Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Finally decided to do a mid upgrade. Ordered a pair of elac b6.2s this morning. Gonna decide what I want to do for amp next, thinking the onkyo unless someone has a better idea. What is a good affordable CD player? cause I’m gonna need one of them too.
 
Lee Newman said:
Finally decided to do a mid upgrade. Ordered a pair of elac b6.2s this morning. Gonna decide what I want to do for amp next, thinking the onkyo unless someone has a better idea. What is a good affordable CD player? cause I’m gonna need one of them too.
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Last I looked I think Yamaha and pioneer were the names for decent hifi cd separates below the insane level...
 
Lee Newman said:
Finally decided to do a mid upgrade. Ordered a pair of elac b6.2s this morning. Gonna decide what I want to do for amp next, thinking the onkyo unless someone has a better idea. What is a good affordable CD player? cause I’m gonna need one of them too.
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How about a factory refurbished NAD C538 for $230?
www.safeandsoundhq.com

NAD Electronics C 538 CD Player Factory Refurbished

NAD Electronics C 538 CD Player Factory Refurbished For over 45 years, NAD Electronics has earned a renowned reputation for creating great sounding products at amazingly affordable prices, and nowhere is this more evident than in NAD’s CD players. When it comes to CD players, NAD’s veteran...
www.safeandsoundhq.com www.safeandsoundhq.com
 
Lee Newman said:
Finally decided to do a mid upgrade. Ordered a pair of elac b6.2s this morning. Gonna decide what I want to do for amp next, thinking the onkyo unless someone has a better idea. What is a good affordable CD player? cause I’m gonna need one of them too.
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That'll be a fun upgrade path!
Do you have a budget for the CD player? That is something that you can pretty regularly get good deals for if you can find ones in decent shape locally. Right now CDs (and CD players) are going through what vinyl went through in the early 90s. It's prime time for used stuff. Lots of good new stuff on the market too, but you can probably fine better deals. Oppo stuff is generally priced at a premium since they discontinued, but there are loads of options out there.

Also, and plans to maybe add a separate DAC at some point? Or are you just looking for something functional when CDs come up?

*Edit - I see Marantz come up quite a bit, both on the used market, and as a good buy.
 
I am also looking for a CD player. I don’t plan on adding an external DAC at this point. I’m having a hard time setting a budget, I don’t need it to exceed the capabilities of the rest of my system. I know that I do not want anything other than a single disc player. Would be willing to buy used or new. Have had my eye on the NAD above but like with my turntable I don’t have any experience with anything other then what I have and listening before purchase seems futile unless it’s with my gear in my space with my music.
 
Dylanfan253 said:
I am also looking for a CD player. I don’t plan on adding an external DAC at this point. I’m having a hard time setting a budget, I don’t need it to exceed the capabilities of the rest of my system. I know that I do not want anything other than a single disc player. Would be willing to buy used or new. Have had my eye on the NAD above but like with my turntable I don’t have any experience with anything other then what I have and listening before purchase seems futile unless it’s with my gear in my space with my music.
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Those CD players are pretty much impossible to hear before you get them. Buuuut often times the entry level DACs used in those CD players is the same used in integrated amps of the same line. So if you are familiar with an amp from the line, you can likely get a good sense of the sound of the CD player.
 
displayname said:
Those CD players are pretty much impossible to hear before you get them. Buuuut often times the entry level DACs used in those CD players is the same used in integrated amps of the same line. So if you are familiar with an amp from the line, you can likely get a good sense of the sound of the CD player.
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Yeah I’ve heard the Marantz CD6006 in store, it’s good but it’s towards the top end of the bracket in the under 500 end so I dont know if it’s too high for any budgets.
 
Yup, budgets complicate everything. I'm honestly glad on the CD end that I'm moving towards a pure transport. Now I and just focus on a DAC whenever I feel like doing a digital upgrade. Takes a little mystery out of at least one element.
 
displayname said:
Yup, budgets complicate everything. I'm honestly glad on the CD end that I'm moving towards a pure transport. Now I and just focus on a DAC whenever I feel like doing a digital upgrade. Takes a little mystery out of at least one element.
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ill be on the sony for a good while. it still sounds good for a 16 year old that was around £300 at the time and to go to a pure transport that also does SACDs is like £6000, so just no!
 
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Joe Mac said:
ill be on the sony for a good while. it still sounds good for a 16 year old that was around 300 at the time and to go to a pure transport that also does SACDs is like £6000, so just no!
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Yeah, I've had my Sony CD player for ages, probably approaching 20 years.
But I also know it's somewhat of a ticking timebomb so I jumped on the cambridge sales because that's the main unit I planned to replace it with.
I decided not to mess with SACD. Just not enough titles or interest from my end to go that deep on the player. CD is fine to use what I have. Plus I don't mind buying certain albums for $10 or less.
 
displayname said:
Yeah, I've had my Sony CD player for ages, probably approaching 20 years.
But I also know it's somewhat of a ticking timebomb so I jumped on the cambridge sales because that's the main unit I planned to replace it with.
I decided not to mess with SACD. Just not enough titles or interest from my end to go that deep on the player. CD is fine to use what I have. Plus I don't mind buying certain albums for $10 or less.
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yeah I don’t have a lot of sacds but I have enough and that sony player has always played them so I’d want that ability in anything new I got!
 
displayname said:
That'll be a fun upgrade path!
Do you have a budget for the CD player? That is something that you can pretty regularly get good deals for if you can find ones in decent shape locally. Right now CDs (and CD players) are going through what vinyl went through in the early 90s. It's prime time for used stuff. Lots of good new stuff on the market too, but you can probably fine better deals. Oppo stuff is generally priced at a premium since they discontinued, but there are loads of options out there.

Also, and plans to maybe add a separate DAC at some point? Or are you just looking for something functional when CDs come up?

*Edit - I see Marantz come up quite a bit, both on the used market, and as a good buy.
Click to expand...
I’m probably looking in the $200 range.

I haven’t decided what I want to do dac wise. Do I need a dac to run a CD player through an integrated solid state amp? I figured I cross that bridge when I upgrade to tubes when I retire. Lol
 
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