Price Paid:  $99.00 from IT's Purmerend

Summary:
This is the Philips CD 723, with a remote control and a coax. digi. out. It has a very handy fade out, on both digi. and analogue signals, and a volume control on headphone AND signal output! With a discount card I only paid 94.00 for it and for the price the quality is brilliant, for sound and built. With good quality cable, both digi. and analogue, through my Yamaha DSPA1 amp., the analogue connection won by far. This will tell you something about the very good built in DAC in this player compared to the Yamaha's. Very recommended.

Strengths:
Fade out and Level control.

Weaknesses:
None for that price!

Similar Products Used:
Sony SACD 555ES

Price Paid:  $100.00 from The Good Guys

Summary:
Before I rigged my Systemdek up on my Boat, this was my main source of Music. MUCH better than the Rotel - which was Rotels' 1st attempt - and I tracked it down on the basis of it being a What HiFi mag. "Best Buy". I concur with their findings. I find it very dependent on the CD playing as to how it sounds. Get a well-produced CD, and it's good listening indeed (for CD that is!) and I can spend longer than an hour in listening to music I don't have on LP. Nevertheless, decidedly inferior to my Vinyl set up from every criteria. But at the price I got it at a pedal-to-the-metal bargain indeed. I think if CD was the single source I would be ticked at the lack of upgradeability. But it's a great piece of kit nonetheless and so far, has proven reliable with no problems (fingers X'd!).

Strengths:
Using my AMC amp has a nicely balanced sound for a CD player: only have to put the treble control to 0.

Weaknesses:
Remote is a bit fiddly to use. Captive leads. No external output. Non-upgradeable by the amateur.

Similar Products Used:
Rotel RCD 355

Summary:
Marantz sound - quite warm and open. Good soundstage , detail and rhytmical capabilities. Initialy it was a bit harsh with revealing HK 620 amp. Get rid of captive signal lead, cut in phono sockets, exchange output
opamp ( there is only one on circuit board, if remember correctly, JRC 4560 ) to higher quality Burr-Brown OPA 2604,
and you have unmissable product for it's price.

Strengths:
Does basic things right

Weaknesses:
Captive signal lead

Similar Products Used:
Denon1650AR, HK 720, SonyES

Summary:
I got this player from my brother who bought it at just SDG$180. CD721 sounded musically gd with gd clarity, fair amount of bass and the treble was crisped. It sound much better compared to my Marantz cd63se which had a better soundstage. The downside of this player was the lack of digital or coaxial output. For budget wise, Cd721 is a gd buy.

My system consists of:
Rotel RCD951
NAD C340
TEAC T-R400
Dynaudio 40
Transparent Musiclink Plus
QED Qnect2
Kimber 8TC

Strengths:
Gd detail, neatral sound, gd bass weight, price

Weaknesses:
no optical/coaxial output, less soundstage

Similar Products Used:
Marantz cd63se, Rotel RCD951, Harman Kardon HD710, Philip CDR880, NAD 520

Summary:
In my humble opinion one of the best, most accurately sounding players arround for the price! I paid $199AUS, and it sounded better then most players double or even triple the price. Thesound of the 721 could be a little warmer, but at the price the mid-range and treble clarity is astonishing.

Strengths:
Detailed, crisp sound, price.

Weaknesses:
Not the best built quality, remote lacks time button.

Similar Products Used:
Sony, Yamaha