good pace and upper bass

everthing besides the strengths above

This is for none audiophiles, period.. Truncated high and low, with a bose speaker, you won''t tell anyway. .. Overly hyped presentation with no micro details is sterile with no ambience. This piece is not edgy by getting rid of most details and high frequency. Overall, a good CDP at the price i paid for... This CDP is a vivid example of how popular views can go wrong in a world that most can not have enough experience with high end... BTW: I don''t know the model year of my player

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the first stable platter design i ever used... won''t touch it again.. other newer CDPs and dac I have used are SA-1, 777ES 1650AZ and MSB platinum...

Accurate sound reproduction with no rolling off of anytrhing. Very solid slam performance. Build quality is superb plus it is one very reliable player.

None that I have noted specially at its price point.

To the reviewer below: You might try cleaning the laser which seems to be an easy enough exercise. There was mention of this in the current issue of Seteophile with regard to the PD65. The writer of the Stereophile article described the PD65''''s performance much in the same way as you have. Upon cleaning the laser, the perfomance was very, very much improved with none of the faults riginally noted. BTW, the laser assembly is apparently easily accessed from the top of the player. All that is required is a couple of Q-Tips and camera lens cleaner. The particulars are briefly mentioned in the article. I have owned the PD65 for nearly three years and have always found the performance to be excellent. My system consists of Madrigal front end, Dunaudio Contour 1.3SEs and PD 65 for the source.

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Auditioned Arcam, NAD, Cary, Rega Planet, Rotel, Cary and a few others. The Sony XA777ES is the best performer I have listened to date in the down to earth price category (by Audiophile standards :)),

Stable platter. weight, clean sound, reliable. looks

Restricted soundstage and dynamics. Sound is safe, but lifeless.

I was quite disappointed. given the good reviews. Compared to the Pioneer PD-75 and Pioneer (HHB) CDR-800, the soundstage is small and less three-dimensional. Also, dynamics seem constrained. Overall, the sound is somewhat passionless. Lastly, the bottom is made out of plastic. The Pioneer PD-75 and CDR-800 use dual- differential DAC''s per channel in a balanced configuration. Legato-link is not required.

Impressive build quality, finish, stable platter design and sound.

None IMHO.

I researched and auditioned several CDPs but too often was concerned about the build quality of most of those units. It seems to me for the asking prices, manufacturers should do much better in this department.

Enter the PD 65 which is so far ahead of the competition in its price range in the aforementioned deparment that it just amazes me. In addition, sound is smooth and very pleasing and easily on par with everything else I auditioned. For my tastes, a pleasure to look at and listen to.

I purchased a six month old model with all original packaging and papers in mint condition. I may add the the final negotiated price was outstanding.

In conclusion, this is a very impressive piece of equipment even at its MSRP of $800.00 which would have gladly paid if it had been required. IMHO, a true example of a component that doesn't come around too often.

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Auditioned more than a few in the $500.00 to $1K range.

Incredibly detailed sound across the spectrum; top quality construction.

None worth mentioning. It's heavy, but that comes with the solid construction.

I bought a demo PD-65 at closeout for $220 because (a) my 15 year old English Meridian CD player needs a trip home for repairs (if that's even possible) and (b) this Pioneer Elite unit was built like a tank - something I know often correlates with better than "consumer grade" sound. I didn't hear it until I got it home.

Now I feel like I robbed the store. The PD-65 sounds better than anything I've ever auditioned, including CD players up in the multi-thousand dollar range. Superb! Crisp and detailed, without being too bright. Rock solid. Wonderful range. Smooth. I can't really say too much.

This is a quality component and may become a classic among audiophile nuts. Steal one, new, used or demo, if you have the kind of luck I did. (I'd payfive times as much, now that I really know what it sounds like!)

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Ancient & beloved Meridian CD player, plus lots of cheap "consumer" CD products.

Butild-Quality, Musicality, Analog Like Sound

Low Bass production is not the best

I brought Pioneer Elite PD-65 with Legato Link conversion in 1993. This product was not given much publicity in magazines like STEREOPHILE since it blew away expensive CD players from Wadi and Krell (Actually, Sam Thellig gave an excellent review of this product in his column in STEREOPHILE, but a more complete review was put in the back burner). WHY?? because Legato Link conversion which add high frequency components to the analog output is similar to
what Wadi do to its CD players. So there was a talk about law suits etc., but the bottomline is you are getting a quality CD player from Pioneer for lot less money.

PD-65 is very neutral to the type of music you play. It's highs are very natural and extended, mid range has the warmth and a natural tonality, and the bottom end is very good. Please note that PD-65 is not the best unit if you
listen to Pipe-Organ music that can produce low base frequencies in 20-25Hz range. But most of the music is above 30Hz and you can hardly find a fault in PD-65! Over the year I have compared this unit with some very expensive models and have come to the conclusion that PD-65 is far better getting you involved with the music. That is the highest compliment I can offer to PD-65. I've also tried this unit as a trasport with several DACs and always find its analog output to be better than any.

Last year I add X-10D (from Musical Fidelity) to the analog output of PD-65. X-10D is pure Class A tube output stage. It is built around two 6922 tubes that act as a buffer stage. It has about 1db gain and MAY OVERLOAD SENSITIVE PREAPMS. With this unit at the output, PD-65 now gives you the tube flavor to the music and I can only encourage you to try. X-10D will cost you about $200, but I can assure you that it is fully worth. PD-65 and X-10D combination ($1000) have blown away the competition from BAT ($4500), Krell ($5000) and Wadi ($8000)! If you can find a PD-65 for less, it will be the best investment you can make for your CDs specially at a time like this when format wars are going on and nobody knows who will win! I gave 5 stars for the value and 4 stars for the overall rating (since bottom end is not the best I've heard). Go find a one now, and Good Luck!

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Rotel, Krell, BAT, SONY, Mark Levinsons, Wadi

Very Natural & Musical Reproduction

None that I can find at this price point

I can't add much more than has already been said.
This is a truly superb machine with top notch error
correction and silent mechanism. Should definitely
retail for more than $800.-considering the excellent
build quality and SOUND.

I have hooked mine to a Source Components Harmonic
Recovery Unit ( HRS ) [ www.sceaudio.com ] and now
it sounds like a top of the line ES player from Sony
costing over $2000.-!!!

If you're into tweaks, I strongly recommend that you
change the attached power cord and modify the unit to
accept one of those aftermarket detachable power cords.
The Harmonic Technology [www.Harmonictech.com] Pro-AC11
is a totally superb power cord to consider.

Good interconnects are also very important....

Grab a PD-65 while they're still available !

Happy Listening

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Many to list

Build quality, stable platter design, simplicity, sound.

Would be nice if it had a headphone jack, also variable output level

I just purchased this unit based on the recommendations of friends, the reviews on this forum, and my good experiences with past Pioneer equipment. When my PD-M500 finally gave up the ghost after almost 10 years of service, I knew it was time for a serious upgrade.

I am now in the middle of putting together a higher-end audio only system - a combination of older equipment as well as some DIY work. I am an enthusiast that likes to achieve the most "bang for your buck". This source component is now a critical link in that chain.

One of the strong selling features of this product for me was it's reputation as a great transport. The fact that it has Toslink and coax outputs leaves the door wide open for the future addition of an external DAC.

I got this unit as new "b" stock. The only thing I can notice with the unit is a couple of very small scuff marks on the top of the wood side panels. If that's the difference between "b" stock and new, I'll take the $450 I saved over MSRP of $800 and keep it in the bank, thank you!

Aside from the elegant and striking appearance of this unit, the first thing that draws attention is the stable platter mechanism. This is such a step-up from the terrible, flimsy plastic drawers that most players come with. The drawer opens and closes with almost dead silence.

Sound-wise, I am in a totally different league now than I was with the PD-M500. I don't claim to have golden ears, but to me this unit is incredible. The mids which were hiding with the PD-M500 have come to the forefront of the music. There is a smooth-ness across the entire spectrum, from the lowest bass to the upper-most octaves. My system could sound slightly fatiguing at times, but that has now dissapeared.

As mentioned in the "weakness" section, the addition of a headphone jack, as well as the ability to vary the output level would have been 2 welcome features for me.

At this price level, I think one would be hard-pressed indeed to find a unit that offers superior performance and quality.

Current system:

Source: Pioneer Elite PD-65
Preamp: Yamaha C-80
Tuner : Yamaha T-80
Amplifiers: (pair) Carver A-500X, 250w/channel
Crossover : Marchand XM-9
Speakers: BESL Series 2.4 MTM monitors
BESL Single CSX-10 Bass Modules

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer PD-M500, Pioneer DV-414, Pioneer CLD-1090

I have put off reviewing this player for a long time. No I don't own one - I purchased the PD-54 which is absolutely identical to the PD-65 without the Class A buffer amp and the tank like construction. Still I have listened to both models (which sound identical) for many years.
I conducted extensive A/B evaluation with the PD-65 and several much more expensive players from Sony, Rotel, and Adcom. No contest here so I conducted some further comparisons with the Krell and Wadia players at my local high end shop. Wow, the Pioneer held its' own and I even preferred the Pioneer in some aspects.

The soundstage from this player is very wide and deep. Transient attack is very good with excellent detail retrieval. I feel the overall balance of this player is very neutral with none of the harshness some have indicated. Treble is extended and detailed, the mids are smooth, and bass is quite well controlled with excellent definition.

There is a good reason this player has been around for so long - its' one of the best out there irregardless of price. Highly recommended.

Rich

Still holds its own against some stiff more modern (and expensive) players.The build quality is very good,certainly not like a Krell or Levinson.Pioneer gives the illusion of higher build quality than you get W/rosewood veneered plywood sides and brushed brass tape wrapped around the black plastic feet.But it will play wonderful music in the best of systems with no shame.Clean,clear.dynamic and just plain enjoyable.Not knocking the player as far as build quality.It is a great machine for its price range.If you put it in a Krell cabinet,you could ask another 3K.Really kind of a cult classic.