Solid build quality, still spinning like new after over 20 years, though perhaps not so often lately. Excellent sound. CD text. Variable digital filter is a useable feature, not just a gimmick. Both coax and opt digital out is also very handy.

If you lose the puck you’re in trouble! Remote could have had more track shortcut buttons, but it would of course make it bulkier.

I bought this one used for € 50. Great buy! There are a lot of these available on the internet, and they sound as good and are considerably less expensive than any decent budget player I listened to.

At first I was a little concerned and it sounded somewhat dull. BUt.......let it warm up and christ does it blow your head off. Nothing is held back and detail is by the bucketful. I recently thought my Heybrook HB1's were lacking in bass, this thought is a thought of the past. I am gobsmacked. Had a Marantz CD 67MKII and the Sony player blows it apart. The price tag insults this player. I have heard a Naim CD5i, Ok the Naim was better but this Sony my god it came close very very close. Dont be fooled because its Sony. Seriously it is very very very good and I would consider myself fussy. Make sure you use either filter setting 1 or 2. I like setting 2

different filters, superb sound and unmatched build quality

No remote power off

I am suprised that some describe this player as bright. It sounds very analogue on filter setting 1. Which mimics the wadia and pioneer legato digital filters with minimised ripple response and some high frequency roll down. It is one of the very few players i can listen for a long time without getting a headache. this was bougt at a run out sale at a big discount. (demo model)

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Build quality is fantastic with a very high tech contemporary design. Clear, crisp sound that allows you to hear things on CD's you've never heard before.

Yes it's the puck thing or stabiliser. Putting this thing on and off the CD is a bit painful but also quite enjoyable in a therapeutic way.

Overall I found the product to be excellent value for money as have many other reviewers. I purchased the system to sit amongst a variety of separates and it just plumped up the pillow and rested it's head quite comfortably. Yes I know it's all about the sound you get out of the system, but it's got to look pretty too and this thing really does.

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NAD

Functionalities, notably for tape/MD recording
Two digital outputs (optical & coax)

Irritating stabilizer to remove and put back in place when CD is changed

To be quite frank, I was a bit disappointed when I first listened to my 930. I made A-B comparison with a 9-year old CD player from Philips (which still works fine - Philips deserves praise for this), and quite frankly, I could not hear much difference (violin "may" sound marginally less electric, but that's about it).

This being said, I must say I own a mid-range HI-FI system (JVC amp + 20-year old upper-range Wharfedale pair of loudspeakers)so the limitations may very well come from the equipment downstream.

In short, I find nothing wrong with this CD player - apart from this irritating stabilizer which you have to take off and then on each time you change CD -, the "right" functions are available (notably all those allowing easier recording on tape or MDs), and the design is quite neat. However, I would not recommend it to a budget-concious buyer if the later only owns a a mid-range HI-FI: a lower-range CD player will do the trick, and money would be better spent on loudspeakers - or alternatively, and here I must say I'm quite enthusiastic, by getting rid of his tape-deck and buying a Mini-Disk player instead !

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Philips CD121 (9-year old)

Natural sound all throughout. CD Text. Great build quality, gorgoeus looks(silver)..and digital output.

none yet.

best buy for the price range. great looks ,,matches my Sony TA940 amp silver and excellent sound. The best I have yet to hear from such a price, natural all through out R&B, Classical, Jazz, and Rock. Sure some more expensive players will have more 'wow' factor esp. in the midrange... but then for something in this price range, I am totally satisfied.
the build quality and the looks was a big factor in my choice, as now I feel that hifi needs to look good... no more black stuff!!!
try and listen ..and you'll understand.

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Marantz 52mkiise,63mk2.

Excelent build quality, very clean sound

Maybe too smooth sometimes

Well, first I bought Marantz CD4000 to pair it with my NAD C340 amp and Mission 772 speakers but it seemed to lack some punch and resolution although it was a good value.

Then I listened to Arcam Alpha 7se and Sony 930 and, frankly, I don't understand why so many people prefer Arcam. Arcam does sound warmer sometimes but it often paints the music too much, according to my humble opinion. Sony sounded far more correct and, unlike Arcam, doesn't give any character to the music that already has enough character. The good impression may have to do with the excelent bulid quality. I don't think it looks very sofisticated, it just looks firm and confident.

I think this is a player for the people who want to enjoy the music easily, not those who want to be smashed and melted because 930 rounds the edges of very agressive music and makes it more enjoyable for the people who like it that way. Vocals are great and focused.

In short, buying this player is no mistake. You may only consider bying some more agressive speakers like B&W 602 s2 or something like that.

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Arcam Alpha 7SE, Marantz CD4000

Clean, Consistent Sound. Good build quality. Good value at GBP 300.

Needs either to be left powered-up or a couple of hours' warm-up before listening. Selectable filters are gimmicky, and I would have preferred the engineering effort to have gone into the standard filter.

Excellent player and a good replacement for my five year old Sony CDP 561 E. Mine is the UK special edition, which is upgraded from the version available in continental Europe. The stabiliser soon ceases to be an irritation, what doesn't is the fact that the player sounds glassy and ill-sorted when you first switch it on - this player needs warming up to sound good.

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Sony CDP 561 E, Pioneer PDS 303

Solid Engineering , perfect clocking ,value for money

Filter switch

This Cd Player is tremendous value for money , make no mistakes about it , what you get for your money is a big chunk of high end cd player for peanuts.

I use this player attached to a Cyrus 3i /PSXR amp , with Mission M74 Floorstanders , I read the reviews in the Hi Fi press about this CD Player , and the very good reviews that led me to consider this CD were wrong , It is not just excellent for the money as quoted by what hifi , it is perfect...

I have the UK Special Edition , which is supposed to be an improvement to the standard model, how true this is I do not know.

I have read the comments of others , and disagree with the bright sound , what we have to consider is the fact that many of the CDs on the market are sold for general use and the actual quality of the CD is put to the test when you put it to work in a player like this..... if you put in for example Carol King - Tapestry Album which is a great transfer onto CD the quality of this player shines through , if you put in Elton John - Made in England it sounds awful..

Phillips Classical AAD Disc of Concerto de Aranjuez - Jaquin Rodrigo sounds like you are there and you can feel the emotion of the guitar and when the Pepe Romero plays you can sense the emotion , the 1998 DDD version performed by the same artists sounds dull and lifeless.

If you want to appreciate the true value of this player , pair it up with a good amp and interconnect , put in the Buena Vista Social Club CD , sit down and listen and you will witness what this player is all about...

So this player slices in one clean sweep all of the data of the cd and presents it how it was intended and does not add garnish so if you feed it crap it spits it back out at you with no mercy...on the other side,give it something decent and it delivers the goods..the clocking which delivers the digital signal to the converter is bang on so the sound is smooth as silk ..it is hard to imagine that you are listening to a CD.. it gives the warmth of Vynil..

I think that the Filter switch is a waste of time and maybe a wrong move by Sony , I leave mine off.

And yes I agree you need to run this player in , mine started to improve after leaving it running on repeat for 24 hrs , after this it was perfect....

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lots of CD players.....