Hi,
I’m wondering if none has recently purchase a CD player? I have a portable one but it’s not really what I was hoping for. It’s but the sound is a bit tinny.
Gen
Does it have to be portable?
Is it mainly for use around the home? or mainly out and about?
With the disclaimer that I have never purchased a portable CD player … do models exist that have Bluetooth support for output to headphones? That way you are at least separating out the ability to spin and read a CD from the ability to produce decent sound. (Of course, headphones can really only be used by one person and that may not suit the way you use the CD player.) Or even does the portable CD player have an audio output socket for use with external corded headphones?
For any CD player, the above paragraph encapsulates the consideration. CD is a digital format. Any CD player can read the digital sound data off the disk with 100% fidelity (unless your CDs are badly scratched or otherwise damaged). What matters is two-fold:
- ability to convert digital sound data into analog sound electrical signal,
- ability to convert analog sound electrical signal into actual sound.
The important factor is often the last. What are the speakers like? How many? How small? If it’s a portable device, the built-in speaker is often very crappy.
I don’t know where you are on the techno scale but I would guess that CDs are considered a bit retro these days. Many people will have converted their CDs into a computer file format and so the considerations regarding the hardware that will play the track become quite different. (Even then though the most important factor is likely going to be the speaker.)
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What sounds tinny? Is it the speaker on the CD player or when plugged into another set of speakers/headphones?
The make and model would also be useful information.
This might allow members answer why the sound appears tinny.
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It can only be the speakers as they player does not add or detract to the signal unless it has some form of amplification built in
Not sure about that. There must be some form of amplifier, or pre-amplifier built in and that could very well make the sound tinny. Cheap home amplifiers ($50 - $100) often have the same problem due to cheap or untested components.
I used to have one of these players - don’t remember exactly which but it was a well-known brand, probably Sony. It sounded beautiful coupled up to my home theater system. It did come with a headphone jack output but I never put headphones on it. Just put the jack through a convert-to-din cable and into my system.
If you are using headphones then that is the other place you can get tinny, as you correctly say.
If you hook it directly up to speakers then I think it WILL be tinny as there will be inadequate amplificaiton.
From the picture it looks like it has built-in speaker(s). This means it will have built-in amplification which again means that if you paid less than around $400 then you “get what you paid for”.
If there is a jack output it may sound OK with headphones or couple to a home theater system.
The speaker on the CD player
Cheers. Smaller speakers can sound tinny because their compact physical dimensions lack the enclosure volume and cone surface area needed to push enough air for low frequencies. This will be the case since the speaker is mounted on the portable CD player. Smaller speakers generally only produce treble and upper-mid ranges, lacking ‘base’ making their sound thin and high-pitched.
In addition to this, cheaper products with speakers may also not have built in equalisers which allow one to adjust the octave settings to try and make the sound easier to listen, when base is lacking.
If the CD player has an audio out, which it is likely to have for headphones…or blue tooth for connecting with a bluetooth speaker, it might be worth exploring what type of speakers best broadcast the audio from the CD player. The only downside is it may be an additional cost if one doesn’t already have alternative speakers. For cable connected speakers, an cable may also be required which has the audio out jack (usually 3.5mm) at one end, with input connectors for the speaker/AMP at the other.
It says it has Bluetooth but I have been unable to connect it to my speaker. I think it’s a bit of a dud quite frankly.
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How clear are the instructions with your bluetooth speaker and CD player on pairing? Some devices simply refuse to pair, or are fussy about the sequences.
If your blue tooth speaker pairs reliably with a number of other devices, EG mobile phone, laptop etc it’s likely something to do with the CD player. Although your speaker may need to be reset to clear exisiting pairing. Any device other than you CD player should be turned off or removed from the room, just in case the CD player and or speaker is getting muddled with more than one device announcing it’s presence.
We’ve had issues pairing sound bars with TV’s, and not so recently GPS devices with laptops despite all being bluetooth certified. Less expensive imported devices may not be truely complaint or tested adequately.
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