Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

$200 - Sony D-5 (you get so much for so little!)
$300 - Sony CDP-102 (and perhaps several others - strange price bracket)
$400 - Sony CDP-302 (best performer and features for the bucks)

Average retail prices of these models tend to run higher than the figures
I gave, but in each case, the model has been on sale at that price in the
recent past.

There have been several notes earlier on where to buy CD players.
			Steve

	I have to agree with re.1. The three that are listed are the 
best for the price and features. I have heard the D5 and could not pick 
up any difference than the other ones, some people will argue he point, 
and the D5 can be carried whereever you want it( you have to pay $50 for 
the carying case but it may be worth it). You can also put it in your 
car.
	I have not bought one yet but am planing on getting the D5.



						Jim

My wife and I are the happy owners of a Technics SL-P2 unit.  We've had it
since around the first of the year and have no regrets about having bought it.
At the time we bought it, it was listing for ~$500 it has since become
available for <$400.  It's got most of the standard bells and whistles.
(programming, IR remote control, several kinds of repeats.) It's a sharp
looking unit which comes in black face or silver.  Its sound is comparable to
all other mid-priced players.  Check around.  A co-worker of mine found a 
dealer who had a demo model sans remote for $199.  The guy says he doesn't miss
the remote in the least.  (I must confess that I seldom use the remote.  Mostly
I use it to skip the "Mother" cut on the Police's _Synchronicity_ album.)
The dealer also had another SL-P2 with everything for ~$350.  (We live in
South Carolina so it won't do you much good to tell you the dealer's name, but
look around, there are deals to be found.)

Gary

re: Sony D-5

I've had one of these units for 6 months - it performs flawlessly.  The sound
quality is indistinguishable from my Denon (list price $1000).  The Sony D-5
is an incredible bargain at $200; it is an inexpensive way to enjoy the benefitsof the CD format.

I just picked up the Magnavox 1040 for $180.  The Unit sounds superb and has programability.  I am very pleased with the unit. 
 There has been other notes 
regarding CDs here and in the audio notes file. 

Warren

I think if the ad I have in front of me is not a misprint, there is a much
better deal for $200 than the Sony D-5.

Montgomery Wards is advertising a Sanyo CD player that is "fully programmable,
has trac search and memory" for $200, regularly $249.  This one doesn't look
to be a portable like the D-5, but on the other hand it's programmable which
is a feature not generally found below $350.

I have a Sony CDP-302 which I'm quite happy with.  The features it has over
the Sanyo are full remote control (there are things you can do from the remote
that you can't do from the front panel oddly enough), phrase/track/disc repeat
(almost all units have at least track and disc repeat), index functions,
ff/rw with sound, headphone plug w. volume control, time remaining display,
and phrase "remove" (for lack of a supplied term).

I absolutely need the phrase repeat and that's why I got this one, but that
Sanyo seems like an incredible deal.   The ad says the sale ends Saturday
August 3rd.

	db

The "phrase remove" feature of the Sony CDP-302 mentioned in .6 allows you
to tell the unit, "play the whole disc EXCEPT between here and here."  This
is extremely useful for getting rid of "Mother" on the Police "Synchronicity"
disc.

--PSW

re: .7

Yes, but in order to use the phrase remove feature you have to listen to
at least a little bit of "Mother".   The way the phrase repeat and phrase
remove works is that as the unit is playing you hit a button to select an
"A" point and a "B" point.   If the "B" point is after the "A" point you
get phrase repeat between A and B.  If the "B" point is before the "A" point
you get phrase remove.    I don't find the phrase remove to be very
convenient to use.

	db

On my Sony, it is very easy to use the "phrase repeat/remove" feature without
listening to the track.  For instance, to eliminate track 3, hit the "pause"
button, then select track 4.  Then, select the "A" point of the phrase.
Select track 3, then select the "B" point of the phrase.  Now select track
1, and hit the "pause" key again to start playing.  I hope this is clear.
Actually, what this does on my deck is to repeat the whole disk and eliminate
a contiguous portion of it every time, but it's been pretty useful anyway.

Carl

Don't know what the availability there is, but based on the responses from
folks who bought MAGNAVOX 1040 machines about the same time I did - probably
similar (I'm in Colorado).

There is a top load MAGNAVOX (echo comments on the Phillips heritage) on sale
here now at what was Wilsons - now Service Merchandise - same as yours??? - 
for $169.

I love my Magnavox - even though I have always had a mental block against the
name since the era of their "Colsole" stereo/TVs. Would put it up against 
MOST anything for sound. It will handle up to 15 selections in program mode
- either ADD or DELETE - will play the same selection as many times as any
human can stand, etc. 

Oh yes - paid $204 in April at Target - owned by Dayton Hudson who owns 
Lechmere - list $399.

It's my experience, too, that the Magnavox players are the way to go on a 
budget. They're a little slow and clunky and have limited programming 
capabilities (at least the cheaper ones do), but the sound is pretty close to 
as good as you're going to get anywhere unless you start looking at the 3rd- 
and 4th-generation players. I've heard horror stories about Magnavox 
reliability and lack of assistance on the part of the manufacturer, but that 
has been printed testimonial, not personal experience. Hopefully they've 
cleaned up their act if it's needed improvement.

As the majority of you know, Meridian has come up with a hot-rodded Magnavox 
player (stiffer supply, redesigned servo, classy caps in the analog section). 
Don't bother, 'cause you've REALLY gotta be good to distinguish between the 
Magnavox and the Meridian in a blind A-B. The few that can will do so by 
latching onto the Meridian's ever-so-slightly tighter bottom end.

I know that everyone's on a budget, but I'd recommend to anyone about to spend 
$400 or more on a player that he/she save for a Sony CDP520-ES (did I get that 
suffix right?). Take a recent disk and compare it with anything from any 
manufacturer; the Yamahas come fairly close, and the Magnavoxes come a little 
closer, but I can't think of $600 (list) better saved and spent.

I don't see any advantage to buying a Sony 520-ES over a CDP-302, but the
620-ES is just a few dollars more, and has many more features.  However,
the ES series is hard to find, and even harder to find discounted.
					Steve