Good future predicted for compact disc players

Press, 26 July 1986, Page 17

Good future predicted for compact disc players

Mr Bob Brown of Bob Brown’s Hi-Fi Sound is enthusiastic about the future of compact disc players.

“The quality of their sound outstrips that of a conventional record player by a. million miles,” Mr Brown said.

“Records are now cheaper than compact discs, but breakthroughs are being made which will bring discs down in price,” he said.

Compact disc players are already cheaper than record turntables, according to Mr Brown.

“You can pay anything from $2OOO to $4OOO for a turntable which will give high-quality sound reproduction, but a good compact disc player can now be bought for under $7OO. It will more than compare

with the turntable for sound reproduction,” he said.

Mr Brown said the dimension of the signal printed into a compact disc is almost at the threshold of normal sound.

“The vinyl record can’t hope to compete — there’s no contest really,” he said.

Compact disc players are compatible with any hi-fi sound system. Mr Brown says many customers are buying them to use in addition to the turntables they already have, so that they can continue to play the records they have collected. “And about two-thirds of customers will buy both a compact disc player and a turntable,” he said. The compact disc player pictured on this page, the Sony D-50, is

described by its manufacturers as the smallest compact disc player ever. It is 42mm thick and can be integrated into virtually any sound system.

It runs on batteries or can be plugged into the mains and has a stereo mini-headphone jack with volume control. Its automatic music sensor allows instant access to the beginning of any desired selection, and the track number and elapsed time are displayed.

"It’s versatile and compact, and at $495 we are selling it at the price it would sell for in Singapore,” Mr Brown said.