For C-100, $600 is a very reasonable price
with sophisticated treatment for design and ability of playing CD with Hi-Fi
sound.
C-100 CD Player is one of the latest
products from Audiobook (in Germany) who started as a sound device distributor.
Since 2009, the company has officially manufactured budget products satisfying Germany’s
audio standard.
Case
is robust and sturdy. Buttons are appropriately arranged in D-shape.
Right from case’s appearance, Audioblock
did show a combination of power and aesthetics in a compact design. The surface
is made of 9mm-thick aluminum plate. In the center lies function keys properly
arranged in D-shape, comforting user’s operation with C-100.
Our trial device appeared in Sapphire black,
so on the left is a unique large blue display. For versions with Diamond Silver
and Polar Silver colors, this display shows black background and white texts. On
the right is traditional sliding tray for discs. On sideways surfaces, there
are split are pressed aluminum bars to increase heat elimination. And stabilize
the device’s operation.
C-100’s
interior
Regarding interior, though C-100 is a
budget product, it is equipped with a big toroidal transformer positioned in
the center, far from signal circuit and laser eye. Furthermore, C-100’s drive
motor also comes with an anti-noise coat preventing affect the process of
reading data from CD.
Besides, C-100’s tray system is highly
appreciated for preventing jam or slanting position of disc. These are common
errors that popular mid-class products usually encounter. Disc tray’s movement
is quiet, fluent and firm enough to reassure users.
For only $600, C-100 is a good value, a CD
player with not too many functions (SACD, DAC, Wireless…) and sophisticated
design. C-100 is promised to bring users a strong belief in endurance and audio
quality of this product.
The
sound system we used to test C-100
To test sound quality, Audioblock C-100 was
compared with Arcam CD-82. Though Arcam CD-82 was not a new model, it was still
a good player whose are now even pricier than Audioblock C-100.
After spending a long time listening songs
such as “My valentine” (by Paul McCartney) and “Kisses on the bottom”, with
common Red Book CD format, it was easy to recognize Audioblock C-100 provided
clearer and smoother sound than Arcam CD-82.
Arcam’s CD players were often strong on playing
classic music; it might be less accurate and detailed than other CD players but
able to deliver the soul of music to listeners. But with Audioblock C-100, songs
were mostly reproduced, bringing users a feeling of being right in a real
theatre. About bass sound, Audioblock produced thicker and deeper bass as well
as more effective in delivering theatrical effects. Additionally, high
frequency band performed via Audioblock C-100 was clear but no strident at high
volume.
In
the back lie basic connectors
In fact, Audioblock C-100 CD player is more
efficient than majority of other products in the same price range, thanks to ability
of minimizing noise and innovative DAC encoder.
When the heyday of LP was over but digital
music hasn’t been completed, CD player is still the most concerned. Especially
for music lovers not having much money, C-100 CD player is surely a valuable
choice.
