Top 5... £500+ CD PLAYERS
There's nothing technical about this top 5 listing and I fully realise that there are loads that could have been here that aren't... but these are CD players that I've bought, sometimes owned and sold over the years. They are all, in my humble opinion, great units within their price range. If the CD format lacks the drama of handling a vinyl LP and its large format sleeve, then these CD plays will add back in some of the excitement, both in style and sound!
1. Sugden Masterclass PDT4The most expensive CD player I've ever bought, but without question the best CD player I've ever heard and also worth pointing out that when Sugden serviced the unit the customer service the company offered was exemplary and beyond what was necessary.
If you ever doubted how good a CD player can be, this CDT4 will show you just what is possible. Expect to pay... £2000+ 2. Marantz SA-KI RubyI'm a big fan of Marantz CD players. They often sound really lovely, prove consistently reliable (with the odd exception!), look great... and did I say they sound lovely! There are some excellent examples throughout the range, including some limited edition models, such as this SA-KI Ruby. Built like a tank, it plays SACDs as well as CDs and is well worth tracking down. Expect to pay... £1800+
3. Naim CD5 XSI've come across quite a lot of Naim CD players now and they invariably sound very good indeed. They seem to prove pretty reliable but, crucially, it's the noise they make that really impresses... these are easy to listen to, with a lovely tone and overall sonic performance. Expect to pay... £900
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4. Cyrus CD XT SignatureCyrus has made a bewildering array of CD players over the years. We're not convinced that some of the early units are as reliable as they should be (laser issues) but they've always sounded good and these slightly later variants are definitely worth a listen. Expect to pay... £900
5. Shanling CD-T300Shanling makes some great CD players and this isn't necessarily the one I'd choose, if for no other reason that only 300 examples of the CD-T300 were made! But as a visual statement, few players can compete for drama - it looks completely out of this world. CDs are manually loaded into the top, and this Shanling sounds great too. Expect to pay... £1500
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