I finally bought the Onkyo DX-C390 CD Changer and got a Streamer to output correctly! (1 Viewer)

[Mike Up]

The last time I had a CD Changer was in 2003 and it was a Yamaha CDC-665 (I believe). That CD Changer had peak level search for recording your CDs in analog to Cassette, Minidisc, and CD Recorder, which I had all three. I still have two as the Minidisc Recorders (I had 2, component and portable) had to go as blank media was hard to find and compatibility with the world was non-existent. I don't need the CD player peak search as I don't record CDs in analog anymore. It also had a headphone output with a variable volume output. I never used it as I used the receiver's headphone output instead, for everything.

So those 2 give ups on the Onkyo DX-C390 weren't a big deal compared to the Yamaha. The Onkyo does gain MP3 CD playback but again, something I wouldn't use. Honestly, hindsight is 20/20 and wish I never sold the Yamaha. I missed having a CD Changer now for 20 years.

I had a bad experience with an Onkyo TX-NR6050 receiver and really didn't want another Onkyo product. So I've been looking for renewed or refurbished newer CD Changers and never found anything I liked for the price. Onkyo/Integra are the only game in town for new CD Changers now.

Well I finally bit the bullet and bought the Onkyo DX-C390 and it does offer impressive specs and has both optical and coaxial digital outputs! It also has a Wolfson DAC that is only published on the international literature obviously so that the USA model doesn't compete with the Integra model offering the same DAC. In fact, the Integra model and Onkyo are literally the same except for different colored lights/displays, a removable cord, longer warranty, RS232 and IR repeaters on the Integra. Normally the $50 higher price of the Integra model would be well worth it but I've never seen the Integra model come off of MSRP while the Onkyo has come $100 - $150 off of MSRP. I caught it this time at $100 off while passing earlier when it was $150 off, since I thought I could find a refurbished brand I liked better. That never happened so I finally bought the Onkyo.

I can say, I really missed having a changer. I have my Journey box set loaded into the Onkyo and it's so nice going to different songs on different disc without needing to get up and change discs. Yesterday and Tonight, I have litterally been listening to it for hours each night. Now I'm only using the optical output, but going to my Denon AVR-S960H, it sounds excellent. I've read nightmare about this player having several problems, even out of the box. So I put it through the ringer and so far, it hasn't missed a beat (pun).

The player sounds excellent and can't find anything to complain about it like I did with the earlier Onkyo TX-NR6050 Receiver I had for a month before exchanging for another Denon receiver. The features all seem to work on this CD changer. I did turn off the big green light over the platter as it was just obnoxious and annoying.

The sound is very good played through my Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2s. Imaging is spectacular while the soundstage is wide and goes beyond the speakers. Plus bass has great impact and tonality is right on.

For $250, this is a very nice CD Changer! Now hopefully it will last! The only electronics I've had fail were all Pioneer. I had 2 Pioneer DVD Recorders fail and a 30 year old Pioneer Receiver finally bite the dust. The receiver, I guess 30 years is pretty good but the DVD Recorders DVD Drives failed.

Also finally got my AV streamers figured out. The super low output on Tidal HiFi and Amazon Music Unlimited UHD has been because of NORMALIZATION! Tidal doesn't have a setting to turn it off and Amazon Music only has a setting for the App on their Fire TV Stick 4K Max. The Chromecast w/Google TV 4K doesn't have a setting to turn off NORMALIZATION "BUT" it seems to use a different NORMALIZATION level as it's not much quieter than the Fire TV stick with NORMALIZATION turned off.

So I can finally listen to Streaming music without worry that the volume level will be left turned up high, and blow the speakers when a normal volume source is used.

So I have 2 positives, new CD Changer and now a functional streaming music source.

BTW, NORMALIZATION on streamers needs to die. I'm not such a wuse, where I need all my songs to be at the same volume level. I can deal with them being different and having the added bonus of having full volume output.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Congrats! I didn’t know anyone was still making a CD changer!

Personally, I never liked the drawer-loading type. But I also didn’t like the cartridge types either, having used them in my car. So I went with a Nakamichi model that loaded 7 discs in the drawer. Really handy, except that the system wasn’t all that reliable. So maybe the drawer-type was the way to go all along!

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Mike Up]

Congrats! I didn’t know anyone was still making a CD changer!

Personally, I never liked the drawer-loading type. But I also didn’t like the cartridge types either, having used them in my car. So I went with a Nakamichi model that loaded 7 discs in the drawer. Really handy, except that the system wasn’t all that reliable. So maybe the drawer-type was the way to go all along!

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

I never heard of that Nakamichi player so I looked it up and they are all over the web for used at about $100. It's looks like 7 single cd drawers that are stacked on top of each other. Cool.

I never was a fan of the magazine changers that Pioneer introduced either. I always liked the carousel cd players best. The first one I had was a Technics but can't remember the model. I bought it with my Technics SA-GX790 receiver in the mid 90s. It was replaced with the Yamaha CD Changer, and now with the Onkyo changer.

 

[JohnRice]

Congrats! I didn’t know anyone was still making a CD changer!

Personally, I never liked the drawer-loading type. But I also didn’t like the cartridge types either, having used them in my car. So I went with a Nakamichi model that loaded 7 discs in the drawer. Really handy, except that the system wasn’t all that reliable. So maybe the drawer-type was the way to go all along!

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

I had one of those Nakamichi players. It had a remote controlled output volume option, and I ran it directly into the power amp, for a pure signal. I must have sold it 25 years ago and have zero desire to own a changer, since I started ripping all my music to lossless and can play it back however I want.

 

[Mike Up]

I had one of those Nakamichi players. It had a remote controlled output volume option, and I ran it directly into the power amp, for a pure signal. I must have sold it 25 years ago and have zero desire to own a changer, since I started ripping all my music to lossless and can play it back however I want.

My old Yamaha CD Changer had that variable analog output volume control as well, on the front panel and remote. Basically so you could use it with headphones but used my receiver as I had the CD Player's optical output going to my receiver anyhow.

I have so many CDs to rip to WAV files, it was taking time I just don't have. Maybe within a year or 2 I'll have them all ripped as I have a large CD collection. The CD changer was a must since the CDs won't all be ripped for a long time.

 

[Mike Up]

Wouldn't you know it, right after I bought the Onkyo, after holding out for a Yamaha refurbished CD Changer that never came to be, Yamaha releases a brand new changer!

Yamaha announced that they will release the new CD-C603 5 disc changer but at a higher price of $549.95. My Onkyo's MSRP was $349.00 and the Integra Clone is $400.00 . So that price is significantly higher but it offers some compatibility with new formats that the Onkyo doesn't (being it's a CD Changer from it's better year of 2006). While I dislike Onkyo's receivers, so far this Onkyo CD Changer is pretty nice. I chalk it up to being an Original Onkyo design before they were sold off.