Vintage Magnevox CD Player

[rickcr42]

Not my review but still worthy of a thread.

I actually owned one of these and to be honest I still miss it it being the only CD player I have ever owned i actually like the looks of

www.lacieg2s.ca/w3terra/ols/magnavox.htm

This player had so many good things going for it that Meridian used it as their own CD player offering-the MCD,soon followed bu the MCD Pro both of which were the very first (to my knowledge anyway) modifications of a stock consumer grade CD player and which is THE model for every single CD or DVD player mod since.

[PinkFloyd]

GREAT old players Rick and based firmly on the Philips machines of the era (iirc "magnavox" was part of philips as was Marantz?) I just love those early players the transports were top notch CDM1 CDM4 etc. the crap they're making nowadays just can't hold a candle to those solid transports IMO.

I had a Marantz CD10 a few months ago and, man, that thing was built like a brick shithouse and could easily wipe the floor with today's offerings. It didn't sound too hot with the original 20 year old caps but once I replaced them with new ones......... BINGO! A lot of people compare new CD players to 20 year old ones and say there's no contest but they don't realise that the capacitors in these old girls need changing and just "what" an improvement fresh caps make.

Mike.

[rickcr42]

most equate "new" with better but having no bench mark for comparing other than like designed garbage any change is considered an improvement just because it sounds different

It can be very disheartening to take a vintage integrated amp or source,compare it with what passes for good now and then realise it is back to the drawing board because head to head the old ugly whipped its ass.

My feeling is if I can't better my stock dynaco gear in SQ (nice sounding,hardly the best but pleasant) then I am no more than pissing in the wind and getting wet in the process

[sometrolls2]

Are transports for the MCD Pro still available? there is one on Ebay right now

[rickcr42]

I am not positive but I beleive the Magnexox/Phillips/Meridian were first generation 14 DAC bit machines .

And from memory Meridian was the first to take a stock consumer grade CDP and apply sound analog audio techniques to the digital source,

The MCD just improved on the parts quality and analog section (again from memory),then painted the chassis black and added "MERIDIAN" in place of the original name,

The MCD PRO took it to the next level and was an all out assualt according to the SOTA of the time and because of this added a bottom section to the original chassis to fit the additional parts that had no shot at fitting inside the factory chassis,

As transports go it did and does make sense to have the disc load from the top which eliminates the weak spot of the CDP-the drawer-on the "anything that moves will and because it does creates friction and friction WILL over time wear the moving part"

So you have a moving part where one is not necessary other than to satisfy the need for some to stack componants AND this part being mostly made of lightweight material a serious weak spot.

The meridian is cool and has a lot of good going for it but I am not sure if the internal chip set is up to duty in a modern hi res audio system