CDP-111
CDP-400
CDP-501
CDP-501ES
CDP-610ES
(1983 - 1985)

Buy some other company's first attempt at a CD player.
Or buy Sony's fifth: the CDP-400.

The US litterature from january 1984 says the CDP-400 used the same laser assembly, error-correction circuits and DAC as Sony's own 7000$ professional [CDP-5000S] model... I don't know if the 400 really was Sony's 5th generation but a manufacturer's sell-sheet is bound to be on the lyrical side of things. Unlike the 1st CD players, the CDP-400 took on a normalized width (43cm) but like its grandaddy the CDP-101, it didn't have a STOP button.

And it must have been a nice player indeed for it was rebadged here and there as a CDP-501, CDP-501ES and CDP-610ES: the european 501 was identical in every way, the 501ES also but bore a black faceplate (ES oblige) while the 610ES was the US version of the 501ES ; all of these shared the same service manual. The original japanese non-ES version is the CDP-111 ; the original japanese ES version is the... CDP-501ES :-)

RIGHT: the european 501ES and original 501
(roll your mouse over !)

The silver versions look better, but then the black versions look better in real life, thanks to the "ES-magenta" undertone. All were very well built anyway - all-metal chassis, buttons, face-plate and tray.
1984 list price:
140,000¥ (CDP-111)
168,000¥ (CDP-501ES)