So, I found a Pioneer CLD-990 at a record store near me, it's either new in box *or* open box w/ the remote and all the original packaging (with either no use, or very little use). It's been a while since I've been to the store, I forget if it's sealed in the box or not.

I know it's a pretty generic mid-grade player with nothing special going on - but I'm pondering if it's worth it when, with a little patience, I can find a used player of better build quality & video quality in good condition locally. Ideally I'll find something with two-sided playback (and with a remote), but the thought of a player in new condition is also pretty tempting.

I already have a Pioneer CLD-M403, but I'm not too content with it anymore. It's pretty beat-up (from taking a tumble a couple years back) and, because of said tumble, sometimes takes a few tries to get the disc to read. I'll definitely keep it as a backup player, though.

Here's a list of players I've found locally (via eBay and Facebook Marketplace) that I've been keeping an eye on, if anyone has a suggestion:

Pioneer CLD-S104 (w/ remote)
Pioneer CLD-M90 (w/ remote)
Pioneer CLD-M301 (w/ remote)
Pioneer CLD-V2800 (cool industrial-style player)
Pioneer CLD-1010
Pioneer CLD-D503
Pioneer CLD-V880
Pioneer CLD-V840
Panasonic LX-H170
Denon LA-200
Marantz LV510

(these are all in the range of $100-$200)

I’d buy it in a second if I knew it worked. Don’t buy it without testing it.

Do ya think you would grab it before any of those other players I listed? I'll have to go over the list again but I think some of them are double-sided players, which is always a bonus. That industrial style one I listed looks really cool, those ones tend to have lowers hours of usage since they seem to have primarily been used in limited amounts at places like schools.

I would personally keep away from any non pioneer mech player, if the insides aren't pioneer then keep moving.

I may prefer the 1010 first, its a good player but can be damaged in shipping, also I can't remember if the CD portion of the 1010 has a separate belt for the laser
or inside mech, but it does have a second laser for CD playback if I remember correctly.

So when testing make sure LD playback is working.

I would get any player now working if you have a large collection and plan to buy more than 20 discs in the next 12 months, and keep buying that large of an
amount.

If you only plan to get 3-5 discs in the next 2-3 years don't bother buying anymore LDs or players.

Well, shoot! I checked the record store today and someone picked up the 990.

I’ll keep an eye on that CLD-1010 while I patiently wait to see which other players pop up locally. I definitely plan on picking up plenty more discs within the next year & I am most definitely not getting any players shipped to me, haha. Only looking around for players I can pick up ‘locally’ (ok, more like within a 100 mile radius, heh). The vintage store I used to work at has a regular rotation of LDs, and there’s several record stores in my vicinity which carry LDs.

I would buy them all.

I’ll have to pore over the list and see which ones have double sided play, which of the ones with remotes seems to be held in higher regard, et al… or wait around ‘til more appear. I guess I could also peruse some buy/sell/trade groups. I’ll have to make a separate post about the CRT I use, I think some of you will be very interested to see it (34” presentation monitor with both SD inputs and a VGA input that goes up to 1080i/720p/1024x768)


EDIT: Leaning towards the CLD-D503 at the moment, not gonna take the plunge yet... I'm in no big rush