CD Player/Transport Reviews

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Wadia Digital 830 CD player

Brian Damkroger Oct 10, 1999 First Published: Oct 10, 1999 0 comments

"The bottom line is that good stuff really is better, and unfortunately, it usually costs more," proclaimed my friend Charlie over lunch one day. Our conversation had drifted to our newest toys, and although Charlie isn't an audiophile, he's passionate about his hobbies and appreciates performance and quality. He'll talk animatedly about exotic mountain bikes or Leica cameras, for example, and he has a garage full of Snap-On hand tools. Last winter he conducted an exhaustive search before selecting a particular pair of Zeiss binoculars—and the price of one of his James Purdey or 1930s-vintage Charles Daly shotguns would stagger even a veteran audiophile.

CD Player/Transport Reviews

Naim CDX CD player

Michael Fremer Oct 10, 2004 First Published: May 01, 1999 0 comments

To compartmentalize or not to compartmentalize, that is the question. Does one review an expensive CD player at the dawn of the 24-bit/96kHz digital age by pulling a "Clinton," standing defiantly before a jury of audio peers to deliver a speech on the state of the CD art, boxing in, roping off, and all but ignoring the new, supposedly unimpeachable medium?

CD Player/Transport Reviews Digital Processor Reviews

Wadia 27ix & Wadia 270 transport

John Atkinson Apr 02, 1999 First Published: Apr 03, 1999 0 comments

History teaches us that the full flowering of any social phenomenon takes place after the seeds of its destruction have been sown. That tourist magnet, London's Buckingham Palace, for example, was built decades after the English Revolution and the Restoration had redefined the role of the British monarchy as being merely titular, and made the elected Parliament the real seat of power.

CD Player/Transport Reviews

Linn Sondek CD12 CD Player

Wes Phillips Feb 07, 1999 First Published: Feb 07, 1999 0 comments

A funny thing happened to Linn Product's Brian Morris when he attempted to bring Linn's new Sondek CD12 through Customs as hand-luggage:

CD Player/Transport Reviews

Theta Jade CD transport

Martin Colloms Jun 03, 2007 First Published: Jan 03, 1999 0 comments

Many pundits in our industry say that CD is under threat from Super">http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/164">Super Audio CD, DVD-Audiohttp://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/270">DVD-Audio;, and dual-layer CD/DVD technologies. Conflicting stories abound, and even though I'm supposed to be well-informed, I've found some of them hard to sort out! For example, Michael Fremer, concluding a fine review of the $7500 Bow Technologies ZZ-Eight integrated CD player in August, compared its notable 16-bit/44.1kHz achievement with a DVD-based disc originally mastered at 24/96kHz and replayed on an inexpensive DVD player. He found the Bow wanting in some respects. What is the world coming to?

CD Player/Transport Reviews

Arcam Alpha 9 CD player

Kalman Rubinson Aug 08, 2004 First Published: Jan 01, 1999 0 comments

Recently, we've seen the digital "horsepower" race accelerate with the arrival of digital sources and devices with 24-bit and 96kHz sampling capability. Much of this has been spurred by the 24/96 labels emblazoned on the newer DVD players—and, within the purer confines of the audio community, by high-end DACs with this same ability. Indeed, it's possible that the dCS">http://www.stereophile.com/digitalsourcereviews/259">dCS Elgar DAC, near and dear to John Atkinson's heart and a perennial Class A selection in Stereophile's "Recommended Components," performs so well with standard 16-bit/44.1kHz sources because its wider digital bandwidth permits greater linearity within the more restricted range of regular CDs.

CD Player/Transport Reviews

California Audio Labs CL-15 CD player

Brian Damkroger Aug 05, 2007 First Published: Nov 05, 1998 0 comments

It was inevitable that I'd encounter the California Audio Labs CL-15 in my search for a CD player priced less than stratospherically. CAL was one of the first companies to hit the market with a high-end CD player, and they've been building great-sounding digital gear ever since. What's more, the CL-15's predecessor was the Icon">http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/696cal">Icon PowerBoss Mk.II HDCD, a longtime personal favorite. I was particularly curious to see how the CAL would stack up against today's competition. I've been impressed with CAL products over the years—the original Sigma, the Delta, the DX-1 and 2, and, of course, the Icon. On the other hand, the competition—players like the Rega">http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/634">Rega Planet, Arcam's Alpha 8 and Alpha">http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/199arcam">Alpha 9, and Ultech's UCD 100—has improved dramatically since I last heard the Icon.

CD Player/Transport Reviews Budget Component Reviews

Arcam Alpha MCD 6-disc CD changer

Brian Damkroger Aug 05, 2007 First Published: Oct 05, 1998 0 comments

Think about it for a second: If you could buy a six-disc CD changer that sounded every bit as good and was built just as well as a similarly priced single-disc player, would you be interested?

CD Player/Transport Reviews Digital Processor Reviews

Sonic Frontiers Transport 3 CD transport & Processor 3 D/A processor

Shannon Dickson Oct 26, 2004 First Published: Oct 01, 1998 0 comments

Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised when I first spied the prototypes for Sonic Frontiers' luscious new digital combo, the Transport 3 CD transport and Processor 3 D/A processor, at HI-FI '97 in San Francisco. After all, this is the company whose meteoric rise from an electronic parts-supply outfit run out of president Chris Johnson's basement, to a large factory pumping out an impressive array of entry-level to crème de la crème tube electronic components, has elevated Sonic Frontiers to front-line status among high-end manufacturers.

CD Player/Transport Reviews

Philips CDR880 CD-R/RW CD recorder

Wes Phillips Jul 20, 2012 First Published: Sep 01, 1998 0 comments

Back when the CD was a pup, I used to hear people say, "I refuse to buy a CD player until they can record." Ha ha, I thought, smart-ass audiophile that I was, they're gonna wait for a long timethat's never gonna happen. I was half rightit has been a long time coming. But I was also, as my football coach used to insist, half-fast. "Never" has arrived.