HAPPY EAR 225 Posted January 3 Posted January 3 My NAD CD/DVD player is getting worn out, I/m afraid. Looking for some great sounding replacement options. I would probably go with a transport/DAC unit rather than a separate transport and DAC. Older ears and retirement dollars aid my choices! Thanks for your input! HAPPY EAR (Bob) 3
HAPPY EAR 225 Posted January 4 Author Posted January 4 Where IS everyone?? I need advice. Been away from new gear way too long! Looking at Marantz, Yamaha, TEAC: I would like a USB on the front of the player to play computer-saved files without a long AUX cable input. Hep me out, Kids! HAPPY EAR(Bob in Zanesville) 1
xavionics 2,254 Posted January 4 Posted January 4 Sorry Bob, but I haven't bought a CD player in decades! I have an older Marantz model stashed away somewhere. Prior to that I had a 1994 vintage Yamaha carousel player that lost a sound quality shootout to my iPad. I use my 2009 MacBook nowadays when I need to spin a CD, fed into my DAC. Thanks for bringing this topic to the forefront! I gotta get some kind of a better solution, maybe later this year... A quick search led me to this: https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/hi-fi/best-cd-players I have an ARCAM irDAC that has served me well for quite a long time. I would likely put their CD player on my short list. Already having a DAC, the Cambridge CD Transport would also (to me) be worth checking out. The few that I looked into all had external usb drive capabilities. Seems common. Crutchfield has a 60 day return policy. I've dealt with them in the past and have always been happy. Maybe a way to audition a few... You say your NAD is getting worn out - perhaps a good cleaning/lube and some new belts would be a cheap option? Good luck on your quest! Let us know how your jobber unfolds... 4
Sk1Bum 12,418 Posted January 4 Posted January 4 On 1/3/2026 at 6:20 AM, HAPPY EAR said: My NAD CD/DVD player is getting worn out, I/m afraid. Looking for some great sounding replacement options. I would probably go with a transport/DAC unit rather than a separate transport and DAC. Older ears and retirement dollars aid my choices! Thanks for your input! HAPPY EAR (Bob) I am very happy with my oppo 103s & 105s. I have a pair of each, and they have outstanding sound quality. That said, I don't spin many discs anymore since I bought the WiiM streamers. The oppo 103 & 105 play CD, SACD, DVD, BluRay and they can stream from a NAS and several built in online sources. The 105s have balanced outputs and both have RCA, SPDIF, coax, and HDMI out. The 103s don't have the balanced outputs, but they have all the others. The 105s have ESS Sabre DACs, and the 103 has a Cirrus Logic DAC. The oppo 203 & 205 are the latest version of the oppos, and they are a step up in quality. They are also a pretty big step up in price. The 103s can be found for about $300 if you're patient or lucky. The 105s can be found for about $500 if you're patient or lucky. The 203s and 205s are about 4x the price of the corresponding 103 or 105. oppo hasn't upgraded the firmware for some time, but all of the players are still supported. oppo's last run of 203s and 205s was in 2018, and they left the business. I hope that helps. https://oppodigital.com/Support.aspx 4
BobTFM35 3,002 Posted January 5 Posted January 5 Myself I'm a OPPO or Marantz person. If I had to replace my current player It sure would be a very hard decision, and I might just get both. The OPPO because it can play SACD's, they are still supported as @Sk1Bum mentioned, and other reasons, and then a new Marantz because it has a warranty and it will easily integrate into my new Marantz AV unit. I also like having the ability to introduce a separate DAC unit. This might give me the ability to upgrade the DAC with a newer unit in the future. Prior to the purchase would be a trip to my local store for an audition of the unit in question. A purchase for me might look like this, OPPO BDP-105D or other similar models or Marantz CD6007 Along with an separate DAC Maybe a Schitt Modi 5 Good luck on your search for a replacement!! 3 1
jjptkd 1,516 Posted January 5 Posted January 5 20 hours ago, HAPPY EAR said: Thanks, Gents! Research to do. Bob Was just watching a couple review vids last night, not sure why as I'm not in the market myself, have an OPPO BDP-95 I seldom use. The new Fii0 R2R looks interesting.. 7
Kurt 3,114 Posted January 6 Posted January 6 if you're into 'art' and looks versus sound quality... here's an interesting CD player I just saw advertise....It's CD playing picture frame! https://www.amazon.com/COOLGEEK-Transparent-Bluetooth-Removable-Wall-Mount/dp/B0FT3CK5SY?th=1 2 1
Daddyjt 9,805 Posted January 6 Posted January 6 (edited) It looks like Oppo’s replacement may finally be here - Marnetar. Everything I’ve read about them is positive. The 8000 uses Burr Brown DACs, and the 9000 uses ESS. Plays every disc format known to man, great build quality… https://magnetar-audio.com/elementor-4530/ Edited January 6 by Daddyjt 7 1
HAPPY EAR 225 Posted January 6 Author Posted January 6 Thanks for all the input, Guys! Gonna go with the Marantz CD6007. It has the features that I want, probably sounds better than my 72 year-old ears can hear, matches my Sunfire gear pretty well, and won't take all of my mad money! Bob 3 1
HAPPY EAR 225 Posted January 7 Author Posted January 7 Thanks for the suggestions, all. My new Marantz CD6007 should be in Buckeye Lake this Monday! I will pick it up Tuesday, tho, because Buckeye Outdoors is closed on Monday. Got to see what might be new in the gun section. Meanwhile, using output from my computer to play some music. Not a perfect signal path, but not bad either! Sounds pretty good thru the Sunfire and Amazing Loudspeakers. HAPPY EAR 2
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