Vintage CD Players

Been some talk about the old digital players here lately, so let’s see what you have. Using or not post, some pictures of your vintage CD players.

Here’s mine. Magnavox FD2020
That's a very nice heavy metal chassis/transport dual TDA1540 DAC unit! 👍

FD1041.jpg

Mine is the cheaper and lighter metal/plastic Magnavox with TDA1540s. The sticker in the back is faintly marked FD1041.😊
 
I used to collect CD players for some reason. I sold or gave away all but a couple I use. All listed sounded good to me except the Denon DCD-3300 which is the first picture. Second picture is a Yamaha CD-1 their first home CD player and sold for 1800.00. The third picture is a McIntosh MCD-205 which I use. Forth is a Denon DCD-1650AR which is the best Denon I've heard. Fifth is a Sony 707 ESD which I really like the looks and sound of. Sixth is a Yamaha CDX-1120 which I like also. Seventh is a Denon DCD-2560 which I also liked.
 

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Most of my CD players are DVD players, oddly enough. :confused:
I have identically zero snazzy CD players, of any vintage.
That said, I've played this game before, someplace.
I have two of these that both work, from my erstwhile favorite emporium, of course (i.e., the swap table at the Harvard, MA town dump).
The drawers need a little encouragement to close, but otherwise these work well.

Sony old CDP by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
 
I used to collect CD players for some reason. I sold or gave away all but a couple I use. All listed sounded good to me except the Denon DCD-3300 which is the first picture. Second picture is a Yamaha CD-1 their first home CD player and sold for 1800.00. The third picture is a McIntosh MCD-205 which I use. Forth is a Denon DCD-1650AR which is the best Denon I've heard. Fifth is a Sony 707 ESD which I really like the looks and sound of. Sixth is a Yamaha CDX-1120 which I like also. Seventh is a Denon DCD-2560 which I also liked.
Nice collection!
What didn't you like about the big Denon?
I always admired the big Yamaha CDX-1120, and especially the CDX-2020. Never did find one though. Seemed a truly well made unit.
 
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I've had one of these Panasonic-S75 for the best part of twenty years.

DVD_CD_lejatszo__Panasonic_DVD_S75__elado_938271749086961.jpg


But it's not as old as one of these Sony SL 840 G VHS recorder/p;layer. Both still in use.

Sony-SLV-SE840G-VCR-VHS-Video-Cassette-Tape-Recorder.jpg
 
I kinda have a thing for old quality CD Players. Build quality can be outstanding. Have come into a few just by watching local adds. Many of them can be had for cheap cheap cheap.

Just got this back from a full opamp and cap upgrade. Belt replacement. Fantastic.
1222202023a.jpg1222202022b.jpg
 
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I can't say I've ever delved into vintage CD players, but I was looking at a broken example of one of the world's (and Sony's) original CD efforts at a Salvation Army once (CDP-101) and while doing so, met a flipper who was also curious about it. We struck up a conversation about old audio and I became over the years a sort of encyclopedia-resource for vintage gear for him which led to us becoming friends and eventually him giving me a tip on a deal/location for what is now my CD player, the EMM Labs CDSAse. So in a way my current player came from an interaction with the world's first CD player.

Also, I wish I'd bought that player even though it didn't want to read a disc...just for the historical aspect of it.
 
CDB473.jpg

My first CD player was a Magnavox CDB472 with a Philips TDA1541 DAC chip acquired in '87. The closest I could get to revisiting my past in the 21st century was via this CDB473 which is essentially the same machine with more bells and whistles.

CDB650.jpg

I couldn't afford this Magnavox CDB650 reviewed in the March '87 Audio issue, then. Walt Jung wrote an article on how to modify these machines in the June '87 Audio which served as a template for DIYers on how to modify digital machines.

CDB465.jpg

This is a very basic Magnavox CDp with no remote capability but it's TDA1541 equipped. I modified it by installing IC sockets so I can hear how NOS (non oversampling) mode sounds like and roll op-amps in the output section. The mods were a prelude to my nos TDA1541 tube DAC project.

CDP505ESD.jpg

I don't think this is a true TOTL Sony ES, but the CDP 505ESD has a TDA1541 DAC inside complemented by a Sony CXD1088 digital filter instead of the typical Philips SAA7220P chip. Very well made machine!

Click here for more of my thrift store CD/SACD/DVD adventures.

PS1CDp.jpg
I'm very late to the game, but I couldn't refuse this SCPH 1001 during a recent trip to an outdoor flea market. Now I understand the allure of this game console, the AKM bitstream DAC chip inside sounds multi-bit-like. ;)
 
Nice collection!
What didn't you like about the big Denon?
I always admired the big Yamaha CDX-1120, and especially the CDX-2020. Never did find one though. Seemed a truly well made unit.
I didn't like the sound. It sounded muddy to me. That could have just been me though. I didn't list the Denon DVD players I had/have. They included the 3920, 5900 and bcdi 3800. They are the equal of any of the CD players they made except for the DCD-1650AR.....maybe. From the 3900 up you can turn off all the video circuits for listening to CD's. Since a different laser is used for CD & DVD playback. Also the reason the 3910,20,30 series sound so good is they are their TOTL 5900's with a scaled down power supply. If I was looking for a good CD player I'd grab a Denon 3900 or 5900 series and be done.
 
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