Can a $24 Wal-Mart DVD Player Compete WITH THE BEST CD PLAYERS？ An AUDIOPHILE SECRET!!!

ByChris

United States of Analog | April 28, 2024

🎙️ Early Video Analysis

What is this video about?

This video is about the host Bob constructing a makeshift CD player from separate components because he’s currently without a working CD player despite having around 1,000 CDs in his collection. He plans to experiment with different CD drives and DACs to create a functional setup so he can test other audio gear he has on loan, including a Black Ice Audio tube amplifier and Focal speakers.

Gear, products, or brands discussed

  • Black Ice Audio F22 Tube Amplifier [00:00:43] – Features KT882 tubes, described as running hot but sounding sweet, full review planned
  • Focal Cantas speakers [00:01:02] – Walnut finish, from France, currently on loan to the host

Host’s main opinions or takes so far

  • CDs are undervalued [00:01:16-00:01:24] – Believes CDs sound good, are easy to play, nostalgic, and still relevant despite being considered outdated
  • CDs can sound better than vinyl [00:01:45-00:01:55] – Sometimes provides the best listening experience with no clicks, pops, cracks, or scratches
  • CD longevity has been proven [00:01:57-00:02:11] – The promised long shelf life has mostly lived up to expectations in his collection
  • CDs offer unique content [00:02:11-00:02:16] – Some albums are only available on CD format

Strong recommendations or warnings to viewers

  • Keep your CDs [00:02:16] – Direct advice to viewers not to get rid of their CD collections

Funny moments, strong opinions, or memorable quotes

  • “I’m going to do what any red-blooded American male would do. I’m going to improvise and I’m going to make one” [00:00:07-00:00:11] – Humorous justification for his DIY approach
  • Led Zeppelin counting lesson [00:01:26-00:01:35] – Jokes that CDs are educational because “they can teach us how to count” while listing Led Zeppelin albums numerically

Summary

Bob opens this video by explaining his predicament: he has about 1,000 CDs but no working CD player. Rather than simply buying a new one, he decides to take a DIY approach and construct one from separate components, combining different CD drives with DACs. This project is motivated by his desire to test other high-end audio equipment he has on hand, including a Black Ice Audio F22 tube amplifier with KT882 tubes and a pair of loaned Focal Canta speakers from France.

The host then launches into a passionate defense of the CD format, countering the common perception that CDs are obsolete. He argues that CDs offer several advantages: they sound good, are convenient to use, evoke nostalgia, and sometimes provide a superior listening experience compared to vinyl records due to their lack of surface noise. Bob adds some humor to his argument by joking that CDs are educational because they can teach counting, using Led Zeppelin’s numbered albums as an example.

Bob concludes this opening segment by emphasizing the practical value of maintaining a CD collection. He notes that CDs have largely lived up to their promised longevity, and importantly, some albums are only available in CD format. Drawing from his radio background where he accumulated many promotional CDs, he advises viewers to keep their CD collections rather than discarding them, setting up the premise for his upcoming experiment in building a custom CD playback system.

⏱️ Mid-Video Analysis

What gear, products, or brands are discussed in this portion?

  • [00:02:31] $24 Walmart DVD player (brand name unclear/unpronounceable to host)
  • [00:02:48] Jusheli Labs 4499 AKM DAC (~$500 retail)
  • [00:03:04] Sony (mentioned in comparison to DVD player name)
  • [00:05:09] Mobile Fidelity remasters (4 albums)

What are the host’s key findings, verdicts, or opinions?

  • [00:04:20] “Could I make great music with this system? I think I did”
  • [00:04:47] Claims to have “created a $24 audiophile CD player”
  • [00:04:56] The budget DVD player “did a pretty decent job in extracting the basic information from the CDs”
  • [00:04:36] Argues the expensive DAC doesn’t add cost since it was already owned/repurposed

What are the host’s listening tests or sound quality observations described?

  • [00:03:13] Conducted an upstairs listening experiment/test
  • [00:05:05] Tested with multiple albums including Mobile Fidelity remasters, Elvis, Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman, and Wings

What price/value assessments were made?

  • [00:02:42] DVD player is “about $15 worth of hardware” after backing out HDMI cable cost
  • [00:02:58] Jusheli Labs DAC retails “somewhere in that general universe of $500”
  • [00:04:41] Total cost characterized as “$24” since DAC was already owned

Any vinyl records, albums, or music discussed?

  • [00:03:40] German Target CD pressings from the 80s (not the store)
  • [00:05:09] Mobile Fidelity remasters described as “quite a good record”
  • [00:05:10] Elvis album recommended as “mini masterpiece classic audiophile offering”
  • [00:05:15] Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman, Wings “At the Speed of Sound”

Any memorable quotes or strong takes?

  • [00:02:23] “That’s ridiculous!” (about penny CD sales)
  • [00:04:14] “I don’t care, I really don’t care, could I make great music with this system?”
  • [00:04:24] “So give your fingers a rest and just listen”
  • [00:05:10] “If you’re not an Elvis fan I highly recommend this, this is a mini masterpiece classic audiophile offering”

Summary:

The host explains his motivation for buying a $24 Walmart DVD player to use as a CD transport, noting he has a collection of CDs including valuable German Target pressings from the 80s that he doesn’t want to abandon. He plans to pair this budget transport with his existing Jusheli Labs 4499 AKM DAC (worth around $500) to create what he calls a “$24 audiophile CD player.”

After conducting listening tests upstairs, the host returns with generally positive results, defending his approach against anticipated criticism about timing issues and the use of expensive downstream components. He argues that since he already owned the DAC, the effective cost of his CD solution is just $24, and that the budget DVD player successfully extracted the basic information from his CDs.

The host tested his setup with various albums including Mobile Fidelity remasters, Elvis, Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman, and Wings, concluding that he could “make great music” with this system. He encourages viewers to focus on the musical results rather than technical specifications, positioning this as a practical budget solution for audiophiles who want to continue enjoying their CD collections.

🏁 Final Thoughts & Verdict

What gear, products, or brands are discussed in this final portion?

  • $24 Walmart DVD player (used as CD transport)
  • J2 DAC [00:06:49]
  • Focal Kanta speakers (with beryllium tweeters) [00:06:51, 00:07:22]
  • Black Ice Audio tube amplifier [00:06:56]
  • SMSL DAC (model number not remembered) [00:08:25]
  • 1990s era Panasonic SACD/DVD player [00:08:45]
  • FunFi DACs [00:09:18]
  • Schiit DACs [00:09:23]
  • Cambridge Audio DACs [00:09:23]

What is the host’s final verdict or conclusion?

The host concluded it was “one of the best if not the best CD listening experience I’ve ever had in my room” [00:06:38]. He emphasized that while the other components (J2 DAC, Focal speakers, Black Ice Audio amp) contributed significantly to the experience, the cheap DVD player worked exceptionally well as a transport, allowing him to hear new details in familiar recordings [00:07:44-00:07:59].

Were there any final recommendations — buy, skip, or consider?

Buy/Consider:

  • Get a cheap DVD player from Goodwill to use as a CD transport if you already have a DAC [00:09:23-00:09:28]
  • Consider FunFi, Schiit, or Cambridge Audio DACs to pair with a cheap transport [00:09:18-00:09:23]
  • The approach is especially recommended for occasional CD listening (10-20% of the time) [00:08:16-00:08:20]

Any final tips, caveats, or advice for viewers?

  • Test any used player first to make sure it “lights up” before purchasing [00:09:27-00:09:28]
  • The solution works well if you already have a quality DAC [00:09:13-00:09:18]
  • When the cheap player breaks, simply throw it away and buy another one [00:09:37-00:09:43]
  • Connect via optical or coaxial cable to your DAC, then RCA to amplifier [00:05:38-00:05:49]

How did the video wrap up?

The host wrapped up by calling his approach “good old Yankee ingenuity and 25 bucks” [00:09:49-00:09:54], thanked viewers for being part of “the United States of Analog,” said he’d see them next time, and dismissed them [00:09:54-00:09:58]. He added a brief postscript about YouTube’s video recommendations [00:10:07-00:10:11].

Any memorable closing quotes or strong final opinions?

  • “I had a couple of musical moments on this disc alone that almost brought me to tears” [00:07:05-00:07:07]
  • “I was hearing things that I had never heard in these recordings” [00:07:47-00:07:49]
  • “When I woke up this morning the first thing I wanted to do was to go back upstairs and listen to more music” [00:08:01-00:08:07]
  • “For just a few bucks you could be enjoying the healing properties of music through compact disc playback” [00:09:28-00:09:33]
  • “That’s my little video about a CD problem that I solved using good old Yankee ingenuity and 25 bucks” [00:09:44-00:09:54]

Summary

The host describes an exceptionally positive listening experience using the $24 Walmart DVD player as a CD transport connected to his high-end system featuring a J2 DAC, Black Ice Audio tube amplifier, and Focal Kanta speakers. He was genuinely surprised by the quality, reporting it as potentially his best CD listening experience ever, with emotional moments that nearly brought him to tears. The system revealed new details in recordings he knew intimately, particularly excelling with horns and strings through the beryllium tweeters in his Focal speakers.

For comparison, he also tested an SMSL DAC (which performed well but not as excellently as the J2) and a 1990s Panasonic SACD/DVD player (which sounded more compressed and showed its age). The cheap Walmart player significantly outperformed the older, more expensive unit when paired with the external J2 DAC. This experience reinforced his belief that a quality external DAC makes the biggest difference, not the transport mechanism itself.

His final recommendation is straightforward: if you already own a good DAC and want to enjoy CDs occasionally, buy a cheap DVD player from Goodwill or similar sources to use as a transport. He advocates for a disposable approach – when it breaks, simply throw it away and buy another cheap one. This “Yankee ingenuity” solution costs around $25 and can provide access to what he calls “the healing properties of music through compact disc playback,” making high-quality CD listening accessible without expensive dedicated players.

Analysis generated from archived transcripts. Channel: United States of Analog — hi-fi gear reviews, vinyl, and audiophile culture.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *