MacGyver

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Price Paid:  $25.00 from Estate Sale

Summary:
wow, now THIS is a CDP!! i got this baby from a fellow in california whose father once ran a service center/used shop. he closed up shop, and his son sold the remaining gear at an estate sale. i found out about it when i was a member of AUDIOKARMA and promptly contacted him about buying it. he was selling it for $25 because it would not read a disc. still, it had the remote and manual, so i went ahead and had him ship it to me here in oregon. i found that it was non functional becouse it' laser pick-up was missing it's lens! for those who don't already know, PIONEER had a rash of CDP in 1987/88 that had problems with the adhesive retaining the lens to the pick-up. usually the serviceman would find the loose lens somewhere in the chassis. my 91, however, had nothing but a completely missing lens. i happened to find a lens that looked like it would fit in a non-functional portable KENWOOD CDP that i had. it fit, like it was made for it!! still, it did not work, so i went about readjusting the seven variable potentiometers in the control section directly behind the CD transport. after 30-odd minutes of experementation, i had it reading a factory CD! another 15 minutes or less of fine-tuning dialed it in for CD-R as well!! it has now become my primary CDP, and will remain that way as long as i can keep it running. this sucker oozes minute detail and warm bass. HIGHLY recommended, an can keep up with the best of any generation. PIONEER's best CDP of all time, and one of the very best CDPs, period.

Strengths:
superlative build quality, minute acoustical resolution, all class-A analog output stage with warm sound character.

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:

MAGNAVOX/PHILIPS CDB-486 (1989)
PIONEER PD-M50 (1987)
DENON DCD-1500 (1986)
PIONEER PD-M6 (1986)
PIONEER PD-M90X (1987)

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Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $180.00 from Ebay

Summary:
This review is for the PD-M95 Elite 6 Disc CD Cartridge Player. This is a great unit. Great sounding, great looking, and very well made unit. Great interface. Very easy to read, large orange display. There is a display off also. Digital, and Optical Out's. There is no headphone jack. So you will need an Amp. It does not force the music to you. Has a nice neutral sound. Really hold it's own with today's players. I am sure you could improve the sound with an external DAC. I am pleased the way it is. Here's a link. http://www.elitestereo.netfirms.com/pd-m95.htm. Maybe a touch dated looking, but I think it looks great. Hard to beat one of these for under $200. As far as who should buy this. Anybody looking for a solid, great sounding unit, that's built like a tank. But that does not cost as much as one.

Strengths:
Just about everything!

Weaknesses:
I would like a dimmer for the display. Maybe a little dated looking. Though I like it's look. Just being picky. Otherwise?

Similar Products Used:
Denon, Kenwood, and Onkyo to name a few.

Price Paid:  $1400.00

Summary:
I bought the PD-91 in 1988, and still use it. May be its sound is not as good as Krell's or these days' other high ends player, but believe me: if you find one, buy it immeediately (well, don't pay it $1400!). The weakness is the phone output, it's a dafect already outlined by the 80s rewievers.
Yesterday I decided to open it to see what can be inside a 15 kg CD player. Forget simple cheaps and a little transformer. Here we have spearate circuits for left and right channel, everything inside - the case, the shields, the transport mechanics is in pure copper or coppered, the transformer is outside the player. I believe it's the last object of an old generation.
Ah, some months ago I wanted to see inside my father's Sony CDP 101, the very first Sony player. Wires everywhere, and tons of circuits, transistors, trimmers! It seems to be a "beta" palyer, but it still sounds, and good, after seventeen years.

Weaknesses:
Phone out.

Summary:
I recently bought this "classic" as a refurb from Pioneer. Pioneer resells new but older models as "refurbs". I was in search of this player as I couldn't afford it in late 80's and what an excellent rock solid trasport it is! Yeah, the 18 bit DAC does injustice to the sound but with external DAC, this is one great transport. The player is filled with features like analog out so it can use used as transport and where can you find 30 lb player with external power supply?

Hey if you can find one used then grab it as it is rock solid as a transport.

Strengths:
Solid as transport

Weaknesses:
Patch power cord and can't be upgraded

Similar Products Used:
Many cd players as transports

Summary:
This is one heck of a player, this other reviewer is way off, this thing still after all these years offers near state of the art sound, and you can find them used for under $300, I don't know of any player out there for under $1000 that will run with this thing, nuff said. The Sansui CDX711, which was $1200 back in 1992, and a bitstreamer, although highly regarded, is WAY eclipsed by the PD91.

PS;And the looks are also second to none.
greg horn

Strengths:
Looks, sound, build quality, functions

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Sansui CDX711