I too am having difficulty finding a new single play cd player. Every store says a dvd player will do just fine. Somehow I dont buy that. Comments? My at least 10 yr old cd player is a Marantz CD-63. Still works,,,,Maybe I should just stick with that?? Are newer ones better? I will use an Onkyo reveiver with Tannoy speakers.
With an Onkyo receiver, as long as your present player is still working, it will do just fine. I had a CD-63 back in the day. It was a decent player for the money...more than 10 yrs old though I think.
If you are sticking with the same system, change is only needed if you feel you are lacking something. If that's the case more than just CD player will need to change.
As for folks telling you that a DVD player will do just fine, the only thing I can think of is that they don't believe that you will realize a significant difference with your receiver (if so it would be nice if they would tell you what they are thinking), or they are ignorant, or they are being snobs.
Good question. That's really relevant if it's a multi channel receiver. The question gets to whether you are using the DAC in the receiver or the one in the player.
There are literally hundreds of single play CD players on the market. Pick up a copy of Stereophile or The Absolute Sound at your newsstand (or get on their websites) and you'll find numerous players being advertised and reviewed.
Why are you having difficulty find one?
Do the shops in your area not carry CD players at this time and all they have to offer is a DVD player? If that's the case, you need to shop at audio stores with a more informed staff and a better inventory. Get out the Yellow Pages and get away from the Big Box stores like Best Buy. Look under "Stereo" in the Yellow Pages for the independent dealers in your area.
If you have a problem finding a dealer in your area who stocks CD players, you have two choices. First, you should read through the archives of this forum starting in the "CD Players" section to find solid recommendations for brands which might provide better sound than your Marantz. If you find, say, the NAD or the Rega players - or whichever - is in your budget and sounds like an interesting choice, do some research and contact the company asking for your nearest dealer and their phone number. (Rega happens to be offering some very good trade in deals right now and their players are considered to be quite good by most listeners, the current Rega players would IMO be a step above your Marantz.) Independent audio dealers will be happy to show you their products and provide auditions of their gear. It's well worth your time to seek out better audio dealers.
Secondly, you can go the internet direct route and probably do just fine. I hesitate to suggest buying any audio product without an audition but in some cases this is what needs to happen. Audio Advisor, Elusive Disc and Music Direct all have a staff that would be willing to suggest a replacement for your current player. Or, if you think a particular brand is what you want to audition, place it in a search engine and you're sure to come up with internet dealers offering their wares. Any internet sales should come with a trial period of normally 30-60 days during which time you can return the item for a refund. One particular brand that seems to get high marks for value is Oppo which sells direct over the web. They are worth the effort to seek out. Their players are universal players so they can manage almost any disc you might own and their performance is generally given high marks for value. Putting "Oppo universal player" into a search engine should get several reviews for you to read.
If you go the internet or independent dealer route, be prepared to explain to the sales staff just why you are motivated to replace a working CD player. You might even tell us what is it you're after that makes you think your Marantz is not doing the job. The CD-63 was considered a good player that had a fair amount of musicality to its presentation but times have improved digital playback and the Marantz can now best be described as "inoffensive".
What is it you're not hearing from the player that you want to hear? Or is it a physical interface problem you're trying to solve? There must be something motivating you to spend some cash. What you want to hear is what will largely determine which player you should buy. Or are you just thinking it's time for a change?
Finally, have you considered not going to another player? The industry is moving in the direction of music servers and computer based systems which can offer excellent sound at quite reasonable prices. Even with a sizeable investment in CD's a server or hard drive based system might be a better way to move forward. There are even fairly inexpensive outboard DAC's (digital to analog converters) which would allow you to operate both a music server based system and still allow you to use your Marantz as a transport only feeding the signal to an upgraded converter for better sound quality from your CD's. This would allow you to upgrade both your existing system without buying a new player and to step into the next generation of digital playback.
Quite a few things to consider before you just plunk down some money for a new player.
Is this a system for dedicated music listening (not part of a HT set-up)? If so, I'd definitely buy a dedicated CD player. Then again, if the Marantz is still working, and you like it, why not stick with it?
The only way to know for sure if you need a new CDP is to get out to some audio shops (not the big box stores) and have a listen. Any good audio shops in town?
Hopefully there is a Cambridge Audio dealer in town Kathleen. One of the best bang-for-buck CDP players around. Lots of them on the used market too, if you don't mind going that route.
I vote for the Oppo BD-83 std for good cd playback and the SE version for excellent cd playback. Then you have a fine cd player, SACD player, great dvd and bluray player and DVD-A player as a bonus.