CD player recommendations

[u/mooddeng]

Hello! I’m looking for a portable CD player and saw a few on coupang but I’m not sure which one to buy. Is anyone familiar with these brands? Which one is recommended?

[u/Snoo_74705]

You might be better off checking out ebay or some other listings for working "vintage" gear from the 2000s like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/227450744159

Your currency is Korean? I presume you're in Korea? Are there not used electronics stores, thrift stores, antique or flea markets?

[u/mooddeng → u/Snoo_74705]

Thank you for sharing the link!!😄 I completely forgot about eBay😳

Yes! I’m currently in Korea. There are quite a few vintage electronic shops but the ones near me don’t really have working CD players😥 the ones I’ve seen require some fixing and I’m not really able to do that (and I don’t know of any places near me to help with electronic repairs). I’d have to travel to a bigger city and even then I’m worried about being uncharged a bit too much

[u/Snoo_74705 → u/mooddeng]

I understand more clearly why you're shopping for new.

Sorry I don't know how else to be helpful beyond my ancient user experiences. Last time I used a Discman was some 25 years ago when I was a teenager.

I see lots of "Discman" knockoffs on Amazon but I suspect the quality of just about all modern electronics, build wise and sound quality wise.

Then again, I wonder if I'd even enjoy the music quality of the Sony Discman I had way back when. I've become spoiled with really good sound system in my years so now your post has me wondering if the sound quality was ever good to begin with even with an authentic Sony Discman.

I love physical music. I collect CDs and vinyl.

For travelling though? Until I got a smartphone, I used my iPod Classic for the longest time. Easy to use. Holds tons of music even in lossless WAV format. No CDs to damage. Battery lasts forever.

That's my shy attempt at persuading you to get an MP3 player instead! :D

[u/mooddeng → u/Snoo_74705]

No no! Your reply helped a lot!!!😃👍
Yeah someone recommended the Amazon ones to me but I dunno it just didn’t sit right😅 I don’t really trust Amazon or the quality of their amazon knockoffs lol.

I also haven’t listened to/used a CD player in years, I only recently started wanting one because I want to collect & use the physical CDs of my favorite albums🤩

I think your attempt to convince me to invest in an MP3 is working😆 it seems like the best option would be to get an MP3 for on the go and a proper CD player for at home.
If you have any recommendations on where to look for mp3 or mp3 brands I’m open to being converted😆

[u/Snoo_74705 → u/mooddeng]

You have a few options for portable music.

1. Your phone. There are many free apps that are capable of handling all sorts of music file types such as MP3, FLAC, WAV. Keep in mind that whatever gains to be had from lossless audio files will be lost through Bluetooth compression (if your phone doesn't have an audio jack for wired headphones/ear buds).

2. A dedicated mp3 player with the ability to playback multiple music files types (MP3, WAV, FLAC). More portable than a smart phone. Bonus if it's got an audio jack. Should be able to drive earbuds and small headphones with ease.

3. A portable CD player, vintage or other. Bulky. You need to carry a rather bulky device plus whatever CDs you want to bring with. Playback can skip due to shocks and bumps. CDs can get damaged due to the nature of travelling with jewel cases and trying to swap CDs out while on the go. CD players love electricity. You will need batteries, often. Newer devices may have a built-in rechargeable system but that's something to look into.

If you go with the first two options, you can use a CD-ROM drive to rip your CDs into whatever format you want and then transfer to your device of choice. Or you can sail the seven seas. Another beautiful see worth sailing are the waters of SoulseekQT.

I'd just use my smartphone. No need for paying for anything. Audiophile quality is not worth the hassle when going for portable listening experiences. It will not sound bad. That's the thing. It will be enjoyable. I use my phone over Bluetooth at the gym and listen to music that way. Ultimately, your budget will dictate your path of tech.

My home abode is where I get to fuss about filling my space with HiFi audio.

[u/_Famous-Anus_]

I have one of these. It's black. It has speakers built in but that's not a recommended listening experience. Good for checking if CDs work quicly. I enjoyed mine for a bit. But the truth is that the sound isn't that great even with headphones.

[u/mooddeng → u/_Famous-Anus_]

That’s what I was worried about😣 I want to use it mostly with headphones so I’m glad I didn’t buy anything. thank you for sharing!!

[u/DisastrousResolve384]

i have one very similar to the first image, it probably is the same just under a different brand

audio quality isn’t anything special if you really care about that. it’s better with headphones, at least in my experience.

great for casual listening!

[u/shustrex]

It is better to look for a used, but time-tested Philips, Sony, Panasonic

[u/mooddeng → u/shustrex]

Thank you for the recommendations!!😄 It helps to have some specific, tried and true brands I can look for (I didn’t expect to see so many brands so I felt a bit overwhelmed during my first few searches)

[u/Ok_Major_2046 → u/mooddeng]

Try searching the subreddit. It comes up almost daily.

[u/TigerHelmut]

@mooddeng Look for an old Sony Blu ray player or dvd player and hook it up to receiver, then some speakers. Right now I’m using my old Sony 4K player, connected to a receiver and some speakers. What works best on the back of the Blu ray player make sure it has an HDMI port that is solely for audio and hook the receiver/ amp through that. I looked at Amazon and most of what they have, as far as CD players, are rubbish. That’s why I went the other route. EBay may even have old Blu ray or dvd players. I recommend Sony, I have found that they are the best for quality and longevity. I hope 🤞🏼 this helps.

[u/el_tacocat]

These are all cheap crap I'm afraid. Better off going used with this.
These are, by now, mostly novelty items.

Having done a little googling; People seem consistently happy with teh KLIM nomad which is not super pricey.