Primare Entry System: CD15 & I15 Review

[@scottbaylor6215]

I love CDs. My first player was from Sony. My father and I got the same unit. It served me well until I ventured into changers. I have my Dad’s old Kenwood CD changer. Still works, just missing the remote. Love the format I still buy CDs and is my preferred format to listen to music. Carry on. Nice job. 👍🏻

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Scott 😊

[@filofilo8127]

Great review Tarun. I have the Primare CD32 playing through my Exposure pre/power combo. I still collect CD's and vinyl. I do like the physical format.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you buddy 👍

[@Nephilim-81]

Huge CD user. Still love the medium. I use the CYRUS CD i with the PSXR-2 upgraded power supply. I love it. It is elite British Hi-Fi class. Great build and terrific sound.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@BlackCat0315]

I still have my old Pioneer PD 9300, purchased circa 1990. Still in perfect working order and immaculate, out of the box condition. 550 squids very well spent.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

That is great Noel. Hopefully, many years of listening pleasure still to come 😊

[@paulkabrna345]

Another polished review thank you. I was a little slow to the CD party begining with an Audio Analogue Paganini which I enjoyed very much prompting me to stay with the company and upgrade to their Maestro unit. Sold it to my brother 18 months ago as I was seduced into the Burmester family and now running the cheapest CD player they do, the 102. I still attach equal value to both turntable front-ends and CD Players. I agree with you that CD is far from over in terms of R&D.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Paul. Great to learn about your experiences 👍

[@richa2495]

I enjoy your channel and hearing what you have to say about audio. I still listen to CDs. I use a DAC (Merason Frerot) and the Rega Elex-R integrated amp and DynAudio speakers, with my Cambridge Audio CD player. I enjoy the CD music very much. I do stream as well via the Bluesound Node, and play vinyl too, and cassettes sometimes. I love it all. Started in the mid 90s, and never gave up the other mediums for digital only. I like the convenience of streaming, but each of the other mediums has something unique to offer. Thank you for doing this channel. Very good!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Richard. I appreciate you watching and sharing 😊

[@wm2357]

Bought a new cd player last year and love it. I enjoy fiddling with the discs, opening the booklets.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

I understand why that is appealing 😊

[@FRL2000]

I'm enjoying my Rotel CD11 Tribute. It was a bit surprising to note the upgrade in sound over my previous player. Analog out is super smooth, nice sound without breaking the bank. I run similarly priced CDT6000s in a couple other rooms which are fine as well, but they're more sensitive due to the requirement of an outboard DAC.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@andrewbrazier9664]

I've also recently purchased a Rotel CD11 Tribute to replace a vintage Pioneer cd /recorder player that was struggling to read discs. Running it direct through a Marantz PM6004 amp. Also delighted with the amount of detail retrieval & presence for a budget price 🇬🇧 🙂

[@stephencosta6814]

I did not watch the video yet I’ve been waiting for you to post one I’m making myself some popcorn right now I’m going to sit down in my daybed and listen and watch thank you very much😍😍😍😍👍🙏🏻

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

I hope,you enjoy it Steve 😊👍

[@mrfroopy]

I don't have that kind of money, but I did recently buy a Cambridge AX 35 CD player and it sounds really musical. I hadn't had a dedicated player in 20 years and only would use a blu ray player that literally was so fatiguing that I couldn't listen to my hundreds of CDs. The Cambridge may not be audiophile but it makes listening to CDs on my B and W 601 speakers really wonderful. It's like I got 500 albums back from the grave.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

You have a very nice system Jason. Definitely audiophile in my books 👍

[@robh9079]

There are some wonderful cheap dacs under £150 that will make a significant updrade by using your cambridge as a transport in the future, like ifi, topping, schiit. With CD you have the choice and flexibility to mix and match and get a great result at lower price points - plus the seperate dac will improve any usb devices vastly. You are in the game!

[@j.f.johnson7843]

I jumped on the CD format in the beginning and have built quite a collection. Never had great equipment until a couple of years ago when I decided to get serious. I’m now using a Cambridge Audio transport coupled to a Denafrips Ares II DAC. Speakers are Wharfedale Lintons, amp is a Peachtree Nova 150. I also have a MOFI ultradeck turntable with a Project Ds2 Tube preamp. I still buy CD’s, new & used but I typically only buy used records. It may not be a super expensive system but it sure sounds good to me! Equipment that I’ve replaced includes B&W 603’s, a Rotel 1572 integrated and a Rotel RCD 1572.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Nice system. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@earl007]

Have used the Cambridge audio BD 752 blue ray player for years as my cd source and love it. Have changed amps but stuck with the same speakers and CD player. It is also a great DAC where I have many albums on HD that I play back thru the CA with great neutral sound. Love your show because of your knowledge of audio and that you don’t go on about vinyl which I dislike with a vengeance. Cheers

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing Earl 😊

[@hugobloemers4425]

Hi Tarun, That is a nice review and it is very brave of a company to bring out a CD player at a time that the format is nearly at its knees and being bashed from all sides. I was an early adopter of the CD format. I was and friends in the Audio realm where getting frustrated with the what we saw sloppy pressings of records and what we perceived a deterioration of the format quality. My first CD player was a Hitachi, 16 bit linear. It broke down and that was the end of it. I then got a Sony with a 1 bit DAC but in the mid 90's I was getting frequently relocated abroad for work and my whole Audio was getting in disrepair. It is less than 10 years ago and I nearly bought a Rega CD player when I found out it was made in China. I decided that for that money the British Rega should have been made in the UK and bought a 40 Euro vintage Technics from the 90's with a MASH DAC. By that time Technics figured out how to handle the output side of the DAC. (It is made in Germany, I therefor suspect it could have come out of a Philips factory, at least the mechanics is all Philips). This is my CD player now and I love the sound of it. I did buy a Sansui CD player as well just because I could but the Technics sounds so nice that I did not even bother trying out the Sansui. That is my CD journey.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you buddy 😊

[@san01yt]

Great review as always Tarun. Usually I listen my music over streamer+ dac. But once in a while I still go back to CD/SACD player to listen to my music. Don’t know why.. there must be something in there 😄😄

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Sandeep. You and me both 👍

[@steve-zschannel2729]

My first CD player was the original Sony CDP-1 bought in 1983, a few years after I upgraded to the Meridian MCD Pro and in the mid 1990s the Meridian 206. The last CD player I owned was an Arcam CD73 before I moved my digital listening to Mac computers.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing Steve 😊

[@hamidrezahabibi8111]

I was born 19/July/1969. I grew up with high end audio; vinyl, cassette tape,Elcaset, reel2reel, dbx,…. It’s 1984 or 85 that my father’s brought Philips CD 100. It was a lot of fun using it and I can remember that it sounded boomy and lifeless. But then came different YAMAHA CD players which cannot remember the models… then REVOX CD player… then different SONY CD players… the ROTEL, Gryphon, arcam, …… ACCUPHASE changed my view on CD players. Still does. I have around a thousand 💿 zzzz and I really like 👍 them. Nowadays I stream music 🎶 %90 of the time. Nowadays I am 53 years old and I have heard 👂 it all. What counts is to Enjoy The Music 🎶🫵💎🙏🏼

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing your experiences Hamid 😊

[@danielcramer9600]

Hi Tarun. As any reader of Gramophone or Jazzwise can testify there is no shortage of worthwhile new SACDs or CDs to purchase. My large CD/SACD collection of Acoustic Jazz and Classical Music physical media has all been ripped to an Audiostore server. I listen to stored music regularly playing it through a Musicbook 20DSD (AKM4490 chip) DAC/streamer. However, when I have the wish to listen to (and the time to find) a special recording I play this through either my Esoteric DV50S SACD/CD player or TEAC P-700 CD transport using the same Musicbook DAC. When I bother to do a comparison I can generally hear a smallish but really signicant improvement when playing physical media. There is no doubt in my mind that in my system using the SACD/ CD players leads to better reproduction. Thank you for starting to review CD players. There are certainly many new CD players appearing on the market whose manufacturers do not seem to have fallen victim to all the "experts" views.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences Daniel 😊

[@connorduke4619]

Excellent review of this long respected brand. Your findings that Auralic + Pontus II > CD 15 > Auralic alone were exactly what I expected. For this reason, for CD playing fans, I think a terrific combination would be the transport only Primare DD15 + Pontus II Dac. My own history is a series of integrated Marantz CD players which never let me down, but very keen to move into the domain of CD transports + separate Dacs. As for Class D amps against the Exposure 2510, the NAD C298 or even NAD M23 - both using the new, much improved Purifi Eigentakt modules - might be a fairer fight.

[@RodneyAllanPoe]

Denafrips DACs do not have remote controls. This is a deal breaker for me. I swap between inputs often.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Connor. I appreciate the support and you makes some excellent points 😊👍

[@DJWerkz]

Great review Tarun, I still spin the silver disc's and use an OPPO BDP-95 as I wanted something that could also play DVD-A and SACD. In the past I have had a plethora of CD players that started with a Denon 800 series when they first came out and through the years moving to Audiolab, Arcam, Micromega, E-Sound, and Meridian (transport and DAC setup). One player that always pleasantly surprised me as a CD spinner was a DVD player, the classic Sony DVP-S7000 and 7700. Full copper chassis with two lasers, one for DVD and one for CD.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you buddy 👍

[@Spierdalajyoutube]

Problem with oppo is after years fan became a bit noisy. I am thinking about audiolab 9000cdt or primare dd35 with qutest dac.

[@peterrichardson9248]

I have a friend with 7,500 CD’s, amazing. I use Tidal and have done for a year but still buy CD’s as I have a natural suspicion of web based functionality. I have owned over 20 CD players in my life and have now settled on Marantz once again.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Peter 👍

[@2010aloy]

I've been using CDs from the age of 13 or 14 though I had only about 10 to 30 at the time. Had alot of albums on cassette / tape earlier after which my Dad bought a Technics 5 CD changer. When i started working a couple of years later I began my journey of buying CDs from all over the globe. Now own 150 to 200 plus CDs. I have 3 CD players...a Marantz Cd6004, cyrus CDi & oppo UDP-203. I rip the CDs which sound good onto HDDs and play tracks sometimes using my Hegel 80 or Marantz HD-DAC1. Great to see you finally got to reviewing Primare products. I think I've asked if you could review the Primare i35 more than once over the last 1 year plus. I own a i35 paired with Dynaudio special 40s.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you. I hope,to get to the I35 in time 😊

[@2010aloy]

@@abritishaudiophile7314 oh cool, gr8 to hear that Tarun. Will be eagerly waiting for your review. I always found it wierd and strange that for years such a classy piece of gear was not even spoken of by any of you.

[@brandonburr4900]

I started with a cheap Sony CD player and a couple of cds from best buy around 1988. Then in the 90s I transitioned to a Sony dvps7700 as a CD transport to a high and dac. It wasn't a bad CD player by itself and the DVD laser portion seemed to fail quickly. I have thought about getting another CD transport but also been considering getting a higher end streaming option such as a aurender or a innuous. Their is still something to the sound of spinning cds that streamers can't do. The Marana cd63 was classic and have thought of getting o e a few times. I remember back when we had brick and mortar stores they had on3 of those demoing gear. Thank you for your hard work!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences Brandon 😊

[@mickeytheviewmoo]

I generally find a dedicated cd transport and off board DAC will produce a far better dynamic sound experience. Upgrading is also easier. Your results are what I expected and I will not be returning to the days of an integrated CD player.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Good point. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@erwindewit4073]

Me too. Even a good CD player used as a transport....

[@stevegrauer]

I have always been a fan of CDs, having built up an large collection of jazz and classical music, in part due to being just a short drive away from the Princeton Record Exchange, which is my go to spot for purchasing used and very reasonably priced CDs. In fact, I think the PRE, despite being located in a sleepy corner of NJ, has some international renown among LP aficionados and you may have even heard of it in the UK. So when my Arcam 7se CD player starting to suddenly cut out (mind you, after a solid 20 year period of faultless playback), I was on the market for a new player. I selected a Denon dcd A110 player, after spending countless hours researching current players, and I must admit, sometimes the search can be just as pleasurable as the actual purchase. I haven't been disappointed...it's a solid upgrade over the Arcam (no doubt due to 20 years of technological advancement) from a company that was one of the original innovators of digital recording. Yes, it is a chip based player, but Denon has gone to some lengths when it comes to providing a robust and isolated power supply, a stable transport system, dual mono design, and the use of quad complimentary chips to address the D/A conversion. It was the pandemic that brought me into the streaming age though, and having been favorably impressed with the Denon CD player, I opted for a Denon streamer. While the Heos app still has room for optimization, I does allow a broad selection of streaming choices. And now I feel like I have the world's music library just a click away. I still enjoy my CD's though, and like you Tarun, the heart of my system has been with me for a long time (more than 20 years now)...a Bryston B60 integrated amp, B&W 805N speakers, and Definitive Technology powered sub and has provided me with immeasurable listening pleasure. And thanks again for all your thoughtful reviews, it was on your recommendation that I picked up a pair of Q Acoustic Model 20 powered speakers, which makes for great little system for the study.

[@themastroiannis]

hey steven, just caught your comment and couldn't help responding... the Princeton Record Exchange is probably my favorite store on this planet! i don't live in NJ but have visited my sister countless times and it's just a given i will go to the PRE on every trip and spend at least 2 whole days looking their bins! for me, the PRE is a shrine!! been going there since i was 15 years old (now in my 50s) and i've probably bought 80% of my whole CD and vinyl collection. wonderful wonderful place! you're lucky to go there whenever you feel like it!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing your experiences and I appreciate the kind words of support 😊👍

[@howardskillington4445]

I have substantial music libraries on LP, CD, and digital files, find the best of each highly satisfying, and do not expect any of them to go the way of the dodo. I still use my fine old Marantz 5003 CD player in my secondary system, but now use the Audiolab 6000 CD transport with the Rotel 1580 DAC in my main system. With this combination my best-recorded CDs sound as fine as hi-res files and vinyl. Congratulations on your new space. It looks like it will be a handsome environment for you to work in.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing Howard. I am looking forward to getting the new space decorated 👍

[@Eugene737]

Congrats on the new space

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you 😊

[@rog86]

Nice review. Would love to hear your thoughts i the primare i35 as i heard it recently and was really inpressed, although it was the first amp ive really heard at this price range. Someone here also mentioned the Nad m23. That looks interesting too.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you. I hope to get to it in time 😊

[@JG259-io4yd]

Tarun, My first and only CD player was a 1988 vintage Kenwood DP3020. Playing through a 1981 Yamaha R-1000 with Infinity RSa or RS6b speakers depending on channel selected. The CD player completely displaced my turn table and vinyl within about 8 years of it's arrival. DP 3020 CD player and R-1000 amp were all that were used until replaced in 2021 with Yamaha WXC-50 using Apple Music playing through a Yamaha A-S 2200 amplifier with same old Infinity speaker pairings. Am planning to resurrect the turntable and vinyl just to compare sound quality to the WXC -50 but so far in the first year of using streaming service and an amp with remote control i find I am in no rush to revert to music sources that require me to leave my listening position to change selections. I have always been a fan of the Yamaha house sound but want you to know that my decision to go Yamaha As2200 and WXC 50 was greatly influenced by reviews from you and Thomas Tan (Thomas and Stereo). This review was very interesting, I appreciate you going the extra mile to compare to other set ups giving us an idea of performance vs cash outlay. The review of a CD player is also timely for me as I've been considering a new one to get selections not available through streaming back in rotation, however will be following your lead to put the source material on an I pad or laptop so I can maximize time in the listening position. Please give us ABA followers regular update views of your new loft space as your remodel work progresses. Will be interested to see room treatments and speaker placement. thanks

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you my friend. Great to learn about your experiences. The main listening room will remain downstairs. It will set up an desktop system in the office and use it as a quite place to do some filming 😊👍

[@mikebruford]

I just inherited an old Primary CD31 - it is amazing, working with my Cambridge AXR100..

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Cool 😎👍

[@darthdurkelthewise320]

I love the CD and the ritual of listening via CD. I do occasionally stream music but to me it just isn’t as rewarding. I have the Audiolab 6000CDT and I really enjoy it. I paired it with a SCHIIT BIFROST2. I’m now hearing some folks complain about light scratching with the front loading slot mechanism. Considering this one and your CD15 share similar loading, what are your thoughts on this? I haven’t seen any scratching on mine and I actually love this player so I have no real plans of messing with a good thing. I can’t help but think that the lack of a drawer/tray is a good thing and could result in less vibration. This is one of the things I love about the top loading machines like the Regas. Long live the 💿 Great review as always 👍🏻

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you. I can understand peoples concerns about slot loaded cd mechanisms. I would prefer a top loaded one like on the Rega Saturn but they aren’t as practical. All I can say is that during my time with the Primare CD15 Prisma, I had no issues with damaged CDs 😉

[@justinparkman3585]

Never had scratches with the Audiolab 6000 cdt I think its one best hifi bargains of all time it will probably out perform cd players costing three times plus more anyone thinking about spending £1000 on cd player needs to try the Audiolab first even with a cheap dac .

[@joshuaschneck]

Hi Tauren. You’ve done a great job in past videos explaining all the different elements of a great sounding DAC, digital signal formats, and streamers. I have yet to hear any explanation for how and why a CD transport front end might yield better sound than a digital streamer. Thanks.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Joshua. It is all about potential sources of noise and jitter. In many cases a hardwired digital connection between CD transport and DAC is likely to be cleaner than a streamer connected via WiFi or Ethernet 😊

[@joshuaschneck]

@@abritishaudiophile7314 ok, thanks. But would still like to hear an explanation of the sources of noise and jitter in a streamer vs cd transport front end. Is it from the streaming service? The software in the streamer? Something else? And aren’t we getting supposedly higher res files from many streaming services vs what’s available on popular cd releases? It all feels like a bit of a black box, especially after investing in a Denafrips Iris, linear power supply for my streamer, and a good DAC (Pontus 2). Thanks

[@zindahoon]

Excellent review Tarun , thanks and after your early videos I bought Arcam 7SE and it was amazing it has a great analog output and then I Went for Arcam Solo second hand using Solo as Transport and Amp for my Desktop 🖥 setting .. Thanks 🙏

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Atri. Much appreciated 😊👍

[@hi-fiequipmentcomparison667]

I have just got the Primare cd31, Marantz cd10 and Philips cd940 but I haven’t got time to compare them, Great video and Thanks Tarun

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you 😊

[@philpepp]

Hi Tarun, Interesting review. I still run a CD Player, well a cd transport, as I found I missed the more tactile aspect of the music listening ritual😁. My first CD player was a Phillips player not sure what the model was, this was connected to a midi system, remember them?! . When I had enough money saved I got myself a proper system, I’d started reading hifi magazines and heard good things of the Rotel RCD965BX, so I got this. My friend still has this actually, not bad as it must be over 20 years old. I then got an Ah! Njoe Tjoeb……what! This CD player was a modded Marantz 4000 with a valve output it sounded great…..it still does another friend has this. I then went to streaming but ended up with an Audiolab CDT as well. Thanks for your great reviews!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for watching and sharing your memories Phil 😊

[@laika25]

Back in your early CD years, did you use a DAC, or plugged directly from the CD player? Right now I'm using the ROTEL 11 Tribute, and the direct rca connection (into a matching ROTEL 11 amp) gives me and my ears FANTASTIC returns. (Using various headphones, including the Audeze LCD-2)..... 😉 As always, big loud CHEERS on your channel. 👍🏼🔊💥

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you. I used my Exposure CD player plugged directly into my amp until about 8 years ago 😊

[@fts81]

Very nice, i was waiting for this review, nice machine.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Felipe 😊

[@markharris2798]

Awesome review as usual

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Mark. Much appreciated 😊👍

[@sebastianpolcyn6358]

Ha - Just gave you the 100th like on this vid! It's kinda funny how the CD has been consistently being declared dead for nigh on two decades now, and still it doesn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon. To me, it's the Goldilocks format - whenever I stream, I notice that I don't really listen. I typically just zap around, hardly ever listening to any song all the way through. Vinyl, on the other hand, is just too much faff for my taste. I do own a turntable and a tiny record collection, but I hardly ever use it. One thing I think is peculiar is that there are still more CD players than transports around, given that most people have either a dedicated DAC/streamer or an amp with a DAC built-in.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for all the support Sebastian. It means a lots. You raise some very good points 😊👍

[@bryanherr1093]

Two for one review. Thanks Tarun!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Bryan. It was nice to review a full electronics system for a change 😊

[@orjanlindberg]

Thanks Taryn, nice review. I do have short question about the pairing of loudspeakers. You mentioned Dali Menuet SE in your review. Are they a good match for the I15 amp? All the best!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you . They are a good match 😊

[@Ivan-oh6ug]

Your channel popped up in my feed recently and I've become hooked! I'm not a diehard equipment nut but I do appreciate decent hifi at home. I have a Marantz Ki Pearl Lite amplifier and the matching SACD player along with a Denon dnp 730ae streamer and Mission 737r renaissance speakers. To my ears it sounds bold, warm and hugely musical but I am curious, how do the Marantz separates and the Mission speakers stack up against the current crop of mid to upper end separates you review on your excellent channel?

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Ivan. That is very kind. The Marantz Ki Pearl was a great amplifier in it’s day. I haven’t the current crop of Marantz amps but hope to review one soon 😊👍

[@lonniefarmer7067]

My first was a Sony DVD/CD and I had a lot of vinyl with a gimbal suspension platter. Later the SACD format came out and I got a Marantz SA8005 which I still have. I have been looking at replacing this and so far the Marantz SACD 30n is looking the best for my system as I have a dedicated LAN computer system for my sound library. The Marantz 8015 amp is programmed for my 1: stereo/LFE or 2: 7.2.4 and like a good Swiss Army knife does it all well.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you 😊

[@jked7463]

I used to work for a Sony subsidiary 30 years ago. So my first cd player was a Sony, but not the high end series. It had 4 times over sampling and sounded great at the time. I still have it in a system today. It went to oppo, then a custom built pc with high end audio card. When the pc was linux based, it sounded great. Then I converted to a windows based system with the same card but it now sounds way to.polite. I loved the loss of digital hash of those pc based systems. Now I have a pioneer elite omni player. It sounds very good, alot more lively than the windows based pc. Since my system is biased towards vinyl, I haven't gone crazy with digital.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you buddy 👍

[@shanestephenson8423]

Interesting review Tarun, and your thoughts seem to mirror my own. In my fairly meteoric rise through components to where I'm at now, I was looking at Premier for a while in 2019. I had a look at these two components among others in their range. The feeling I got was much like you, yes nice and polite, not offensive in anyway but just overall lacking something that stopped me from pulling the trigger. I did however own their R32 phono stage for a while and found it to be quite adequate. I found the build quality to be of a high-level, and their class D amplification had something that was a cut above most other Manufacturers in my opinion. There's no doubt about it class D amplification is really advancing in a positive way. Well I'm a child of the 80s Tarun, I think we're probably similar in age. I have around 800 CDs in my collection now and it's still growing. l love most of them, I'm still going out to second hand stores and picking up CDs it was only last week I bought a handful home with me. It's amazing how the quality of this format has changed from the early days. That thin glare of digital audio is very apparent in the mid 80s. I was only a couple of days ago listening to The Alan Parsons Project Stereotomy. A great engineer but still you can hear the characteristics of that 80s digital sound that is apparent in that era of digital recording. But still I love that album. The very next album I put in was an Etta Cameron album titled Etta. Its a stunning recording, so there's definitely a mixed bag there. I guess that's part of the fun of this format finding the gems out there. My latest and probably my last CD player, certainly for the foreseeable future is my Gryphon Mikado signature which does a magnificent job of fleshing out all there is to hear on this format. Once again great review Tarun, it really got me thinking about this format. Sorry for the rather long winded response.🎧😁👍

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Great to learn about your experiences Shane. I will check out some of those CDs that you mention. Thank you for sharing and your support 😊👍

[@themastroiannis]

great review as always! nice to have your thoughts on a current CD player... CDs are still my main source for listening music (second source are vinyls). still don't listen to music through streaming apps and probably never will. I love the ritual of choosing a CD and love everything around playing a whole album. yes, i love to be immersed in the whole album experience, reading the booklet, looking at pics, remembering where "i was" in life when i bought one or other album. i even like the smell of old CDs and vinyls....(a very proustian experience!). my first CD player was a cheap sony and i went through way too many cheap CD players (sony, denon, onkyo). I now use the Audiolab CDT6000 transport connected to the Audiolab 6000A and it's a very rewarding experience. would like to upgrade the DAC and have a separate better one than the one with the Audiolab. Perhaps the Denafrips your reviewed?? thanks again for all you're doing!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you buddy l great to learn about your experiences 👍

[@darthdurkelthewise320]

We have the same player and I really enjoy mine paired with an external DAC. I have read of other people experiencing light scratches from the front loading mechanism. I have not seen this. I was wondering what your thoughts were on this? I find the unit to be very well made and I’ve had no issues after approx. a year and 3 months of use.

[@themastroiannis]

@@darthdurkelthewise320 no issues whatsoever. love the level of depth my CDs found once i switched to the Audiolab transport. unbelievable really. no scratches or CDs that became unplayable. just pure bliss. interesting if anyone could compare the Audiolab transport to the Cambridge Audio CXC V2 using the same DAC. that makes me curious..

[@timleelim9930]

“That’s Primare-ily because it [the Exposure] has a blacker background…”. “Three speakers that I used Primare-ily … .” With a deadpan delivery. You’re definitely getting good at this. On the CD journey front, I was pretty serious into it in the beginning, peaking at a belt drive transport with NOS 16bit DAC to try to get the flow and musicality of my main source, which remains my vinyl front end. That was a box reduction from a CD transport-jitter conditioner-20bit DAC unit. It was too much hard work so I got myself a single box old 1990s Micromega unit which had given its previous owner(s) grief, but was reconditioned to fix its well known Philips transport issues. It may not outgun today’s modern digital gear but it makes good music from the string of numbers its now ancient internal DAC is fed and with used CDs being cheap as chips (until recently when prices have started to rise again) I am back to enjoying my CD collection.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing time. Glad you enjoyed the review 😊

[@johnratcliffe6438]

I recently added an AudioLab CDT6000 to my main system, feeding my Metrum Acoustics Adagio via SPDIF Digital Coax. I think these days, CD Transports make far more sense feeding a separate DAC than a CD Player with compromised and uninspiring DAC. Particularly as even entry level DACs offer such an engaging listening experience.

[@ErnestoDelAguilaIII]

I recently purchased the 6000cdt and share your sentiment

[@dowster64]

Hi @john Ratcliffe, I think that's a very insightful comment. I think it was always about the DAC. The thing is, that with it built in to the CD player you got what you got. My Densen, which has recently died, had a great internal DAC. As you point out, DAC technology has made great DACs more affordable

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Very good point. This CD player had a very good DAC. That is why it was a shame it couldn’t handle external digital inputs. It would make a great source for a purist amp like the Exposure 2510 if it did 👍

[@frostycanada6404]

Tarun, we will have to agree to disagree on your review of the Primare. The i15 (to me) was super dynamic and insightful especially when compared to the Cambridge audio evo150. I ultimately settle on the Sugden ANV50, but the i15 left a huge impression when it came to what a class D amp can do. The Primare i15 is a bargain when you add all the pieces together and certainly competes with the big boys. The Primare i15 is a highly recommended product. Brian

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

I would imagine our different experiences come down to speaker matching. Thank you for sharing Brian 😊

[@avro66]

Hi tarun. Great review as always, in depth and concise. My first CD player was back in the early 80s a sony model which was very good, a new fangled technology at the time, after moving to a quad based system late 89 I tried a meridan CD transport and dac to good effect, while serving in the RAF in Cyprus 92/95 I used a few CD cd player dac combos, cyrus transport and dad 5 dac. Pioneer PD 95/75 players, both great sounding players, back in the UK I tried the new denon dvd audio sacd players, to great effect, also trying some very nice Sony es players. As of now I mainly stream hi res audio from tidal and amazon music. I still have a Sony and denen sacd player but tend to use my Sony bluray player with dac now as I use mainly headphones with headphone amp dac combinations.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Paul. Much appreciated. Always great to have your perspective 😊👍

[@cobar5342]

Lovely review Tarun. I too like the physical modality to listen from. Computer files are a tad intangible to me

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you. There is something nice about physical media 😊

[@jeffkalina7727]

Love the new space's look. Hope the acoustics are workable. 2 1/2 years? Thought it was longer! Some makers claim a ripped CD sounds better than the spinning disc but no real proof I know of. You? I still buy CDs even though they are all ripped to my Innuos. XRCDs are the best. When the Internet is down you still need some physical media.I miss seeing the ProAcs though. Hope they make a comeback soon!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Jeff. I will still be adding B roll from the listening room. The ProAcs won’t be going anywhere 😊

[@dafyddwaters6963]

Hi there. I love your reviews. Re: Prisma being ROON ready. I don’t think the Prisma module is yet. It’s listed as a future update. Lots of discussion of this on ROON forum as Hegel sold amps as ‘soon to be ROON ready’ and then months and years went by… I’ve considered Primare as I’d like an amp that is ROON ready, but I’m leaning towards other solutions until it’s actually in place. The stand alone Prisma bridges are ROON ready, though. Re: class D amps, are there any you really do like? I’d like them to be great because of green considerations but I’m always left feeling it’s not quite there. Gave up a NAD C series recently for this reason. I guess until there’s a ROON ready class D that really nails it, I’ll stick with my old REGAs :-)

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing David. The NAD C658 with BluOS module is very good value for money but you mentioned green credentials. I haven’t looking into how much power it uses in standby, it can’t be much though 😊

[@andysmith9720]

My CD journey started late 80s with a Goodmans (I was young and foolish), then Marantz cd63 KIS, Marantz cd6000KIS ( still have it), but this week I got an Audiolab CDT to partner the 6000a amp. I did not expect the sonic upgrade it has made, I got it because it has a read ahead system that reduces errors as most of my cd collection is 25÷ yrs old.

[@erwindewit4073]

How cool, I owned a Marantz CD63 KI until recently, when someone wanted to trade their CD11LE for my CD63KI (a nice upgrade). But I loved the CD63KI!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Andy 😊

[@jamegumb7298]

I still have that Marantz! A MKII. It still plays great. Tucked away somewhere, with an amp, wired 4 speakers through the house. It is great. There also is a music server plugged in, can use it from my phone. I do have vinyl, made an amp and RIAA myself for it.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@Big-J-8579]

I love CDs. I use a mix of players in my four systems. My vintage system uses either a Luxman D-111 (purchased used from eBay 2021) or an Onkyo Integra DX-C730 (Changer purchased new in 1997) feeding a Luxman R-115 Receiver (purchased new in 1987). Feeding my Marantz SR6014 AVR is a vintage Denon DCD-1400 (purchased new in 1988). The Onkyo Integra DX-C730 also feeds this system through its optical out (I think it sounds better into the Luxman). For my home theater room, I use one of three CD players feeding my Marantz SR7014. The primary CD player is an ARCAM CDS50. I also use a vintage Denon DCM-440 (Changer) and sometimes an Onkyo C-7030. My work office system uses a Cambridge CXC transport to feed a Cambridge CXA80. I know, overkill. Interestingly, I prefer the sound of the vintage players and their DACs over the more modern DACs in the Marantz gear. I love the Cambridge DAC in the CXA80.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

You lucky fellow - 4 systems! Thank you for sharing 😊

[@silverlakeas]

Absolutely, if you have the CD you own the music.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you 😊

[@johnratcliffe6438]

I still have my Auralic Mini in black with an MRCU linear supply. I haven't used it in years, but I remember it being a really lovely source in my headphone system.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

It is great for the money 😊

[@stephenlegg262]

I have a Leema Elements cd partnered with a Chord Qutest dac. Very pleased with the sound. My first CD player was a cheapie from Richer Sounds I the nineties.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@thesundancekid123]

I enjoy your videos very much! I had my Technics CD player from around 1987 for 35 years, until it broke. A used Denon was a big upgrade. A Rega P6 with Anya MC and fitting phonostage do the main work, and I still love my onix OA21 amp and linn ninka speakers. Currently looking for a Soap 2 to power the amp. I would also love to see a lavardin amplifier review, if you can get a hand on one like the isx reference. Thanks!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you. I appreciate the suggestion 😊

[@Anditover]

I mentioned this in a comment a couple of years (!) ago. I've got a mid-range system, my amp is the venerable Yamaha RX-V2500 which surprises with it's quality despite the fact its an "AV" amp, but in "pure direct" mode has great clarity, and at 130w RMS per channel, is no shrinking violet. The CD drive I paired it with was it's contemporary Yamaha CDR-HD1300 which received very good reviews at the time, and in 15 years hasn't missed a beat. But, one day, on a whim I put a CD in my Sony Blue Ray player, and had a bit of a shock. It appeared to sound better than the Yamaha. Now, I'm not claiming anything like the standard of the players above, but I think it's down to processing power, and laser focus. Blue Ray is a narrower, higher frequency beam, it has more data, in a smaller track than CDs, and the hardware has to be able to process all that HD video/sound information extremely quickly. The data on a CD by comparison is tiny, and the higher quality beam/pickup can read, decode, and export the digital information easily. It may not have been designed to enhance CD playback, but I think that excess of ability, where the processors are literally barely ticking over, isn't going to waste. I invite anyone to try, although, against quality, more modern kit, I wouldn't like to make any claims.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing your experiences John 😊

[@erwindewit4073]

Funny that. I see more and more people and -channels featuring CD players or transports.. People are giving it a second try... I bought my first CD in 1987 (Brothers in Arms), but I didn't have a CD player yet (my parents did though). After saving up for one, I bought a Sony a year later. Switching to CD from vinyl wasn't really a choice though. In my village (pretty big), there was only one record store, and the few pre-recorded cassettes and LP's disappeared very rapidly in my area. So CD it was. I never really did stop buying vinyl though. Usually used on markets, or older people selling their small collections off. But, certainly during the 90s en 2000s I mainly bought CD's. Lots of them. And that also didn't stop. My best friends also donated their limited collections of CD's to me. Very nice! So now, I have about 1000 LP's and 1000 CD's. I thought about selling both collections many times during the decades, but never really did (felt bad). And I'm happy I never did. I use a Marantz CD-11LE from 1992 if I play CD's. Mostly as a transport into a dCS Delius/Verona DAC/clock combo. However, I also have a Naim ND5XS (2011) which simply sounds better streaming the ripped CD's through the same dCS combo, so that's what I usually do. I do think the Marantz would benefit from a service though... I also still play minidiscs from time to time, and cassettes. So even though I wanted to sort of make a choice, I never did. But for the past 2 years, it's only been digital. CD, minidisc and streaming. Only today I installed a new cartridge into the turntable and it's quite a faf to get it dialled in properly. Forgot about that, really!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing your experiences Erwin 😊

[@erwindewit4073]

@@abritishaudiophile7314 You're welcome. It's really interesting to see everybody's histories as well! I still have a quiet love for my NAD 5000 CD player that I bought used in 1999 and recently fixed after it stopped working. I sounds pretty good for a budget CD player (and looks nice). And it was the first CD player that showed me that for some reason, not all CD players (and therefore digital players) sound the same. And a little bit later, playing two CD players through the same external DAC, that even THAT sounded different. Very interesting!

[@IrenESorius]

My very subjective feeling every time Iw listening to Primares gear are, Im getting bored. 🙄 Iw heard the I35 Prisma streaming amp with more speakers than I can remember on top of my head, and always the same feeling. Paired up with a couple of AudioVectors with AT tweeters, may häve been the most hellish ear torture Iw been through. TINNITUS for over a week. ))))😬(((( Its a shame, cus I find Primares gear pretty stylish. I guess Im leaning more towards Hegels soundsignature. A H390 integrated wouldent hurt,, 😋, but first a new car. Thanks again Tarun, for a very well balanced review. Your a master in that area. You, Simon and John. Cheers and all the best to you all,, 🍻😎👍‍‍👍‍‍👍‍‍

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Irene. Always great to hear about your experiences 👍

[@rog86]

I heard the i35 recently, and rrally liked it, was very impressed. Although i was wondering if it was a touch lean, but maybe it was just uncoloured. I dont have much experience listening to gear and this was one of the first amp i have heard in this price range. I heard with various speakers, inc the pmc twenty 5 22, with insane treble, and yes it may have been too much to live with, but ive never hear such impressuve highs. Jazz trumpets were piercing, but not distorted.

[@dowster64]

Hi Tarun, A little bit of quantum hi-fi going on, or spooky action at a distance. I think your (and my) experience of CDs and CD players, and may other hi-fi enthusiasts, follow a similar journey. And perhaps that will also pan out for DACs over the coming years. I started out with a Marantz CD 52 mk2 SE, which I can't remember if I bought new or second hand. I'll try and keep the explanation of the rest of the system short, so it was Marantz integrated and Mission 731is. That went to a mate, when I got a Harman Kardon amp (only recently sold) and 2nd hand Epos ES14 speakers with a Myryad CD mc100 as the player. The Myryad didn't last long in the system as it was replaced with my long term Densen Beat XS 400 (where are those HDCDs by the way?). The Densen arriving after I could afford Linn Kolektor and LK140 power amp. Kids, life, emmigration happened and that for about 18 years was my system. The other long term item was my Rega Planar 3. I think compulsory for any Brit with a record collection and a little strapped for cash? Cue just pre Covid and the Densen starts to skip and not play. (Re) discovered Stereonet - turns out I registered many years ago and re found it. Bought my first seperate DAC - A Graham Slee Bitzie. Have Rapsberry Pi's and found Pi Core Player and then a new Chord Hugo 2. Tried to repair the Densen twice but both times the lasers were 2nd hand from China, ended up witht he Myryad back in the system, but now completely upgraded due to Covid (rapidly, expensively, fantastically). At the risk of sending anyone reading to sleep, I now have a new PS Audio SACD transport (with no SACDs) into a Rose HiFi 150B, McIntosh amplifcation and PMC speakers. So CDs sound fantastic. Roon is great and Tarun - you make watchable, well researched, balanced, informative, and entertaining videos. Keep it up and please review more stuff, if distributors and manufactures allow, that is. 🙂. Steve

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Steve. Great to learn about your experiences 😊

[@mrsinghsstereos6662]

Would be great to learn more about your loft refurbishment and what treatments you will use for turning it into a listening room.. I had to move my rig to a loft space which has definitely compromised my listening but as of yet haven’t employed any room treatments . My first CD player was a panasonic rsb40 ghetto blaster circa 1992. Then a bose wave system , followed by an arcam solo movie followed by a meridian g95 and then a meridian 808v6 which I still own and use . To my ears The cd replay of the 808 is better than most streamers - I had an Aurender n20 in my system which was indistinguishable. I now have a dCS Bartok / dCS Rossini for streaming but have retained the meridian as it’s that good. Recently auditioned the new luxman d10x but again I couldn’t say it was noticeably better than the meridian (apart from having sacd ). I started to toy around with using the 808 as a transport only sending the digital bits to the dCS but haven’t had time for any critical evaluation as of yet . Cd when done properly still has a lot of life in it

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing. I will be setting up a desktop system in my office the main listening room will remain downstairs 😊

[@tubesticker]

Hi Tarun, I'm looking for an amp to pair with the KEF LS50 meta. I've tried a Rega but it was too thin. A Unison Research Unico Due sounded pretty good, but lacked a bit of the sparkle up top and is quite pricy. Seeing that the LS 50 like some power, I was considering a Primare i25 or an Exposure. Have you heard the i25 which is twice the price of the i15? And if an Exposure, which one would you go for? The 2510 might not have enough power, I fear, and the 3510 you were not very fond of... any suggestions would be welcome! Thank you!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you. The Hegel amps work great with Kef LS50 Metas 😊

[@tubesticker]

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thank you. I have a streamer and DAC so would prefer an all analogue option.

[@amarichalprego]

Very interesting and broad approaching review. I have an ARCAM FMJ A29, just waiting for a Rega Elex R, my mainly source is an Oppo Sonica DAC, then I have a vintage Yamaha turntable and my CD player actually is an universal player from Marantz (UD5007). My speakers are a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 6. I want a better (and dedicated) CD player or transport because I think the Oppo is a very good DAC. What do you think about the Primare DD15 CD transport?. Would you recommend it? Or maybe another one in the price range. Thank you very much.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you. I would have to audition the DD15 to be sure but it would be on my shortlist based on the standing of the CD15. I gave always been a fan of the the Teac VRDS transport. Would love to pick up a good condition one secondhand 🙂

[@donde2k]

I own at least 300 cd’s and the thought of burning them onto a hard drive has always seemed daunting - even more so when I consider editing out some tracks. The nice thing about CD’s compared to streaming: no buffering, no internet glitches, and you alway get “100% CD-quantity sound”.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

It was worth the time invested in my case. Almost 1,000 CDs. My advice would be to start with your favourites and take it from there 😊

[@spunkthecombo]

If you rip your CD's to a hard drive, rip them in as .wav files. As cheap as hard drives are these days there is no since to rip them in as .mp3 or FLAC files.

[@donde2k]

You make a good case, spunk. As far as what to rip them from, I’ve got a McIntosh MCD550 - that should suffice, right?

[@spunkthecombo]

@@donde2k The Mac should work great, get a good ripping program like MediaMonkey or Exact Audio Copy, these are both free and they work well. Always have a second or third hard drive to back up your ripped files I have 3TB of ripped CD's (3K) on 4 4TB hard drives. They are backed up 4 times. I add media data to my files like Players, Engineers, Producers . . .ect. I enjoy being able to click on a track play it! I don't stream because I would rather find new music on like KZbin and purchase the CD, I like having a hard copy that's mine.

[@psyphonyxaudio]

Damn .. I REALLY like this. Network Streamer and CD in one device. That's the smartest integration I've seen. The only other player that would totally kill this .. is IF ... Rose HiFi .. put a CD tray behdind a fold down or slot of their front facing touch screen.. Really keen on this set. Thank you!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you buddy. I should be reviewing a Hifi Rose product soon 😊

[@psyphonyxaudio]

@@abritishaudiophile7314 !!! .. That streamer functions so well! .. I love the CD come back too tho. Yah.. a HiFi Rose - I think the top-end model?.. with a CD tray fold out behind that screen ... - #Mint

[@123BEERTJE]

Hi, very nice rev. I recently took up again CD playing. I enjoy it greatly. I started out with a NAD (around 850 Euro). But the player malfunctioned: it turned itself off in the middle of a CD. Now I've acquired a very nice upsampling Denon. (Theyre latest model). I think it sounds wonderful i.c.w. my NAD C368 amp and Dali Rubicon 2 speakers. Thanks for your good work.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for watching and sharing Hans. Much appreciated 😊👍

[@nickloughrey9841]

Very well made review . Having looked at loads of reviewers I have come to the conclusion that Audiophiles have a language that uses the same words as the English language but put a totally different meaning to the words . Its fascinating to listen to it . I am naming this as " Gobbledegook" ....... Not a personal observation as you all use it with different dialects

[@alexseaford4029]

Very interesting review. Like many I expect, all my CDs are in the attic and I only stream music these days. Do you think I would notice any appreciable difference if I started to use them with a new, reasonably priced CD player into my Topping D70s DAC? (with an IOTA VX PA3 and Goldenear Aon3).

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing. That will depend on how good your streamer is Alex 😊

[@mattspangler7358]

I just picked up a Primare CD15 Prisma and came to the same conclusion you did. However, you touched upon something I'm curious about. Connectivity. First, I'll say that for the price, the sound quality and performance really earns the price tag. But then once I get into it's connectivity with Bluetooth, things went south really quick. At this point, I'm waiting for the 3-month voucher that Primare gives for Tidal. To that end, I put the Tidal app on my iPad Pro. That is the only way I will want to control streaming. But here's the problem. I was enjoying an XRCD24 of Dexter Gordon. Sounded amazing through the Fyne Audio F501 SP's. I pick up my iPad and close the cover (sleep mode) and without warning, the cd stops as Prisma switches to Bluetooth. I'm like "What!?!?!" So I go to the Auto-Connect in settings and turn it off. That should work, right? No, it doesn't. When Prisma switches to Bluetooth, you have to use the remote to select the CD mode, before you can get back to the cd. It really dampens the listening enjoyment when you can't touch the iPad Pro, to plug in to charge, or anything else. It is like the brain of the CD15, favors streaming. The strange thing to me, and maybe it's because I'm older ... is that I can quit Tidal, and this still happens. It's like there is a Bluetooth traffic cop looking for opportunities to interrupt my listening enjoyment. One other oddity, I'm curious if you experienced. In standby mode, my player will just turn on at random times. The only way I can keep it in standby mode is to power it off from the back. It really saddens me to think that with the few options in this price range that offer 32-bit SACD capabilities, that my favorite, this CD15, may have to go back to the shop for a refund.

[@joshuaschneck]

Hi Taurun. Thanks for the review. What about the elephant in the room: with all the improvements in streamers and high res streaming platforms like Tidal, is there really a compelling case to be made for CDs and CD players??

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

More of a niche product these days but CD still has it’s place 😊

[@jimfarrell4635]

My cd journey has been many and various. A budget Denon was followed by the classic Arcam Alpha 7 and then a Musical Fidelity A3 "24 bit" player. Then a jump to the monster Musical Fidelity DM25 transport and DAC. After that my last dedicated cd player was a Shanling SACD T200 valve output player which I think was my favourite before it blew up. I digitised all my CDs a long time ago but I use an old Oppo bd-83 multidisc player to play SACDs, strip the DSD stream from HDMI with a clever little Chifi box and feed that to my Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC via I2s which works great. I also have a usb cd drive attached to my Auralic Aries G2 streamer which both rips and plays CDs. CD is definitely not quite dead.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing Jim 😊

[@brown-eyedman4040]

First, I've got to say I really do enjoy spinning the silver discs. I really enjoy the ritual. Turn on the player, then the tubes, let it warm up then music. Got my first CD player in the mid 80s. Listen to a few units and ended up with NAD. Seems to me the errors with the NAD were errors of omission rather than commission. Certainly good enough to hear cable differences and the Green Pen. For a while my second system was the legendary Radio Shack portable driving a Dynakit pre and power combo. Ridiculously 3d soundfield. And not only could I finally understand everything Van Morrison was singing, I could understand why. Now I'm using a CD transport with an outboard, stand-alone DAC. The sound is bigger, (difficult to describe, easy to hear). And given the current pace of DAC evolution, I'd rather stay with an outboard unit.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Great to hear from you. Thank you 👍

[@rosswarren436]

Started out with a Hitachi CD player around 1984 for about $700. Over the years, I've had ones by Magnavox (Phillips), Pioneer, Sony (still going strong after 25 years), but I recently bought a Denon DCD-800ne with a Burr Brown (now TI) PCM1795 DAC, and it sounds great. I can use it as a transport later into an external DAC if I want. I love CDs and still buy them, but the handwriting is on the wall. Streaming is definitely already here and will only get better over time. I use my Tidal subscription about 70% of the time, play CDs 10%, play downloaded music files (mp3, FLAC, and DSD) 10%, and vinyl another 10%. Ironically the old Sony CD player has cool features that the Denon doesn't such as finding the loudest part of a CD (for back when we used to record to cassette so you could set the level best).

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing Ross 👍

[@rosswarren436]

@@abritishaudiophile7314 thank you for all your very well done reviews!

[@koosfockens1707]

I still love a physical medium to enjoy my music from, I love the sense of occasion that spinning a vinyl brings, but CD is a close second. My journey started with a Sony CD player around 1987 (CDP350 if I recall correctly), I then bought the very first Philips Bitstream DAC player, A Philips CD840, which was a huge step up in sonic reproduction, there was a lot more detail, soundstage and scale, but it did ever so slightly suffer from some over excited higher frequencies, usually noticeable on the 'edges' of cymbals etc.. I had that player for many years but eventually traded up to an Arcam, and I currently use an ARCAM DVD-135 player to play both music CD's as well as DVD's. (mainly thanks to space constraints). The inbuilt DAC of that player is quite good, but I also stream music using an Arcam Airdac, this has an extra digital input so I also use the DVD player as a transport and use the AirDAC's converter instead. There's not much in it, and if anything the Airdac's presentation is slightly better than the DVD, although it has been described by some as a slightly more 'muddled' sound compared to some. I guess that's all relative and what you have to compare with. I play mine through an Arcam A85 Diva amp, paired with Monitor Audio Silver 6 floor standing speakers, to me it's a combination that is very neutral in tonality, it has a great soundstage with both depth and width, but perhaps the Arcam A85 is slightly polite and at times I would like a bit more drive and punch... Primaire is one of the brands I've been looking at to replace this system with, the i15 , or even an older i21 might be an Amp I'd consider..

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊

[@diosubescu]

I like your new environment 🙂... We hope for at least 1 video / week 🙃....

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you. I am winding down over the school holidays but hope to hit the deck running in September 😊👍

[@kt88sl45]

Nice review Tarun. I am an analogue people. I started with a Philips CD 304 and than a Marantz CD 63 Ki. Since the death of the CD mechanism on my Marantz I team my diansour Pioneer CLD2950 laser disc player with Mojo via optical cable. Quite satisfy with the sound as I only listen to CDs occasionally. I would not spend too much of my hard-earned money into digital sources.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you 😊

[@focalfan6324]

Family two stories below? Time for more subwoofer action!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

I am looking forward to setting up a desk top system which will include a compact subwoofer 😊

[@peterd1364]

I still buy and play CD's as well as vinyl and I do stream via Qobuz, currently use an Arcam UDP411 (now discontinued) via my SimAudio Neo Ace and experimented digital via the DAC in the Ace and RCA via the DAC in the Arcam, using very high quality Chord interconnects I preferred the RCA sound...it just was more natural, but it was very close depending on what music you are playing...My 1st CD player was a Technics (can't remember the model number) which I kept for a number of years, then I had a Leema Acoustics Pulse CD player until 5 years ago when I purchased the Arcam as a demo piece, I would say that the Arcam is the best player I have owned and maybe one day I may be able to obtain a matching Moon CD player but budgets are tight as a pensioner. Liked the review, was listening today to some jazz on vinyl which still sounds amazing on my small system...thanks for the lovely YT comparisons...

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing Peter 👍

[@johnz4860]

I have bought CDs since 1986, SACDs since 1999 and Blu Ray audio discs since 2013. The optical disc always gives me a wide smile. There is no reason why I should stop buying CDs!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing John 😊

[@davidgill2520]

Hello from Montreal, I could be wrong but I noticed European audiophiles have there music room upstairs in their lofts or attics where as us north americans get relegated to the basement. I’m assuming you guys don’t have basements to use. Just a bit of fun…congrats on your new digs. Basements in Canada were originally designed and used because the foundation needed to be below winter frost level with that a good place to have the heating system ie. originally having coal delivered and stored in the basement. Now basements are used as extra bedrooms, bathrooms and opened up for home cinemas and 2 channel stereo rooms. This all refers to the typical single family home, I live in a flat with all my gear in the living room making beautiful music. I use an Innuos streamer/cd ripper as my digital source and I love it. Add a great Dac with everything controlled by a tablet it’s a win win situation. Take care.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Hi David, there are too many properties with basements in the U.K. Most people have their listening room on the ground floor in their living room in my experience. That is also where my main listening room will remain. I will set up a desktop system in the new,y created office space which is in the loft 😊

[@davidgill2520]

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Basements definitely have their purpose especially growing up, that’s where we used to take our girlfriends while mum and dad were watching the tele….tv. Also during the so called Cold War, there where are few people that built air raid shelters (concrete bunkers) part of their basements. Anyways how we use our living spaces is our prerogative and we are fortunate to have the freedoms today. And if that means having a music room of some sort to enjoy than all the merrier. It’s all good

[@felixlaboy1453]

Amazing review. ? I’m thinking of buying the HEGEL H95. I was wondering In that same price range if there’s anything els you would recommend or consider. Thank you very much.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you. It depends on the speakers you use with it and what characteristics you want from your system 😊

[@felixlaboy1453]

@@abritishaudiophile7314 for now I have a old set of paradigm tower speakers and B&W’s DM602 that are a Little on The Brightside. I do plan on upgrading my speakers in the future not sure depending on what my budget would be so I thought maybe given the fact that I have a set of speakers I could focus on getting a decent amplifier and taking it from there. Thank you very much and I always appreciate your advice. Not sure if this will help but what I mostly listen to is classical jazz and acoustical music

[@tomoz5216]

CD format was my first audio Love back in 1988 and still is.Here is a list of all CD players that I owned in the last 34 years Technics SL-XP7 ,portable CD player ( 1988 ) Marantz 75 Mk2 California Audio Labs DX1 Sony MXD-D1 Sony XA555 ES Pioneer PD D9 Mk2 Unison Research Unico CD -(valve output) and three players that I still use nowadays Moon 260 D Pioneer PD 70 AE Exposure XM CD So the last three should last for some time.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Wow! That is some list. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

🤗 TARUN …A GREAT REVIEW…AS ALWAYS…GIVING THE DETAILS ON THE PROS AND CONS …FOR THOSE IN THE MARKET FOR THESE PRODUCTS 👍😎😍😍😍 As for my journey I started with a YAMAHA CD PLAYER….top one at the time…then on to a MARANTZ 12S Blue ray player Great 👍 for CDs as well…currently I am using a SONY UBP-X 800 M 2 blue ray player 🤫 Don’t tell anyone..but I have found that blue ray players are BETTER SOUNDING…. AND THIS IS THE BEST ONE YET as far as sound quality (everything that counts ) and it was on sale for $175 US a WIN 🥇/ WIN 🏆 FOR ME 🤗😍😍😍

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you buddy. Always great to hear from you 😊👍

[@neilstern7108]

My journey starts with a long wait from when they were very expensive 1500 dollars or more. I waited many years then at a stereo shop I saw for 350 dollars a pioneer CD player. My life with clean sound began with a high end Yamaha tuner amp and JBLs towers. I was in love for about 4 years then it was stolen. Now I had most of my cds still, but was moving to Florida. Then one day my friend got a HK AVR 65 with a multiple cd dvd player with Phase Tech speakers it had great sound but the dvd seemed fuzzy cus he had it out in the Florida humidity and rain. That's why I begged him for it. Only took 100 dollars and it was mine. So later I found a Sony cd dvd player that had the hdmi plug and now I have great tone going to my TV. It only cost me 40 bucks and works great. So for years buying dvd and their so cheap I think it's the only way to go. So on my HK I play mostly dvds. Mostly rock. Then I recorded all cds to sd card's like 10 or more albums on a card. Over 8 hours just plug one in and sit back. So I made a system for the bedroom 50 w per channel. WE'VE TALK ABOUT MY bedroom system so I'll spare you that, but with a sd card player absolutely no hum and very clean I actually like the sound. I can also just hook up my smartphone and get unlimited music if I want. We'll that's about it. Love cds and dvds, and my sds. Oh I forgot it sort of was a blessing cus my Sony is so much better than the pioneer good sound (better electronics) and plays cds and dvds.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences Neil 😊

[@petermartin6919]

Can't remember the early models, my first in the early 80s was a Phillips next was a Yamaha, a few years back was a marantz CD6005. Present day I have a audiolab CDT 6000 and 6000a amp.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Peter 👍

[@archiemacdonald553]

hi Tarun I've been watching all your videos 📹 faithfully .being a 💿 cd man since it's concept it was great you doing a cd player review. primare do some very good stuff for sure .it's too bad they in my humble opinion just have it as a cd transport .and skip the streaming and dac..mind you this is how I have mostly for quite a good many years .offcourse this is the way of many manufacturing companies go these days .I will stop rambling on now .Good luck with the project .lots of headaches lol 😆

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Archie. Much appreciated 👍

[@jamesfarrow6752]

I purchased my first CD player in around 1986. I think it was a Mitsubishi. It wasn’t until around 2004 that I upgraded to a Cyrus CD8 and PSX-R power supply. I think it was 2007 when I purchased a Moon CD player, which I believe was a 5.3 RS. I subsequently used the Moon as a transport connected to a Naim DAC. I then upgraded to a Chord Blu transport and QBD76 DAC. The QBD76 was then replaced by the CHORD DAVE. The problem I had was that despite several purges, I had insufficient room for any more CD’S so I decided to go down the streaming route, for which I use an Auralic Aires G2 connected to a Chord MScaler which feeds the DAVE. I mainly use Qobuz and to me the sound quality compares to the Blu 2 transport that I only had for a couple of weeks. I won’t bore you with that story though. I can’t part with my CD’s, however, so these are now in storage boxes.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Nice setup. Thank you for sharing your journey James 😊

[@jamesfarrow6752]

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thank you. It's nice to be able to share some of my journey as apart from doing so online, I have no one to share my passion with in person.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

@@jamesfarrow6752 unfortunately, audiophiles are a rare breed. It can be a lonely pursuit at times 😊

[@markcarrington8565]

Hi Tarun, great review as always. I confess to being slightly smug when you admitted that the CD player was so close in performance to your streamer 😁. I’ve steered away from separate transports & DACs in favour of my integrated CD player in my main system. I think perhaps it’s one of those situations where the manufacturer can control the experience more completely when they take the digital signal and put it through the internal DAC before boosting it for the analogue output. Steve Jobs used to say that if you want to give a fantastic user experience to your customers, you need to “control the whole widget.” I know I’ll have to upgrade my DAC to something like the Pontus II with a Jays transport to improve on the “whole widget” that Musical Fidelity built for me. So, I’m still on my journey with CD, for the quality, the ownership of the music and for the relaxation it gives me to listen to the whole album. Then there’s the contribution to the artist to consider too. See you soon at the club 😄👍

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Mark. I love the Steve Jobs anecdote. It would like to review more CD players. The Primare CD15 is a bit of a gem 😊👍

[@alphaniner3770]

I agree with the point that a whole package (DAC included) should in theory give the designer more control. I did the opposite however - I replaced my far from budget (SA)CD player with a separate transport and DAC. The largest difference is that the transport/DAC combo made my crappy recordings sound nice (again) - the (SA)CD-player just had to dissect these. This ability to play around with components, mostly the DAC, is what was important in my case.

[@scrubbyjanitor1704]

I think a streamer + cd transport sounds like a good combo for a product. When it comes to dac that can get silly when having a source with dac to a dac to a amp with a dac.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@bingoberra18]

Tarun I noticed you dont review headphones. Even though as you have said you listen on lower volumes not to bother neighbours. My current flat is very limiting in terms of audio but moving to house in a few years. I was thinking if it is still worth spending ~£1500 on a headphone setup vs. spending ~£400 and saving the rest for the speaker setup for the house. Or would the extra spending on headphones still pay off even after moving to the house? I know its very specific and individual but just looking for some guidance as I have no experience of how audiophile headphones stack against speaker setups.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

It is a very different listening experience through headphones. In terms of fidelity a headphone will outperform the equivalent stereo speakers 😊

[@timw9047]

I agree, the eject button should be the top one.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Yes, that was a little strange as the slot is above the display 😊

[@timw9047]

@@abritishaudiophile7314 yea, exactly

[@outbackwack368]

I was using an Oppo, then dropped some coin on an Arcam, which promptly died 2 years later; whereas, my Oppo is still going strong 15 years later. I won't be spending that much coin anymore and now stream. Thanks!

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@michaelpoole9595]

When I upgraded my CD player, I opted for the Primare DD15 (the transport-only version of the CD15) as I didn't need the Prisma add-ons. When hooked up to my Hegel Röst, it 'flew'. All of the good things you said about the CD15 applied equally to the DD15, plus I was using the Röst's DAC rather than one that was CD player-based. I think that the phrase "small is beautiful" was made for the DD15 (and the CD 15).

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Micheal. I can see why that system would work so well 👍

[@aussie8114]

Fired up my Olive4 which is a pricey CD transport and onboard hard drive a few days ago. It was certainly a nice easy listen but I doubt I will fire it up again. Streaming millions of albums from my comfy chair is the way to go. Sounds just as good too. Hard to believe I paid close to 4 grand on that. Now for just 40 cents a day I get to choose from every album ever made since the dinosaurs roamed the earth 🦕

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing buddy 😊

[@jvandekant]

I still own my first CD player from Philips, the CD 104 ext to the one I upgraded to, the Marantz CD63 Ken Ishiwata version. Most of the time I am streaming music.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing Jan 😊

[@sammyconductor8896]

My first cd player was a sony playstation (really only to play cd's) after I always preferred vinyl records even in my other middle class setup. after I have "digitalized" & upgraded myself a bit over the years in the area of components and I can't find the way to roon something for cds (have a few) had to come // found something with a used denon dvd 3910 that suits me well with my wide music collection and doesn't limit me with the sound carriers.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you for sharing 😊

[@fletchermunson6225]

Three years ago I was using an Oppo 93 DVD player for a transport with a digital coax out to my DAC. I got a Kimber half meter coax cable and after a while it would shut down the Oppo output repeatedly. I upgraded Firmware with no improvement from their legacy maintenance site. I talked to Kimber so they loaned me a one meter cable and and the problem disappeared. They tested my half meter and no problems with it. I changed to an Audiolab CDT 6000 transport.

[@abritishaudiophile7314]

Thank you Jim. See you the next ABA Club chat. I will be posting a date soon 😊