NEC CD-803

October   1 9 8 2 october 1982
1 9 8 4 1984

Strangely enough, reviews I have at hand show that not many did hear the CD-803 as much better-sounding than lesser players... Perhaps the format was new enough to keep the sound of it offstage.

For a while. The CD-803 was part of the cream of the 1st generation CD player crop but strangely didn't sell nearly as well as the Yamaha CD-1 or Sony CDP-701ES...

A full in-house development, the CD-803 was surprisingly -and very briefly- rebadged as a Teac DL-700.
Inside is part Toshiba (laser block), part Sony (digital ICs), part bloody STK6922 ICs but mostly NEC with its own drive and digital filters.
The latter, then, represented a fair chunk (if not half of-) the price of any player - and NEC made its own !

Ultra-High tech all this was and we're so used to it nowadays that it still is a little difficult to remember that it really was.


Much more about the CD-803 at the indispensable vintage-audio-laser.com.

NEC CD-803, image 1 NEC CD-803, image 2 NEC CD-803, image 3
NEC CD-803 specifications
Title Value
System : Compact Disc Digital Audio Player
Pickup : GaALSi Semiconductor laser
Sampling : 44.1Khz
Quantization : 16bits linear/channel
Frequency response : 5Hz...20Khz (±0,5dB)
Dynamic range : > 90dB
S/N ratio : > 90dB
THD : 0,01% (5Hz...20Khz)
Channel separation : < 70dB (5Hz...20Khz)
Output level : 1,5V / 470 Ohm (fixed)
0...1,5V / 2,5kOhm (variable)
Access time : 3s. average
PGM search : PGM number or sub-number (index)
Memory functions : Random memory access
up to 99 pgm or sub-number
PC : 58W
Dimensions : 43 x 15 x 36cm
Weight : 12kg.
FEATURES : CD803 wireless remote
Auto-timer switch
1 LED auto de-emphasis display
1 LED error-correction display
"From NEC, Japan's leader in computer and communication technology"
page online since : july 2005
page updated : not yet
page type : LGT / KNB
page weight : 119.05 Kb / 0 b
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