Cyrus C D8 SE2: $1,800
Cyrus’s track record of producing excellent
CD players is second to none. Over the past decade it has consistently
delivered class-leading machines, and this year is no different.
Cyrus
products are all famously modular in design, working well with each other. As
well as the PSX-R power supply, consider adding a DAC X+
We’re no strangers to the CD8 SE. this is a
player that has impressed us with its astonishing resolution and expressive
dynamics for a number of years now. The new SE2 version takes the slot-loading
original and improves the software that governs how the player works.
This finessing of the control software has
resulted in the SE2 dealing with discs in a far less fussy manner. Reactions to
commands are swift, and discs that don’t quite adhere to the stick Red Book CD
standard, such as those burned on some computers are handled more securely. All
these things add up to making the player a better proposition to live with. And
that’s something we’re sure you’ll want to do.
When it comes to conveying dynamics,
both large and small scale, we haven’t heard any rival player do it better
Resolution and agility
In this price class we haven’t come across
anything that has so much resolution, yet delivers all that information in such
an agile and exciting way. Cyrus has never gone for a rich, full-bodied
presentation but with each new generation the company’s characteristically lean
sound gains in authority and low-end weight.
Listen to Emeli Sandé Heaven and there’s no
escaping the recording’s thin, hard-edged quality. Equally, the CD8 SE2 also
reveals the track’s hard-charging momentum and the full drama of Sandé vocals.
The complex weave of instrumental strands is easily heard through the Cyrus,
while the top-end has plenty of bite without overstating things.
The
CD8 SE2 also reveals the track’s hard-charging momentum and the full drama of
Sandé vocals.
The story is equally positive when asked to
change down a gear and play Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue. Here, the Cyrus
captures the atmosphere of the recording brilliantly, as well as delivering the
precision of Davis’s trumpet playing with skill. When it comes to conveying
dynamics, both large and small scale, we haven’t heard any rival player do it
better.
As with most Cyrus products, the CD 8 SE2
is no dead-end purchase. The addition of a PSX-R outboard power supply takes
performance to an even higher level. Yet, even as it stands, the CD8 SE2 is a
winner.
Best CD player $2,250+
Roksan Caspian M2: $2,475
In the world of hi-fi, more money doesn’t
always buy more features. Roksan’s Caspian M2 is a case in point. This
three-time winner doesn’t feature the rather useful digital inputs of the
Audiolab 8200CD, nor does it stream music from an iDevice like the Marantz
CD6004. What it does do, however, is play CDs brilliantly.
Roksan
Caspian M2, the best CD player $2,250+
This isn’t the most neutral-sounding player
you’ll come across. It has a smoother and richer balance than the norm but uses
that to deliver one of the most likeable performances we’ve heard anywhere near
this price.
So while the Caspian M2 digs up plenty of
detail, and is transparent enough to reveal every single flaw in a recording,
it never overstates the shortcomings, preferring to concentrate on the
positives instead. Think of it as one of the finest musical diplomats money can
buy.
As with all our Award winners, the real
achievement here is balance. Despite being kinder to recordings than most
rivals, this CD player doesn’t short-change in other areas.
The M2 has the dynamic reach to truly
thrill with something as forceful as Beethoven’s Fifth, yet still has
effortless finesse
No one-trick pony
The Caspian M2 has the dynamic reach to
truly thrill with something as force as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, yet it
still has the finesse and midrange expressiveness to make the most of Leonard
Cohen’s Old Ideas set an impressively wide spread of talents. You can add
surefooted timing and a deep, impressively focused soundstage to this player’s
list of talents too.
The Caspian’s easy-going nature extends to
system matching. All it needs is an amplifier the obvious choice is the
multiple Award winning Caspian M2 amplifier (Roksan’s product naming is not
without its own logic), which shares much of the CD player’s appealing
character and speakers that are transparent enough to allow the M2’s strengths
to shine through. We have no doubt that this fine player is capable of fronting
some pretty exotic systems without issue.
Put it all together and you have a
well-built, sensibly priced a well-built, sensibly priced CD player that’s good
enough to take on some pretty exotic, and much higher-priced, rivals. That’s
why the Caspian M2 holds on to its Best Buy Award for yet another year.
How to buy a CD player
Once, the idea of a CD player having
digital inputs for other sources seemed odd. Now it makes perfect sense. In a
world where the 5in silver disc is no longer the only major digital music
source around, there’s more than a little advantage in accommodating other
formats. After all, computers, iPods, and even satellite boxes and TVs now have
digital outputs. All of these things sound better through a well-designed
digital to analogue converter such as that fitted to Audiolab’s 8200CD.
Even so, CD remains the main music source
for many, and disc replay will always be of paramount importance to us. Here
are a few tips on buying the right player and getting the most from it.
The basics
CD players are pretty simple things. They
all respond well to decent equipment support and like to be placed on a level
surface. The vast majority have digital output, so if you want to upgrade their
performance (particularly applicable to an older player) an outboard DAC is an
option.
There’s occasionally a choice of analogue
outputs. Standard RCAs are the norm, but some players – mostly at the higher
end of the market have a balanced XLR option. This can accept a balanced signal
before you buy, though.
System matching
The arrival of Compact Disc took (for the
most part) compatibility issues out of system matching, in an electrical sense
at least. Turntables, or cartridges specifically, need a lot of pampering if
they’re to give their optimum performance. CD players are far less fussy. That
doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take care which amplifier and speakers you use in
terms of sonic character, though.
Every bit of a system should pull in the
same direction if you want optimal results. As fast, dynamic CD player is
wasted if the partnering amplifier majors on a soft, smooth sound. The one will
simply cancel out the benefits of the other
How to audition
Take along a variety of discs to the dealer
demo. You should choose music that you know well and be sure that your test
selection covers a variety of different types of music. It’s important that the
player copes with everything you throw at it. If you have a lot of CD-Rs, make
sure they work there can be incompatibilities between recorders and players,
particularly with discs recorders and players, particularly with discs recorded
on PC drives. Also, have a listen to how noisy the transport mechanism is; some
are loud enough to spoil quiet music.
