How does the CLD-59 rate as a laser disc source?

Hi Glen. I hope all is well. You may recall that we have previously privately discussed home wiring and grounding. I am glad to see that you are still enjoying LD's. You are not the only one. I have owned several of the below, and can offer the following thoughts. Ranked in descending order, I would offer the following as good choices.

CLD-79: personally watching for one of these at a bargain
CLD-D704: my personal favorite and a terrific piece. I personally have not seen anything better in LD.
CLD-D606: reference piece of M. Fremer for many years. I just bought one on ebay very inexpensively.

The CLD-59 is of the same vintage as the CLD-79, and represent late model Pioneer production. I do not have experience with it. The main weakness of the CLD-D606 is that it only has Toslink digital output, as compared to the CLD-D704 which has both.

In terms of souring info, if you are not aware of it, the following may be a useful source:
http://www.fivechannels.com/hardware/laserdisc_archive/pioneer/pioneer_ld_archive_date.htm

Gary

BTW, I have a 704 that I haven't used for awhile if anyone is interested.

The 704 is the non Elite model comparable to the 99. I think it just lacks dual dacs that the 99 model has. The 99 also has longer warranty and better fascia not that the warranty would apply anymore.

The 59 is the elite version of the 504, and the 79 is the elite version of the 604 if I remember correctly.

Thanks for the input, I'm new to the LD game so it's hard figuring out what's what. I went ahead and bought the 59

I look at it as a stepping stone to a major league player. For now I just want to sample the s-video and digital sound at a reasonable price point.

My collection is up to around 300 so it's time to get away from the yard sale unit I picked up for $20.00 (analog) and into something with digital outputs:^)

Question, what kind of cable do you use for the AC-3 output? Is it just a standard digital cable?

Does the "D" stand for digital outputs at the end of the abbreviation 704-D?

Is the elite just a better looking version? It seems like they sell much higher at e-bay than there ugly twin sister?

Hi Glen
As far as s-video goes, it depends on which has the better comb filter, your TV or the LD player. If you have a recent TV, it probably has a better filter than a 10-yr old LD player. Experiment with both composite and s-video and pick which you like.
For the AC-3 cable there is no need to go fancy. Any fairly decent 75-ohm cable will work just fine. I use a video cable.
Enjoy!
John

Thanks JD,

Say do you guy's ever experience what seems like a vinyl skip? Where the disc keeps repeating in one spot.

I had that happen last night with one of the Beatles anthology discs. I nudged past it and everything was fine.

I found that some of the sound quality on the beatles anthology discs was unbearable, but for the most part it was pretty good.

For some of the best LD player info, go to alt.video.laserdisc. Ignore all the spam, but if you have any machine issues, ask for Kurtis Bahr. He does repair on the side and is very well respected.

The Pioneer Elite CLD-59 is the apex of Laserdisc.
 
It had Dolby AC-3 

Subsequent LD players had better technology but by that point DVD had supplanted LD. 

I recently watched T2 for the first time on my CLD-59 and it was amazing. 

--Woody