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CD Player Recommendation..

C

ChiefOperator

Folks, my AM needs a couple CD players for production and occasional on-air use. The existing Marantz players have failed. I would like a durable, simple player. Fader-start would be a plus, although I could modify it myself if necessary. My other stations have many of the Denon and Tascam professional players, but I'm also a fan of the "DJ" type players, such as the Stantons.

Someone at the station has looked at a BSW catalog and likes this unit. It does have fader-start and a simple interface. I'm tempted to order but first wanted to know whether anyone has any experience with it. Good, Bad??

http://bswusa.com/proditem.asp?item=CDN22MK5

Thanks!
 
Beware the fader-starts - they are not simple "push-to-make" but actually require +5v so will need some interfacing via a "wall-wart".
 
I suppose at the $150 per dual deck price you could afford to stock up on a couple and consider them throw-aways. I remember a station that had the Technics SL-P1200 decks. They looked like something rugged but were garbage plain and simple. The jocks had to place a full tape dispenser on the door when the door switch got touchy (at least several times a week). They ended up with consumer decks from the local hi-fi store where I wired the play buttons to the start buttons below the pots. The consumer stuff lasted longer than the pro units - disappointing.

One of the jocks from the station still does mobile gigs with CD players and Numark is one of the more questionable companies for support but if you consider the decks "BIC lighters" then tossing them may work. In fact, I had one donated to the high school station I work with for that very reason - one deck works fine and the other "soiled the linen" and is beyond use.
 
Yah, I've used the Stantons at one of the stations. I should probably just go with those. Thanks... (Charlie, thanks, I've had to modify those before).
 
Thanks. I have a bunch of Tascam (various models) and Denon in use at other stations, but I'm looking for one of the "DJ style" units (Stanton, Numark, Gemini, etc).
 
Try as I might I just can't get my head around the idea of using 'DJ' equipment in a broadcast environment. It just
doesn't sit right with me.
Invariably the DJ stuff doesn't come with balanced outputs, meaning it's a drama to hook it up.
The features and facilities on such machines are suited to discos, not on-air studios.

I don't understand why someone hasn't made a decent quality broadcast CD player, and continued production of it rather than
making it for a few years then ceasing production - without replacing it with something similar or better.

DENON have the ability to make a first-class machine, but don't seem interested. Their earlier units such as the DN-961FA had issues such as bearing problems and optic units failing after a short time. The interface and control sections were fairly good, but let down by the other issues.

It seems that even the 'pro' and 'commercial' CD players are nothing more than a domestic mechanism with some big buttons on the front panel.
They last about as long as a domestic unit used under the same conditions.
 
Studio1 said:
Try as I might I just can't get my head around the idea of using 'DJ' equipment in a broadcast environment. It just
doesn't sit right with me.
Invariably the DJ stuff doesn't come with balanced outputs, meaning it's a drama to hook it up.
The features and facilities on such machines are suited to discos, not on-air studios.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. I favor the "DJ" machines with very few of the "DJ" features, and I prefer to place them in the production room rather than the on-air studio. And, like you, I see the professional machines as being only slightly better than these "DJ" units.

As for the less expensive units, I do like the Denon 615 and the Tascam CD-160 or CD-200. Both are nice and lack the "DJ" features. Most of my stations use these or the more expensive Denon and Tascam units.

I once saw an article which showed a few CD Players built by an engineer for some stations. They were housed in a 2RU case, and used a CDROM as the transport. It also had a small display to choose the tracks and only "Start" and "Stop" buttons, much like the simplicity of a cart machine. I "think" it used a PIC for its logic. The article showed three in a rack. As I recall, the station was a larger market station with a rather nice studio. Unfortunately, I can't find the article now, but the players were very cool!
 
C'on fellows...a couple Henry unbalanced to balanced units ( Which last forever) and you are rockin'. I cannot tell the quality is appreciably any different between the cheepies and the $$$ Units...and it appears, to me, their lifespans are comparable. BUT, as the sage says " to each his own"...tnx JBI
 
My short experiences with on the air jocks will limit my desire to put anything in their hands that can't be bought in a KFC or LJS box.
 
jboyd said:
C'on fellows...a couple Henry unbalanced to balanced units ( Which last forever) and you are rockin'. I cannot tell the quality is appreciably any different between the cheepies and the $$$ Units...and it appears, to me, their lifespans are comparable. BUT, as the sage says " to each his own"...tnx JBI
Click to expand...

You're right. I meant that I don't like the extra features, such as pitch control, bend, etc. Too often, the jocks seem to get themselves into trouble; some are really technically limited. The other units have the much simpler interfaces.
 
I wrestled with the idea of buying some single play CD players over a year ago. I actually needed 3 for one studio and 2 for another. I wanted balanced outs, with wired remote capability. I finally went with the Stanton C402 model. I personally love these things. I like them so much that in the future, if my home SONY ES series players ever take a dump, I'll purchase these for home too. One request from some of the air talent for an AM studio that plays 2.5 minute oldies tunes on the weekend was, please purchase something that takes the CD and quickly cues up the track. I got lucky, because I found this Stanton model does exactly that. Even though I believe the wired remote is considered a fader start (nobody really uses that in the standard broadcast industry - mobile DJs maybe) on this model, the wired remote is also happy to accept a simple momentary contact closure to START or PAUSE play. The technical guys are also very helpful at Stanton if you have questions regarding the remote output/input (1/8" TS). I also did some critical listening to these units and think they sound fantastic. I have had no problems at all with the 5 units I have in the past over a year since I've had them. I would have to say this model is one of the best single play CD players on the market today. 5 brand new out of the box worked perfectly. That always impresses me too.
 
All -

Thanks for the input and ideas! I purchased three Stantons for the station.

On a more personal note, let me say how great it is to have a forum where we can all share experiences and exchange ideas. This forum has really given me some great ideas and guidance over the years.
 
I agree ChiefOperator. The guys on this board have helped me numerous times regarding issues, problems, and ideas I have had. And I appreciate it greatly. Because I will admit, I do not know everything. Plus, it is so instantaneous! I know there are plenty of engineering boards out there to discuss topics, but I like this one a lot. Thanks to all of the people that run and maintain it, and to everyone that provides feedback.
 
ChiefOperator said:
This unit is what one of my FMs is using, but I'm trying to get away from these high-cost players. I just can't justify the cost.

http://www.sixstardj.com/tacdmkbrcdpl.html
Click to expand...

The Tascam CD-601 is one of the best professional broadcast CD players one could have bought. We had a few of them in service for over 13 years (with regular maintenance and replacement of optics and motors when needed). A true workhorse... It's a shame Tascam doesn't make they any more.


Regards,
Goran Tomas
 
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