Hi Guys/Gals! I am a new member in Orange County, CA. Mostly collecting portable cd players especially Sony Discman.
Welcome. it is good to see there is some love for Discmans. I have quite a few (mainly Sonys) which I actually use, although nothing old or high end. This video actually caused me to buy a couple more.
Thank you. I started out just because I needed a small form factor cd player with an optical output to use in my office area and bought Sony D-EJ721 for $20. I ended up with a Project CD Box S2 for that system. Old Sony and Panasonic portable cd players are of very high quality and have great sound/design. However, it is a hit or miss to have them in perfect working condition especially those from late 80's and early to mid 90's. FYI there is a facebook group called "Discman - Portable CD Player Fans" that has quite a group of followers too. Please join if you haven't done that already.
I am a fan of Techmoan channel too. But all due respect, I just saw an article a few weeks ago saying that CDs sale have grown for the first time since 2004. I think newer generation folks might start to find CDs (and to some extent Portable CD players) interesting to collect just like the interest in film photography. I don't think Japanese brands would revive their PCDPs, but who knows they might make something that can play both CDs and do streaming on the same device!
I'm one of Techmoan's Patreons so get to see the videos early and the discussion about them from other enthusiasts (including LGR, VWestlife, and The 8 bit guy) which sometimes lead to minor edits. In his latest video, about a band recently doing a new release on an Edison Cylinder, he says that he thinks new releases on cassettes, and to an extent vinyl, and now just "Merch"; the same as buying a T Shirt you will never wear to support your favourite band. A significant percentage of people buying vinyl don't have any means of playing it, not even a Crosley. I do wonder if CDs are going the same way. However, for people who do want to play CDs it might become increasingly difficult to find a decent portable player. That was why I stocked up. I am very pleased with the Sony D-NE005 I got for about £11 including postage recently. How long will such bargains still be around for?
Longman, Yes I need to do some research and get myself a Sony Discman Anyway I just picked up another Portable Record Player an Ward's Airline very Similar to the Crosley but a real one and I really thought that was very cool about the Edison Cylinder and I am thinking of buying one those new Cylinders I have like 50 4 min ones in my collection . Sincerely Richard
I have no doubt that CDs will come back, they have the same traits as most popular vintage audio equipment that have come back. I went to a local Goodwill and they must have had over 2000 CDs, I just wish they were cheaper, I would have bought a few, I think they were around $2 USD each. Welcome to the forum, I bet you guys had a ton of portables out there in beach country....
My sister was saying the opposite about Charity Shops. She was wondering where all the CDs had gone in the one near her. Then she found them on a table outside labelled 4 for £1 (about $1.30). Needless to say she bought a few. $2 would be the absolute maximum any Charity Shop would charge here but they often do buy one get one free etc. As for players, I would also recommend Sony although I don't have any experience with the older (black) ones. Like I have said about Cassette Players my advice would be to simply look what is available, and if you can test one before paying that has to add a lot of value.
I got about 30-40 CDs from Goodwill and Salvation Army over the years. I think $2/disc is just ok deal but I did find many albums that I like. The jewel cases all look bad, but I can get replacement on Amazon for cheap.
My new Discman collection is growing fast, even have Philips D10, Funai (as a substitute for my lost Loewe CD100) and white Sony D-100... but no D-88 or D-J50 D-88 is just a matter of $$$ but full kit of D-J50 is harder to come by nowadays. My favorites are Technics SL-XP5 and D-50 MkII (aka D-7), have a few of these. D-7 is tough to revive and to maintain, but getting it in White and in Red is on my To-Do list
Loewe CD100 probably is the most beautiful portable CD player. Unfortunately cannot be found and You had it in excellent condition. Its time to put some picture of your new CD collection, Also I moved all my equipment to LA, you should come over someday, to see them. Its a good time to drink beer and forget about worsening economy.
Load up on the beer, just heard it's heading for a major price increase, on top of everything, the hops had a bad year or something like that......