Good portable discplayers for "hifi" systems

hi,
I would like to get a good discman(it doesnt have to be sony) for use in a "Hifi" system and on the go, I am currently using 3.5 jack to get a audio to the system so aslong as it has a standard headphone jack I'll be happy. Please note that I do have a budget for around 150-200 euros but if simply none match that price range, please still suggest. Massive bonus if parts are easily found for it but not required.

Thanks in advance :3

 

Any particular system you are trying to match it with ? Does it have to run off batteries. There are some Mini System CD players which match the SONY FH stacks quite nicely. I can't help that your cheapest mains powered option might be a DVD player from a charity shop. Some of the Philips played almost all discs up to DVD and had a ridiculous DAC spec (192KHz 24bit).

 

Im trying to match it up to 2 B&W DM-17 speakers and a pioneer A-115 amp, if it runs of batteriers i would be happy but the main reason i want it to be portable and have the ability to run on batteries is because of a lack of space and power sockets. However Ill take any suggestion

also looking at some older posts I see that the dream of 200 euros might be very difficult

 

as @Longman suggested, almost any desktop CD player sounds better than any Discman. Some entry-level hi-end players can be had for around $200, I see a few nice used Rega and Arcam spinners listed right now on eBay

A lot of decent under-$200 choices if Discman is a Must. Technics SL-XP5 which I consider one of the best Discmans ever made (and I have most of them in my collection!) was sold for $182 just a week ago:


another decent Technics which does not cost much more than a new CD: SL-NP12 ($30).

To buy professionally restored Discman for under $200 is difficult, I totally agree with you! I sold a few Sony D-33 and D-34 for under $100 but, frankly, it was not worth the trouble. More difficult to fix then, say, Sony D-250 and you cannot even get a $100 for the troubles. But there is always a choice of used/working Discmans, just keep in mind that some sellers have a very strange view about "working" CD player. I always ask if it actually plays CD before buying a 'working' Discman

Whatever you chose, definitely select Discman with Line-Out option, not just a headphone jack. Also, for the Discmans made in mid-late 90-ies select the ones which give you the option to turn OFF shock-protection:


Otherwise you will always have MP3-style sound, not the 16/44.1 "Perfect Sound Forever"

 

thank you jorge, I will look into some more desktop CD players the my main issue with them is space and the fact that I may not have a plug for them yet, I honestly never heard of the brand "Rega" or "Arcam", so I have some reading to do.

Again thank you very much
@Jorge and @Longman :3

 

@nicolai fenech - do not worry too much about audiophile brands, Sony and such also made quite a few decent players. You have a very nice set of speakers, and in 'acoustic suspension' style, the way I like 'em. Given some decent stands and location they will be able to tell you the difference between different amplifiers and players. If placed on the bookshelf, then Rega Planet may sound the same as Sony D-34

Lack of space I understand, I have the same problem here! But what do you mean - I may not have a plug for them yet

 

@Jorge , I have deceided to fix up my fathers Marantz CD5400 and then I will take the CD player he is using currently, an Eclipse CD420, which happens to fit perfectly in the limited space I have. I still do like the idea of getting an Arcam Alpha 7. As for the plug comment, I didnt have a place to plug in the CD player because I dont have many electrical outlets in my room (I realise now that the american term for "plug" is either "socket" or "outlet"), I have deceided to also sacrifice my lamp when I get the Eclipse. However, a new problem as show itself, my right hand baby (my right speaker) has a small cut or deformation in the tweeter which give it an awful distorded noise at certain frequency, most audible when playing scenery by ryo fukui. I have ordered new diaphragms for my speakers from ebay.
(EDIT: I have just tested out my speaker and it seems fine? I am beyond confused, my main theory is that the speaker was a little to close to the shelf above it and scenery by ryo fukui piano was playing at just the right frequency to cause resonance to occure with a model directly above it. I am still going to get the diaphrams, just in case.)

You will most probably see me in the speaker section of this forum very soon!

Again, thank you very much!

 

buy a cd-player with AES or toslink. use a chinese DAC = total next level sound.
go for cd-players with philips cdm mech

 

I am considering getting an upsampler but for now Im going to hold off, but thanks for the suggestion

 

@nicolai fenech - hopefully it is just some resonances rattling on your shelves, you have lovely speakers which might not like DIY-fix jobs. Probably a coincidence, but I also notice defects in my system when playing solo piano. Good luck with Marantz CD5400, I realize now that because of my advise we are losing one prospective Discman collector here But you are making a right choice! I do not hear Chinese DACs as the 'next level', plus you already have one so can judge for yourself. And I have even more negatives towards up-sampling, not my thing at all! Smooths everything including timing, to my ears picture gets prettier but fuzzy

Philips cdm mechanisms are great, my all-time favorite CD players are from Naim Audio and they all use Philips lasers. Philips CD10 and CD10MkII Discmans have swing-arm CDM2P mechanisms, totally inappropriate for a portable but at least MkII is one of the best-sounding Discmans ever made. Nowadays, however, we have VRDS-Neo and VRDS-Atlas mechanisms from Esoteric, nothing gets even close to these beasts

 

have a studer d730, use the AES-> mogami cable-> gustard x16.
it's 1-2 level better sounding than the studer's 1547 dac. sound is transparant.
looked at CEC mechs, but they are so expensive. besides, already had the studer.
these years are my best audio years, thanks to the affordable chinese dac's and amps. + cheap cd's.
love this thread
https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/classical-mega-cd-box-sets.275224/page-1586

 

to clarify - I have nothing against Chinese hi-fi ventures. When streaming Tidal through the iPhone, my xDuoo XD-05 makes music much more listenable!

at the price-point of Gustard X16 we here have some local $hit from Schiit Audio and a few days ago I stumbled onto some Very reasonably priced DACs from the legendary Audio Note. Just take a look at these offerings: ANK DACs I am not a big fan of tubes, as with cigars never have enough time, but I must definitely try something from ANK


@19lexicon78 - I knew that Studer is your spinner, but never asked: do you actually use all those buttons? I only use Play and Stop but on Studer these are almost hidden among other options. Is this a DJ or a mixing machine?

 

the reason i bought the gustard. at that time, it was one of the few who had AES and is balanced, my whole system is balanced. and it also had the best specs.. not there is any difference when s/n is 115 db or more. these days you can buy cheaper DAC, with even better specs, but i don't know if those have AES and XLR. i hate tubes, distortion festival.
i see, the shiit modius has aes and xlr, 230 usd. 50% less $$ my gustard

the studer was used in radio studio's. there are some hidden functions, you have to enter codes. perhaps i use 4 buttons. btw i love the wheel, use it far more often than you think. every cd-player should have a wheel to scroll cd's. it's a must have..

 

and what is that? like scratching/scrubbing LPs?

 

you can easy fast forward or reverse in song. normally it's a button, but a wheel is far more convenient. just dail forward or back. it surprises me how often i use this wheel. especially when playing songs for the nth time. or playing a cd for the first time and songs that are boring.

 

so far, its been fixed and im not going to touch my speakers for now, however one day i still want a discman, just because they are cool , above all else, i was considering getting a better DAC, still am, but im not going to bite the bullet on anything yet!

 

That sounds handy, but i would so cool if it made a "scratching" noise.

 

The chinese can make some stout DACs, my moondrop dawn pro brought music to a whole other level with my system and my headphones. However, they have their downsides like everything, still, a massive bang for your buck and our euro!

 

I would also like to ask how the different mechs change the audio or if its just the laser used in the mechs, or is it just for reliability?

(sorry for the late reply, Ive been doing a bunch at work lately)

 

Answer depends on who you ask. Personally I never paid much attention to such technicalities. Laser mechanisms, multibit vs. delta-sigma DACs, unipivot vs gimbal tonearms, ... the list and number of combinations is infinite!
I totally agree with @TooCooL4 - it is much easier to use my own ears, and to visit audio shows / audio dealers when I can

the reason I mentioned $5k VRDS-Neo mechanism is because of the troubles I've been having with my own Wadia 781i and some unfinished research I did on CD quality here