CD Player/Transport Reviews

Hegel Music Systems Mohican CD player

Herb Reichert Apr 25, 2017 First Published: Apr 25, 2017

Someone on Audio Asylum wrote, "When it comes to hi-res audio, Herb is a babe in the woods." This is true, though probably not in the way this person imagined. High-resolution master David Chesky has been my friend forever, and I used to write for his website HDtracks.com. Todd Garfinkle, founder of and producer for MA Recordings, and Kavichandran Alexander, of Water Lily Acoustics, are not only valued friends, but I own most of their stunning recordings. In short, I'm no stranger to SACD or 24-bit/192kHz playback. But compared to most audiophiles, I've been a bit slow in appreciating the intricacies and virtues of hi-rez computer audio.

CD Player/Transport Reviews J. Gordon Holt

Sony CDP-R1/DAS-R1 CD player

J. Gordon Holt Feb 28, 2017 First Published: Dec 01, 1988

Two of the most cherished terms in the lexicon of high end are "no holds barred" and "cost no object." These are usually applied, together, to the most expensive version of something currently on the market. But is either term really appropriate for an audio product? The answer is a flat, unequivocal No. No consumer product has ever conformed to the real meaning of those terms, and it is unlikely that one ever will.

Budget Component Reviews CD Player/Transport Reviews

NAD 5425 CD player

Corey Greenberg Feb 09, 2017 First Published: Feb 01, 1992

One of my favorite parts of writing for Stereophile is reading all the heartfelt letters our readers take the time to write me. There's nothing I like better than to kick off my boots, stretch out on the futon-couch, and let the groovy love vibes just shine off the pages. Time doesn't always permit a reply, but for now...AS in MD: thanks! RP in CA: sure, why not? And SH in IN: I've tried that, but it chafed.

Budget Component Reviews CD Player/Transport Reviews

NAD 5000 CD player

Thomas J. Norton Feb 07, 2017 First Published: Jan 01, 1991

The $499 NAD 5000 looks nothing like most inexpensive CD players. Its plastic trim doesn't look cheap. It doesn't look expensive either, but it certainly won't be embarrassed to show its face in polite company. The front panel is neatly arranged and easy to interpret and use. It's the smallest and lightest of the present company of playersthe only obvious physical reflections of its low-budget heritage. Inside, however, NAD has done a lot to put your money where it counts.

CD Player/Transport Reviews

EAR Acute Classic CD player

Art Dudley Feb 02, 2017 First Published: Feb 02, 2017

In Stereophile's January 2016 issue, I began a series of reviews of $10,000 CD players and transport-DAC combinations: an informal and serial survey, the goal of which was to gather, over time, the likeliest candidates for one's Last CD Player Ever. My choice of $10,000 as the target price was more or less arbitrary, although, in retrospect, that's about what I've invested in my go-to combination of turntable, tonearm, and pickup headso, who knows? Maybe my subconscious was acting out.

CD Player/Transport Reviews J. Gordon Holt

Bang & Olufsen Beogram CD-X CD player

J. Gordon Holt Jan 02, 2017 First Published: Dec 01, 1986

The Danish Bang & Olufsen firm is the undisputed leader in audio when it comes to dramatic product styling and ease and versatility of use. Their designs have won more design awards than those of any other audio firm, and each new lineup of B&O models seems to offer even more control convenience than the last batch. Sonically, none of their components to date has been any better than "very good," and some have done significantly less well than that. In reviewing them, we have had to compare them with their pricewise competition among the brands we normally think of as "high-end," and B&O's components have not stood that comparison very well.

Audacious Audio CD Player/Transport Reviews Digital Processor Reviews

dCS Rossini Player & Rossini Clock

John Atkinson Nov 18, 2016 First Published: Nov 18, 2016

It has been 20 years since I first became aware of the British company Data Conversion Systems, which manufactures audio products under the dCS brand. Rather than use off-the-shelf conversion chips, the groundbreaking dCS Elgar D/A converter, which I reviewed in our July 1997 issue, featured a then-unique D/A design that they called a Ring DAC. This featured a five-bit, unitary-weighted, discrete DAC running at 64 times the incoming data's sample rate2.822MHz for 44.1kHz-based data, 3.07MHz for 48kHz-sampled data and its multipleswith upsampling and digital filtering and processing implemented in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Oversampling to a very high sample rate allows the word length to be reduced without losing resolution, and use of a low-bit multi-bit DAC makes for very high accuracy in the analog voltage levels that describe the signal. (If this seems like voodoo, for a given signal bandwidth, bit depth and sample rate are related. To oversimplify, double the rate, and you can reduce the bit depth by one bit while preserving the overall resolution.)

CD Player/Transport Reviews

The Mod Squad Prism II CD player

Thomas J. Norton Nov 10, 2016 First Published: Jan 01, 1991

Like its Prism I predecessor, which I reviewed in May 1988, the Mod Squad Prism II is based on a Philips player: the same 16-bit, 4x-oversampling converter, the same general control layout. But The Mod Squad does their own extensive remanufacture, both on the internal circuitry and on the cosmeticsthe latter involving a handsomely sculptured case and metal front trim-panel surrounding Philips's command center.

CD Player/Transport Reviews

Sony CDP-X77ES CD player

Thomas J. Norton Oct 20, 2016 First Published: Jan 01, 1991

With Sony's latest flagship single-box player ($1700), we find yet another variant on 1-bit D/A technologyHigh Density Linear Converter, or HDLC. At the heart of this Pulse Length Modulation (footnote 1) D/A technique is Sony's CXD-2552 Pulse D/A converter (two per channel in complementary mode in the CDP-X77ES). This complex LSI chip incorporates a third-order noise shaper, the PLM converter, and a digital sync circuit receiving its input from the system clock.

CD Player/Transport Reviews

Sony D-7S portable CD player

Bill Sommerwerck, Sam Tellig Jul 05, 2016 First Published: Aug 01, 1986

There's a race on between Sony and Matsushita, to determine who can build the smallest battery-operated CD player with the most features. Sony currently holds the lead with its second-generation D-7 ($300), about 30% smaller than the first "pocket" CD, the D-5. Most of the reduction is in height; both players have a horizontal cross-section only slightly larger than the CD itself. The illusion of smallness is further enhanced by an angled front panel with beveled edges.