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CD Player Reviews and Ratings
The Best CD Players
Best Consumer Products.com has independently reviewed and rated the best CD players for our guide. If you plan to purchase, please let our best CD player reviews assist you.
The Reviews
Sony CD Player : CD Changer CDPCX455 400 Disc Mega Storage
The CDPCX455 400-disc CD changer puts hours upon hours of music at your fingertips with features like cross-fade sound, text display, and an organization feature that makes it easy to find your favorite songs and albums. Because the CDPCX455 plays MP3s as well as CDs, you can expand the already-massive capacity of the player, and literally play the CDPCX455 for days on end.
The CDPCX455 can play audio CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs, as well as CDs with MP3 files. You can program the CDPCX455 to play CDs or tracks one by one, in random order, or in your own customized order. A history search allows you to return to CDs that you have recently played, and you can browse through all of your CDs by name, so you'll never lose track of what CDs are in the player or what order they are in. You can also custom-label CDs stored in the CDPCX455 for quicker retrieval. The CDPCX455 includes a jog dial control that gives you quick access to individual CDs or tracks. With the jog dial, you can listen to snippets of music or skip tracks you don't like quickly.
For power users or music lovers with a deep library of CDs, the CDPCX455 can synch up with another CD changer. You'll never have to wait for a disc to change to keep the music playing, thanks to a cross-fade feature that brings the audio of one CD down at the same time that a new disc starts to play. By adding a second changer, you can expand your access up to 800 CDs total, and both changers can be controlled by a single remote.
The hybrid pulse digital-to-audio converter reproduces a warm, natural sound from your CDs, making you feel like you were there when the music was recorded. You can easily connect the CDPCX455 to an audio receiver with analog RCA-type and digital optical outputs. An analog connection instantly synchs the CDPCX455 to another changer, and a Control A-1II cord links the CDPCX455 to any other Sony components in your audio system or home theater. A headphone jack is also featured.
JVC CD Player : 5-CD Changer XL-FZ258BK
Although it's a budget model, the JVC XL-FZ258BK five-disc carousel
player still satisfies many requirements for ergonomic operation
and quality sound reproduction. JVC equips the XL-FZ258BK with play
exchange, which lets you change any four discs while one is playing.
An optical digital output lets you record direct to CD-R or minidisc
for pure digital copies and also facilitates integration with a
surround receiver and home theater.
JVC has long been recognized for its dedication to high sound quality.
Accordingly, this player offers JVC's exclusive P.E.M. D.D. (Pulse
Edge Modulation Differential-Linearity-Errorless) digital-to-analog
(D/A) converter, touted by many as one of the most accurate and
"musical" one-bit D/As available. The converter is designed
to render all the delicacy and subtlety of recorded music, and an
8x oversampling digital filter lends a helping hand.
Conveniences include continuous play and smart random play, five
individual disc-select keys on the front panel, and a remote control
with 10-key pad for direct disc and track access. The XL-FZ258BK
also offers a 20-track program chart, resume functionality (letting
you pick up where you left off before you turned off the player),
program play (up to 32 tracks and/or discs), and four-way repeat
(which lets you repeat all tracks, a single track, programmed tracks,
and random-play options).
JVC has thoughtfully provided an independent volume control for the player's headphone jack, and the unit comes with a disc-stabilizing clamper to reduce potentially sound-degrading internal vibrations.
JVC's enhanced Compu Link control system uses intuitive technology to foster communication between various JVC components. This unit comes with a one-year warranty on parts and a 90-day warranty on labor.
Philips CD Player : 5-CD Shelf System MCM570
The Philips MCM570 makes for a great budget all-in-one shelf system,
but what really sets it apart is its ability to connect to your
PC (using the supplied USB cable) so you can stream MP3s and Internet
radio directly from your computer through the speakers of the system.
Not only that, but the MCM570 will display MP3 track information
on its fluorescent screen and you can use the supplied remote to
change tracks through the shelf system. It comes with MusicMatch
software for the PC to make creating playlists and streaming MP3s
a breeze.
If you're more interested in the traditional features of a shelf
system, the MCM570 also lets you load up CD-R, CD-RW, or MP3-formatted
CDs in the 5-disc changer, giving you a variety of playback options.
It also includes a digital AM/FM tuner that has 40 station presets,
and features a clock, timer, and an alarm mode.
The two speakers each pump out 100 watts for 200 total watts power
output. Audio features include Digital Sound and Virtual Environment
controls for a variety of sound equalizer settings including Jazz,
Rock, Pop, Concert, and more.
ONKYO CD Player : CD Changer DX-C390 6-Disc
Onkyo's DX-C390 6-disc carousel component CD player offers a mix
of features to make any audiophile take notice, including playback
of regular CDs, home-burned CD-Rs and CD-RWs, and even MP3 discs.
While the brushed-aluminum front panel will look stylish in your
rack, the DX-C390's VLSC (Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry), exclusive
to Onkyo, virtually removes stray pulse noise for a smoother, richer
analog output signal. This player also uses Direct Digital Path
signal routing, providing a shorter, cleaner path to prevent degradation
of the signal.
The DX-C390's unique carousel design allows you to switch out five
discs while the sixth keeps playing. And you don't have to worry
about interrupting the song that's currently playing while you set
up what you want to hear next, thanks to the Next Selection feature.
The included remote gives you direct disc and track access so you
can quickly find the next track, folder, or disc you want to hear.
Other features include six repeat modes, 40-track programming, coaxial
and optical digital outputs as well as analog output, and a 352.8
KHz digital filter with 128x oversampling.
Pioneer Disc Changer PD-F1009 301-
Pioneer's PD-F1009 301-CD jukebox takes advantage of its megastorage
capacity with fun, easy-to-use features. Be aware, however, that
its tremendous conveniences comes at a small price: the PD-F1009's
sound quality, while satisfactory, does not equal that of most comparably
priced single-disc or five-disc players.
The PD-F1009 excels in other areas, however. In addition to its
standard features (play, repeat, program, etc.), the PD-F1009 has
a few that are more unusual and, it turns out, perfect for a CD
jukebox. The Best Play feature lets you commit any 20 tracks to
the PD-F1009's memory. Just hit the Best button (on the remote only)
while a track is playing, and the player will automatically store
that track in memory. Later, when you hit Best Play, the unit plays
back up to 20 tracks in sequence. (Curiously, Best Play plays tracks
back in reverse order.)
Another cool feature is Previous Scan, which simply plays (likewise
in reverse order) the opening 10 seconds of the last 20 discs played.
The PD-F1009 also lets you create up to five custom files, or groups,
with no limit to the number of CDs in each file. This is a terrific
way to file discs by genre or artist.
In addition, the PD-F1009 is one of the few players we know of (megachanger or otherwise) that is compatible with both CD-Rs and CD-RWs--most only play CD-Rs. The PD-F1009's CD Text feature scans and displays disc and song titles, but only if a CD is encoded with this information (most new ones are).
Finally, the PD-F1009 has an optical digital output for use with outboard digital processors, minidisc, and CD recorders, as well as the capability for CD-recorder synchronization with other Pioneer equipment.
Where the PD-F1009 falls short is in its musical presentation. Through the analog outputs, everything sounds a little dull. From an audiophile standpoint, the midrange lacks openness, the top end lacks extension and sparkle, and the bass is sluggish and overly soft. If you have a surround receiver with an optical digital input, we highly recommend listening through the PD-F1009's digital output, which sounds just fine.
We like the PD-F1009's features, which Pioneer has executed nicely and at an attractive price. We strongly recommend the PD-F1009 for background music; serious listeners will want to reach for an optical cable to take advantage of the changer's digital output.
Additional CD Player Reviews
Denon : JVC
: Onkyo :
Panasonic : Philips
: Pioneer : Sony
: Teac : Technics
: Yamaha
