For more than two decades, the US magazine Musician covered a broader range of music and genres than any other publication of the time. While Rolling Stone was […]
Looking for a Quality Used CD Player? The Sony PlayStation 1 Might Be Your Answer
Next year will mark the Sony PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, and as time passes the technology that helped define contemporary gaming is rendered more and more obsolete. Other than retro-focused gamers or collectors, the PS1 nobly served its purpose — to the tune of 100 million consoles sold — and as Sony introduced the PS2 and successive models, those first consoles ended up in the basement to be unloaded at future garage sales.
Like DVDs, BluRays and CDs, you needed a buy a copy of the game to play the PS1, which you then placed into the console tray. Sony invested a lot of money into the PS1, and that included ensuring that the sound of gameplay was excellent. Bonus: The console read and played compact discs and came with RCA jacks, which meant that when you weren’t playing Crash Bandicoot, you could plug it into the stereo’s auxiliary input and blast GZA’s Liquid Swords at full volume.
You know where this is going: 30 years later with enthusiasm for used CDs rising — along with prices for quality CD players — the PS1’s secret-weapon audio output, which was as good, if not better, than many CD players of the time, is driving budget sound freaks toward the console. The Sony-built digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and audio circuitry are well-regarded by gearheads for producing clear and detailed sound. One sound dude who knows his stuff and put the player to the test called the quality of the PS1 “the most analog sounding” player he’s heard, describing the sonics as “smoother.”
Because a working PS1 can be found on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and secondhand shops at a relatively low price (if you pay more than $75, keep looking) compared to dedicated audiophile CD players, the console makes it an obvious choice for those looking to enter the world of CD players and used CDs. Supply and demand dictates that those 100 million PS1s hanging around will keep prices low for the foreseeable future.
That means parts will remain plentiful, and that the mod/makers scene can playfully reinvent PS1s without having to invest too much up front.
