An affordable, capable and enjoyable CD player
CD player| £699| whf.cm/ArcamCD5
CD players haven’t quite enjoyed the same level of revival that turntables have. Despite reports of CD sales seeing an uplift in recent years, we haven’t seen many new CD players – and really good CD players at that – hit the market.
But that’s about to change with the Arcam CD5. Not only has Arcam returned with an enticing range of hi-fi separates (we have already given the A5 and A15 amplifiers five-star reviews), but the new components are also priced on the affordable side.
At £699, the new Arcam CD5 could be hitting a sweet spot in a price range that has long gathered dust, just like many an audiophile’s compact disc collection. And if its amplifier siblings’ performances are any indication, the CD5 could be exactly what many CD fans have been waiting for.
We like the look and build quality of Arcam’s new hi-fi separates. Similar to the A5 and A15 amplifiers, the CD5 sports a sleek, minimal design and is made to a high standard. The all-black aluminium body with subtle yellow accents looks modern in an understated way, the whole unit feels robust, and we especially like how the ‘cowl’ overhanging the rear panel hides the connections from view from the top (and should keep it less dusty, too). The front display with its simple, one-line of text showing track information is large and easy to read from afar.
Nicely made, nice to use
The disc-loading tray operates smoothly and quickly, with a gentle but reassuring mechanical whirr. We find the CD5 easy and responsive to use, whether pressing the unit’s large buttons for playback or using the small remote that comes with the CD player. It’s a slip of a thing and is decked in matching black and yellow, but it’s nicely made and nice to use compared with other small, plastic-feeling remotes we have come across.
Arcam has kept connections to a minimum here: there is a single pair of RCA line level outputs and, on the digital side, one optical and one coaxial output apiece. The CD5 supports playback of CD, CD-R and CD-RW disc formats, but fans of SACD will have to look elsewhere. In fairness, our long-standing favourite Cyrus CDi at £1500 also doesn’t support SACD.
You can also play music files (in FLAC, WAV, WMA, MP3 and AAC formats up to 24-bit/192kHz) if they are stored on a USB flash drive or hard disk storage thanks to the USB-A input on the back pan
