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Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

Title:	Welcome to the CD Notes Conference
Notice:	Welcome to COOKIE
Moderator:	COOKIE::ROLLOW

Created:	Mon Feb 17 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Mar 03 1989
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1517
Total number of notes:	13349

845.0. "Magnavox CDB465 Compact Disc Player" by REGENT::SCHMIEDER () Wed Aug 05 1987 12:46

I was finally able to purchase a Magnavox CDB465 at Q Audio in Cambridge two 
weeks ago.  I couldn't be happier!  I heard a friend's CDB460 a month ago and 
was quite impressed.  The first musical DC player I had heard.  The 465 is 
even better.  It ought to be, for nearly twice the price!

It doesn't match my $600 Rega Planer3/Linn cartridge, but it comes VERY close.

I listened to the CD's I bought on sales.

The Gerry Niewood didn't sound all that great, but the new Michael Brecker on 
MCA seems to show CD at its best and was better than ANY record I have!  This 
is good news, although I doubt many manufacturers will hold to MCA's quality 
(read the recent Music & Sound Output to get the party line from each company 
on how they're going about digital recording.  I already knew from that 
article that MCA was the company to watch out for).  No brittleness or 
edginess at all, lots of presence and a very natural tone.

The first thing that struck me was that the EQ is nearly identical to the EQ 
on tapes I've made of my records.  This showed up when I compared the 
Jefferson Airplane CD to the tape I made from a combination of domestic and 
import records.  Either this means I have a good ear for a flat response, or 
it's just a coincidence.  I do think I'm pretty good at accounting for slight 
imperfections in my system (although my current system requires a MUCH subtler 
EQ curve than my previous system), and it's good news to me if CD's do indeed 
have generally flat response (presumably, with the removal of the cartridge 
variable, all CD's should sound more or less alike in this regard).

The Beatles CD's were a big disappointment, but I let my sisters have my 
import albums a few years back since she's younger and has more time to play 
them.  I'll have to borrow them to compare, as it may just be that the CD 
shows up the flaws in the originals.  What I'm saying is that I haven't heard 
the Parlophone albums on my Rega turntable yet.  I noticed last night that the 
Parlophone albums are finally out here, remastered of course.  Ironically, 
Rubber Soul has the Parlophone label, whereas the CD uses the Capital label on 
the picture (one of many screw-ups that I've already gone over in another 
note).  Sgt. Pepper was the only one that didn't disappoint me, although I 
haven't listened to "Help!" or "A Hard Day's Night" yet.  Revolver sounded 
downright WEIRD.  The bass jumps out at you and sounds disjointed.  "Taxman" 
sounds FAR more psychedelic as a result, and less melodic as well.  Again, 
this may be verified as the intended effect when I play the vinyl on my Rega.

That's all I own for now.  My policy is to only buy CD's where they either are 
unavailable on vinyl or have more material, or where it's a "Perfect Album 
Side" that both my S.O. and I are extremely fond of.  Or a replacement for 
sauch an album, where my vinyl copy is beyond repair ("Aqualung" will probably 
be my first purchase in this category, since I heard it on the radio a while 
back and felt the remix was superior by far to the original).

I'm wondering if, since the 465 is the right width, there are rack-mount 
adaptors available for it.  Does anyone know?  I'm still hoping to rack-mount 
my system in a Joe's cabinet (solid oak) from E.U. Wurlitzer, but my Yamaha 
rack-mount adaptors for my graphic EQ haven't arrived six months after 
ordering them anyway.  I would imagine there are probably generic rack-mount 
side strips that would work for almost anything, though, if anyone knows 
anything about them.

One final note:  Since I set the CDB465 up in a hurry, it's on the floor right 
now, separate from the rest of my system.  I have noticed that it is EXTREMELY 
sensitive to vibrations; MUCH moreso than my turntable, which can practically 
withstand the impact of an elephant.

Still, I HIGHLY recommend this CD player as the best buy on the market.  Even 
at twice the price of its predecessor.  I know I'm talking to a brick wall, 
though, so won't lecture about natural sound, familiarity with live music, 
etc.  My feeling is that whatever makes people happy is best for them, until 
they become better informed and get mad at the same people they got made at 
for "proselytising" earlier, for not trying hard enough to "convert" them!  
Again, everyone has their own criteria and needs, so this is not meant to 
imply a judgement against people who prefer the Sony-based players.


				Mark

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
845.1	Price?	DSSDEV::STRANGE	Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite	`Wed Aug 05 1987 13:16`	4
	re:.0 Could you divulge the price on this player, and on the 460? (It was probably mentioned before, but I don't know where to look)
845.2		REGENT::SCHMIEDER		`Wed Aug 05 1987 13:21`	12
	The CDB465 is around $220-$240, all included, at Q Audio. Can't remember the exact price. $20-$30 cheaper by mail order, but I like to support local business. Call first, since they sell fast and they might already be out before the next shipment arrives. Add another $30 or so if you plan, as I did, to use Interlink cables vs. the crud they ship in the boxes. The CDB460 was around $140-$150 mail order, plus shipping. Mark
845.3	Another source	DSSDEV::CHAN		`Thu Aug 06 1987 12:52`	13
	If anyone else is interested in purchasing this beast, Jordan Marsh has the 465 on sale till the end of the month for $199. The store in the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nahsua, NH (no tax) had 3 last night. I heard from the salesman that if you don't like it, bring it back (sound farmiliar?) It seems that the 465 has an optional remote control. The Magnavox costomer service center said that it is an infa red remote and cost 49.95. Unfortunately the parts center said the'd get back to me with the part number. Will update when I hear something. Kenney
845.4	CD player isolation	MUDDY::DODGE		`Fri Aug 07 1987 15:29`	23
	Re:.0 Regarding intention to rack mount Maggie 465... Several months ago I built a very solid rackmount cabinet and have subsequently mounted many components (brackets were custom made at local sheet metal fab facility). Since that time I purchased a Musical Concepts 650 and (for lack of room in rack) set it up on top of the cabinet which is 3/4 veneer plywood. Modifications since initial installation included Monster's Interlink Reference, Tweek and Tiptoes. the tiptoes were to provide more direct coupling of CD player to mass of rack mount cabinet. Recently I replaced the Tiptoes with AQ Sorbothane isolator pads and was quite impressed with the difference between those and the Tiptoes. Sound was significantly less veiled and open. It seems to me that it is better to provide isolation of CD player chassis rather than mass-coupling.. Besides being more Open the depth was improved.. You might consider this before "bolting" in the CD player to a rackmount. ps.. the Musical Concept modifications are absolutely wonderful and will make your player sound seriously different.. Mine is about to be sent back to them for another set of modifications. Tom
845.5	The Best CD For The Money	DISSRV::ALLEN		`Wed Aug 12 1987 09:35`	10
	It is not surprising to hear the praise bestowed upon the Magnovox CD player. Magnovox is after all a subsidiary of the Philips N.V company, the original developers of the CD format. There have been many favorable reviews mentioned in the stereo magazines and all have said that the Magnovox CD players are the best players for the money. Stephen
845.6	You forgot someone	QUARK::LIONEL	We all live in a yellow subroutine	`Wed Aug 12 1987 18:53`	14
	A correction to .5: Phillips is ONE OF the original developers of the CD format. Sony is the other. But I hardly see how that has any direct effect on the quality of the companies' CD players. Indirectly, of course, each company was interested enough to devote a lot of resources to the CD, and each company has remained in the forefront of CD technology. My own observations over the last three years lead me to feel that Sony has made more innovations than Phillips in CD players, but that both companies are far ahead of other manufacturers. Progress never ceases. Steve
845.7	Magnavoxes CHEAP at Sears	AMUSE::QUIMBY		`Thu Oct 01 1987 15:46`	8
	There is a new Sears catalog that lists the CDB-460 for $149.99 and the CDB-560 (with remote) for $199.99. I had been told at Q Audio that these have been discontinued, but regardless -- the 460 at that price, with Sears' liberal return policy, is an excellent deal. Makes me kind of regret the 465 I bought for $230....
845.8	i'm looking	ANGORA::WATSON	World Renowned Zymurgist	`Fri Oct 02 1987 07:31`	10
	besides being discontinued, and possibly having a different look, is there a major difference between the 460 and the 465? how about between the 560 and the 465 for the same price? bob (who's in the market for a player)
845.9		AMUSE::QUIMBY		`Fri Oct 02 1987 08:42`	49
	All current (CDB-xxx) Magnavoxes have the same basic audio processing, 16-bit quad-oversampling digital filtered etc., etc., and share a sound that has been described as unusually musical for stock players. 460. 465, and 560 all look the same. 460 has no extras. 465 has Favorite Track Selection (memorizes what you want to hear on a given disk, so you hear the selected tracks every time) -- which I have but personally find useless. Q Audio claims it has "the optical block" of the -650, but I have seen no other confirmation of this (and they did a VERY poor job of explaining just what it meant in the first place). 560 is a 460 with a remote control. There is no 465 with remote available. 650 is the high end version -- although, to be honest, ever since they added FTS to the 465 I don't understand what justifies the extra $150-200. Everything I've seen about the 650 sounds like this is an alternate product targetted at people who firmly believe that when you spend more, you get something better. Magnavoxes are great sound-for-the-dollar products. They are not built like a brick s**thouse, and may be somewhat mechanically noisier than other brands. From what I've seen and heard, though, they keep on working. Personally, I suspect that the 460 is NOT discontinued, that what was happening when Q said that was that North American Philips was in the process of cutting a deal with Sears and wanted to segment their channels -- 460/560 through Sears, 465/650 through audio stores. They have never been great marketers, distribution and availability of the players has been scattered, spotty and sporadic, This clumsy introduction./withdrawal/reintroduction would fit perfectly. But NAP is just the U.S. marketing arm. You're getting a Philips machine, which has been engineered for great sounds (and which, to my taste, looks better from the front than many of the Japanese players). dq
845.10		MARVIN::WARWICK	DNA puts life into your network	`Mon Oct 05 1987 09:53`	11
	The U.S. Magnavox model numbers seem to be slightly different to the European Philips numbers, but I think I understand which playesr are which... A whole new range of Philips players has just been launched in the U.K. (five in all I think). I think that these are intended to supersede the 160/360/460 range. This may account for stories about models being discontinued etc. Trev