Your CD Player history

Bit hazy on model numbers but

Rotel RCD 865
Micromega Stage 1
Meridian 588 and currently
Meridian G08

Altho not long for this world as after 18 years it has just started taking a couple of attempts to read a CD.

A mere trio:

1991: Technics SLPS50 (£235, IIRC)
2011: Naim CD5i (£595)
2016: CDX2

The Technics is still in the garage and still worked perfectly the last time I checked. Maybe I’m just lucky.

Mark

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Arcam Alpha
Arcam Alpha 8
Arcam Alpha 9 (8 converted)
Rega Apollo
Naim CDX2

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I have had a few.

Rotel 965bx
Marantz CD52
Marantz CD52 SE
Marantz CD63
Marantz CD63 KI
Marantz CD72
NAD S500
Technics SLP 2000
Marantz CD16
Sony 9000ES DVD/SACD Player
Sony 777ES
Sony SCD1
LINN Unidic 1.1
Denon DCD 2500NE the one I have currently.

I must have had a few more but I do not remember, also had a lot of DVD players.

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I’ve had a few …
Sony
Denon DCD 1520
Arcam Alpha MCD
Naim CD5i
Name CD5xs
Naim CDX2.2 with 555PS

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Ditto.

When CD first came out I didn’t like it … where’s the bass? None of those I heard could do bass - and I heard a variety from Sony, Phillips and Marantz amongst others - yes they could sound “clean”, but the sound from all lacked the bottom end and seemed harsh, and unengaging. It wasn’t until 1989 that I first heard a player that sounded right, the Cambridge CD2 - developed as an “affordable” CD player following their state of the art 2-box CD1, though at £650 then (equivalent to around £2k today) it was at that point the most expensive piece of kit I’d ever bought. And of course then I started buying CDs. I don’t know if it was its claimed 16 bit 16x oversampling that made the difference, but sound quality of the CD2 was very good, with as good bass - better on some material - as vinyl. It was very engaging, and I was split between CD and vinyl: having grown up with vinyl I tended to prefer its character, but I really appreciated the dynamic range of CD on classical music, and lack of wear - I even bought CD copies of some of my favourite, most worn, albums. Over the next decade my balance of buying gradually shifted from only vinyl to only CD.

Unfortunately after 10 years or so the Cambridge started playing up, as mechanism wear started to take hold, and as it became more annoying I stated the hunt for a replacement, wherupon I stumbled across the Shearne Audio Phase 7. What was remarkable about it was that it had a sound quality indistinguishable from the CD2 it replaced! After some years, no longer buying vinyl, and aware of the impending need to replace the cartridge on my TT, I decided I should rip all my vinyl, transferring to CD, thus preventing further wear, and offering the opportunity ct clean up some of the clicks and pops. As time went by the longevity of the Shearne turned out to also be indistinguishable from the Cambridge, starting to play up after about 10 years through mechanism wear.

I started looking for a replacement - which is when I learnt about streaming. I realised it was the medium of the future, and it made sense to switch to that, so I did.After much research I bought an ex-dem ND5XS, the master files of my already ripped LP collection providing instant content, while I set about ripping all my CDs. The switch removed from the equation the CD weakness of a mechanism that only lasts 10 years, while the sound quality of the ND5XS was pretty close to the Shearne - with the porential for better hi res to give better sound quality. So that was the end of the CD road for me, other than as a purchase medium now to rip on a drive attached to a computer.

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I’ve only owned two CD players. In 1993 I was encouraged to buy my first one as in the early 1990s the likes of Naim, Linn and Roksan had released their first CD players. After auditioning them all, I plumped for the top-loading Roksan DP-1 which I paired with an Audiolab 8000 DAC. It was a fine combination.

In 2008, due to a need to downsize slightly and requiring a front-loading CD player, I replaced the Roksan / Audiolab with the wonderful Naim CDX2.

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Various Japanese players, Kenwood, Denon, Pioneer, starting in the late 80s to mid 90s.

Then it was Rega Planet.

Then I discovered Naim in the late 90s.
CD3.5
CDX
CDS2
CDS3

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Why so many? Were they faulty? Unsatisfying, high theft in your area? Or were you a dealer, the players just passing through?

Welcome aboard Phil.

A CDi, since 1992. Still sounding wonderful and getting long in the tooth.

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Rather like @pev999 the dearth of new vinyl at the end of the ‘80s (especially new classical releases) led me to add a CD player. A lot of auditioning left me with Micromega, and a new Micromega Solo arrived in my flat. One CD later I decided I couldn’t live with the top end and the next day I was at the Sound Organisation trading the Solo for a Trio. That lasted until it just died on me about 15 years ago, and I picked up an ex-dem CD5X which lasted me until I got a HDX and then later an NDX. So:
Micromega Solo (for a day)
Micromega Trio
Naim CD5X

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The first a Harman Kardon in 1989. Then a Rotel in 1995. Then an Onkyo. Then a Pro-Ject and another Rotel in 2013. Around 2017 a Naim CD5i. More recently another Pro-Ject and a Teac.

My favorites the first Rotel and the Naim that I still use every week.

Right now listening to the Pro-Ject CD Box S2 pumping bits into the beautiful UnitiQute.

I was

Things of the youth, and many different systems, the search for a better sound or simply ingenuity. The cd 52 from Marantz was purchased in 1990 and I had one before that with a pioneer 400.

Marantz 63
Naim cd 3
Teac vrds 20
Naim 5xs
Naim cdx 2.2 (still doing a brilliant job)

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I don’t think I was ever your colleague, but I jumped quite happily from LP12 to NDX.

Just four for me:

Mid 1980’s Pioneer (can’t remember model)
Rega Planet 3
Naim CD3.5
Naim CDS2

Both the Naim players still owned and used daily.

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I’ve had a few.
Pre serious hifi I had two Technics machines, models not known.
My first serious player was a Marantz CD63 KI Signature which still runs in a third non-Naim system.
Then I got a Naim CD5, later adding a Flatcap. That was followed by a change to a CDX. A while later I added a XPS2 which opened the door to the CDS3 I have now.
Oh, and a CD5i in the second system.

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Now that’s a memory challenge!
Marantz CD63mk2 but it was the Ken Ishiwata tinkered SE version. Excellent for the money!
Arcam delta 170 transport with Deltec PDM1 DAC (later pimped to mark2)
Roksan Attessa transport with Pink Triangle Da Capo DAC. Amazing!
Naim CDS2
Naim CDS3
Then streaming with NDS…

Way, way back the record companies stopped issuing some Classical Recordings on LP. Until then I had stuck with my faithful LP12/Lingo/Linn MC (I think I was using the Karma at that time, but can’t be sure). I had compared various CD players to my LP12 (Micromega, Arcam 2 box, Yamaha, Philips), but found them lacking. It lead to me buying a Nakamichi CR7 and using classical cassette recordings.

So, I thought the time had come to bite the bullet. Luckily enough the Naim CDS (the original one) had just appeared on the market, and I found that acceptable (though still with a slight preference for my LP12.

So, my first CD player was a Naim CDS.

I have also owned an Arcam Alpha (for my study), which performed quite well.

Nowadays I use an NDS/555PSDR. I still have the CDS, but it’s boxed up and lives on top of a wardrobe in a spare bedroom.

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