It is an interesting deck - the prototype was even cleverer! I do have one though it has stopped working again! Tim did have a look at it a while ago but it misbehaved very rapidly! We think it is probably based on an Aiwa - Tim did find the machine he thinks it is based on but this is so obscure he has never found one in the flesh! It showed that B&O were covering their options by developing both a Philips based machine (the CDX) which used the 14 bit 4x oversampling route and the Japanese 16 bit 2x oversampling.

I actually bought a CD50 new when I had my 5000 system but sent it back because it was so noisy! I used a Philips CD player for a year or so before I replaced the system with a Beocenter 9500. My present CD50 is slightly quieter (well obviously a lot quieter at present! 😂 ) but a lot noisier than the CD5500. 

5500 definitely..

http://www.lampizator.eu/LAMPIZATOR/REFERENCES/Bangandolufsen/Bang%20&%20Olufsen%20CD5500%20CD%20player.html

I have owned CDX, CD50 and each of the 5500 range of CD players and in my humble opinion the CDX sounds much nicer than any of the others. Its the one bit of B&O equipment that I will not change. The lack of remote control did annoy me at first so I got a CD50 with the optional remote kit and thought that would banish the CDX but after a bit of a listen it just didn't sound as nice.

It is all horses for courses though and what sounds good to me might be awful to someone else.

Also the stacking CD players only really look good when used with the rest of the stereo where as the CDX looks retro cool all by its self.

The CDX does indeed have a very pleasant sound - it is often described as sounding analogue. I agree - slightly warm and fuzzy in some ways but very easy to listen to. I use mine with my Beolab 5000 system and it performs very well! 

Agree wholeheartedly about the quality of the CDX.  Wonderful player.  My first CD player was a Phillips CD104, the source unit for the CDX, which I used with a Quad 34/FM4/405/ESL63 set up and it's still the best CD sound I have heard (although my memory is going now)  

Cleve

I have a CD50 that needs to go back for another attempt at repairing it!

When it was working I did some A:B comparisons with my Philips CD650 which is a TD1541A-based player and I much preferred the CD650.

The main problem with the CD50 is that it wasn't all that reliable when new and surviving examples are now  around 25 years old and prone to problems.

Simon

Peter wrote:

The CDX does indeed have a very pleasant sound - it is often described as sounding analogue. I agree - slightly warm and fuzzy in some ways but very easy to listen to. I use mine with my Beolab 5000 system and it performs very well! 

i tought i was finished with my collection... i need a cdx for my beolab 5000... ;-) what about the cdx2? which dac is build in?

Beovoxs80 wrote:

I don't have opportunity to listen every b&o amplifier in my country (Serbia),but with help of members here I believe that I will make good decision AND decision is beomaster 5500 and beogram 5500.

a good decision. i like the style of the beosystem 5500... the sound would be also nice. ;-) what are the originaly made loudspeakers for the beosystem 5500, some rl's?

Just working on this system (in alu/grey/black), too.

For me a real B&O design classic.

Got a BM 5500, a BG CD5500, a Beocord 5500, MCP 5500 AND a hifi rack for the Beosytem (original B&O).
Got the floorstands for the RL speakers and now I am looking for some RL60.2s....

Ralf

PS: I also got a white Beosystem 5500 incl. the record player, but the BG CD5500 does not read CDs anymore, I suppose I will sell this one - but my wife will make the final (color) decision ;-). Based in Germany near Düsseldorf and pick-up only, though.

Thats just the way I would of described the CDX. Not quite as "clinical" as other cd players, giving a more analogue or natural sound to my ears. I also use mine with my Beolab 5000 set up with Beovox Penta's. I havent listened to many super expensive CD players except an old Naim CD1 (if i remember rightly) but have yet to find one that I prefer to the CDX.