What are some good inexpensive CD players


I currently use a Sony Jukebox for storing CD's and general non critical background music listening and I transfer those CDs that I want to sit down and "listen" to to my Shanling S-100 solid state player. However, the other day when I did this I noticed that some of the upper frequency detail was slightly less apparent from the single player than from the Sony. The overall sound quality from the Shanling was still noticeably better but I would like to hear more of this subtle detail from my main listening components. My challenge is this; being retired, my buying power is somewhat diminished so I need to keep the cost down but still have reasonable quality sound reproduction.

I listen mostly to light jazz and acoustic guitar music and my system chain is Shanling S-100 player, California Audio Labs Sigma 2, Rogue Audio Sphinx 100WPC hybrid amp, Martin Logan Odyssey speakers. The jukebox goes through a CAL Alpha DAC with everything else the same as above. I've had all this equipment except for the Sphinx, for quite a few years but am pretty much committed to keeping the amp and the speakers. Any advice would be much appreciated.
128x128broadstone

Showing 1 response by rodman99999

I've owned both the Sigma and Alpha DACs, in the past.
Kinda wish I still had the Alpha! Have you considered
rolling the tubes in the Alpha? If yours is a 24/96
model; you shouldn't need more resolution. Personally; if I
still owned the Alpha, I would be hunting a pair of ECC803S
of E803CC Siemens for it. Of course, if you're set on using
the Sigma with your CD; You'd only need one of those. Hard
to find and salty, but worth it. Guess I should have
prefaced all that by asking if you've tried outputting the
S-
100's digital to you CALs, as yet. Of course; then a high
quality digital cable would be very critical too. This tube
wouldn't be a slouch either, in the Sigma:
(http://tctubes.com/Siemens-12AX7-E83CC-dual-post-
getter.aspx) IT SUCKS that a complete url/link can't be
correctly entered in a post. Search for the Siemens 1963,
dual post halo gettered tube, for $74.00, on the TC site(if
interested).