I purchased a D500SE as a source for an ASL tube headphone amp mainly because I needed a light weight player to move to different rooms. It sounds great using Sennheiser HD600 phones. I too have experienced the loss of ouput and static but thankfully it has not become terminal. I did find the reason for this but have not taken the time to find out why. It has to do with the connection of the IEC socket of the power cord to the unit. The player stays powered up and everything works except no sound at the Rca jacks. If I push in real hard on the power cord connector, then it plays no problem. I might also note that the connector feels fully socketed prior to this treatment but so far it has worked. Again, I have absolutely no idea as to what boards etc. would be shared between the ac line and the outputs but that is what I've experienced. As far as sonic and build quality I'm a fan of old Sony es players. Any three of my old Sony's will put the D500SE to shame. However, they weigh around 40lbs each so it's not an easy task to lug them around. Try an older used high-end player unless you need the light weight.
You get what you pay for...
That statement is usually the case. Not always in audio, but in most of the other things in life. Well, here's my story... I picked up a new Cambridge D500 SE CD player in February. I was in the market, and had been waiting for the format war to shake out a bit more than it had. Well, it was past time to upgrade, so I decided to make my move. I didn't feel it to be smart to buy an expensive CD player. At least, right now. So, I looked around, I happened upon the Cambridge. It was a breath of fresh air! A great sound, better than anything else I came across at its price point. And as good as most of the other players I checked out, which happened to be anywhere from two to four times more expensive. Good dynamics, weight, pace, tone, resolution, detail, etc. I figured that corners were cut in the areas of cosmetics, the front panel/case, and the fact that the players were manufactured in China. I didn't think that build quality would be one of the corners that were cut, as the unit seemed to be quite robust and nicely constructed. Well, all was well and I was happy as a clam. Until, I started to encounter a few problems with output. The first time, I had no output at all. The second time, output was filled with static. Both lasted for a day or so. Then, there was no output for about 4 days. I talked to my dealer, and he told me that we should send it in. That something could have happened in shipping, etc. Something like a board being hairlined cracked or whatever. Well, to their credit Cambridge told him to just give me a new player. Very nice of them, and excellent customer service. As my girlfriend wanted silver this time, it had to be ordered. Yesterday, I picked it up and all was great again. Until I took it home. I hooked it up in the kitchen, just to look at the very attractive blue display. After tinkering around with it, I opened the drawer. Upon trying to close it, it would not go. Due to misalignment. It got stuck right where the door lines up with the fascia. It would slide in by me forcing it over, but that is not how an out of the box player should be(and that's an understatement). So, I went back, and my dealer had another one ready for me. But, I decided that after having two bad players in the course of a few short months, my faith in the company has been destroyed. He tried to blame shipping again, but we know better. A door does not get moved out of whack during shipping, where it is safely in the closed position. The door is cemented in, and this one was simply misaligned. Despite QC which supposedly tests(via playing) each and every player before going out the door, this one was allowed to ship. I was offered another Cambridge player(which I now do not feel comfortable in taking), my money to be used anywhere else in the store, or a refund. Each of which is good customer service by my dealer, himself being a model of what a dealer should aspire to. I do need a player, but do not want to spend more money to reach the same level of sonic quality. Also don't want to buy inferior sound at the same price. I guess what I am saying is that I am now in a quandry. As my dealer will be on vacation for the next 10 days(and I told him I will hold off making a choice until he returns), it will give me some time to divorce myself from the original disappointment and make a better decision. I guess I am just venting here. My question is, has anyone else encountered any gremlins from Cambridge? Any other comments anyone would like to offer up would certainly be appreciated. Thank you in advance