The Compact Disc revolution: Part 1: 20 iconic CD players

Picked up a Sony DVP S7000 a few years ago for $250 Cdn. Has very very low hours on it .
Thought it would be on your list :) Thanks for the educational 3 part series. Thoroughly enjoyed it !

Quite content with my Roksan Kandy KD1 Mk3 CD player as well as my Kandy KA 1 Mk3 integrated amplifier.

Sony is pronounced sow-nee not the way you say it

The one I remember most is the Technics SL-P1200 - wish I could afford one but I'll have to make do with my Marantz CD-63 Mk II KI Signature

The Bang & Olufsen wall mounted system with 5 CDs on show in the thumb nail behind glass looks good, but the quality is dreadful. Especially with the tall slim speakers that come with the said system. My friend's father had the Bang & Olufsen – B&O – BeoMaster 4500 Tuner/Amplifier around 1990, and he had the CD player separate unit also at a cost of 1000 pounds just for the CD player alone. The system was around 2k, plus, or could have been far more. That was a little better than the wall mounted system, but not even good by most people's standards.
My system, built up from Sony CD, NAD 3020, Pioneer PL200, and Audio Research AR 10s, mostly all bought at a charity second-hand store, except for the amp, was around £300all in. Blow the Bang & Olufsen out of the window. Yes, they look good, but you wouldn't buy one for the music quality, even at a basic level.
You can achieve better sound with early 2000s equipment for £250 and a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze B2, which you can bi-amp and have a speaker under £100 that works well. Add a cheap Bluetooth DAC, say a Linkfor DAC, and cables at £40, including the speaker and banana plugs a myrad T40 and T60 . You have a great system that the Bang and oulsen can't match where it matters which is sound.

The Cyrus Discmaster was a transport. Their first CD player (in that half size box) was the dad 7.

My understanding is that the pits on discs are one half light wave in depth. On one surface the wave is reflected back in phase, and on the other it is reflected back 180 degrees out of phase. And from that is created the 1s and zeros. Ronn

Marantz cd63 ki signature is what I have I’m happy enough

Nice trip down memory lane I'm surprised you not mention Mission PCM 7000 cd player still have mine. Sold my mission Cyprus amp and mission tuner. Still have my mission 770 freedom speakers and 75c center speaker and mission surrounds. Now I run yamagata dsp 3090 amp and sub woofers. All retro stuff and still going strong. Mission was my first hifi

The absence of the Marantz CD52 in all its iterations, but especially the CD52 MKII SE is a surprising omission from this list. Probably the best pound for pound CD player ever released.

Why does the cd player bypass the internal dac? Is this when using Digital out instead of Line out?

No JVC ?

Although you are correct in saying that variable outputs could be used to connect directly to a piwer amplifier, they were originally intended for other reasons. Firstly, they controlled the headphone output, which was introduced at about the same time. Secondly, they enabled the user to adjust the volume with the remote control when ysing speakers. Remember, remote controls on preamps and integrated amps only became commonplace in the mid to late 1990s.

I like to audition music on CD, use them when I do mixtape projects, yet they absolutely suck for traveling, unless you are driving and someone can load/sort them for you. I love compilations and it's easier to find them because they are no longer overpriced. Now I can get a batch for around $1-5. I believe I have around 4 players,not including my boombox one for a more portable option.

This is one of the most interesting YT videos and series about audio gear. It was a pleasure to listen to and to see! Great series indeed! Among other many CD players, I have also owned a SONY Discman and I regret selling it. Also, one of the most interesting CD players that I have tested, not owned, was the first CD player from YBA. I have owned a lot of crappy cd-players from Sony, Phillips, Marantz, Denon, Arcam, and some interesting DVD players. The CD player that allowed me to listen to classical music was Marants CD63 OSE LE and that YBA.

Playing my cds on Sony dvd 5 disc player with my old Pioneer SX 780. Old stuff won’t die, will out last me

Marantz and Phillips of that era had exactly the same CD players, even down to the same board numbers. It is far stretch to say "they had interchangeable parts" because they were exactly the same inside, the difference was in the cosmetics. No, later marantz and phillips all used TDA1541 and TDA1541A meaning they were all 16 bit dacs. SOny continued to use Phillips TDA1541A because they were very good but used own transport and control chips.

No Sony did not develop first chip, the TDA1540 was the first chip and it was purely phillips. Sony used its own mechanism with auger, which was inferior to phillps CDM but much cheaper to produce, that mechanism is being used in modern CD players, but phillips mechanism was like a hard drive with the carret moved by magnet - i have a CD player with CDM mechanism, it reads TOC from the disk nearly instantly, and that was also like that in the first phillips CD player. I e first phillips CD player was reading disk faster than very modern CD player and arguably it was also sounding better because it has honest parallel DAC (even if it was 14 bit).

Please do not mislead people, oversampling is done purely for sampling noise filtering and has absolutely nothing to do with number of bits. It is hard to filter sampling noise at 44kHz when you need to play sound at 22kHz, normal 1st order filter will only get you -3dB at 44kHz (because it does -3db per octave and you need to be able to produce full sound at 22khz), but when you do oversampling you move digital noise frequency away to 88khz or to 172khz which is very far from 22khz so normal first ored filter will do the job just fine then. Oversampling is done in a separate chip, not in a DAC itself. Design-wise TDA1540 (14 bit dac) and TDA1541 (16 bit dac) are very similar, with the later one just having 2 extra bits. BTW TDA1540 being 14 bit sounds very good even compared to modern 1 bit dacs, which makes you think if 24bit is really a marketing snake oil.

Thanks a lot Sir for detailing the evolution of CD players and recommending good ones from different times. I am just stumped with so many choices. After Zeroing on a Sony CDP X7ES , I came to know that it doesnt support SACD. Then I thought , ofcourse it doesnt. That makes me question to buy something else ... something that supports all formats and is robustly built. Any suggestions , anyone... i have kept my budget close to $4k

Jumping from 1997 to 2016 caused many revolutionary players to be excluded (Technics DVD-A10; first DVD-Audio player but a good CD player as well), SONY SCD-1 and probably a regular good CD changer, not a weird one like Beosound 😂
That portable SONY is a very good and durable one (my same model also runs perfectly; you made expert choice again).
Very good content, thank you.

Interesting introduction of CD players from the 80s to now... Would like hear your review on Shanling ET3 if possible.

No Pioneer P-D1?
Aslo no vintage will outperform more modern offerings - tech just moved too fast.

i´m intrerested to see what you call iconic. off course a old cd player but good can outperform any new expensive cd player in need of a DAC,i did the same looked for cds like if they could sound better than records or vinyl as it´s called today, but didn´t took much time to notice they sound a lot worse was a matter of playing the cd from the Cult ,"Electric" well i played two songs and never again i touched it ,i have a lot better sound in the record. My first was a sony that was portable but not walkman type you could tamke it and place it steady and listen with headphones to it in any place and at home it had an adaptor that had 220volts conection and two rca´s that you inserted the portable part and you would have a two rca´s conection tothe aux of one´s amplifier, the same was done with the first minidisc player ,yes Marantz was and his owned by Philips(the reason why the marantz systems sound so good ,almost like philips in the 60´s and 70´s as grundig, blaupunkt, and don´t know if still owns harman kardon. there was the cdv or cd video but didn´t catch on, my father spending fortunes in hi-fi gear would have bought all diferent kind of cds ,there was an interactive cd multimedia one with videos and artistic footage and many other stuff , Are you going to talk about the diferent and better material cds were built till the 90´s, sony later did release a cd transport with a second component with all regular function but it would cost a fortune, i went for Pioneer as my first standart component cd player the PD-7100, then the PD-7300, than the PD-93 that was equal to the 7300 inside but it match better my other components bought in late 80´s. A bag of ciment as in minimum weight 50kg, i only remenber the Yamaha because i saw it on a magazine maybe what hi-fi, quad was for rich and strange kids not 15 years the systems worked and electrostatic speakers had a very bad sound, yes mids were a laugh guitars were not sounding like guitars only today some sound but musicians have a special effect that isn´t cutted when recorded on cd, like all 70´s albuns with guitars, the cyrus almost bought a system i already had bought in the 80´s two pairs of speakers from Mission that sounded incredible good even to todays standarts the 761 4ohms and the argonaut mkII or 780 that were 200watts at 4ohms ,the 761 were built by Philips in Belgium no wonder they were at the time considered the best 4ohms speakers in the world ,this in hi-fi magazines even today i´m using them and anyone whio listens to them are amazed by it´s sound conected to a Pioneer integrated amplifier from 77/78 the sa-608 ,people call it today the blue series, this with a old but very good pioneer PD-S801cd player but the turntable ,a PL-535 or close also gives a perfect sound to it with a Grado stylus ,the cartridge cost me today 470€ ,it´s all one piece in some strange type of wood, only in the second half of the 90´s i was ofered a cd player from CEC belt driven ,it had good reviews in all magazines specialized in hi-fi ,i do remenber one saying ,"it´s the most analog cd player in the world" ,today are still sold by 36.000€ or more,the price i refer i saw it on CEC site, in a store it would be more expensive, than i hear things like buy a new DAC it will sound better well never eard of a cd player sounding better the channel separation is incredible good ,and i looked for the DAc that would improve my late 90´s cd player, but the only it seems better than the one on the cd player cost 50.000€ but only a very litle diference in some specifications but the digital part of it ,never saw btter ,i remenber listening to the best Rega cd player at the time and it was very poor in sound and they work and look not like trash in the first 15 years but not using gloves or specially climatized listening room.

accuphase

Oh... where are the Naim cd players? 😢

I understand that you have no technical knowledge! You promote many snakeoil DAC s, and you have still not understood that gold is the best leader! I feel sorry for you, and hope you can get a sort of education!

i have a Sony x7esd , recently picked it up for 400$ with original remote, just have to change the drawer belt, haven't gotten around to it because its still working it just sticks open sometimes so i just have to touch the tray and it closes. i bought the belts already just havent installed. anyway by far my favorite cd player to date. the xlr output is the best. xlr is completely different from the rca. but i use all three depending what im listening to. i often try digital first to see if im listening to a hdcd disc ( my pre amp is the proceed avp2 with hdcd decoding) but i usually end up listening to the xlr going to the avp 2 and if that doesnt sound good then i use the rca's run up to my tube pre amp and then back to the avp2 to warm up the sound a bit if the cd is a bit harsh...... i recommend you keep your options open depending on what cd you are listening to. the x7esd as the best, the x77esd not the same thing but still descent... same with the x777esd i believe each one has a different laser system. good luck out there! great video.

I recall the days when LP pressing quality was terrible and noisy, not from a misaligned cartridge or worn stylus but crud embedded in the vinyl.

I don’t hear anything about record cleaning, but several times about crackles and pops. “Proper” LP cleaners can make a world of difference, particularly before first playing (amazing the amount of particles coming off some virgin LPs - obviously not pressed in a cleanroom). Well worth a video. Please.

I'm very surprised that the Denon Dcd-1500 from 1985 ($629 at launch) didn't make the list. It was critically acclaimed and is still respected. Looked very much ahead of it's time. Most consumer CD players had the same look afterward. I happen to still have one and it's a tank compared to anything on the market today. Also, the inclusion of the Sony Discman was appreciated. How many of us music nuts were on cloud nine with a portable CD player in the late 80's to early 90's???

Philips, Eindhoven, the Netherlands..

Your nos. 4 is wrong....
That Marantz player is a rebadged Philips CD104, a very popular machine even today changing hands for lots!

Really surprised you overlooked this iconic machine....

Honourable mention : Arcam alpha 7se.

amazing you never mentioned any more sony players . i have a sony s 9000es it is a dvd / cp player and a beast . copper chassis . i just use it as a cd player . Absolutly beautiful as are most of sony ES products . the amazing thing is CD has no cracks or pops . i like both

og Playstation 1 outperformed pretty much all of the expensive high end rigs, according to all the audiophile hardcore nerds I know :)

I was hoping to see the Sony SCPH-1002. Good info though, thanks.

Nice review, list. I still have my Meridian 14- bit 207.

I'm still using my Denon DCD-1520 purchased in 1988 on my small Living Room system.
Had one major EC upgrade 1996 on the transport loading mechanism.
Been working fine since. Still sounds great in 2023.

Iconic?? That's a STRONG word for a CD player!

The original Rega Planet had a manual loading mechanism. You lifted the top up and slightly back to get to your CD and lowered it back down again.

No Wadia? No Krell? Weird...

In the late 80s record labels dug out their catalogs to remaster them to take advantage of the clearly superior sound quality of the CD format. The world marveled at how much more they could hear. Greater dynamic range and wider frequency response, near zero noise and zero wear. It didn't take long for vinyl to be removed completely, and for the CD to become the dominate format.
Now, record labels are going back to the studio to remaster every release that came out in the 90s-2010s, to REMOVE frequency response and dynamic range so they can press these to vinyl, for releases that were never intended to be released on vinyl.
I'd put up any $10 thrift store CD player against any $500+ turntable.
While customer balked at the $15-$19 price point for the CD, they're now shelling out $45 for in inferior version on vinyl.

You're right about the approach by Matsushita (Panasonic), but I would replace the SL-P3 with their actual first commercial model, the SL-P10. This is likewise a 100% in-house product, down to the laser unit and error correction codec, and a totally intriguing device indeed.
The SL-P10 basically is a showpiece from the transition period between analog record players and digital space age. It contains (for the time) unbelievably sophisticated technology, including the ability to pre-program up to 64 segments (not only tracks, but start-end times, down to the second!). Yet, its controls feel surprisingly old-fashioned – for example, it does have track skip buttons, but they're hidden in the 14-button grid (the main control buttons only allow slow/fast search). The main controls resemble programmable record players a lot more than run-of-the-mill CD drives.

The SL-P10 is nowadays unfortunately infamous for dying lasers (non-replaceable), but other than that it was an absolute masterpiece. Build quality-wise it dethrones pretty much everything. Using one, just seeing one in operation, is a pure joy.

I used all the cash I got from my 13th birthday to buy a Craig boombox with CD player for 100 bucks and 4 CDs at 15/ea. For many years the cost of an album on CD was always 15 dollars for some reason. Then at around 1999, they were about 18/ea. But after Napster came out, they plummeted to less than 10/ea. I don't even know what they cost nowadays. All I know is that they still sound better than basically any other format.

Pinkeltje was a character in a children's book; he was as large as your "pink" wich is Dutch for little finger.

What an UTTERLY STUPID REMARK! CD players are NOT iconic. They're just there to perform the task of playing a CD, which they do with varying degrees of features. How good the CD sounds is NOT DEPENDENT ON THE PLAYER AT ALL! The sound quality depends firstly on the studio master recording of the initial performance, secondly on the quality of the amplifying equipment, to which the player is connected, and finally to the speakers the amplifier feeds to. The CD player is COMPLETELY BYPASSED! Beyond actually "playing" the CD, the player has NO PART WHATSOEVER in the tonal quality of the recording. The end user determines this for him/herself by adjustments of bass and treble controls, midrange if available, or by use of a graphic equaliser.

sry but rega planet to me look like thoses clock alarm 20 $ to wake up badly ahha

I had a CD 100 back in 83 bought it blind having never heard a CD player .
It cost me two months wages
Wish I still had it but I do still have the demo disc that came with it .

Have the SL-P3, need to get a drive belt for drawer though, have a few Tecnhics CD Players, amazing how some cheaper models sound close to the higher end ones