Morning, all!

As my collection has just hit about three dozen LDs, I would like to step up my game regarding hardware possibly. At the moment I own a Pioneer CLD-S104 player, and it works very well in my own opinion. I even searched out and replaced the Pioneer logo on the machine as it had been missing when I purchased the player.

There doesn’t seem to be a good definitive guide to all of the Pioneer models so I thought that it would be best to ask for recommendations directly. You may wonder why I am considering replacing my S104 if it works so well and the main reason is that I would like a machine with dual sided playing.

While I am asking, here is a short list of what I’m looking for in my ‘next’ player: Dual sided playing, capability for AC-3 audio, and (ideally) a unit with a jog wheel built-in. Bonus points for players with an interesting front display. Lastly, I’m not looking to pay half a grand - ideally around $200.

I see a few models with a quick search on eBay such as the D502.

What would you guys recommend?

Thanks!

Short answer for "best bang for your buck" LD player with those specs is the Pioneer CLD-D704.

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be one on the Bay of E right now.

Next lower tier LD player I would recommend is the Pioneer CLD-D604/5/6. It has basically the same capabilities as the 704, but a noisier picture.

I wouldn't go with the D502 as you get about the same noisy picture as the D60x, but lose digital frame memory (capability to freeze frame/scan CLV discs) AC-3 out and any type of digital audio out.

Thanks! Looks like a great unit, but definitely a bit on the expensive side. It’s not available right away, but that’s fine - I’ll keep my eyes on eBay.

In the meantime, I’ll also look at some of the more affordable options. What are the differences between the Pioneer CLD-D604/5/6 models?

Seems like you recommend the D6** models and above. Where does the S series fit in vs the D series?

S=Single sided play
D=Dual sided play

Ah! Extremely helpful to know!

The 704 is really your best bet, unfortunately they don't seem super common now and people are asking higher prices for them.

As said 604/6 is a step below, they do have a toslink pcm and ac-3 out.

The 504 is ok, but has no digital out, only ac-3.

The CLD-406 is a 606 but without digital memory I believe.

Another option are the DVL players, namely the DVL-700 being the lowest in price usually, might be worth looking at although they are a bit more complicated then the CLDs.

The differences between the 604/5/6 are mostly cosmetic. The 605 has karaoke capabilities, so that is the main difference.

Thank you! The breakdown of different series are very helpful.

I’m going to assume that most models within the same series (say 504 and 502) are quite similar.

When it comes to visual quality, how vastly did it change between models? As it seems some don’t recommend the 5** or 4** series. Mainly aiming at 6** and 7** within the D lineup.

My current S104 seems quite good, so I’m interested in hearing if the D5** series would be about the same or still better. There are quite a number of D5** machines on eBay at decent prices under $200.

The 60x is a significant downgrade from the 704, IMO. Audio will be the same but there will be a lot more noise in the picture. I would say the 604 image and the 104 imagine are probably pretty close. The 104 was the cheapest player Pioneer ever sold. It took over a decade of work to make a player than flimsy and IMO it wasn’t a thing worth doing. The 201 (older...illogically) was as low end as they ever should have gone. The 201 was my first player, btw.

The 50x don’t have AC-3 yet, I don’t think. It’s also completely different from the 60x which went to a faster (but crappier) turn system.

If you could find a 50x with AC-3 I would pick it over the 60x but I’m not sure any came with it so you’d be shopping for modified players. (AC-3 was commonly hacked into players back in the day).

There are three very different 5xx mechs:

- 501/502 are stripped down 701/2's (IIRC at least the 501 had analog TBC)

- 503 is 703 without NR and a few other things... this is probably the one you're thinking about

- 504 is v1.0 of the late player series, very much like the 60x but with Karaoke instead of (basically useless) analog NR. 505/506 are v1.1 with some subtle mechanical parts changes... and AC3 output.

The 104 does have the advantage of being pretty easy to work on, since it's basically the same as the late dual-side players, but without the dual-side mech... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIMBrbRPRro - and picturewise it might actually be quite good if you bypass the LPF after the time base corrector.

And I think the M series takes the cake for flimsyness

As stated they are quite different, personally I prefer the 503 design but the 504 has the ac3. those are the 2 to look at.

My advice would be if you see a player you think you're interested in, do a google search on that model, and you'll find old forum posts (mostly from here) its a great way to get quick info, that's how I've decided on several player purchases.

Ah, yes, I just checked and mine is a 503. I do not know what I'm talking about sometimes! The 503 is so similar to my 604 in a lot of ways but the 503 feels so much more solid.

Sounds like we need to get a Pioneer LD flowchart going.

In the end it sounds like a “buy the highest series you can afford” situation, along with “in the end you’ll want a 7** series”. Which I can completely understand.

I appreciate all the responses and it looks like I’ll just be saving up for a CLD-7** model sometime in the future. For now, my S104 will continue doing its job.

Thanks again, all.

The CLD-406 should be a great player, so I've heard but I'm sure it could be up for debate. I have no personal experience with it, though.

You could also look for a CLD-79, basically a 704 with diffrent styling. You could also get an CLD-HF7G, which is the Japanese version of the CLD-79, but then you need a step down converter.

The R7G and 99/HF9G are where I would continue on from the 704. It seems like R7Gs aren’t too hard to get and they are pretty great. While many will disagree, my main gripe with LD video has always been noise and once you get to at least the 99/704 they had almost eliminated it. I think a lot of people are going to enjoy LD a lot more of they can get something in the V-DNR era.

Yes! I did see a few CLD-79 units on eBay, and I think that's what 'll be going with when I make my purchase. Oddly I found a few going cheaper than the 704.

Also, wouldn't that CLD-HF7G only play PAL discs?

I feel due to the cheap prices of players now, lack of spare parts and also the different equipment one has to connect its best to own many or multiple players.

The CLD-79 looks nice but one thing to note with 79 and the CLD-99 I believe have no DNR controls on the players, this means you will need the remote to adjust noise reduction settings.

HF7G is a Japanese player that plays ntsc discs.

Ah I see. The D704 has NR though? I thought they were the same internals.

Side question: How is the CLD-D1070? There is a gentlemen selling one locally. Where does it fall in line of the other machines? AC-3? DNR? Etc?

Update: Strike that question. I assume it's a lesser model. Can see no AC-3 or S Video.