Despite the renaissance of vinyl and magnetic tape, despite the triumphant march of Hi – Res streaming , the compact disc, or CD , still remains a massive and widely demanded format. Accumulated collections of discs, rare editions, special charm and quite worthy (on good equipment and with high-quality digital-to-analog conversion) do not let CDs leave the scene.
It is gratifying that in 2023 many specialized players for playing such discs appeared on the market!
8. Rotel CD11 MKII
DAC – 32/384 | Texas Instruments PCM5102A | Signal/noise ratio, dB – 125 | THD, % – 0.009 | Weight, kg – 6.2
Pros – good detail
Cons – HF can be a bit harsh
Verdict – excellent value for money
More than thirty years after Rotel’s first CD player, the company introduced the relatively inexpensive Rotel CD11 MKII. The device is equipped with a silent motor, proprietary low-pass filter circuits, modern Texas Instruments PCM5102A digital-to-analog conversion chips, and separate digital and analog power supplies. It is even strange that all this splendor costs such a modest amount – especially since the sound quality of the device is not satisfactory.
7. Musical Fidelity M2SCD
DAC – 24/192 | Signal-to-noise ratio, dB – 117 | THD, % – 0.003 | Weight, kg – 6.65
Pros – plastic sound
Cons – bass could be more extended
Verdict – a real “Englishman”
The Musical Fidelity M2SCD uses its own signal handling scheme with a mains choke filter and a digital streaming noise filter. The 8x oversampling Delta-Sigma DAC is the icing on the cake. The sound character of the model seems to be very fast and mobile, similar to mercury.
6. YBA CD200
DAC – 24/192 | Signal-to-noise ratio, dB – 108 | THD, % – n/a | Weight, kg – 7.9
Pros – sound “with a twist”
Cons – from dynamic bursts you want more speed
Verdict – excellent representative of the Hi-Fi class
Traditionally for the company, YBA CD200 has a very unusual design and original control system. To match the sound – it is very beautiful and refined, although heavy music may seem overly cautious. The circuitry sports a fully differential balanced output and a coaxial digital output (useful if you decide to use the unit only as a CD transport).
5. Myriad Z310
DAC – 32/768, ES9219C | Signal-to-noise ratio, dB – 116 | THD, % – 0.001 | Weight, kg – 6.8
Pros – decent bass and pitch scale
Cons – there are minor questions to microdynamics
Verdict – Myryad Z310 will not let you down!
The latest model from British audio manufacturer Myryad, the Z310 CD player uses touch controls, integrates seamlessly into your own line of equipment, and provides excellent performance (say, a signal-to-noise ratio of up to 116 dB). The ES9219C chip guarantees crystal clear and transparent sound along with a wide range of action. Not forgotten and the Bluetooth 5.0 module
4.Teac VRDS-701
DAC – 32/384, FPGA | Signal-to-noise ratio, dB – 108 | SOI, % – 0.002 | Weight, kg – 11.1
Pros – ultra-modern design
Cons – in fact, nothing significant
Verdict – the player of “tomorrow”
The TEAC VRDS-701 CD player is a true treasure trove of innovation. On its seventieth anniversary, the Japanese corporation “gave it all out” and released a true engineering masterpiece in the field of CD playback. The player uses a reimagined proprietary transport mechanism with a VRDS (Vibration-Free Rigid Disc-Clamping System) sub-chassis with a toroidal structure bridge made of composite and fixed on one side only (this approach suppresses vibrations as much as possible). The Teac VRDS-701 has a proprietary delta-sigma DAC based on discrete elements with FPGA, the overall balanced circuit is designed according to the “double mono” principle with independent toroidal power transformers. You can continue the listing for a long time – as you, say, RDOT-NEO (Refined Digital Output Technology NEO) upsampling technology? It is difficult to express even the slightest claim to the sound of the model (taking into account the price group).
3. Hegel Viking
DAC – 16/44, AKM 4493SEQ | Signal-to-noise ratio, dB – n/a | THD, % – 0.0015 | Weight, kg – 7.3
Pros – phenomenal bass
Cons – price…
Verdict – Hegel sets its own rules in the market
Hegel Viking is a “clean” CD player. The device does not use upsampling and works only with native CD signals (16/44) – the proprietary SynchroDAC is based on the AKM 4493SEQ chip. The system is equipped with a precision clock generator, a unique matching circuit with LineDriver interconnect cables; circuitry, of course, is balanced. It is difficult to find fault with the sound of the Hegel Viking – the solid and dry bass with excellent articulation is especially impressive.
2. Accuphase DP-570
DAC – 24/192, ES9028PRO | Signal/noise ratio, dB – 120 | THD, % – 0.0006 | Weight, kg – 19
Pros – sounds like an open window
Cons – for its price group none
Verdict – Accuphase DP-570 is an example of engineering design
The Accuphase DP-570 CD/SACD player uses a superb transport and proprietary MDS+ quad-parallel digital-to-analogue converter based on ES9028PRO chips. Direct balanced filter, balanced circuitry, and, of course, sound that takes you straight to a concert or recording studio – the last arguments for this chic player.
1. Vitus Audio SCD-025 mk II
DAC – 24/384, 2x AD1955 | Signal-to-noise ratio, dB – 110 | THD, % – 0.01 | Weight, kg – 26
Pros – High End in all its glory and power
Cons – only price
Verdict – the perfect example of a CD player
The Vitus Audio SCD-025 mk II high-end CD player uses the Philips CD Pro 2 LF transport and boards and power supplies completely redesigned compared to the first model (there are four of them). The device uses its own AD1955 DSP-based jitter minimization circuitry and operates with zero-feedback ultra-linear transistors. The bandwidth reaches a stunning 2.5 MHz – in terms of “brilliance” the player has few equals.
