Portable CD Players in 2023?

[WingsOfImagination]

Like, how else would you get to legally own and listen to uncompressed music nowadays? 

I'm thinking of buying a used Sony D-141 Discman and use it with my Philips SHP9600 headphones, after watching this wonderful guide on YouTube:

But...can it even properly drive them? I'm not yet knowledgeable enough about all the audiophile terms and technical details. I want to get the best possible quality!

And there's no actual better alternative right? Except stationary options.

Though who am I kidding, I mostly just want to use discs!

So, does any of you still use a portable CD player? 

[Colliewood]

I don't have one of these (yet) but I love getting looks when I tell people I have a Sony Walkman. That is just the brand they use to make mp3 players but I oh-so love my mp3 player to bits. I have lots of CD's laying around everywhere though that a Discman would be just as cool.

[Memory]

Pro tip: ask older people you know (45-65) whether they still have dusty old devices somewhere in a box or in the basement. My dad gave me both a Sony Diskman ESR and a portable tape player just like that.

[Melooon]

Like, how else would you get to legally own and listen to uncompressed music nowadays?

While I totally support carrying around a DiscMan and a pile of CDs - IF you need a practical alternate - ripping the CDs as lossless FLACs and playing them back on a modern Hi-Res portable player like a Sony A40 or A55.. or A306?? (there are a bunch) Walkman is a VERY good and convent option - plus you still get to collect CDs!

[WingsOfImagination]

Also an option! I had no idea these existed 

Though it seems to be mostly out of stock and far more expensive than a Discman, but of course offers more capabilities. Also Sony claims it to be higher than CD quality?!

Enjoy the subtlest nuances of studio-quality sound in higher than CD quality with High-Resolution Audio. Passion for music unites every component from signal to speaker, so it feels like the artist is performing right in front of you.

[Melooon]

Though it seems to be mostly out of stock and far more expensive than a Discman, but of course offers more capabilities. Also Sony claims it to be higher than CD quality?!

CD quality is totally fine and very good sounding - but its only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to hi-res audio! I have "Pure Heroine" by Lorde in that 24 bit 96khz quality.. and... it is super deep and nice to listen to! I don't think its a big enough difference to stress about, but is there, and maybe worth it on some albums - 99% of the time though CD quality is perfect  

(Also its important to note - those old DiscMen are prob not playing back full CD quality - even in the 2000s you needed a fancy stereo to get the most out of a CD)

Annndd agreed - the Sony Walkman line is a mess at the moment - Id love to get one.. but they just haven't made the perfect one for me yet. You can also look up a company called Fiio, they make good players too (Just without the Walkman branding :sad:smile:

[WingsOfImagination]

And here I thought that CDs are the highest quality you can possibly get. I guess I'm out of touch :TnT:

Oh but you had me worried now, you're saying that Discmans don't offer a perfect CD playback? I thought they did and the rest only depended on the quality of your headphones/sound system...

(And thanks for the recommendation)

[Melooon]

Sooo a CD is basically a data storage medium - it stores digital audio data (of a particular quality that was defined in the 1980s); e.g. its a bunch of 1s and 0s pressed into a plastic disc - a laser reads those 1s and 0s, and converts them into electrical 1s and 0s, and then something called a DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) turns the 1s and 0s into analogue electrical audio - then your headphones turn that into something your ears can hear!

Assuming the data on the CD is a great quality - after that the DAC is the important bit - you can have a basic lil DAC that is just a chip and goes inside your phone - or you can have a HUGE expensive one that sits under your stereo! The job of the DAC is to figure out how to take digital data and turn it into something that sounds good - and it has to do it reaallly fast and really accurately!
DACs have improved a LOT in the last 20 years, old Sony ones were definitely the best you could get in a portable player 20 years ago, but you could also get much better ones in a big stereo.. today things are very different! You can get tiny DACs now that totally smoke even the best ones from the 2000s!

After all that your headphones are really important! So its a 3 step process - Good Audio Recording > Good DAC > Good Headphones!

Its a rabbit hole I went down about 5 years ago.. these days I don't worry about it so much, but I do still appreciate having some decent equipment!

[WingsOfImagination]

Thank you for the helpful explanation!

I'll think of what to end up doing, but of course I'll try to not be too picky about it since from what I've seen too it is indeed a rabbit hole that will never end haha

[Cobra!]

I should look into getting a Discman. I mostly listen to Cassettes, and use CDs just for ripping tracks to my computer, but whenever I actually use the CD in a player, it feels oddly weird and nostalgic, especially when you listen to a 90s album!

[BritKnee]

I have no clue what my CD player really is but I know its a portable one (by Citizen) from 1993... it sounds fine to my ears and pretty good on my stereo. I also have a busted HI-HI 1996 phillips CD player