For classical music, the economics of CDs prevails. Classical labels are offering entire catalogs of their artists, via box sets, for $2 a disc.

Well done Phil!! I still buy and play CD’s, SACDs and Vinyl and love all 3 media types. What I don’t do is stream. I enjoy physical media and upgraded both my turntable and CD/SACD player in the last year to the best devices I’ve ever purchased in my 50 +years of Audio enjoyment. Current Marantz SA KI Ruby SACD player and Rega P6 Turntable are end game pieces for me. Both are simply superb kit.

This was a very helpful review, as was your review of the rega system one. I've been looking fir a lo g time for an update for my old Micromega Stage 1 from 1996 which I absolutely loved especially the French bit and I think I just found it. Many thanks!!!!!

Bit by Bit, I like the subtle reference Phil..!! good review matey

Great as usual. Like listening to a chat in a hifi shop.

Purchased a Leema Element cd recently. My first upgrade from the rega Saturn. Very happy.

The vinyl resurgence has led to the dismissal of CD. People have been convinced Vinyl always sounds better, and that CD's all sound terrible. We've been down this road before. When CD was first introduced they used the same playbook, except it was Vinyl that sounded worse. So what's the truth? Well, I can't speak to your truth, but mine is simple - if you take the time get the right player, one that works well with your amp and speakers, there is no reason your CD's shouldn't blow your socks off. A year or so ago I wanted to upgrade my digital front end. I bought a DAC, I got a transport. I was so underwhelmed. It worked, but there was nothing special about it. I studied the DAC's out there, the various chips, the ladders, the input and outputs, I spent a good deal of time (measured in weeks) to figure out what was best at what price point. And around and around I went. One day, dissatisfied with my new setup, I unplugged it all and went on another search. Modern thinking was all you need is a transport and a DAC, but I was wary based on my experiences. So I went back to basics. Cutting a long story short, I found my nirvana. I found a CD/SACD player that sounds like gold - warm, detailed, with finesse. A beautiful thing. It was an old piece of kit, and it had a couple built in DAC's that has been "improved" over the years - so they say. In reality though, I let me ears do the judging, and the Burr-Brown's in my player are magic. The player is a Yamaha CD S1000. It weighs a ton. It's built for WWIII. It's a big piece of kit. But the sounds that come out of it are majestic. I knew I'd made the right decision. Now, a heavily compressed CD will always sound challenged. But then, you can't just buy any old piece of Vinyl and expect an audiophile presentation. No, we look for specific pressings in specific plants, etc. CD is no different - you need to figure out which as the good discs, and which are the bad ones. I've found that for some music CD is far better. I listen to a lot of classical and soundtracks, and silence is often a key part of the experience - CD is better at that. It's also better if such pieces play beginning to end without a break. For other things, Vinyl works better - for example, The debut album from The Tubes has never sounded good on digital. So it goes. People are quickly getting rid of their CD collections, but again, we've been here before. When the CD to Vinyl switch happened people sold off their Vinyl. Now there are a core of people enjoying Vinyl again, and I don't doubt there will eventually be those getting back into CD. I think it's best not to get religious about this type of thing. It's also best to let your ears tell the story. I can't tell you how many specs and tests I read about external DAC's, only to find them sounding brittle and glaring. There's more to this hi-fi stuff than spec sheets and data points. Besides , if you love music, you'll want both CD and Vinyl, some things are only in one format (when are they ever going to release John Cale's Carribbean Sunset on CD??!?!)

@dennishill290

Жыл бұрын

Yamaha.... Burr-brown... !

I just bought one of these after hearing/buying the Magnavox cbd 650. This phillips clone helped me understand what a very good cd player should sound like. Im very excited!!!

Excellent, I've never owned a really good cd player and next year I plan to include one in my final system upgrade, well that's the idea. I'm pretty sure about the turntable and amp and you have conveniently shown my two main cd player shortlists, although it's the Atoll CD50 which is the one down from the CD100 that's looking like the sweet spot in the range. The Atoll IA80 looks very interesting too, I don't need or want any more power than that, it's surprisingly difficult to find good amplifiers with lower power as price goes up and we haven't all got DNM money. 👍🎶

I’m over the Moon with my Apollo!

Apollo is an excellent "analogue" sounding player ... I love it ! (you cannot beat it for the fantastic sound and price)

@ReferenceFidelityComponents

2 жыл бұрын

You can and easily. Buy a used arcam fmj player. Far better made and far better sounding. New players sre no better than decent 20 year old ones but are cheaper made.

@gibcoprobe66

Жыл бұрын

@@ReferenceFidelityComponents jitter control has improved a lot...

Very nice the Atoll! Also the format not so steep. The display also very nice! The Atoll you can also use your one dac with the toslink!

I've stuck with my Marantz CD63 MkII KI Signature since buying it new, having not heard anything affordable to beat it - but now I am thinking it is time to replace it, and the Apollo is on the list . . . Placement isn't likely to be an issue, as I'm designing a new rack to house additional NVA monoblocks already. But I doubt if I'll find anything within my budget that'll come close to my Rega P3/Exact/Fono combination.

I bought a brand new Denon DCD 800NE CD player back in 2021 to replace a 34 year old Bang & Olufsen Beogram CD3300 and the difference was night and day the Denon surpassed the B&O in terms of sound quality and detail.

I buy CDs and records and love both. I own a streamer and use it to play the radio during the day and stream using Tidal Connect to search for new music. Once I find something I like, I buy the hard copy. I was amused when I heard people predicting the demise of CDs.

The Rega is on my radar, but as Phil says, I would need to re-jig my hifi set up to accommodate the top-loading player.

Rockland! Great album! ❤

I’ve upgraded to the Aethos, but what to upgrade my Rega DAC (which I love the sound of) to? The Isis - with sync USB as the only input - seems a bit crazy for someone who no longer owns any silver disks.

I don’t know about this specific ref but I’ve had an Atoll CD200 Signature player for over a year, replacing à Naim CD5Si that became faulty after less than 7 years, and it’s better in every way. Was expecting more reliabilIty from a brand like Naim, BTW.

I'd be intrigued like some others as to why you don't sell streamers. As you have pointed out it's a buoyant market and so presumably it would make sense as a business. For this fact alone your reasons for not going into that market are doubly interesting.

I don't have money for an audiophile level CD player, but I did buy a Cambridge AX35 for 400 dollars and it sounds Way way way better than a DVD or blu ray player

A very relevant video for me Phil, can’t quite decide on whether to get a new CD player or a Linn LP12. I thought a good CD player would be more expensive so maybe I could get both.

@mauroturio2256

Жыл бұрын

linn lp 12 con braccio ittok semplicemente il miglior giradischi mai costruito. comunque possiedo md 100 e suona da dio. puoi prenderli entrambi.

Naim still make a great one

Top loaders rule!

I still love my cds and records, don't care for streaming.

Just for completeness: The Atoll HD100 is the matching preamp to the poweramp MA100.

😊😊

Still buy CDs but non-remastered

Does not everyone have an external, superior DAC these days anyway, so what does it matter how the player sounds, since it will likely be used as a transport only regardless? For which reason Audiolab 6000 CDT is all one needs…. or a cheap transport from Project.

The Atoll MD100 is an excellent CD Player but it needs extensive running in to sound it’s best.

@Chris-nd5se

2 ай бұрын

How long would you say it needs to run in as I have recently bought one and not found any improvement over my old Marantz CD63SE

Yamaha has not stopped making sub 400€ CD players that simple traditional players without design or lifestyle gimmicks.

Top loaders leave the disc surface pristine, l have been horrified by the disc surface abrasions caused by slot and some draw loaders at hifi shows Top loader is my preference for keeping discs pristine.

Moved in with my new girlfriend and had to decide between my CD’s or Vinyls. I’m still single :-)

Im still using my Quad 67,i haven't heard anything more musical

Dad, what is a CD player? Son, shut up!

I'm really thinking of getting a Cyrus CDT xr as I have a big cd library and using audiolabs CDT but would like a good upgrade ....do you sell Cyrus and do you rate them? Thanks. 🤗😺

I'm still using the mid priced old linn genki and ikemi cd players, which on sound performance wipes the floor with any current rega cd player, or any current new cd player of any manufacturer from the likes of naim, roksan, rega, marantz, etc. The better your amplification and loudspeakers are, the better the linn genki will sound. The only other older manufactured cd players besides the linn genki and ikemi in the sound quality stakes that was worth purchasing was the resolution audio opus 21 cd player. The current top Atoll cd400se is not even compatible with most other manufacturers power amplifiers because it puts out an unconventional 3 volts rca output which will overload conventional power amplifiers of other manufacturers of 2 volts input industry standard for rca input. Cheap cd players are just that, they do not get all the sound information that is on a cd, off the cd and to your amplifier, when you realise how poor they really are compared to the best made cd players with real detail retrieval ability.

@edleifer6719

Жыл бұрын

Love the Resolution Audio Opus 21, have had one for over two decades now and still play it regularly without any issues, beautiful sound and now they are very reasonably priced in the second hand market.

so when you talk about CD player... you basically talk only about how good the DAC inside is, right?

you can buy a good transport for about $600 and buy a good DAC for about 1K i have a Denafrips Ares and a Oppo 103 for a transport.

@MaterLacrymarum

2 жыл бұрын

True, but that doesn't mean that's the way you should go. It simply breaks one unit into two.

Please do your reasons for not doing streamers

@1jhnpennington

2 жыл бұрын

+1

@JohnSmith-zl8rz

2 жыл бұрын

he's wrong, you can get top sound quality hi res from Tidal by example

I still buy CDs, but I do tend to just rip them and listen to digital files. I never had a vinyl collection really. I do have two Marantz players from different eras, a CD67SE from the 90s and a CD6006, the Union Jack badged model. I would like a higher-tier player at some point but I have too many expensive hobbies (my better half will attest).

Rega discountinued Apollo :(

The Rega sounds bad because of their crappy Wolfson DAC. Each DAC sounds different, after trying them all, ESS, AKM, AD, I can say that the Burr Browns sound the best. The wolfson is definitely the worst of all.

I’ve found the Apollo R unreliable. Had 2 and both stopped reading discs. There’s few entry level or mid ranged players made today that can hold a candle to some 20yr old designs like the Arcam fmj series for example. You’re right…they are over priced trinkets with mediocre sq. Glad to hear this honesty. 700 for an apollo is scandalous for such a cheaply made and suspect player. Personally, I gave up on entry level and mid priced cdps as I’ve lost count of the ones I’ve gone through which disappoint me. Its a wealthy man who can afford mid priced players….you’ll bump from one to another wasting money as you go. I bought a mint AR ref 7 cd player. It makes every other one I’ve owned sound broken. One of the best sounding ever made at any price and well worth the extra. Better made than most too.

This offhand dismissal of equipment (often price based) and format is getting rather weary. I would have thought you would have a much better knowledge of the range of cd players Marantz offer....

No true audiophile will 'stream' music as their primary source. 'Streaming' is after all, merely for internet jukeboxes that should be confined to pubs.

@stephenfurley1025

2 жыл бұрын

Wasn't going to bother - but I will. Great to see elitism alive and well in 2022. Everyone's entitled to an opinion of course - even if it is nonsense. Any number of decades-long "audiophiles" with "audiophile" LP/CD front ends have switched to streaming on grounds of sound quality. Any number happily coexist with LP/CD/Streaming. I think The Audiophiliac chappie would take issue with you at not being regarded as a 100% true "audiophile". Perhaps you have a particular definition as to what an "audiophile" is?

@jim586

2 жыл бұрын

What utter nonsense. Admittedly, you have to work on digital streaming, like a reclocker, good dac, cables and mains but you can get stunning results.

@stephenfurley1025

2 жыл бұрын

No nonsense. All Tue.

@jim586

2 жыл бұрын

@@stephenfurley1025 I was agreeing with you there, Stephen?

@stephenfurley1025

2 жыл бұрын

I have no interest in streaming, but I wouldn't have the.... arrogance? to imagine that all those that do somehow are less so in their pursuit of "better sound". Do you ever listen to music on KZread? People do like to knock it or the sound quality offered, compression and the like. But, if you actually bother to listen, with a reasonable phone and headset, you might be surprised at what you can get: kzread.info/dash/bejne/q56AqK98mpuYgKw.html kzread.info/dash/bejne/pnh81ZiafNrHg7Q.html kzread.info/dash/bejne/h5mY3M2LptaYfLQ.html kzread.info/dash/bejne/Y5ys0dCfoMnbhLw.html Loads more, too!

Vinyl is no more engaging than CD. Good music is engaging. If people need vinyl or a specific CD player to get engaged with music, they should seek out better music first. I prefer good music with high fidelity. Hence I have never seen the point in investing in an analogue audio chain. Decent analogue sound quality requires exorbitant amounts of money - for at best digital level fidelity.

@scottchegg1209

2 жыл бұрын

Ummmm no

@COLDMKULTRA

2 жыл бұрын

@@scottchegg1209 Exactly so! 👍

@mrfroopy

2 жыл бұрын

That's simply not true. I have a 45 year old Dual turntable and a decent Pioneer amp and the sound is great IT is not exorbitant. I paid 300 dollars for the turntable 15 years ago and the amp was 300 dollars used and I have a set of Bowers and Wilkens 601s that I got used. The whole system cost under 1000 dollars and I have been using it for a decade in it's current form.

@mechantl0up

2 жыл бұрын

@@mrfroopy Vinyl enthusiasts tell me that to match my digital chain I would have to spend over 5k€ on the turntable + arm + cartridge + plus some 1k€ for a RIAA amp for a total of 5-6k€. I am not going to do that. I have too many CDs to buy first. What is more, vinyls are only getting more expensive by the day, and I am told by the same vinyl hobbyists that the quality of new vinyl pressings is really bad.

CDs are dead, you can find almost everything on Tidal or Qobuz with better sounds quality than CDs

@thedarkdefender7780

9 ай бұрын

CD's aren't dead. They said that about vinyl.

@JohnSmith-zl8rz

9 ай бұрын

@@thedarkdefender7780 I hope CDs die, of that way I can continue buying CDs for low prices. I encourage people to buy Vinyl or go to streaming.