Can a $24 Wal-Mart DVD Player Compete WITH THE BEST CD PLAYERS? An AUDIOPHILE SECRET!!!
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- It's the TRICK that Audiophiles have know for years! It's NOT hard to get AMAZING CD sound nowadays on an extreme budget! You may already be sitting on equipment that can UPGRADE your sound and take your hi-fi listening to the next level. Featured in this video: Black Ice Audio, Geshelli Labs, Focal Speakers, SolidSteel Stands, and more! Thanks for watching! Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
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Bought a cheap Sony DVD player, wired it via digital audio rca into a Schiit Modi 3+ DAC. BREATHTAKING! Never heard better anywhere. Naysayers are understandably protecting themselves from feeling foolish, spending big bucks on things that technically measure but don’t necessarily sound better. This is the hot tip of the millennium! Finally, a HiFi hack that freaking exceeds all expectation. This is legit folks. 😊🎉❤
Congrats on your discovery! Hi-Fi do ant have to be hard!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog seek out the right used Sony blu-ray player and it will play SACDs too! mine plays through a £30 smsl dac, fosi 48v amp and £175 elacs. sounds awesome. folk throwing out great cd's at the moment. its a golden age!
@@ianwhitlock1920 Are you using the internal DSD converter on your SACD player or the HDMI out? Those blu-ray players don't output DSD to coax, so if you are using the coaxial output of your player, you are listening to PCM not DSD (SACD). I'm also guessing the SMSL DAC your are using also only converts PCM. SMSL does make a DSD converter (S.MS.L D300 ) by they are a few hundred bucks and don't have a great PCM DAC.
Enjoy the music 🎶
The tossing of the box and the dogs going nuts at 9:35 had me going. Thanks for the Journey Bob.
De nada!
Now you need to try a PS1 “audiophile”to keep the fun going. 🙂
Yes CDs can sound great, but the remastering craze has ruined the fidelity of way too many of them. And the LOUDNESS WARS - HEY STOP SHOUTING AT ME!!
That's why I love my original 80's CD's! That being said, the first Beatles CD offerings were not so great! Look for those W. German "targets!"
It's ironic isn't it ?
With all the technology available you would think a new 2020s compilation cd release featuring many of the same tracks as the late 1990s compilation cds would sound better.
More often than mot they don't due to processing compression not just music source wear . 😗
It makes sense that it would work so well as a transport, as the DAC is the thing that gets really short changed when making these things.
That's what I thought!!!!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog And you would both be wrong.
I am an electrical engineer by training (both undergrad and grad school)... My take is bits is bits.. What matters most for sound in this part of the chain is the DAC. Those that say transports make a huge difference are most likely guilty of confirmation bias. Do it double blind and I highly doubt you can tell the differences in transport sound quality.
That's what I'm saying! But I'm no electrical engineer either!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog Sadly, lots of myths or exaggerated claims out there for folks that are unfortunately, a bit gullible. I am thankful that I know more about both circuits (analog and digital) along with AC and DC power systems, than say, 80% of the audio consumers. I do understand these manufactures have to make a living and their claims can be true... but at what cost ? That's always been my issue...Laws of Diminishing Returns at work here..
As a DJ I know you've seen those sampler CDs the companies used to send to the stations with all the various preferred tracks for that month. I think I still have about 200 of those disks from the 80s and early 90s. There's no replacement for good old CDs. I have that selection of numbered Zep disks too LOL.
ATM I'm using a small form factor $37Cdn Sony BDP-3700 bluray player with coax audio and HDMI out. The audio output sounds as good as it can for what I'm listening to. Love it. Thanks Bob.
EDIT: that little Sony bluray is running through an SMSL SU-1 DAC aka Fun-Fi.
I went to goodwill and bought a $9 Sony dvd player. Plugged into said Geshelli and hazzah…as they say.
Works great, don't it!?
It do! Got a remote for that $9 too.
The channel's getting funnier and better all the time. Mad HiFi Collector.
Thanks! I try!
I have two Sony Blu Ray players connected to Schiit Audio DACs in two of my systems and I think they sound great. I use the coaxial outputs. Paul from PS Audio says the DAC is way more important than the transport. Another audio ick, audio snobs that say that you have to have a $10,000 CD transport or you're not an audiophile. Great video!
Spending 4 or 5 figures in on a CD Transport demonstrates a degree of ineptitude that is well in to the realm of the imbecilic.
I have a Sony UBP x800 that I’m completely happy with. It can read SACDs and Blu-ray audio, however I don’t think my Schiit Audio DAC is decoding the SACD AND Blu-ray signals at their full resolution since I’m connected using digital coax. I don’t think I’m going to worry about that since I don’t feel like I want to start collecting those physical formats. I just want to listen to the CDs I already have and perhaps some new ones that I occasionally still buy.
@@jukingeoerm, or should I say, duh. That puts me into the imbecilic category. At least at low four figures I don't need to have my diaper changed more than a few times a week. Mostly I go potty like a big boy.
Of course, you could have a bad case of the Dunning-Kruger effect, and I could just be a normal bloke who has spent years building up a decent system, loves budget gear as well as more expensive stuff and refrains from over generalisations, name calling and belittling other folks opinions.
No, you're probably right. Imbecile it is 😉
@@dmcbain44Hi. Unfortunately you are absolutely right. Your DAC will not accept a DSD stream from an SACD player due to Sonys encryption. You can do it by buying an HDMI to digital converter which strips the audio out of the hdmi signal. I used one for years with my DAC and it works flawlessly. I used it to convert HDMI to I2S with great success. I got my converter box from eBay and presume you can still do so. Whether it is worth it depends on how many SACDs you have and how good your DAC is. DVD Audio and Blu Ray audio should work fine with your current setup, I think
@@jimfarrell4635thanks for confirming what i expected. I’ll look into your solution. I mean I SAY I’m not going to start collecting SACDs but if I find a solution to this it’d be nice to have another option.
It was maybe 5 years ago when I needed a DVD player for a video setup in my shop, so I bought one of these onn units. About 2 years ago I had bought a "'70s-vintage" Technics SA-5370 receiver for the den, and wanted to add a CD player. (At one time I has a Technics SU-7300 integrated amp that I really liked.) On a lark, I decided to try the onn unit connected through the AUX input with RCA cables. It works great! No external DAC, just whatever the guts of the receiver has, and played through Sony SS-CS5 speakers. Except for needing to have the receiver checked out (there is no servicing tech anywhere near where I live) it is a very acceptable system for my older ears! Enjoy your vids, Bob!
Man... try a cheap DAC and elevate your experience! Thanks for watching!!!
I have thought about buying this DVD player so many times just for this purpose but I never go through with it. I will pick one up this weekend. Thanks for the Video. 👍👊
Noisy drawer... you can live with it!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog The noisy drawer didn't bother me all that bad, actually, I liked it. 🙂 However, I found my player to be a little loud overall, but the deal breaker was gaps in the playback. So I returned mine and spent a few more dollars for the Sony DVP-SR510H. It was quieter in operation, has gapless playback, and the coax output also seems better. Not bad for just under $40. 👍
Great review, Bob. The important thing is how the music sounds, no matter what player you use.
True that!
One of my most reliable, and greatest sounding CD players is my LG portable DVD/CD, burner/player. I use USB to any one of my many DACs. These things sell for as little as $20 to around $50-$100 for the Blue Ray versions. They have the highest bit rate readers. I use an old PlayStation for Blue Ray and CD with my HT setup.
Is that a computer external cd?
Good afternoon ☕️
I’ve recently redid my 💿 set up.
Audiolab 6000CDT ( transport)
New Denafrips Ares 12-1 DAC .
And it’s damn awesome 😎
Great video..if I could I’d swing it ..Esoteric player 👍👍👍and DAC!
Great setup! Congrats!
That is so cool. I love the old fashioned stereo systems. I have Sonic frontiers. Electrostatic Martin Logan's. Just haven't listened to them in years.
My NAD cd player kicked the bucket about 2yrs ago so I bought a cheap Sony Bluray player and connect it with my DAC, it's great.
The only problem is I can't see what track is playing because it has no display, but I usually listen to albums front to back anyway.
Me too!
similar to my experience, i doubt id ever buy a new dedicated audiophile type cd player again unless it was used and its operation was very quiet. i was so convinced my old rega planet was magic....until every dvd player i have used sounds no different to my ears.
You can get a small, cheap TV to use as a screen, it will be way better than any built-in screen of any regular CD player 😊
@@JoeOrber
I could, but I can live without a screen, I actually enjoy just sitting and listening to music to get away from screens.
@@crazyprayingmantis5596 that makes sense too, going back to the real listening experience without distractions 😃
I get DVD players for $10 bucks at yard sales and run co-ax into my Parasound pre-amp. Sounds good.
Why wouldn't it!
I connected an old Sony DVD player to a Douk Audio ST-01 via coax. A vintage pair of Wharfedale W35 speakers completes this system. Great for background music while reading.
Sounds delightful!
I have been using a DVD player I got for $7 at a thrift shop years ago, connected to a PS Audio Sprout 100, driving some Klipsch bookshelf speakers and a 10" subwoofer. It sounds as good as I need it to sound. If I have higher end tracks (bitrate-wise), I burn a DVD Audio disc, which has significantly higher bandwidth potential and bit-depth. (24bit/192kHz vs 16bit/44.1kHz on CDs)
Anyone telling you that you need a high end transport is a bullshit artist. The DAC and the amplification are far more important.
“And when I woke up the next morning I thought sh*t did I just dream that. Id better actually listen to it!” Who knew you can shift your 401K investments to shares in a chi-fi cd transport company?😂👍
My first CD player was a portable disc player with an FM tuner. It was connected to my vintage Superscope amp with a mini 3.5 to RCA cable. It sounded damn good!
Aahhhhh... SuperScope... Marantz Lite!
Superscope made amps??
Right on the money! Literally! 😂… Since you’re getting the digital output from the player into a very good external DAC, the results are far better than using the internal DACs that regular CD players had, because they were never designed to have high-end analog output nor to have the flexibility to be adjusted to different external components. Having that external, separate setup also adds up to the overall listening experience. Great content, subscribed! Keep up the great work and enjoy your CDs 😊
Have been doing that for years with my CDs. I have also ripped them lossless which makes them more practical.
You are wide, my friend!
Hi Bob, the thing that differentiates players is their ability to play scratched CDs. I tried several players (CD, DVD, Blu-ray) & the best was the Sony BDP-SX700 series of Blu-ray players (where X is: 1, 3 or 6). The Sony BDP-S1700 costs
Great Jack' luckily, outside of cracked jewel case, most of my CDs are pristine! Thanks for the tip!
That's a great idea for the display mate, might steal that one if you don't mind! 😁
I have a Sony 5 disk carousel CD player that must be 20+ years old. Even from the RCA outputs I swear it has a fuller and clearer sound than my streaming devices. Dad has a Yamaha 5 disk carousel and it also sounds amazing.
It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the analog outputs of this cheap CD player.
Cool video mate, cheers from New Zealand 😊
I will update everyone... but I don't think it will be good! You just reminded me... I have a Sony 5-disc CD/SACD machine up in the attic. What was I thinking!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog Haha glad I could help jog your memory mate! 😁
Thank you Bob! ❤ FWIW to my ears a contemporary DAC (indeed a DAP) is that much more revealing and transparent (a good thing). We’re truly spoilt if we have at least a little interest in audiophile gear. But even given that I’m 99% streaming and my CDs are all but gone your video brightened my dull day.
Thanks for indulging me!
Instead of buying a new CD player to update from my 1993 Pioneer, I added an SSD drive to my new Eversolo DMP A8 streamer/server and download all 500+ to the A8. Sounds fantastic and saves me from adding another piece of kit.
Great solution!
Curious, does the Eversolo dmp a8 show cd cover art with a cd player hooked up? And does it show cd cover art after you downloaded to the ssd drive? I’m guessing maybe only the latter..
@@stinger1268 It shows CD art on most of the SSD files, but lower resolution.
I haven't plugged in a transport yet and tried that, just downloaded files from a thumb drive. When I get a chance I'll try the transport (out of town now) as you have got me curious.
@@pnichols6500 Thanks for the response. I appreciate it! Have a great day!
I still have my entire cd collection, some date back, 35 years or so. I still play many of them from time to time. It makes sense that an inexpensive DVD player could make a decent cd transport. If you have a pretty good dac to pair with it, you could get along fairly well. I'm curious to hear what you think about the Black Ice F22. I have that amp with KT88 tubes, and it is amazing sounding to me.
My initial impressions are very positive! So much punch and heart, compared to other tube ps I've tried! Loving the88's. Full review coming next! Thanks!
All the CZcams "Experts" told me that the SMSL SU1 $80.00 DAC was as good as any dac at multiples of it's price. Bob and his IDIOT pal Randy say you can use a $24.00 Sony DVD player with an outboard DAC and the sound will be as good (or better) than an expensive CD player. I decided to put this to the test. I hooked the SU1 up via coaxial cable to my Yamaha DVD/SACD player.Used the same cables from the DAC to the pre amp. Both pre amp and amp are Arragon, speakers are (in 2004) $15k a pair time and phase aligned. I was expecting major improvements as that is what Bob and many others have preached. The ONLY difference I heard was a slight improvement in harshness.
How does it compare with my 15-20 year old mid level CD player, a Shanling S100? Not even close. The DVD player, a $450.00 unit, not a $29.00 Walmart unit, had no depth, no width, no texture to the music when compared to the old, tired Shanling piece. I've said for DECADES "CD's and DVD's are NOT clocked the same"
The DVD player sounded as if there was a thick blanket over the band. Couldn't find a $24.00 Walmart DVD player, but I did have a $29.00 Sony DVD player, plus a Sony Blu Ray player, plus an Oppo dvd/sacd player. NOT ONE came remotely close to the Shanling with it's stock DAC by adding the SMSL dac.
The SU1 did NOT transform ANY of my DVD players into audio bliss. Not even close Bob. In fact, I laughed.
But then again, I'm a recording engineer whose ears are FINELY trained to hear these things. So I sat my non engineer, non audiophile wife down to tell me what SHE heard. I first played her the Shanling CDP. "Sounds good....really good" she said. I then left the volume the same, put the same CD into the Yamaha/SMSL combo, pushed play.
My wife had but one word. She said "Wow" I asked her to explain "Wow". She said "That's horrible". I said "Can't be horrible because Bob and Randy said it's as good or better than a high dollar CD player" She said "Then Bob and Randy are DEAF"
I also have an Arcam CD player, which destroys the Shanling. I asked my wife if she wanted to hear that difference between the Arcam and Bob's "Use a dvd player with an external dac? She said why bother?
STOP advising your subs to play CD's on a DVD player. All they will do is try to "improve" speakers to get better sound when better sound from a DVD player spinning CD's isn't really possible. In the end Bob my wife said the DVD player with the SU1 sounded "Ok". But again said "But it's not that CD player......not even close"
I was also expecting the Yamaha to export Super Audio DSD via the coaxial output. It does not. I'm assuming it take native DSD and converts it to PCM.
I think my level of audio expectation is considerably HIGHER than most.
Good show Bob. I too mostly stream my music by phone plugged to whatever where ever I'm at. I use an old Sony dp 200 for CD transport into smsl su1.dac. Sound is fantastic. The CD remote has a audio video button that does make a big improvement.
Good work, my friend!
Also via hdmi, optical, or coax you can use the dac in your ss integrated amp to decode disc.
Thanks!
Excellent video Bob. Mixing the old tech with the new.
I don't have a choice!😝
With a DVD player's digital output, and if the drive inside works, attach a DAC - and an expensive CD standalone player won't do any better. It might LAST longer, but given how amateurishly many highend manufacturers operate it's not even a given.
So many audiophiles here disagree with us on that point... we may never know. I'm connecting with the music emotionally, so it can't be all bad!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog I once wrote the operating instructions for a CD transport(!) which cost over €20,000 by the Berlin maker mbl. It's ridiculous. How can the transport affect the sound as long as the drive works? It's 1s and 0s, for God's sake. Why should a DVD-ROM drive that can read bit-safe at 50x speed founder at 1x speed? It makes no sense.
@@ThomasTVP I tend to agree but I'm not an engineer. One guy talked about jitter issues on cheap stuff.
I use an Onkyo DX-C390 6 disc player and an Integra and use them both as transports into various dac's. They sound great to me and allow me to get things done while having 3 to 4 hours of listening. I do not stream any longer and prefer the cd's. Not against it just prefer owning the music. Good video.
Yeah, I'm the dummy that still buys music. Thanks to you and me, everyone else gets their music free!!!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog not free unless they just use the low resolution stuff then the gear doesn't matter. I do not want monthly fees, does not matter if I can afford it or not. MTV started out great now look what they are lol!
Hi Bob. I have a few of those old dvd players from the 90’s and newer. Haven’t had a chance to test as a transport yet. Have a smsl su-1 dac to use. I have a lot of cds too. Happy listening.
back in the late-90s early-2000s people back then had to use a cd on a dvd player on the tv cuz we didnt have CZcams back then to play any music like that so if we wanted to listing to music on a tv we world use a dvd player
I think the most extreme version of this, is what I do. A $6 Sony BR player from GW that does SACD, HDMI out into a converter box, DSD output from converter box via DoP into my Sabaj DAC. That gets you a pretty nice DSD64 quality input from an SACD. Or a great digital input from a CD.
It has just occured to me that this man looks a lot like Stanley Tucci.
I'm honored... I love the Tooch, too!
I like Bob better!!😊
@@EvanCasteel-th2qs That's fine, but it is still true isn't it :p
Who let the dogs out? Great video throw in an SMSL SU-1 DAC if you don't have a DAC and you have a great low-cost CD starter package. Or go wild and pair the SMSL SU-1 with a Sony BDP-S3700 for SACD.
Great idea!
YESSSS! a CD player is just a transport layer, it works or it doesn't, simple! any player with a digital output will sound exactly the same
People will argue that point with you. I won't because I don't have the knowledge! This cheap hack sounds good to me!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog a good read here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-interleaved_Reed%E2%80%93Solomon_coding
A SACD player made by Yamaha can be had for about $60 although it will be a DVD player or if you have a Sony PlayStation 3 it has a capable SACD player
Wow! I have a 3 somewhere. How do you know if it's actually reading the SACD layer?
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog the original PlayStation 3 was the only one that was a SACD player
I have a friend with a music studio... CDs back in the day was better quality then now - specially the CD-R.. CD Burners was also... CD burned by myself back in the 90's still sound great, when CD burned by him on professional grade equipment on the same day now don't work on mine transport.. And he also burned CD Audio disk...
More dynamic range and less compression on those early 80s discs! Now the labels just want the music on CD to be loud!
Bob same same. I have a ton of CD’s but no CD player. Got a turntable, pre-amp, powered speakers for my home office. One day I thought, hey we have this blue-ray player we are not using, so I used the optical connection into the powered speakers, and boom, I can listen to my CD’s again, and it sounds good. To me, I think spending $1000 to $2000 on just a transport is snake oil. Come on, I did I.T. For 40 years before I retired, I know how bits and bytes work. Oh yeah, your cheap drive might not read all the bits, well parity bits are there for error correction. Hey could you imagine, a CD drive at work loosen bits and bytes and changing a customers balance, I think not. Sure I need a better DAC, but for now this is working.
I would argue having compared budget blu ray players, good quality (Oppo) blu-ray players and my expensive Jay's Audio transport into my Terminator Plus Dac via I2S, that it's not snake oil. The transport wins easily. But there is no doubt you can get great results with the budget solution, and also no doubt that, as with everything else the rule of diminishing returns applies. For a much cheaper but awesome modern transport I reckon the Shanling ET3 fits the bill.
Rock on, Greg!
That is actually true for any digital source that is using digital output and not modifying the source. Playing with volume is changing the original BTW. The beauty of digital is that it either works or not. There is no need for for weird cables, power sources, switches etc. It becomes important at the DAC (dedicated or integrated into something else like receiver).
That's why any streamer with digital out will be great as long as it has the features if it connects to DAC via digital. I wish that there were a streamer or whatever with Spotify Connect, Tidal connect and whatever else that has an HDMI out with CEC. That would be great upgrade for many AVRs (or just receivers) . Just use the phone with the native app to stream the Tidal and control the volume. It can be very cheap without DAC.
I use a used $25 Philips DVD player to my Schiit Gumby DAC. Sounds great.
Yeah... I'm kinda blown away by this cheap setup! I fear the high-end audio police are going to come for me!
I did the same thing with a usd30 chinese dvd player with coaxial connection and it was great. Played Eric Clapton mtv unplugged and sounded fresh and very much alive.
Great demo disc!!!
i have 100 CD's that i did not let go of. hard to part with those MFSL's. anyway i have a high end DAC but not ready to spend $1000 on a transport. so i am with you. the old OPPO is acting up so i will take your advice and head down to Wallmart.
Another small channel I watch, guy has nice components, uses some kind of gaming console (don’t ask me which one) in his system. Bottom line, we all have a CD transport something the house. I dragged an old Sony multi-CD thing out of my garage last week, maybe I’ll hook her up today and give her a spin. It has optical out I believe.
What DAC are you going to use? Sometimes I play CDs on a 1st gen PS 1 console!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog have a couple of ChiFi choices. WiiM amp, hybrid amp, topping. Whatever my brother left while he travels. An old oppo? Fio? 😂
I got that CD player to play music at work. Buy the 50 dollar SONY blueray player , the volume on the ONN needs to be turned up every time you turn it on . Sony is louder .
I may go get a cheap Sony!
Philips TAEP200/20 - DVD player - 2021 Model, costs 37 euros. and is awesome.
I forgot that I have an oppo dvd player in my HT system. Maybe I should try that!
You need try now the Esoteric SACD player.
The company is Onn. Pronounced On. Walmart owns the company and they make good stuff. I have two of the TVs. No issues at all and cheap prices!
Good to know!
This setup should be MORE than adequate for about 90% of casual CD listeners our there. I HIGHLY recommend the Sony x800 player for this purpose. Plays everything including SACD, well damped chassis, and can be found @ sub $100 prices.
Interesting!
This is what I do.. A cheapo DVD that has coax and inbuilt PSU into a Sabaj A30a. Cheap, easy and sounds great to me.. Just incase I couldn't get the DVD player when this one dies I bought another 4 as backups 🙂
Hoarder!!!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog Guilty as charged 🙂
Bought a used Yamaha 5 disc DVD changer for $10..
It' sounds AWESOME 💯
In the times of smaller speakers Bluetooth and streaming music.
People are selling high quality audio components and speakers REALLY CHEAP right now...
I think this test is indicative of the BS they sold us back in the 80s about CDs. Vinyl was suffering from paper-thin pressings due to oil prices and CDs were quiet and smaller. They came in at the right time but never lived up to their audio promise. They sold us players with garbage DACs for 20-30 years! Hell, I could go to one of the high-end audio stores in my town and they might have one separate transport/DAC setup that they didn't even bother trying to sell to most. But with the recent rise of quality external DACs for cheap it's changed everything. I got rid of 90% of my CDs and now I regret that. I have a 1995 Marantz CD player that I paid $350 for at the time. It doesn't have digital out. Not a surprise for the era. I gave it to my son because I did a very similar test to this one. I bought a $59 Bluray player from Best Buy and routed through the SML SU-1 I got for kicks. It's no comparison! The $140 setup destroys the Marantz deck. That's the equivalent of a $720 player today. Paul McGowan says they basically put in the cheapest DAC chipsets they could find in even higher-end players. Maybe $15 for a $500 player. That sucks because the DAC is more important than anything else in the stream. I still love vinyl more but I now I look at the CDs when I'm at thrift stores and garage sales.
Yes the set up I featured blows away my 10 yo Marantz!
I want to try one of those ultra high end DAC's with my OLDER JVC CD player..i got optical out
Do it!!!!
If you're on a cheaper budget, I highly recommend one of the less expensive Geshelli akm DACs!
I've got a Technics SL-PD9 (running Toslink into my MDS-JE3320 which I use as a DAC) & a Yamaha CDC-585 running into my Denon AVR-1907, though using the analog out from it (no more toslink cables) they sound fantastic!, no need f the big boy DACs & no need to get up and keep changing discs when one is complete! No need to turn on the TV to see what track is plying or what time is on on disc or track
Ty ty ty ty
The transport inside that onn player is probably a DVD-ROM drive made for computer use. They're cheap mass produced items, and now that fewer computers are shipping with optical drives they're a glut on the market. Add a microcontroller board to make it go and route the bits to the outputs and you have a DVD player... and a CD transport.
Reminds me a lot of a computer device.
Just got a Thinkya JA-310R from Ali and hooked it up with the included optical cable to my Technics SU-GX70 amp - brilliant for the occasional CD.
In my DVD player days I often wished I could have had higher end players but one thing I did like about some of the budget players was that you sometimes got a surprising amount of features.
i had a modest player back then (rega planet) and used to wonder how those more expensive players might sound...these days i dont need to bother, makes things much simpler. a cheap bluray into preamp sounds totally fine.
I have a £24.99 Sony DVD + CD player and through a toslink cable to my ifi Uno DAC and through to a Marantz amp and it sounds amazing!
Why wouldn't it! Congrats!!!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog precisely
Hooked the SMSL dac to my ancient Shanling S100 CDP with a Philips transport and Burr Brown 24/96 dacs.
The SMSL does 768K, slightly better than 96k.
Expecting to hear HUGE improvements, again, as with the Yamaha DVD player, the Sony Blu Ray and the Oppo DVD player, I heard marginal improvements, but, the SMSL did far WORSE on the CDP via co ax.
The differences were not small. Nor did I have to sit and concentrate on hearing them. The Shanling, even at 15 year of age, totally, completely destroyed the SMSL dac.
Didn't even need to be in the same ROOM to hear it. It really was that bad.
I wasted $80.00 on an inferior sounding piece based on your and Randy's advice Bob.
No comment?
if THIS is what you and Randy call "High end" or "Audiophile" gear, aim higher.
Maybe you two shouldn't give audio advice.
Randy today said "Audiophiles are too serious"
I think fun fi folks aren't serious enough.
The CD is still the best way to collect motion picture music scores - and many soundtrack albums on CD are far more complete, and sound better, than their vinyl counterparts - and are frequently sold for big bucks. The quality is excellent playing them on just about any blu-ray or 4k player where you can enjoy them in stereo or in matrixed 4 or 6 channel surround sound like they were originally heard in theatres. Movie music collectors have it made with what is still being made available on CD and with generally impeccable remastering.
Wow... I have tons of movie soundtrack CDs in the closet! I might be sitting on a goldmine!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog Well, you just might, but I'm not talking about what's generally considered a soundtrack on CZcams: that is those that are compilations of pop songs and stuff that is what they call needle-drop soundtracks. I'm talking about original scoring and original film soundtrack albums composed and conducted by people like Jerry Goldsmith, John Barry, Lalo Schifrin, Bernard Herrmann, Henry Mancini, Elmer Bernstein, Alfred Newman, Ennio Morricone, John Williams, Michel Legrand, Miklos Rozsa, Alex North, Roy Budd, Jerry Fielding, Franz Waxman...the list goes on and on. It's worth it to pull out a few and check their current value - especially the ones that were produced in limited numbers or special editions. Sadly we're talking about a lot of composers who are no longer with us.
Old news. People have been using inexpensive cd/dvd players are transports for a looooong time. How about this: did you compare your $24 DVD player to a decent Sony or Yamaha DVD/cd player using both as transports only? Just wondering how good of a transport the Onn is.
So excellent!
Appreciate that!
I have that Pioneer unit. I pretty much just use it for CDs hooked up to a non socketed J2. I don't even have the analog outs hooked up at the moment. As a transport, It's not bad.
I have a very good pair of speakers, a preamp and a power amp, all of them are of a more expensive variety. I mostly play vinyl records, reel-to-reel and cassette tapes through it. Occasionally I would throw an Apple lossless file at it. My friends, some of them are musicians, love the sound of my system, I love it too of course, yet I always appreciate a second or third, etc. opinion. And I don't tell them that I use a $25 24/96 DAC from Amazon though... 🤫😂
Sneaky!
my old dedicated cd players rca outs are not working and the top load disc design means cds skip at higher volumes...to the rescue in came the cheap blu ray player which is connected to the dac in my parasound preamp, its all modest stuff but i cannot tell any difference overall. my main consideration with a cd spinner is user function and quietness of operation. if i have issues with what im hearing i'll look to the speakers.
Sounds like you've got it figured out! Thanks for watching!!!
i have that dvd player but it has an asda badge in the uk. i use it with a aiyima t9 pro and a pair of Dali pico use the coaxial connection In a small office fantasric sound for the money
Way to go, Chris! Thanks for the watch!
@United States of Analog. Could you run this test on a "normal" solid state system that doesn't cost 5 figures so the average person can get an idea of the sound differences of a separate dac and transport sounds like through a pair of affordable speakers, like the Klipsch RP-600m's?
I can do that... but "normal" could be a mind field!😀
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog Why? Most people cant afford a 5 figure sound system, so it would be better to do the test on a system that more people would have, or could afford.
I listen to a lot of my CDs with an early Sony Blu Ray machine, the BDP-S350, and I'd like to try it with a DAC. What's a good inexpensive one for a DAC beginner?
Smsl su1
Try SMSL or Schiit. But I say save up and get a cheaper Geshelli!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog Thanks!
Hey Bob on the bottom of those $8k Focal speaker’s driver did it say “made”or “job” ….just askin’.
Misleading ☹️, I was hoping for actual science, testing and oscilloscopes. I was hoping for what the thumbnail said
Won't find it here I'm afraid. But there are channels that can do that.
Vinyl and streaming sucks!!
The CD is KING 👍
Then I'm a king a thousand times over!
I've had 2 Marantz CD players die and a NAD. Many cheap DVD players have all died. I need something. I have over 400 CD's.
Yikes! I'm going to be reviewing a Cambridge Audio CD player very soon!
So I just found your website a few minutes ago and I'm trying to figure out if you have anything more to add in a crowded field of CZcams audio reviewers, but one correction here as an Esoteric Audio owner; that Esoteric Audio(P1X) add was for a Transport only. Part of a four to five-chassis SACD/CD Playback system. Is it worth it? Well, yes to some people. And no, a $24 Wal-Mart DVD Player Cannot Compete WITH THE BEST CD PLAYERS. Ridiculous! Later this week I'm checking out a friend's newly acquired Ypsillon CDT-100 that he waited nine months to get. Should be interesting.
Bob...Your thumbnail is misleading! 😆
Any device that I own that is an onn brand, I relabel them to *haard onn.
Why wouldn't you?
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog That's exactly what I said!
I think that your fun per dollar ratio was maximized.
Agreed!
I still rock a late 90s sony ca80es 5 disc optically through a smsl su1. Its all i need it sounds excellent. Having the 5 disc is super convenient and the ca80es had cd text which i dig.
CDs are "nostalgic?" ... Blimey, what does that make me, then? ... I'm 20 years OLDER than CDs! 🤣
Just because somwthing is old, doesn't mean its obsolete. I have a Blusound Node 2i,with Apple airplay 2. Sounds good, but not too revealing. I hooked my circa 2011 Apple airport express 1st gen to my system and wow abig differnce. 16/44 CD quality rather than 256 bit. I build my own PC as well. (old boomer here). Only one computer case maufacturer has released in the last two fractal pop with 5.25 bays hidden below. I'll never give up burner!
They keep stealing my cd collections.
Why?
Because it’s easier to place themselves over another than collecting them on their own.
Yes, this is my other account. The email for my statement from my MonkeymanStones1 account really was from me. I made this account to playfully mock videos which end with creators saying "Like, comentandsubscribe" so I would be given extra likes just to make fun of the makers saying the exact same thing as nearly everyone else. Although it's looking as though the name isn't presenting correctly (this is my first comment with my other account).
Darnit... It was supposed to display my screen name as @commentandsubscribe...
Nice try!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalogEh, almost worth the effort I guess
What did the dvd player sound like without the DAC,just on it's own?
Sadly, I didn't try. Maybe a Part 2 on the way if the vid does well!
By the way I have a Conrad-Johnson Sonographe SD-1 I would sell. My Sony Blue-Ray player does well enough for me not to need it anymore. It's been sitting in my storage unit for around 4 months now. May as well sell it as I don't think I need it. I prefer Analog so CD only if I'm without an analog option. Dolby S cassette deck and a Rega Planer 3 and Pro-Ject RM1.3 so I believe I don't need the CD player. But how to communicate directly without the world seeing either of our personal information...?
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog I received an email with your response, so please feel extremely free to delete the comment so it's not available to every spam group.
By the way my email address is to protect from spam, so my name and screen name is different from my actual name. I signed it as David, which is my name.
I haven't watched the video yet, but No, it can't.
I have a Jay's Audio Cd2 mk 3 and compared to my Oppo Blu ray player as a transport it's clearly better. A lot of it is using mechanisms and lasers optimised for red book cd specifically, I think.
However, you don't need to spend big bucks. In my AV system, purely for cd and sacd I use a Denon DVD 2900, their flagship dvd/cd/sacd player from 2003. It is in immaculate condition, built like a tank, sounds fantastic with and without an external DAC and cost £100 a month ago on eBay. I reckon that's a better choice than a plastic, budget blu-ray. But... If you have a budget blu ray, a decent DAC will give great results.
Yeah. I can't fight you! This was a bold experiment... but it works for now! Thanks for your notes!
What Just Happened here, comment on the Reel and it showed up Here? Is that one of those ICKs??
Electric is important the cheap player dont have it together
The cheapest piece of crap, if working correctly, will sound decent enough to make the music enjoyable. Having owned more CD players than most people would find sane I can say this with confidence.
You DID say it with confidence!
I bought a cheap DVD player then spilled a can of Russian energy drink on it...... ....... ... . ... then had to go back to the store to get another one. What 😮 did you think 🤔 I went back in time ❓😁🤣😂😭🤓
So weird, all of this. Cheap CD players exist, and some have optical outs, but the gist here is that y'all are hearing differences in pro mixes between different A/D converters? Yeah, okay, sure. I believe there are people out there who can, but I have A/B'd mp3 and WAV to "audiophiles," and if they can't tell that difference, they can't tell this one, unless a converter or the u output amp is extraordinarily bad. These are laboratory differences, not sensual differences. And music is sensory. The whole thing is a mare's nest, but have fun.
So True!!!!
Always fun experimenting! I 'stream' and play CDs through a Blu Ray read writer in my PC, and I 'rip' to flac for my library. Perhaps I should put a 'high' BD rewriter to a dedicated interface and DAC, but that will take some more experimentation. Enjoy your collection. Thanks for sharing and your time. Lots of fun.
Simon, it was my pleasure!!!
For fun how bad was the lack of a track indicator in actual use? For shitz and giggles doe the unit have an internal DAC and if so just how bad?
How many "audiophiles" pay hundreds-of-thousands of dollars so they can tell their family and friends they spent hundreds-of-thousands of dollars on their equipment? And how many "audiophiles" listen to expensive audio systems with "$10 dollar" ears? Some of my best audio systems have the least expensive components! Its not the money you spend that counts. Its what pleases your ears and emotions.
Another viewer talked about "the sensory experience" vs the actual specs. If you get that "experience," then you've really got something!
I GIVE UP BYE
@@user-cx6gi4pj7n adios, amigo!
It's probably better technically but we can't hear that.