I love CDs and the players that play them. What a marvelous format for playing music!
Artists typically have a program or musical message they want to deliver. Just hit play and you’re set for 40-80 minutes. You don’t incur any clicks/pops or bobsled noise. It couldn’t be easier.
And, playing a CD sounds better than streaming. Yes, it does.
As a classical piano hound in particular, I can tell you that the quality of CDs is an embarrassment of riches. World class pianists like Ashkenazy, Perahia, Pollini, Freire and Argerich have had their careers recorded with outstanding sound quality from start to finish. There are many Horowitz recordings from the 60s on that have surprisingly good sound. What a treat- to sit in the room with these fabulous musicians at the peak of their talent.
I’m OK with vinyl. But on the music I like… it’s unacceptable to listen through the noise of playing records. The variation among pressings is simply a crap shoot. The religious ritual of cleaning records and styli are absolutely necessary to give vinyl a fighting chance. I’m done with that.
Streaming is great fun. You can hear almost anything in a couple of clicks. But everyone who streams is trigger happy. They never listen to ALBUMS as we do with CDs. And… streaming can be maddening if your internet service, subscription provider or streaming box is having a bad day. And I’ll tell ya straight out, I prefer the sound of a great CD over streaming it. You can’t help but lose info in the caching and long line of devices in the road of streaming.
Don’t believe that nonsense you may hear from audiophiles that CDs are extinct. They said the same thing about records in 1982. Pursue our great hobby in whichever format you prefer. For me, that’s the silver disc. A quick look at Berkshire Record Outlet today shows they have over 27,000 CDs in stock, and a dozen LPs. CDs are not over… by a long shot.
Stereophile
I wanted to see what Stereophile recommended in CD players in its April 2024 Recommended Components list. I was disappointed to see they STILL have Disc & File Players as a category.
This, is a major fly-by to CD Players and people who love CDs.
They list almost a dozen TURNTABLES at $30k or higher. Three are over a quarter mil. Spare me.
The first CD player they mention is a CH from Switzerland for $46K. This is a fine player, I’m sure. But it’s $46k and uses a Marantz transport and Sabre chips. Lots of players for lots less money use these. The Matterhorn is incredible but…
They like an MBL for $19k that uses a fairly old Sabre 9018 DAC. It’s good. I’ve heard it in a myriad of players and DACs over the years. But, ya gotta pay $19k? Nah.
Hegel’s new Viking for $5k is recommended. Good call boys! It’s a new player with AKM DAC.
Somehow they left Bryston’s BCD-3 ($4500) off their list. Really?! It’s among the best players on the market, made in Canada, and is cheaper than all of the above. This, is a swing and a miss!
They like a Rotel for $2300. It uses Sabre DACs and heaven knows what CD drive. Made in China. Yuk. I’m sure it sounds fine but, no thanks.
They like a Cyrus player for $3300. Their comment is “It’s a good CD player and a solid value.” Boy, that’s inspirational (?!) for $3300. Wow.
So there ya have it, from Stereophile. This shows you what they think of CDs. You have players at $46k and $19k. Nice call on the Viking boys. Not bad on the Rotel, but I’d rather not buy Chinese. And the Cyrus looks like an 8-track under your dash in 1971.
The Good News Is…
There are many more options these guys missed, that Audio Emporium has NOT. I’ve already mentioned Bryston from Canada. We also offer Atoll from France! These are wonderful players at good prices, not made in China.
Bryston BCD-3 $4500
This wonderful sounding Canadian player is an absolute joy to hear and operate. The mechanism is fast and responsive. The sound is clear as a bell. And there are no records to clean or styli to dust. BCD-3 can go in the best of systems!
Atoll CD-200 $2950
Atoll’s new CD-200 is SWEET. It’s built like a tank in France and has two large 10VA transformers for great isolation. It has 8 regulated power supplies, Burr Brown DACs and over 13,000 uF of filter caps. Here we have super serious red book player under $3k, not made in the far east!
Atoll considers many details the other guys don’t. Atoll installs absorbing foam on their CD transport AND on the top of the chassis where it meets the top cover. These are small touches that added up- make an improvement.
We’ve all heard records played with a touch of debris clinging to the stylus- making a tizzy sound. When you clean the stylus and record scrupulously, the smoothness and tracking is dialed in properly- a welcome relief.
Well, this is how Atoll sounds from the outset! Atolls are warm, musical sound like they’re tracking perfectly!
The DR-200 $2000, is the transport only version of this player. If you already have a fine DAC, DR-200 can save you some money. I’m more a fan of buying the CD player where ALL the aspects of playing discs are considered under one hood. Yet I respect your wallet.
Atoll CD-100 Signature $2200
Atoll’s CD-100 Sig sounds a bit more robust and warm than CD-80. It a larger transformer, filter caps and a more advanced current-voltage stage. Especially if you’re buying IN-100 Signature, just buy CD-100 Sig to match!
Atoll CD-80 Signature $1750
Atoll makes solidly built, under priced gear in France. With 8 regulated power supplies, dual transformers, as much capacitance as many power amps and Burr Brown converters, CD-80 is a wonderful sounding player. Its sound is smooth and rich. Its top end is more open than anything LESS, and its action is quick and responsive.
Atoll CD-50 Signature $1650
CD-50 Sig looks just like the CD-80. It uses 6 supplies instead of 8. The transformers are smaller as is the filter capacitance. If you can swing $100 more for the 80, do so. But CD-50 Sig is a marvelous player- a distinct step above the Chinese.
Atoll DR-100 $1200
DR100 is Atoll’s TRANSPORT for CDs only, made in France. If you already have a fine DAC in your system, consider DR-100 to bring CDs to a new level. With big storage caps and outputs of OPT and Coax, DR-100 could be just the ticket for your integrated amp with nice DAC on board.
Atoll MD-100 $900
Atoll’s MD-100 is a mini sized player that is built quite solidly. It uses two transformers, three power supplies and Burr Brown DACs. Filter capacitance is 8192uF, so this is no toy- made in France! They made it small since so many people have a mountain of gear in their racks. If they had asked me, I would have said, make it full sized so people will recognize what a serious player it is. But it’s OK to have one model that fits more easily in your stack.
Denon DCD-900ne $550
It’s built in Viet Nam with a one year warranty to hit $550. It tracks well and uses Denon’s AL32 upsampling system. The Atolls sound noticeably warmer and have more muscular bass. But if your budget is $550, the Denon is the best option.