
>
> If I had to make a single recommendation: buy a high end Sony.
> They're as reliable as all get-out, and they have very nicely thought
> out user controls - something often missing in the more exotic
> "audiophile" CD players), and which you'll appreciate more and more
> as you own the thing over a period of years.
>
Uhhh, gonna argue with you here, Steve-o! I will never willingly purchase
another piece of Sony gear, as their quality control is non-existant at this
point! I have had more Sony junk than I care to talk about, and most of it
was the ES series gear (I do have a 18-year old Sony turntable that I think
the world of, but that is the exception!). IMHO, buy yourself a piece of
Onkyo equipment (I intend to replace most, if not all of my gear with Onkyo
at some point). i have owned Onkyo off and on since 1977 and have loved
every piece I've owned (recently bought back my old 1979 receiver; damn thing
is big enough to conduct flight operations off of!). Primary reason for
my enthusiasm is that the gear is _solid_ and usually out-performs the
published specs by a good margin. Cons, not heavy into the "exotic" displays
and features (i.e. dosen't have the Sony's fade-in/fade out feature, but
does have a six-disk carousel), which some people, myself included, may find
to be a "pro".

My $0.02, FWIW...

> Steve
> swann at panix.com
>


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      -m------- Craig Shipley   aka: craigs at pyratl.ga.pyramid.com
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