Has anyone had on of these CD players? How good are they?

Hello,

One of the biggest problems I see with these older Sony CD/SACD players is one day for no reason the laser fails. The bad thing is you cannot get parts or it was something else. I love Rega CD players but they have similar issues. So if you can get one of these ES models for $200-$300 knowing it could fail then go for it. I think you should pick one of the new $600 transports on the market like Cambridge and run it through your DAC. Another option are these older Oppo Blueray players like the BDP 83/special, 93, and 95. After the 95 people want big money. Oppo drawers have been used by Ayre, PS Audio, and of course the Oppo UHD205 which is awesome but is priced very high. I hope this helps. You are on the the right track. 

Have experience with the Sony, CDP-608ESD and it’s a wonderful deck; found it compared favorably or totally surpassed the performance of several Simaudio, Theta, Rega decks. Looks wonderful too with its walnut sides. Don’t shy away from vintage pieces. More likely you’ll be totally happy than disappointed if purchased from a reputable audio outfit or enthusiast. These older Sony players are almost always offered at very reasonable prices too so,... Just my opinion.

close this thread for good. SONY es 7 - was a masterpiece ... but time turned this technique into dust ...

(they don’t get rid of good things - Chinese replacement lasers - they won’t solve the problem)

A great transport (assuming you have a DAC) that I think is a steal at $600 is the AudioLab 6000CDT. I love mine I bought about 8 months ago.

I have mixed emotions about the common attitude that they will all wear out. Yes, in time all mechanical devices wear out, BUT how much time does it take for a CD Transport? Now, I have destroyed a number of Cassette players and they were NEVER made with any reliability. I even wore out a couple of Professional models. Now when considering something like a CD transport it is hard to say. I would much rather agree with one comment about the Laser burning up than the CD motor or its track bearings. At least when talking about a better quality unit. Another analogy I would make is my HEPPA Air Filter. It is a relatively inexpensive unit and its fan has been running for 4 years straight, and the only time it has been turned off was at the periodic filter changes and once recently where I totally disassembled it for cleaning. This fan has only cheap oilite bronze bearings and has not missed a tick. I would have to say, "How much do you trust the previous owner's word on how much wear the device has had? Was it in a smoking environment? What BRAND and Model is it and how much engineering went into the device? How OLD is it really? How much is the device being sold for and are you willing to buy lottery tickets? If you can't answer any of these questions I would say get a new unit.