[roymail]

Sony, used NAD, etc... decent player with a digital output, right?  I don't want to tie up too much in the player so I can invest more in a good dac.

Recommendations appreciated.  Thanks.

[jtwrace]

Oppo

http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-80/

[marvda1]

http://www.pacificvalve.us/VanguardCDM12.html

[jtwrace]

Roymail-

Why don't specify what Inexpensive means to you.  It's all realative....

[ltr317]

http://www.pacificvalve.us/VanguardCDM12.html

This is not in the cheap and cheerful vein. 

[roymail]

Roymail-

Why don't specify what Inexpensive means to you.  It's all realative....

Do you remember all the rage over the Toshiba 3950 CD/DVD for $75?  Guys were running it through high quality dac's and loving the sound.

Not necessarily that cheap, but mid-fi price range.  I'm thinking $250 or less (just the transport, not the dac).  Thanks.

[doug s.]

i picked up my audio alchemy acd pro cdp, which uses the pioneer stable-platter transport, for $250.  excellent, imo; and i suspect any pioneer stable-platter cdp would make a good transport.  but, to be honest, i also had <$100 cd changers from denon & aiwa that also made excellent transports.  key, imo, is to get separate lab-grade isolation transformers, and use one for transport, the second for dac.  these can be found cheap on ebay/etc...

doug s.

[Mike Nomad]

I use a Pioneer Elite DV-48AV, and feed into a Peachtree Nova. Other than Pioneer's refusal to fix the playback problem (as in, they won't) with 2 channel, 24/176 discs, I have no complaints.

The Pioneer goes for around $150. Not bad for an Almost Universal Player (no Blu-Ray).

[decal]

I just ordered a refurbished Sony SCD-CE595  SACD for $59.95 from SonyStyle
to use as a transport.I'll report back when I have spent some time with it.

[mcgsxr]

No joke, I have read lots of folks happy with the original Playstation - those things are being given away in gaming circles too!

[TheChairGuy]

If you can fit it into your system....a top-loading COBY player. You should fine them new for $39 or so (that's cheap and cheerful, isn't it? )

They're incredibly cheap, and there's less to go wrong with a manual door on top (tho I'm looking at Amazon reviews right now and it seems the top loaders are more troublesome than the front loaders in COBY's line  )....next to an automatic front loading drawer.

Look for the one with digi outs, of course (as they have them without, too, in their line)

John

[orthobiz]

No joke, I have read lots of folks happy with the original Playstation - those things are being given away in gaming circles too!

Got these for my three kids. You can pay 10 bucks, more or less for a decent one. Check out garage sales this summer. I did buy a newer one also: it's a bit smaller, it's still a PS1, it has slimmer and more curvy lines. I think the one to have is the more squared off version.

I have seen them for 40 and 50 on eBay, I think it goes up whenever there's an article about them in an audio magazine.

Paul

[roymail]

Sony, used NAD, etc... decent player with a digital output, right?  I don't want to tie up too much in the player so I can invest more in a good dac.

Thanks guys.  That's the idea.

Since it's just a transport, how does a $100 Sony, Pioneer, etc, differ from more expensive models?  Doesn't the DAC make all the difference in the sound?  Just asking... thanks! 

[martyo]

I use a $70 Sony DVD, my brother uses a $50 Phillips.

[roymail]

I use a $70 Sony DVD, my brother uses a $50 Phillips.

What dac and what about the sound?  Thanks!

[Mike Nomad]

Since it's just a transport, how does a $100 Sony, Pioneer, etc, differ from more expensive models?  Doesn't the DAC make all the difference in the sound?  Just asking... thanks! 

What drives the price includes architecture and parts quality: Everything from RF isolation to power supply, DAC, and video chips. And yes, there is a difference in transport mechanisms.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I just picked up a Yamaha DVD S-1800 to use as an SACDP and transport for $79 from amazon.com.  It sold for $450 when it first came out.  Its well made, has a decent remote and its SACDP is very good with std Cd being average.  It has a neutral sound and is a great budget player.  I'm thinking about buying 2 more for my kids budget stereo's.  It uses 4 Burr Brown DAC's

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=558368&CTID=5001800&ATRID=1000&DETYP=ATTRIBUTE

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_10?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=yamaha+dvd-s1800&sprefix=yamaha+dvd

[roymail]

Thanks for the heads up on the Yamaha.  I'll take a look at the link. 

[weirdo]

I'm not sure that in the cheap and cheerful range, a transport/DAC is the way to go. I recommend checking out Audiogon and the Music Hall CD25.2 player. You can find one for around 300.00 demo or lightly used. Its a 699.00 unit retail.  It has a Phillips transport and a good DAC. A beautiful sounding CD player for not a lot of money. I'm afraid that if you put together a 125.00 used player for a transport and a 399.00 DAC, you won't be that much further ahead that just buying a good basic all in one player. The curent crop of budget players are parobably twice as good as they were 6 or 7 years ago.  I am quite satisfied with my Music hall and my system is relatively intolerant of bad sources. Just a thought.   Cheers dk

[roymail]

dk, I think you're probably right unless one already has the dac and is just looking for a cheap transport.  Otherwise, I've read many good things about the Music Hall cdp.  Thanks for your helpful post!