Budget cd players

dinyaar

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Hi Guys
I was looking for a reasonably priced cdp to gift a budding audiophile on him completing his education.Budget was about 20K and the usual suspects that I considered were Nad/Marantz and the usual models that float around.Have stopped buying any of the AV mags & am hence clueless of models & pricing.
Anyway tried the entry level NAd and tried it in my set up (thats what was demanded by my cousin) and it fell flat. IMO the older 542 would knock the pants of this offering!!!
Since I was running out of time I asked my favourite dealer to send me all 3 marantz cdps they had i.e 5003,6003 and a new 6002 that was lying with them.
I chose the 6003 for a bit over 20K.
We both heard it at my home & the cdp does not dissapoint at all. Nice looking, reasonable build, headphone out with volume and USB. I did not have the time to do some spade work & read about the internals or browse some reviews and this kind of quality in gear @ around 20K seems a deal to me. Its made in China like most entry level gear is I guess.
Very musical, decent timing, fairly airy highs with bass being a bit loose but then many a higher marantz suffer from the same. The midband seemed natural and the player felt musical with all the music that the guy tried.

I have been trying a whole load of cdps for myself and this player at a fraction of the cost of the accu DP400/500, ESOTERIC SA 50, X 05, Sim Super Nova, Sim 5.3 RS seems great bang for the buck for anyone starting up for sure. Naturally the other players offer a lot more but then at such escalated prices.
Sometimes I truly wonder where this high end gear & the pricing is going. I say this after hearing a truly modest, budget cdp partnered with much better gear.
Rgds
 
I chose the 6003 for a bit over 20K.
We both heard it at my home & the cdp does not dissapoint at all. Nice looking, reasonable build, headphone out with volume and USB. I did not have the time to do some spade work & read about the internals or browse some reviews and this kind of quality in gear @ around 20K seems a deal to me. Its made in China like most entry level gear is I guess.
Very musical, decent timing, fairly airy highs with bass being a bit loose but then many a higher marantz suffer from the same. The midband seemed natural and the player felt musical with all the music that the guy tried.

Dinyaar, how will you compare Marantz 6003 and Arcam CD17?
 
Hi Amit,
The 6003 is 20K while the Arcam 17 is close to 60K I think.
The marantz is a bit lush with a loose bass while the arcam is cleaner with better bass defination for sure. The Marantz offers more features that may interest the budget buyer.
Anyway the cdp is now in my cousins system from last night. He is using a Rotel Pre + Bryston 4BST + B&W 601 and it sounds pretty good. I am actually looking for some good budget speaker & sell that 601 as that will make everything better IMO.
Rgds
 
Hi Dinyaar

I have always loved the Marantz sound. I grew up on the 63 model. So always have a soft corner.

Incidentally there is anew DVD player from Sony which is a current rage in Hong Kong audiophile community. Apparently a giant killer whose sound quality surpasses that of many cd players costing $1000.

The model is Sony DVP - PR50P. Costs only about $60. Available only in the Asian market. Looks cool too. Here is the link DVP-PR50P : DVD Player : DVD/HDD Players : Sony Asia Pacific
 
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Interesting, the specs look pretty standard though, any idea why it sounds so good?

Audio DAC 192kHz/16bit
DD/DTS/MPEG Digital Output Yes / Yes / Yes
Frequency Response (DVD PCM 96kHz) 1.0dB
S/N Ratio (dB) (CD/DVD) 83
Harmonic Distortion (%) (DVD) 0.01
DTS Yes
Dynamic Range (dB) (CD) 85
Digital Output (Linear PCM) 96kHz/24bit
TV Virtual Surround (TVS) Yes

Hi Dinyaar

I have always loved the Marantz sound. I grew up on the 63 model. So always have a soft corner.

Incidentally there is anew DVD player from Sony which is a current rage in Hong Kong audiophile community. Apparently a giant killer whose sound quality surpasses that of many cd players costing $1000.

The model is Sony DVP - PR50P. Costs only about $60. Available only in the Asian market. Looks cool too. Here is the link DVP-PR50P : DVD Player : DVD/HDD Players : Sony Asia Pacific
 
I have never heard it. But a couple of my audiophile friends in Germany swear by it. I trust their ears and i am sure it must be sounding very good.
 
I have never heard it. But a couple of my audiophile friends in Germany swear by it. I trust their ears and i am sure it must be sounding very good.

Are they using it only for the transport and with an external DAC? Which is what it may be good for.
 
Hi Keith

They have used it as it is and feel its nearly 70% of their high end players. When connected to an external dac, i believe it sounds even better.
 
Hi Keith

They have used it as it is and feel its nearly 70% of their high end players. When connected to an external dac, i believe it sounds even better.

Can you point me to where it is available for $60? For that price - it's worth the risk of buying blind.
 
Sony 60 dollar DVDP sounds like a 1000 dollar CDP....wow......:yahoo:
Where will I get it in India ?
 
Dinyaar:

I am curious about something. The CA 640 and 540 were praised to heaven by a number of magazines. I did hear the 640 sometime ago with the matching 640 amplifier connected to a pair of Quad 11L bookshelves. I felt the system sounded extremely good.

Did you even consider looking at the CA CD players for your friend's requirement? If not any particular reason?

The reason I am asking is that I am looking for a CD Player (budget, of course) that will become part of my system over the next few months. My other components will include a high end HTPC and an external DAC. My music tastes are quite diverse - soft rock, western classical, Hindustani, Carnatic, instrumentals, and of course film songs. The only genre I may keep away from is hard rock.

I am considering the CA, Marantz, and Emotiva ERC-1.

I am travelling to Dubai in January, and that will be a good opportunity to pick up a unit. I have written to Emotiva for pricing for delivery in Dubai. At US$400 it is very attractive.

Cheers
 
Hi Dinyaar

I have always loved the Marantz sound. I grew up on the 63 model. So always have a soft corner.

Incidentally there is anew DVD player from Sony which is a current rage in Hong Kong audiophile community. Apparently a giant killer whose sound quality surpasses that of many cd players costing $1000.

The model is Sony DVP - PR50P. Costs only about $60. Available only in the Asian market. Looks cool too. Here is the link DVP-PR50P : DVD Player : DVD/HDD Players : Sony Asia Pacific

I am not sure about this. I have heard similar stories before, with sony ps1 being able to beat a 5000$ cd player, cult classic, popular in the underground audiophiles etc etc etc. Searched on the web and found reviews (people heard the same things and tried it out), and mostly people said that it sounds like shit.

A good cd player doesnot come by accident, its designed to be good with a lot of good components and these dont come cheap. if sony could accidently make a cheap great cd player, others would have intentionally done it long long ago and it would have killed the expensive cd player market.

Go ahead, try it, my gut feeling is that it will sound like a dvd player rather than a cd player:lol:

funny thing is, its always sony that keeps making accidental great cd players. I smell a rat somewhere in this.
 
Prem:

I am little weary of Chinese products that don't advertise their company details and background. This product, on delivery, seems to have the wrong tubes, and changing tubes seem to improve performance. (YAQIN SD-32A Tube CD/HDCD Player - diyAudio). I am not sure I can take the risk of buying something and then experimenting with it.

Secondly, I don't buy anything on the Net unless it is from the manufacturer directly. I am yet a brick and mortar guy. I travelled over 300 miles in the US to pick up a pair of bookshelves !!

Cheers
 
Hi Doors 666

I do not intend buying it. I am happy with my set up. The way i look at it is for $60 you are anyway getting a brand new DVD player. If it plays cd well thats a great bonus.

I had personally tried the original Playstation in my set up. Agreed it doen't have details. Its rolled off but its definitely pleasant sounding. And its available second hand on ebay for about $35. At that price its unbeatable.
 
Hi Venkatcr

I too am a little wary of chinese products. But sometimes you never know. I agree its a little bit of hit and miss.

But for $499 it looks a serious product.
 
A beautiful, well-constructed speaker with class-leading soundstage, imaging and bass that is fast, deep, and precise.
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