Pioneering DACs from a Bygone Era! These Paved the Way! 6 significant DAC/CD Players from the 1980s.

[@OldGuyHifi]

Sometimes it is hard to know where you are without looking back to see where you have been. These 6 DACs/CD players are benchmark units that pioneered technologies we till enjoy today. All DAC on sale now owe a big debt to this groundbreaking products. If you wish to join the channel and become a member please click here: www.youtube.com/@OldGuyHifi/membership

[@AEFisch]

Appreciate the old vs new comparisons. Some old stuff sounds great and tech has eclipsed others.

[@OldGuyHifi]

Thank you so much for your support. I do appreciate it.

[@gryphongryph]

My first cd player was a Yamaha, then went to a Arcam, can not remember the models name, later moved to the Meridian 588 cd player which was a big jump, then my first dac, the Primare dac 30 a great sounding dac, that is playing second fiddle this Christmas as I just got the Audial S5b, a TDA1541A chip dac with all the best thrown at it, is burning in now, but already sounds wonderful, will probably be my last dac.

[@FunFiEmpire]

Another banger of a video. Thank you so much for your history and analysis of what we can enjoy today (much more affordably!). My first CD player was a Sony in 1988 along with Onkyo 2 channel 100W powering a pair of BIC Venturi V52 in Oak Brook on Route 83. The speakers still work and my son now uses them with a Wiim an Aiyima D03. My first true DAC was a door prize from Randy (CAM) - the awesome SMSL SU-8s which unfortunately died, but was replaced by the even more fantastic Geshelli J2 classic.

[@dgeorge247]

Happy holidays Ed. Just want to say Thanks for the heads up on the diamond 225's. I got myself a pair for Christmas. They sound good out of the box. I am looking forward to breaking them in. I also appreciate the good words for radio shack. I spent a lot of time at the shack in the 70s. I'm still using the integrated amp I bought there in 79.keep it up in the new year. 🎉

[@OldGuyHifi]

Thank you so much for your support. I do appreciate it. Happy Holidays.

[@JohnScheppler]

Thanks for the memories of the past it was an interesting journey.

[@OldGuyHifi]

Thx. John.

[@trevorbartram5473]

Hi Ed, I purchased a Philips front loader CD player in Jan '85. I came to the US in Oct 85, bought a NAD amp & Snell speakers at Natural Sound. Unfortunately I was burgled a while later, so off to Natural Sound again for their replacements: a Denon DCD1500 MkIV, Adcom amp & Snell speakers. That system got heavy use for over ten years until the laser weakened. The Denon & Adcom were replaced by a NAD C-540 & C-340, I immediately recognised the improvement in sound courtesy of the C-540's BB PCM1704 DACs (now legendary). The C-540 lasted ten years until the laser weakened, a recurring theme! I now use a 25 year old Panasonic DVDA player & have a backup player when its laser fails!!

[@joeygsaudiochannel3972]

Excellent Video Ed. It’s about time a KZbinr finally shows these “kids” who are “experts” on a DAC’s sound where we came from in order to understand where we are now and where we are going in the Digital World of Audio. Well Done. I’ve read the reviews on a lot of the products you mentioned here when I was a kid/young adult. Never could afford any of it. My 1st player was a Philips CD-150 and years later a JVC 1bit CD player.

[@OldGuyHifi]

Thank you my friend. I appreciate the support.

[@AlexanderG-mi7ip]

It is good and fun to join you on this journey in order to see where modern devices actually come from. This is the Bigger Picture...

[@RickRuizAudio]

Your wealth of knowledge is inspiring, Ed. Your videos are always a learning opportunity. Thank you my friend.

[@OldGuyHifi]

I appreciate that my friend. I hope you and the family are having a wonderful time.

[@AlexanderG-mi7ip]

My digital journey started in the late 90s in Budapes. I was a poor student, couldn't afford anything fancy, but as soon as my uncle bought a new apartment for a favorable price, he gave me some money and I just ran straight to the biggest Hungarian Technics shop and picked their top of the line CD player. It had to be the one with headphone in, because I had nothing, no amp, no speakers, so I got myself some cheap headphones and my favorite Mozart d minor concerto on CD, and listened to it to death...(back in the 90s Technics was still making mass market stuff, it wasn't high-end like nowadays)

[@SastusBulbas1]

This was a rather enjoyable video, thankyou. I remember in the late 80's though just a kid getting quite into high end audio, in the UK the end goal was pretty much Musical Fidelity MVX/A370 pre power driving Kef 107, Pink Triangle or Michell was the turntable choice from my memory. Though Linn was pretty popular. CD players, well I saved up and was looking to get the Sony CDP-R1/DAS-R1 combination, I had my heart set on this, though I was also tempted with the Technics SL-Z1000/SH-X1000 combination. Not sure if it was looks but they were what I wanted, weirdly enough, and I do regret this, the Marantze pairing was also on offer at that time and more readily available and was actually more affordable, and many dealers would recommend the Meridian 601/602 pairing, again I possibly should have went either route, as the 601/602 from memory also had a preset to replace the Kef Kube for the 107. What ended up happening was the Sony pairing after waiting a year never showed, I had passed up some great equipment while awaiting this, as I did not want to eat into funds, and when this happened, I quit audio and bought a Titanium MTB with the CD player money. Later on I ended up back into it all, I ended up with Theta, starting with their basic dac, then moving up to the ProBasic IIIa fully balanced with the Theta Data III and AES output, I had intended to go up to the ProGen Va balanced DAC, but it simply never happened, and I ended up adding the Genesis Digital Lens. Theta and Krell were at that point among the best bass/mid bass through full range (IE 20hz and upwards) three ways at that time. The last time I looked at digital audio it was DCS on the recommended upgrade list, three box system, it was nice, certainly better looking, but the cost vs performance against the Theta wasn't quite worthwhile, I was never 100% sure nor comfortable with that sort of expendature. Returning to audio these days and its a minefield, modern dacs and chips, streaming, pre/dac, room correction, so many options, yet so much of it seems to offer little in the way of a matching transport/clock/dac that is worthwhile over a lower cost preamp/dac with room correction or even a significant improvent over the old stuff.

[@phatjbl]

Hi I very much enjoyed this video. I first bought a traded in Sony CDP 101 from a local hifi shop. It sounded great until it didn't to my new to digital ears . The sony failed when I was still at school so a very humble CDC540 from Kmart went in till I bought a Pioneer Pd501 when working part time in hifi. I enjoyed that for a while until I went down the JBL vintage studio monitor road ...the 4320 monitors needed a player a little more laid back so a Nad 512 went in for a good while. Other players I've owned and still own is a Yamaha CD2000s. That is a great unit. I have others like a Marsntz 17. They all offer something a little different. Some dramatically so. Over the years I've heard digital and cd improve loads. I do like the idea of a tube dac as an alternative to the conventional output of say my Nad C568 cd I'm listening to as I type. Alone it's a good player for the price. Hopefully the format will serve a few more decades.

[@ryanbmd7988]

Absolutely loved this Ed! Fascinating info on the 1540, I’ve got the 1540D in a Nak OMS5 (sadly only rca out otherwise a fun transport) More DAC explorations please!!

[@OldGuyHifi]

Glad you enjoyed it! Please give the pups a pat on the rump for me.

[@petercelestion7661]

My first experience with digital music was the sony cd player cdp-302es it used a bu1 linear laser optic build as a tank it used a single dac for both channels bought it in 1984 and is still working The next upgrade was the sony cdp-x7esd used burrbrown dac 18 bit bought this one in 86 and is still my main setup changed some opamps and clock it's my absolute favorite this one uses also a bu1 laser optic unit This pickup was very popular and still is because of reliability but also capable of playing discs esceeding the 76 minute time line wich the swing units from philips could not handle specially when the disc was not centered I have one heavenly damaged cd wich can only be played in these two players all other players i have or tried won't play this disc this tells me something about the construction of these units

[@robinkleinsteuber5217]

Hope your Christmas went superbly. The CMOS nomenclature that the literature referred to in the deglitching circuit in the Accuphase unit instead refers to a circuit with the acronym Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, or, CMOS, as shorthand. It refers to the usage of complementary n-channel and p-channel MOSFETs that were known for low power consumption for miniaturized circuits as used in digital devices. They could be operated in either the strong inversion mode (fast op and low power drain) or in the subthreshold mode for even lesser power drain yet (for portable devices), but with much slower switching operation. Yeah, enough of this EE stuff. Happy listening, maybe with nostalgic gear! 😊👍🎶🎶

[@bengleason508]

Finding the perfect DAC is a journey through heaDAChe and auDACiousness, balancing technical precision with sonic bliss.

[@OldGuyHifi]

You are very punny Ben.

[@harrisarp3841]

Thank you,my favourite decade!!!!

[@OldGuyHifi]

You're very welcome

[@winstonmcgill6667]

Very informative

[@adsph]

Very well done Ed. Love some history.

[@OldGuyHifi]

Thx Chris. Happy new year.

[@WilliamLipski]

First Digital player was part of a Sony Midi System. I was hooked on CD's from then to now. But thanks to Kevin and Skylabs Audio clips I'm contemplating getting a turntable and focusing on Vinyl. I'm being influenced by Influencers.✌

[@SuperMcgenius]

Good list, I remember these, Musatex /Mitener made a great DAC also

[@DeMorcan]

2 or 3 years ago some company bought a number of Phillips transports (Philips CDPro2) and used them for an expensive (around 5K from memory with the DAC) CD transport. Another model used Phillips CDM4 transports. They said they had kept a number of them to provide warranty and further service. The separate DAC was an R2R and the combo sounded better (soundstage, layering, and imaging) than any CD transport and DAC which I had heard or the one I have now. I forget the brand name now. It was named aftger the companies owner I think.

[@PerfDayToday]

Nice.. didn’t know anyone else knew about the Meridian 207, heh. I still have my 207-14 bit w 209 remote and M 20 speakers. The CD player is currently inoperable. I need to someone to repair it. Meridian used to.

[@trevorbartram5473]

Hi Ed, wow, how the prices have changed. I don't want your viewers to get the wrong impression regarding oversampling. As long as the DAC is fast & accurate low oversampling brings a major advantage, a simpler & less sonically harmful DAC output reconstruction analog filter. Philips recognised this early on, their semiconductor technology was only capable of 14 bit resolution but they achieved 16 bit using a combination of oversampling, PCM (pulse code modulation) & PWM (pulsewidth modulation) of the DAC's LSB. Cheers!

[@Roudaki677]

Cal Labs was an amazing company, I had to get a loan to buy my first Cal in college. Working to this day. It was a toss up between the Audio Alchemy set or Cal Labs. The Audio Alchemy dealer in Dallas at the time treated me like dirt so I drove to the Cal Dealer and bought that set.

[@1mctous]

Mike Moffat, one of Schiit's founders who did business as Theta Digital, and Paul McGowan of PS Audio, pioneered external DACs. BTW some early digital files used a 32 KHz sampling rate, especially Denon's.

[@OldGuyHifi]

Yes. I mentioned Mike.

[@gilesdavis6345]

I still use a marantz cd94 mk1 and cda94. Inside my cda94 there’s only 1 dac chip and it’s not a silver crown. (It’s never been changed.) It is still an incredible player though, sounding great and still going strong. Great video

[@OldGuyHifi]

Thanks for sharing

[@Linux_Lucy]

Hi Ed. Today's Hania 'like' Album is by the Artist - Eydis Eversen. The album is -' Bylur.' Absolutely 'Stunning' for a Debut Album. I'm sure U will do your own 'research' on her and the album. Start with the Tracks ... Deep Under ... and ... The Northern Sky ... And when U have time .... listen to the 'Whole Album' .... Her other album is - 'The Light' ... Hope U Like. 😍 I can't remember if I have already said this but, my 'Daily Driver' CD Transport is the Brilliant Meridian 200. And I have the matching 203 DAC which 'occasionally' gets some use. My other Meridian Gear is ... the Classic 'Top Loader' MCD. Plus a pair of the M3 Acive speakers with their original stands and matching 101B Pre-Amp and 104 FM Tuner. They still sound Amazing. .... 2 other 'From the Past' DAC's I have are the 'Cute' little Micro-Mega Micro DAC. ( Remember them ? ? ) and the A&R Cambridge 'Black Box'. Yep, everything is still fully working. Oh, almost forgot. I have a Sony CDP101, Sony's first CD Player. It is a 'nice looking' Player and built like a Tank ... Still works but sadly doesn't actually sound that great nowadays ! 🥴 ... Another Nice Video. Lucy.

[@OldGuyHifi]

I am adding those to the playlist. The Meridian gear is really good. Thanks so much. Happy New Year.

[@annebokma4637]

Have a look at the Luxman DP07 & DA07. Those were/are great

[@paulmarr6949]

Great video Ed. 13k by new years!

[@OldGuyHifi]

Fingers crossed!

[@steamflower]

How would these DACs (I had the Meridian 206 paid $1500 for it) compare to today DAC such as the LAIV Harmony R2R DAC?

[@OldGuyHifi]

Audio memory is a fleeting think. My educated guess is the new world sound superior just because of improvement in parts quality and engineering. Thx.

[@annebokma4637]

Have a look at the luxman dp07 & da07 those were my favorite back then

[@BostonMike68]

Very interesting video, I have been hearing about that tda chip for diy DACs, it's very sought after and I think there's fake ones being sold on eBay. I honestly didn't . I really didn't know about DACs, I was still young and my paper route money was just enough to buy a couple cassettes and LP's. Until resent I started designing speakers and wanting to learn more about how to get better sound quality. i have been using a pioneer elite TC 45 a SACD, Blueray, DVD player I got at a thrift shop for cheap. I use it as a transport. I bought Fleetwood Mac rumors and Dire straights first album on SACD and they sound amazing to me. I like even listening to regular CDs better than streaming with the pioneer.

[@OldGuyHifi]

Almost all of them are fakes theses days.

[@avro66]

i had the meridian player and active M2 speakers back in the day ,great piece of kit.

[@stimpy1226]

The first CD player that my ears could tolerate was a Wadia 830. It actually sounded musical, I would say musical plus.

[@stimpy1226]

The first CD player that my ears could tolerate was a Wadia 830. It actually sounded musical, I would say musical plus. Same Pioneer Transport or a similar one.

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Denon, Yamaha, and even Sony (with their ES line) made some very good, relatively high-end CD players in the late 1980s into the mid-1990s. Of course, they would not have been sold by the typical ultra high-end audio shop. Denon DCD-1500, DCD-1560, DCD-1290 Yamaha CDX-10000, CDX-5000, CDX-1120 Sony CDP-R1/DAS-R1, CDP-707ESD, CDP-777ES I really like my Carver TL-3300 (that has several Yamaha ICs inside).

[@Zockopa]

The best sounding CD-player from the initial generation was imho the Technics SL-P10. It sounded exactly like a upper class turntable with a top notch MC cartridge. However the vertical loading mechanism,although cool looking,was prone to failure in the long run.

[@peterlundskow4061]

I am guessing the units you talked about because they are before firmware updates, that even if they are good they don't hold their value like vintage amplifiers, speakers etc.? Is that correct? Second, since ladder DACs can be hand built with resistors, is there or was, DIY a thing building them? Have you ever considered making a video about small computers dedicated to controling & sending a signal to a streamer or ripping a CD collection? I have an old laptop that I installed Roon on (not very good) & use a Orchard Audio Pecan Pie+. I am looking at Small Green Computers, Roon Nucleus, etc.

[@dennishill290]

I did enjoy the memory lane...👍.... and I prefer burr-brown chips over the others, especially over the ESS SABRE CHIPS.. my favorite cd player before it pooped out was the Raysonic CD-168 with burr-brown 1794a chips... I like the 1792,1796 and 1780 burr-brown chips in my other gear and brings a smile to my face and ears in my set-ups.... interesting journey we've all had in digital play-back... Thanks for your video...and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you. 🍸🍸🔈🔈..... !

[@OldGuyHifi]

Thank you. Happy holidays.

[@stimpy1226]

I could not listen to music played on any CD player and used to run out of the audio salons with my hands over my ears until 1995 I believe when I walked into John’s Rutan’s shop in New Jersey and there was a Wadia 830 CD player and I purchased it within five minutes. That’s when I believe CD players began to sound really musical

[@stimpy1226]

The first time I met Mark Levinson he was all into DSD using a Sony Phillips CD player and red rose components number four into AUDIO for Mark. That sounded pretty damn good. We’re not talking the 80s though.

[@BoRerunn]

Is the Gustard X30 on your radar😎👍🏽

[@OldGuyHifi]

Patience my friend. Good things come ton those that wait.

[@germancarluv]

Best sounding vintage DAC I have heard was the apogee DA2000. New apogee doesn't sound like the vintage stuff.

[@BoRerunn]

Q: did those boxes connect to record players or tape players or were they only worked with CD's

[@OldGuyHifi]

Only digital. Some connected to DAT machines. My Marantz did.

[@BoRerunn]

@ when are you going to review a HiFiRose DACs or integrated amps

[@OldGuyHifi]

@@BoRerunn Soon.

[@BoRerunn]

@@OldGuyHifi fosho 💪🏼

[@BoRerunn]

@ I noticed that SMSL drops khz from 192 down to 44 khz on all the music files

[@A-gks]

Accuphase was definitely a lot more ambitious and innovative back in its heydays. Today, Esoteric cd players reign supreme and Accuphase has gotten lazy with off the shelf dac chips.

[@damirhlobik6488]

Philips LHH 1000 (Marantz CD 12)?

[@OldGuyHifi]

Idk. Could be.

[@freekdeniro8623]

Ed there is a Denon DA 500 (1994) dac for sale local here where iam. It has 2 x Burr Brown PCM 1702 chips. Would this be worth paying $100 over a modern cheap Dac Like Fiios K11 R2r?

[@OldGuyHifi]

With any used item you run the risk of it needing repair. If you need the CD player mech, then go for it.

[@AEFisch]

The best of your list vs today's tech? NAD with a Luxman receiver my dad had and brother still uses sounds great. I went CD changer and optical to Yamaha Rx-A800. Do you think that DAC is = to what? (HK and Yamaha class A, R on shelf but could use external DAC today?). CD "jitter" went away with 3 laser pickups that error checked. Unless you mean interference in the DAC electronics?

[@OldGuyHifi]

Thanks for sharing

[@davidzwicker9988]

First stand alone dac was Aragon D2A2 with design input from Mike Moffat at Theta. Burr Brown PCM-63 “ladder” dac chip. Will not part with this dac.

[@OldGuyHifi]

Nice unit. Thx

[@ernies8828]

$7,700 for a DAC?? I would never spend that kind of money for anything, nor would I think the sound would be that much better than a $1,000 CD player. Unless you are a spoiled audiophile obsessed ideologue, the majority buy what is reasonable and affordable. I had a laserdisc and CD player, including a CD changer, and the CDs were always far and away better than any cassette, 8-track or vinyl record. I never heard any harshness at all. When CDs came out, I was immediately hooked and never went back to vinyl or tapes. The only time came later when streaming became more commonplace and CDs, like records, became far and few between, as the creation stalled. Even now, getting them is too expensive, time consuming, cumbersome and inconvenient. I haven't even owned a CD player since about 2005.

[@OldGuyHifi]

Thx for sharing your thoughts. Happy Holidays.

[@ernies8828]

@OldGuyHifi - Merry Christmas belated and happy new year.

[@OldGuyHifi]

@@ernies8828 Thank you.

[@IndySnowman]

CMOS is a device type.

[@donneumann6546]

I have a Nikko carousel cd player NCD 2700 R that I picked up for 50 bucks in a used shop in the early 2000s with no remote. Still working today and it sounds fantastic. I have no idea what kind of chip set is in that thing!

[@jayem1826]

Still using the Audio Alchemy DTI PRO and DDE 3.0 (HDCD) with the Power Station two and Data Stream Cable (that need power as well).

[@OldGuyHifi]

Nice!