Best older universal for CD playback??

geppy1
geppy1 Posts: 3,075
in 2 Channel Audio
I am wondering if anyone has compared the universal players below for CD playback sound and what were your observations. I am trying to stick with one machine verses one for DVD and one for CD but that can be tough I cannot afford the newer units and to me many are hyper detailed and not what I am looking for. I have heard the DVD 7001 and DVD 3800 and thought the Denon was warmer. Probably the ALPHA processing. I had that on my Denon 1650AR I had for 9 years and it did make it more musical and analog. Thanks
Marantz DV 7001,DV 9500,DV 9600
Denon DVD 3800,DVD 3910,DVD 3800BD,DVD 2930ci
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Comments

  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,670
    I would stay away from the Marantz...

    I had a DV7600 that was nothing but problems. IMO, they have an issue making a "universal" player.

    IIRC, some of the Pioneer Elite units are pretty damn good.
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  • pumpkinman
    pumpkinman Posts: 9,820
    I've owned a Denon 5910 for years and love it. But I play 95% of my music analog.
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    Because I am The Pumpkinking


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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,963
    I'll second the older Pioneers. An AVI59 or 79 can be had for around 100 bucks and are great as cdp's.
    HT SYSTEM-
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  • drumminman
    drumminman Posts: 3,396
    No Oppo on your list?
    "Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer
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  • muncybob
    muncybob Posts: 3,042
    I have an Oppo and while it does indeed sound better to me than my Pioneer, the old DV-563A is a very close second if you can make up for it's lackluster bass management and for the $$ I think it's a very good buy if you can find one.
    Yep, my name really is Bob.
    Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
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  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,648
    I am really digging my Esoteric DV-50... o:)
    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

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  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    It seems that budget is really important here. Those higher end Denons (3910) can go for over 200 used, which opens up some other options. I just purchased a Marantz UD5007 through accessories4less and am loving it so far, and it adds bdp to the mix for 3 bones refurbished. And CDs sound really good through the 2 channel analog out. BUT I need to get my hands on some sacds and dvd-as to evaluate that aspect. I sold mine off years ago for a pittance and now I am kicking myself as re-purchasing them is cost prohibitive...
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
    Game Room 5.1.4:     Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
    Bedroom 2.1     Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,441
    I'd also shy away from the Denon's unless you get for very cheap. They are getting long in the tooth and were never know for long lasting lasers. I type this owning both a 2900 and a 3910 and both are starting to have laser problems on a lot of my CD's. They both will not read any "Tool" cd's and many more that escape me now typing this. They will read every SACD and DVD-Audio I put into them, but talking to my great tech he told me I was very lucky to have them issue free for so long.

    I will end this with it took 4 2900 units to finally get one that worked right and they were all brand new. trust me you never want to deal with D & M holdings for any warranty work EVER.
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  • geppy1
    geppy1 Posts: 3,075
    The poneer DV 79avi also comes to mind
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  • TNHNDYMAN
    TNHNDYMAN Posts: 2,145
    I've got a Pioneer BDP-51 that needs a new home. PM if interested. I only used it for CD's since the blu rays take so long to load. These can have laser issues with blu rays though. Mine read some fine and on some newer ones would have issues. Did updates to it but still had some bugs. If you only want for cd playback would be great for under $125 plus shipping.
    2-ch System: Parasound P/LD 2000 pre, Parasound HCA-1000 amp, Parasound T/DQ Tuner, Phase Technology PC-100 Tower speakers, Technics SL-1600 Turntable, Denon 2910 SACD/CD player, Peachtree DAC iT and X1asynchorus USB converter, HSU VTF-3 subwoofer.

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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    My Pioneer DV-47A is still going strong and continues to read all of my discs so far.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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  • RamZet
    RamZet Posts: 792
    I agree, my Pioneer BDP-95 sounds great.
    Did a side by side with the oppo103, almost sound the same. One not being any better than the other.
    B&W CM9Classé Sigma
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,375
    My Denon DVD-2910 sounds and works very nice since I replaced the laser pickup. I have an Oppo DV-981HD that sounded good until the power supply board fried. This seems to be a frequent issue with this unit. Oppo doesn't sell repair parts but will fix it if I buy the extended warranty for around $50. I had hoped to use the Oppo while I did some mods to the 2910.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
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  • headrott
    headrott Posts: 5,496
    edited May 2015
    pumpkinman wrote: »
    I've owned a Denon 5910 for years and love it. But I play 95% of my music analog.

    The Denon DVD-5910 is very good, IMO too.

    Edit: I have owned mine since 2006 and have never had a single issue with it; it works flawlessly.
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    Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
    "I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion." :\
    My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....

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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,194
    The Older Universal Players where great CD players.
    My Favorites where the Pioneer Elite's and the Denon's. Can't go wrong there as they both had excellent CD playback.
    If DVD Audio isn't in the cards then strongly look for older Sony ES stuff. I got a 9000es and it's amazing for CD play back. I put it into my system from time to time just to play with it.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,375
    True about the Sony ES. I have a CDP 650esD that is silky.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
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  • thsmith
    thsmith Posts: 6,082
    And the elites play SACD
    Speakers: SDA-1C (most all the goodies)
    Preamp: Joule Electra LA-150 MKII SE
    Amp: Wright WPA 50-50 EAT KT88s
    Analog: Marantz TT-15S1 MBS Glider SL| Wright WPP100C Amperex BB 6er5 and 7316 & WPM-100 SUT
    Digital: Mac mini 2.3GHz dual-core i5 8g RAM 1.5 TB HDD Music Server Amarra (memory play) - USB - W4S DAC 2
    Cables: Mits S3 IC and Spk cables| PS Audio PCs
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  • MrBuhl
    MrBuhl Posts: 2,419
    edited May 2015
    +3 on the Sony ES series, I have two S9000ES, one for each rig, and they are built like tanks, sound absolutely great with my current rig(s), and play most anything except blueray! Grossly overbuilt. Component video only though - no HDMI.
    VA HT HK AVR20II, Sony S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD, Polk Audio RC80i / Polk Audio CSi3, 60" Panasonic Plasma, Nordost / Signal Cable A2 / Wireworld / Pangea / Magic Power
    VA 2 Channel Focal Electra 926 speakers, Pass Labs X150.5 Amp, Eastern Electric MiniMax Preamp (Tutay mods), Eastern Electric Minimax CDP (Scott Nixon mods), Music Hall mmf 5.1 Turntable, Parks Audio Budgie Phono Pre , Audioengine B1 streamer, MIT S3 IC's / MIT Shotgun S3 Speaker Cables / PS Audio power cables
    Noggin Schiit Valhalla, Pangea, Phillips Fidelio X1, Polk UF8000

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    SACD Marantz DV8300
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    Yamaha YP-D6
    Soundcraftsmen PCR800
    Audible Illusions L1 Preamp
    Vincent MFA based Cocci Tube Preamp
    Pho-700 Phono Pre
    Signal Cable Silver Resolution IC's






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  • agfrost
    agfrost Posts: 2,428
    My Marantz DV-9500 has laser issues. Doesn't like to read SACD at present, but still is good with CD and DVDA. I bought a replacement laser unit pretty cheap, but have yet to investigate installing it.
    Jay
    SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Oppo BDP-93 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8 (x2)
    Micro Seiki DQ-50 * Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
    Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0
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  • SCompRacer
    SCompRacer Posts: 8,497
    edited May 2015
    agfrost wrote: »
    My Marantz DV-9500 has laser issues. Doesn't like to read SACD at present, but still is good with CD and DVDA. I bought a replacement laser unit pretty cheap, but have yet to investigate installing it.

    Usually there is a shorted solder bridge on optical readers that must be removed after it's installed. Protects it from handling static discharge and all that....

    Salk SoundScape 8's * Audio Research Reference 3 * Bottlehead Eros Phono * Park's Audio Budgie SUT * Krell KSA-250 * Harmonic Technology Pro 9+ * Signature Series Sonore Music Server w/Deux PS * Roon * Gustard R26 DAC / Singxer SU-6 DDC * Heavy Plinth Lenco L75 Idler Drive * AA MG-1 Linear Air Bearing Arm * AT33PTG/II & Denon 103R * Richard Gray 600S * NHT B-12d subs * GIK Acoustic Treatments * Sennheiser HD650 *
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