Sony CDP-C70

[Jstas]

This is a Sony 5 disc changer from about 1988-89 time frame. I just picked it up in a less than working state over the weekend, found the problem and got it working again. Took some time to demo it myself before it went to it's rightful owner and I gotta say that for a piece of gear that is quickly approaching it's second decade of service, it is a diamond in the rough!

Sony is not very well liked in the audio realms and viewed as a mass-market piece of equipment. Kinda like the Denny's of the audio world. Nobody really likes it but they have all been there at least once and for most, it's a guilty pleasure! I gotta say though that this CD changer will make those doubtful minds think again.

Loaded with a dual D/A converter system and running a 4x over-sampling algorithm, this CD player was clearly ahead of it's time. It's loaded with features that are fairly easy to figure out even without a manual. Transport feel and function is positive and while some buttons may feel cheapy and plasticky, operation is the polar opposite with very well weighted tactile feedback and a solid click to the functioning of the buttons. Drawer operation is a quiet hush and the carousel makes a mechnical gear whine that is barely noticable. It has good clean looks and if you can find one in this kind of condition, the case is nice enough to sit out in the open and not be hidden in a rack. The finish is a matte black plastic face with polished parts for digital display screens and the metal case is finished in a smooth black enamel. Thie is a solid piece of equipment from when Sony made gear that people desired.

Sound quality is very good and rivals some of the best that I have heard. It's far from the best out there but it'd be hard to beat for less than 400 bucks retail now and impossible to find anything anywhere near as good for less than 250. It has two sets of outputs, one variable and one fixed. The variable output wll color the sound slightly and is decidedly different from the fixed output. The fixed output is clean and neutral sounding. Setting up a pre-amp to default all of the tone controls, the cd player has a fairly flat response with lows not as dynamic as the rest of the range and a tad bit of simbilance in the upper registers. I suspect that was due more to the speakers I was using and not the CD player itself. It was not fatiguing in the least and I merely backed off the volume control a tad and it went away.

Overall, if you are looking for a good 5 disc changer that isn't gonna kill your budget, look for one of these Sony CDP-C70's. They are worth the time. I was throughly impressed and now quite jealous of the rightful owner of said CD player!

[Frank Z]

I'm not a huge Sony fan, but I admit that I'm very pleased with the performance of my Sony DVP-C660 CD/DVD changer as well. Just proves that it doesn't have to cost a fortune to sound good.

Nice write BTW.

[mentorron]

When you had this unit apart did you happen to notice which DAC it uses. I tried to find out on the Web, but nothing shows up, even on extensive DAC lists. I know somw units of this era used the Philips TDA1541.
The DAC is buried under the tray near the front right side, but I can't read the label on it.

[mhardy6647]

[fwiw] A number of single- and multi-disc Sony CD players in stock in the basement (y'know, for when someone's in need...). I find them generally perfectly OK in all respects. It does bug me that the newer Sony multi-format players tend to eschew burned CD-Rs, though (and not that this is germane to the titular CD changer).

The CDP-C70 is not a model number I remember - most of the changers that I've encountered have a three digit model number (e.g., CDP-C225). EDIT: the ones I've run into do appear to be newer, though [/fwiw]

[mentorron]

All the Sony changers in 1988 had only 2 numeric digits. See this web page:
http://orders.ebay.in/ws/eBayISAPI.d...d=310100751984

A day or two ago I saw a user or service manual for the C70 on Google, but now cannot re-find it. If I remember correctly the manual also covered an ES series unit (C7ES ???). If this is the case, it is similar to the situation with my CDP-950, which is a copy of the CDP-307ESD according to the service manual I own. There is only one "pre-process error correction" circuit removed to make it a 950. They both have all the high quality caps, etc.

[mentorron]

The DAC is a Sanyo LC7881 per a parts list I found. Sony part number is CXD1161P, used also in the CDP-250, -450, -M25, -M26, and -M35 . It seems Sony didn't put Philips DACs in their changers, and soon put their own 1-bit DAC in everything. This DAC sounds quite good, not quite up to the TDA1541, but livable. I personally prefer it to their 1-bit DAC from the '90s (I tried a CDP-C525).
Other CD players with same Sanyo DAC:
CARVER TL-3100
CROWN CD2111R
FISHER AD-935
GRUNDIG CD103
GRUNDIG CD 435
GRUNDIG CD 660
JVC XL V131
JVC XL V221
LUXMAN DZ 92
NAD 5325
ONKYO DX-6620
PIONEER PD-4100
PIONEER PD-5100
PIONEER PD-Z71
PIONEER PD-Z82
SANYO CP489