Pioneer PDS-505 Precision

This is old technology now so I guess I shouldn't have hoped for too much. The transport is ok but beaten by the maranta cd 6005. The dac is the weak part, it's aweful. Lacking in stereo image but no bass weight or slam. The perpetual technologies dac wiped the floor with it. There are just too many midfi people reviewing kit who haven't owned expensive kit to give you a real review.

super sound and overall balance

The Pioneer PDS-505 Precision sounds pretty good connected thru beresford DAC(new), 2 my pioneer a400 + kef reference 104/2 all sitting on atacama equinox stand. NVA interconnects, QED coaxial + silver high breed spkr cables (highly recommended). Bass is maybe a touch lean without DAC but perhaps we're so used 2 listening 2 boomy basslines, treble's right up there (spkr cables let highs sing), seperation's good, voices sound pretty realistic, soundstage is top notch also plenty of headroom. hard pressed 2 fault.

Although no longer in production this is a player worth looking for a ex demo,or 2nd hand.I used to work in the hi-fi industry and have found it to be comparable to much higher costing cd players.Like everything in hi-fi though,it needs to be matched with care in order to fully appreciate it's capabilities.I would suggest that if you have the right system to hear it at it's best (wideband with low phase-shift )then all you need for an upgrade path is to have upgraded regs,analogue+psu stages.This method works very well in hi-fi,with Linn have a 'Lingo' for the LP12.Naim have 'Hi-cap' etc.That way all you get is a better version of a sound you know you already like,which is probably better than getting a merely different sound from another player.When fully modded ,no other player that i've had experience with actually outperforms this player significantly.Well worth the effort!

Picked this up ex-dem for £220. Absolutely fantastic cd player. Sounds incredibly vivid and lifelike.

The bass isn't that well extended, I have to admit through it's own DAC, so I used a Entech 205.2 (£500) which really opened it out further, and gave the sound awesome extension.

Further to earlier comments, I added a Signals (www.signals.uk.com) Blackcurrent Mains lead. So a £220 CDP now ends up £800 ish, but it's such a magnificent sound, its well worth it.

Add the fact that it uses a Pioneer tranport, not those horrificly unreliable Philips/Sony jobs, and you've got yourself a winner.

This is an exceptional player, especialy if you find it in a discount price. Timing and detail are first rate, and betters much pricier equipment on these points. Bass is OK, not the deepest, or strongest one, but it is tuneful and articulate. It has it's own opinion about the timbre of the instruments, as a result of a good implementation of "legato link conversion", but, as with the treble quality, depends on the recording: Voices can sound thick sometimes, and wind instruments exposed.

It can also be said, that the separation of instruments and vocalist is unique, as the projection in the listening room that can give the impression of a live concert feeling.

To get the best of this player you have to overcome its vices:

1) It needs good partnering equipment. Its matching pioneer precision amplifier works extremely well in this point - as for the others, they must handle the "legato link" harmonics, and not all of them do.

2) Beware of the loudspeakers - they shall have a smooth voicing and pure treble, otherwise the sound can be really irritating. You will be luckier with floorstanders, as generally, go deeper and have more "body" to the sound than standmounters. With the latter, you must be more careful

3) It is very sensitive on mains purity. I find that partnering it with a mains purifying device can be mandatory

3) It loves some vibration absorb underneath, (not necessarily something expensive like Towshend's cd sink - even sorbothan feet can do the job). Thus, it seems to gain on weight and fluidity. However, this is just a small luxury - it is not obligatory.

I got a rather good deal on this Pioneer pds505 precision CD player-it should have been £460 and I got it for £190 ( the shop made a mistake (HA!)). Only problem I have is what to match it with. It sounds fine with what I have at the moment (Rotel Ra931 amp, Kef coda 9 speakers). I have hauled it round quite a few shops and tried it with many different setups but nothing seems to work as well as it already does.

If anyone has a good starting point I'd love to know.

As for the player...It's great, classic, rock, metal it still gives a good show, the attention to detail is fantastic to the point of distraction, which is its downfall, not a relaxing listen some of the time but it will hammer out a killer tune when you turn the volume up.

The ability to turn the display off is a worthy addition, as is a headphone socket. The unit has a quality feel to it that was lacking in some of the other players around the £400 mark. It also takes the disc upside down which is rather novel.

The only thing I don't like is the remote. It's far too small and I keep losing it down the side of the couch.