[Happs]

What do you all think of Made in Japan Onkyo, Sony (non ES) and Yamaha CD Changers from 1987-1993 sound and build quality wise? How would they compare to a new Onkyo DX-C390? I just bought a new Onkyo DX-C390 that I am happy with, but with a lack of CD changers available in the new and used (in excellent condition) market, I'd like to have an decent sounding inexpensive backup unit in case this Onkyo breaks. It took me a few months to settle on the new Onkyo DX-C390 and being without a changer wasn't very pleasant, so having a decent sounding inexpensive backup unit temporarily would be great. Some of those late 80's/early 90's changers even had dual DAC's in them (like PCM56P). How do they sound?

 

[mcnarus]

Sound quality was pretty much a solved problem by the late 80s, so they'll sound fine. Getting one that's still in mechanically good condition and likely to stay that way is the tricky bit.

 

[putox1051]

I currently have the following 6 changers:


SONY DVP-NC655P (5 disc CD/DVD carousel changer)

SONY DVP-CX995P (400 disc CD/SACD/DVD changer)

SONY DVP-CX985V (400 disc CD/SACD/DVD changer)

SONY CDP-CX355 (300 disc CD changer) x 2

SONY CDP-CX151 (100 disc CD changer)

TECHNICS SL-MC3 (60 disc CD changer)


FWIW, they all sound pretty good to me. Then again, I'm 63 years old, & my hearing ain't what it used to be.

 

[Jack D Ripper]

I personally would be looking at relatively newer CD changers. Lately, I have been using an Integra (upscale Onkyo) in my main system, but I have had good luck with Yamaha changers also. I like the late 1990's better than the earlier ones, but this has nothing to do with sound quality. As things age, things can go bad, so I would tend to favor newer over older on that basis alone.


If you want cheap, you may be able to get something decent from a local thrift store. I can get more of them than I could ever use that way. You can also find things on eBay, but if you can find one that is local and allows local pickup, that can be a significant savings, as well as avoiding shipping damage.

 

[FMW]

Time to start learning the pleasures of streaming your CD's from a hard drive.