CD player for a second system

[bumpy]

My main system will be an RPI playing into a USB/spdif converter then into a DAC with spdif inputs (this will be a red book system). Most of my music will be on hard drive but I can foresee the chance of needing to play the occasional CD directly into the DAC for convenience.

I am not wishing to spend a fortune (max £300) on this and am hoping to get recommendations.

At the moment I have in mind a secondhand Marantz player such as the CD94 (with, now old, CDM1 transport) where I can take the digital signal from the transport or a new Cambridge Audio CXC transport.

Any suggestions?

[Spectral Morn]

My main system will be an RPI playing into a USB/spdif converter then into a DAC with spdif inputs (this will be a red book system). Most of my music will be on hard drive but I can foresee the chance of needing to play the occasional CD directly into the DAC for convenience.

I am not wishing to spend a fortune (max £300) on this and am hoping to get recommendations.

At the moment I have in mind a secondhand Marantz player such as the CD94 (with, now old, CDM1 transport) where I can take the digital signal from the transport or a new Cambridge Audio CXC transport.

Any suggestions?

The Marantz CD94 or 94mk2 are among the best examples of multibit Marantz CD players that can be bought for sane money (CD7, CD12 etc are crazy priced these days). The Philips CDM1 is a fantastic mechanism, still among the best out there, though the TECH VRDS mech are good, but can be noisy, particularly the more modern ones.

A CD94 still sounds very good by todays CD standards, as long as its left on. The TD1541 chips sound best when warmed up, in my experience.

These do make very good transports and transport quality really matters and can be heard easily in my experience.

I have no experience of the CXC so I don't know how good this is, but if it uses a computer drive or a DVD drive then frankly the disc spinning bit isn't in the same league as the Marantz. Expect to pay in and around £500 for a nice Marantz CD94 and maybe a smidge more for a MK2, which is a better all in one player over the older 94.

[bumpy]

The Marantz CD94 or 94mk2 are among the best examples of multibit Marantz CD players that can be bought for sane money (CD7, CD12 etc are crazy priced these days). The Philips CDM1 is a fantastic mechanism, still among the best out there, though the TECH VRDS mech are good, but can be noisy, particularly the more modern ones.

A CD94 still sounds very good by todays CD standards, as long as its left on. The TD1541 chips sound best when warmed up, in my experience.

These do make very good transports and transport quality really matters and can be heard easily in my experience.

I have no experience of the CXC so I don't know how good this is, but if it uses a computer drive or a DVD drive then frankly the disc spinning bit isn't in the same league as the Marantz. Expect to pay in and around £500 for a nice Marantz CD94 and maybe a smidge more for a MK2, which is a better all in one player over the older 94.

Thanks Neil, so it looks like a shoot out between the older CDM1 and the Cambridge CXC which is the new boy on the block. I will do a bit of research on the CXC mechanism.

Where does the transport of the CD 63 KI sit?

This is the best info I can find on the CXC


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS8fumFE-e8

[Spectral Morn]

Thanks Neil, so it looks like a shoot out between the older CDM1 and the Cambridge CXC which is the new boy on the block. I will do a bit of research on the CXC mechanism.

Where does the transport of the CD 63 KI sit?

This is the best info I can find on the CXC


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS8fumFE-e8

I would say not in the same league, but there are 63ki fans aplenty. I own a Marantz CD94mk2 and a CD7 so I am very familiar with these players.

CXC looks ok, but its £300 made in China, the Marantz was a £800 made in Japan, loss leading product. I am pretty sure Marantz made no money on these as they were flagship models made to show the best the format can offer, at the time. There is a dedicated Marantz transport from about that time called the CD95, but they tend to sell for around a £1000 now days.

[AlexM]

The Cambridge uses a bespoke cd only mechanism with a custom servo, not some off the shelf dvd drive. I think it is possible for a modern product to compete with the classics without costing the earth. I have the same drive in my 851c and it is a good performer, no doubt about it.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[bumpy]

Well I'm off to get the Cambridge CXC tomorrow. It will be a very interesting exercise comparing the dedicated transport to a well set up Raspberry Pi - both being fed into the same DAC.

[Geoff101]

For a cheaper alternative in an older transport, I'd recommend anything with a Philips CDM-9 in it. I've got several and they'll play discs faultlessly that upset many later linear mechanisms. Earlier ones tend to eat their tray gears as they drive against it briefly when fully open but they are easily replaced on most.

[Vince]

I had a Cambridge CXC and was astounded at how good it actually was, feeding into an Arcam D33 DAC. I only parted with it as I stream and there was nothing in it between the transport and streamer. I don't know how Cambridge are doing this but I have there streamer, the CXN and this saw off a Cyrus streamer which was quite a bit more expensive. I own an Oppo 105D and this is a stunning machine but I wanted to find out about the CXC, so when one came up second hand I bought it. I can honestly say that both machines using the same digital cable, (Kimber D60), that there was very little in it. I must say, hats off to Cambridge, god knows what they will achieve if they decide to move into the high end. I think it will upset a few apple carts. As to being manufactured in China, these days I don't think it is as a big deal as it once was as some of the gear coming out of there now is sublime. A lot of the big names now outsource the manufacturing to China and only do the premium range in house.

[icehockeyboy]

Save your money!

Buy a cheap DVD player, stick it through a nice little Stan DAC, and it should equal all but the finest stand alone player.

I did this,quite some time back, alongside many a member here, and got amazing results, on a par with a £1500 player I was using as well at the time.

I've just done a similar thing, I bought a very cheap Denon 1930 and through my Caiman 2, sounds bloody good!

[jusbe]

I had a Cambridge CXC and was astounded at how good it actually was, feeding into an Arcam D33 DAC. I only parted with it as I stream and there was nothing in it between the transport and streamer. I don't know how Cambridge are doing this but I have there streamer, the CXN and this saw off a Cyrus streamer which was quite a bit more expensive. I own an Oppo 105D and this is a stunning machine but I wanted to find out about the CXC, so when one came up second hand I bought it. I can honestly say that both machines using the same digital cable, (Kimber D60), that there was very little in it. I must say, hats off to Cambridge, god knows what they will achieve if they decide to move into the high end. I think it will upset a few apple carts. As to being manufactured in China, these days I don't think it is as a big deal as it once was as some of the gear coming out of there now is sublime. A lot of the big names now outsource the manufacturing to China and only do the premium range in house.

Thanks for the insight.

I like Cambridge Audio and their ethos. I still have their CD3 cd player, which is fine. I'd be curious to pick up their latest gear, just out of curiosity and because of their attitude toward engineering.

[Vince]

You Could pick up a Denon DVD2900 or 3800 for not a lot of money. I've owned the 2900 and it performed very well for what I paid for it, £100, I thinks. That it's also universal, SACD, DVD-Audio, and plain old cd with a dvd player thrown in....well for the money? Not bad, methinks.

[skimminstones]

A CD94 still sounds very good by todays CD standards, as long as its left on. The TD1541 chips sound best when warmed up, in my experience.


Do you happen to know if a marantz cd63se has this chip or similar? My cd player definitely sounds better after being on for about an hour or so.

[Gomers]

Do you happen to know if a marantz cd63se has this chip or similar? My cd player definitely sounds better after being on for about an hour or so.

No it doesn't, the 63 was roughly the 2nd gen of 1-bit (bitstream) machines released in the early 90's, there are devotees of both this and multibit technology.