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Submitted by
dory p. funk
a AudioPhileDate Reviewed: February 5, 2013
Bottom Line: I owned a Meridian $4300.00 CD player that was a decent enough player , but broke down after moderate hours of usage. I sent it for repair and it came back and worked fine.An audiophile engineer came by for a visit and we turned the unit off to move equipment , and the Meridian would not power back on...at all. Luckily it was able to be fixed under warranty, and I quickly sold the piece.It was then that I began my search for another CD player.
I belonged to a very exclusive audio club, and one member said that he always liked the warm, analog sound of the Elite PD65. I was able to find a mint used one on Ebay for $350.00. I had an IEC outlet installed , dampening material put under the top of the player... and at that time someone was selling an inexpensive mod for for the PD65.It was some caps and other little wires that came in the kit for $12.00 on Ebay(I am not a technical guy,sorry).
This player is by far the best CD player I have heard.You can play it all day and never tire of the sound.It is like an LP, warm , with the right amount of natural detail.I run it through Fritz Carbon 7 speakers, Conrad J. PV11 pre, Conrad SS amp 2300, Marlin Logan Grotto sub and Gutwire speaker cables and interconnects. My system tends to lean on the warm side, how I like it. I could care less about all the detail, that in the end starts to get rather bright and causes one to turn off their system.
The Pioneer Elite PD65 is by far the best STEAL on the market.They pop up on Ebay once in a while and are awesome! They are more pleasing than any $2000.00 - $4000.00 player out there.Grab one when you can, you will love it!!!!!
Used product for: More than 1 year
Duration Product Used: AudioPhile
Product model year: Pre 1995
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
henryfirst
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: August 8, 2006
Bottom Line: II've been using my HK DVD-25 as a CD player for a number of years, because it sounded so much better than all my budget CD-players that preceded it. So when I saw an add of the local hifi shop of the Rotel RCD-971 for only 249 Euro, I decided to go back to dedicated two channel hifi and to purchase this gloriously reviewed CD-player.
The salesman and owner of the shop however, recommended this 2nd hand Pioneer PD-S901 (European PD-65 without sidepanels), he had laying about wich was modified with a silver powercord and a few minor silver-solder touch-ups as well. So I tried it at home and was completely blown away by the sound of wich it produced.
A few days later I tried the Rotel RCD 971 and just couldn't listen to it for more than 5 minutes. I've had trouble believing the difference of these two players. I didn't even knew it was possible...
I think the HK DVD-25 to be a wonderful CD-player and regard it as a truly secret hifi gem, but the Pioneer really eclipsed it by some margin and is uncomparible with any other dedicated CDP I've ever had. I don't believe in Black hifi Magic, but I do believe in solid engineering. As a producer/sound engineer with 13 years of experience, I know true sound when I hear it and the PD-S901/PD-65 really delivers.
It's now 2006 and this player's been produced in 1992. This confirms my belief that companies (in general, as a whole, not just hifi) don't produce goods to make things better, but how to produce it more cheaply and still keep it acceptablly good in order to keep making profits). This product however excells and is definitely produced and engineered by people who knew - and listened(!) to - what they were doing. Buy without hesitation when you see one. They're dead cheap now. (But really become harder and harder to get) You'll never be wanting for anything else. I can even see prices going up again as years go by...as it's so special.
I use it in the following configuration:
- Luxman LV-107u int. amp.
- Harbeth speakers and two Harbeth subs
- Ocos LS-cable
- handmade silver interconnects (by the shop I bought the CDP from)
Used product for: 1 to 3 months
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: Pre 1995
Price Paid:
$199.00
Purchased At: hifi shop in Holland
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
muziekfreak
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: December 26, 2005
Bottom Line: This is a review about the brother,The Pioneer pd-75 reference (in america the use ELITE) same player.
I had before a sphinx project nine, and after that a much cheaper pioneer pds507 high bit legatolink. This is my second platter i bought and it will be the last unless i can buy de XTREME rare pds95. What a great player this is people, the looks are fantastic. In my country the are very rare on the secondhand market so the soon i saw one i had to have it. The sound is very relaxed and very dynamic. Ubelieveable you will not hear any notes that will crack your skull open. Like the man above said it sounds like a record without de dust and speckels lol.
Iff you see one BUY it...just buy it and even iff you have a high-end player. The sphinx i had cost about 3000euro back then. The pd75 plays the crap out of that one!!
Used product for: Less than 1 month
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: Pre 1995
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At: www.hifi.nl
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Submitted by
309cliff
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: August 14, 2005
Bottom Line: I purchased this player on ebay,after reading several reviews on it.If you find one grab it as they are hard to come by.Very warm sound, excellent range and a good match to my jamo 707i speakers.
Used product for: Less than 1 month
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 1999
Price Paid:
$414.00
Purchased At: e bay
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
jetx
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: December 19, 2002
Bottom Line: Each review is a personal opinion and should not be considered absolute in its declarations. My review is no different. These are my observations of the Pioneer Elite PD-65 CD Player. When the '65 first came out I noticed that it was the CD player of choice in many High End Auditioning Rooms. I was always impressed with how it sounded in every system. Finally, I bought a demo (1yr old) in perfect condition and full warranty from a dealer. The unit was fully broken in. Similar to many other reviews I found the player warm, detailed, with above average soundstaging.
Now the really good part. This player plays every CD I own. Including my most defective disks. I own more than 500 CDs and everyone of them plays perfectly. No other player I have owned (Denon, Philips, Sony, Marantz) can do this. There is always one or two discs that are unplayable for one reason or another. Not on the PD-65. Hello...Stable Platter Mechanism! The big answer: The disk is fully supported on the Platter (Just like a Record!). Other transports "Float" the disk using a disk clamp. With Floating Disks you will ALWAYS have some WOBBLE. NO WOBBLE with SPM! So my question is; Since they figured out the best transport for CD's (why not DVD's), WHY DID THEY DISCONTINUE THE STABLE PLATTER MECHANISM.
Maybe Pioneer will read this and tell us All the reason!
Used product for: More than 1 year
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 1995
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At: Rsound
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