Table of contents
Do you still need a CD player?
Have audiophiles become too obsessed with nostalgia when it comes to CDs? The same case could probably be made for vinyl, cassettes, and reel-to-reel but what really matters is not just the format but the sound quality — and access to it.
Listening to music on physical media isn’t dead and vinyl records (and even audio cassettes) and CDs continue to remain extremely viable formats.
The ability to own music on a physical medium is important and we discovered that to be very true during the summer of 2022 when Rogers’ mobile and wireless networks collapsed all across Canada forcing almost 33% of Canada’s population offline. No Wi-Fi. No cable. No music or video streaming for over 24 hours and even longer for some customers.
CD players like the Marantz CD60 don’t become inoperable when you can’t access the internet, which is more than we can say for Spotify, or TIDAL.
Streaming may represent 85% of the North American market (it’s much lower in Asia and Europe), but there is clearly a demand for physical formats and there is great value in ownership.
Having worked for Barnes & Noble on their nook eReader launch and as a Digital Lead that helped train booksellers (ironic) on how to sell it — I knew from the onset that it was destined for failure.
People who love to read put enormous value on the ability to physically hold and read a book.
Many of us consider a home library to be the most important room in the house; and have you ever met anyone with a room filled with Kindles or nooks?
So why do people still care about CDs?
One of the reasons why CDs are climbing again in popularity is clearly cost — it’s hard to say no to $3 or $5 used CDs that are still in decent shape. That becomes an even better deal when you look at how expensive new vinyl releases run. Why purchase 1 new vinyl release when you can have 5 to 10 CDs?
New CD sales are not great but the used market will continue to offer enormous choice and value.
The final reason is sound quality. Audiophiles conveniently forget the days when they spent thousands on separate transports and DACs, before the hi-fi press decided that a CD player was good enough. Before moving on to streamers and very expensive DACs again.
Our “Best CD players of 2024” list only includes models that we have listened to over the past 12 months in a variety of settings. Many of these have been formally reviewed or listened to during private demonstrations at local retailers or during visits with manufacturers.
FiiO DM13 Portable CD Player ($139)
The DM13 not only harkens back to the portable CD players of the past (remember the Sony Discman?) but also provides users with Bluetooth connectivity to today’s wireless headphones and earbuds as well as multiple wired outputs.
Featuring both 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs, the DM13 can be used with a wide range of headphones including FiiO’s FT5 Planar Magnetic headphones, the FT3, and FA19 in-ear monitors.
With aptX HD Bluetooth connectivity, the DM13 can connect to wireless headphones or speakers. Also, with a dedicated analog line-out, the DM13 can be connected to most existing audio systems, powered speakers, or a portable speaker with an auxiliary input.
The DM13’s built-in battery provides up to 8 hours of playback on a single charge; you can also use the DM13 in desktop mode with an AC power connection.
Bluetooth codec support includes SBC/aptX/aptX HD/aptX Low Latency.
It’s also rather compact at 5.4 x 5.7 x 1 inches (W x L x H) and only weighs 1 pound; the build quality is surprisingly good — the rear panel connections are all recessed.
The FiiO DM13 also doubles as a CD ripper where tracks are copied directly from the player to a USB thumb drive you plug into the rear panel; the player will read discs with FLAC, AAC, WAV, WMA and MP3 files.
The DAC converts everything to 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV files.
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Support for a wide range of Bluetooth codecs
- Wireless Bluetooth headphone support
- USB-C connection for your laptop
- CD ripper
- 8 hours of playback on a battery charge
- Clear, detailed and surprisingly good sound quality
- Multiple digital outputs for connection to a wireless speaker or DAC
Cons:
- Not really designed for portable use
- CD rips limited to 16-bit/44.1kHz
Where to buy: $139 at Amazon
Rotel CD11MKII ($599)
Over the past three years, I have been fortunate to review numerous Rotel Integrated Amplifiers including the Michi X3, A14MKII and A12MKII models. All of them have proven to be well made and sonically excellent.
The CD11MKII and A10MKII (integrated amplifier) represent upgrades to Rotel’s hugely successful Tribute Series models which were inspired by — and co-operatively engineered with — the late Ken Ishiwata.
The new products seek to enhance the performance of their predecessors while remaining faithful to Ken’s design philosophy and continue to proudly pay homage to Ishiwata san’s 40+ year legacy in the audio business.
The CD11MKII CD Player replaces the existing CD11 Tribute model and includes over 10 critical components upgrades in the digital circuits surrounding the TI PCM5102A 32-bit/384kHz DAC.
The smooth action tray loading CD mechanism, LCD display, intuitive front panel controls and included IR remote control ensure simple installation and operation. RCA outputs provide easy connection to your favorite audio system.
The CD11MKII also includes a coaxial output allowing the unit to be used as a CD transport. The 12V trigger input and RS232 connection allows seamless integration with control systems.
The CD player is available in both black and silver and looks very sharp on the desktop; the build quality and quiet operation make it a strong option at its price point.
A rather smooth sounding CD player that offers very good clarity, detail retrieval and good pacing.
Pros:
- Solid build quality
- Very quiet and reliable transport
- Good remote
- Plays CDs and CD-Rs
- Clear, detailed and surprisingly robust sounding
- Can tailor the sound with an external DAC
Cons:
- No USB output
- CD11MKII does not play FLAC files from CD-RW
Where to buy: $599 at Crutchfield
Marantz CD60 ($999)
The CD60 features an industrial design and sturdy build that not only looks good but contributes to stable performance free of unnecessary vibration. The chassis is quite large; perhaps even too large for everything that resides under the cover. Marantz is sticking with a similar chassis for all of the components in this lineup because it is easier to manufacture that way and there is a consistency to the industrial design that most buyers will like.
The Marantz CD60 has a rather warm and organic tonal balance and it is one of those components that makes even the worst recordings sound almost listenable; it does some truly wonderful things with DCC, MoFi, and JVC XRCD recordings that pushed the envelope when it came to digital recordings in the 1990s.
CD playback compatibility includes CD/CD-R/CD-RW discs. CDs with MP3 and WMA files are also playable. HDCD discs are playable, but access to the 4-bit extension is not provided. SACD playback capability is not included (according to the specs provided by Marantz).
How good is the CD60? After living with it for two months, I bought the review sample because it proved to be reliable, easy to use, and most CDs just sound fantastic through it.
You can read our review here.
Pros:
- Modern industrial design that is robust
- Very quiet and reliable transport
- CD playback compatibility includes CD/CD-R/CD-RW discs
- Can tailor the sound with an external DAC
- Warm and organic tonal balance
- Makes terrible sounding CDs listenable
- DCC, MoFi, and JVC XRCDs sound phenomenal
Cons:
- No USB output
- HDCD discs are playable, but access to the 4-bit extension is not provided
- No SACD support
Where to buy: $999 at Crutchfield | Amazon
Rotel DT-6000 DAC/CD player ($2,299)
The $2,299 USD Rotel DT-6000 DAC/CD player includes a PC-USB input supporting MQA and DSD audio playback and renders PCM 32-bit/384kHz music files through the coaxial and optical inputs supporting music streamers and media players with the included tray loading CD mechanism providing playback flexibility.
There is a rather long design development story in regard to the DT-6000 that convinced us that Rotel’s development team went back and forth for over a year trying every possible DAC chip before settling on a heavily modified version of the DAC referenced below.
Their initial enthusiasm for the ESS Sabre was met with a level of disappointment when it didn’t deliver the overall sonic performance they were looking for in such an expensive CD player/DAC.
Rotel went back to the drawing board until they felt ESS got it correct.
The focal point of the DT-6000 is the 8-channel ESS Sabre ES9028PRO Digital to Analog converter configured to dedicate 4 mono DACs each to the left and right channels. Redundant signal processing of the digital data streams extracts nuances of audio with exacting clarity and detail with an exceptionally low noise floor.
The DAC feeds custom engineered fully balanced differential output filters with sonic components critically tuned for life-like reproduction of the audio.
The DT-6000 is powered by an in-house manufactured shielded toroidal transformer with high efficiency slit foil smoothing capacitors reducing stray emissions and delivering independent, isolated, low noise power to all critical circuits, further reducing noise and distortion.
Rotel invited us to a number of private listening sessions in NYC so that we could compare the DT-6000 to the less expensive models in the range which also includes the CD11 Tribute and CD14 MKII which retails for $1,000 USD.
Is it worth the extra $1,300 over its less expensive sibling?
It’s a more forward sounding CD player with better clarity and detail but whether that justifies such a huge uptick in price is up to you.
Pros:
- Excellent build quality
- Very reliable transport
- Supports hi-res playback including DSD and MQA
- Single-ended and balanced outputs
- Very high level of resolution and detail
Cons:
- Not inexpensive
- Forward sounding presentation might not work with certain amplifiers
Where to buy: $2,299 at Crutchfield
Luxman D-03X ($4,195)
CDs still sell very well in Japan and it’s clear from the D-03X, that Luxman does not plan on abandoning the format anytime soon.
The D-03X incorporates MQA technology, which enables you to play back MQA-CDs as well as MQA audio files up to 24-bit transferred via USB, optical and coaxial inputs. The USB input also supports PCM data up to 384kHz/32-bit and DSD data up to 11.2MHz while the optical and coaxial inputs accept PCM signals up to 192 kHz/24-bit.
Yes – the D-03X is also a high-resolution DAC making it the hub of 21st century digital system. Connect a streamer to one of the digital inputs and you’ve simplified your system with one cable and upped the sound quality by quite a few yards.
For $4,200, you have every right to expect a superior level of playback and the Japanese CD player never fails to deliver; the balanced outputs sound decidedly fuller and less neutral than the single-ended outputs. Bass has more weight through the balanced outputs and there is a noticeable increase in soundstage depth.
Pros:
- Battleship construction
- Balanced output
- High levels of resolution, detail, and a massive soundstage
- Can be used as a hi-res DAC with support for 32-bit PCM and DSD
- One of the top CD players available
Cons:
- Not inexpensive
Where to buy: $4,195 at Music Direct | Find Luxman Dealers
Hegel Viking ($5,000)
The Viking is a standalone CD player that does not offer streaming capabilities and nor can it serve as a digital hub for the rest of your digital sources.
Hegel is very aware of what the competition is offering, but to offer the same thing would be a rather steep departure from its design ethos.
The purpose of the Viking is to be the best sounding 16-bit/44.1kHz CD player on the market and whilst that might be a rather lofty goal — the Mohican model that it’s replacing due to supply chain issues, was a rather high performance CD player during its run and that means the Hegel had to offer something better.
The Viking uses a dedicated laser and CD drive to ensure optimal data reading alongside a “state-of-the-art DAC” that delivers high-quality digital-to-analog conversion with minimal levels of distortion.
The slot-loaded CD player does not support SACD, MQA, or offer any form of upsampling.
It only plays 16-bit/44.1kHz CDs?
That definitely feels out of touch with the rest of the market but Hegel refuses to apologize for that.
The Norwegian manufacturer designed every aspect of the Viking to deliver the best possible CD performance because they believe that it offers superior sound quality to other digital sources including its own streaming components.
The Viking CD player has one pair of balanced XLR outputs, one pair of unbalanced RCA outputs, and one BNC digital 75 Ohm output, making it easy to operate and integrate into any audio system.
The Viking CD player also features an OLED display that is specifically selected for its low noise, resulting in a clearer and more detailed sound. The analog stage in Viking is developed specifically for this model.
It incorporates their analog low pass filter and Line Driver technology, ensuring fully balanced and noise-free handling of the signal all the way to your amplifier.
The “we only aim to offer the best 16-bit/44.1kHz” pledge might seem totally boring at a time when DAPs can offer 32-bit/384kHz and DSD, MQA, DXD, etc…
But here’s the thing.
The Hegel Viking is so good at digging every last bit of detail and presence out of your CD collection that you might forget that you even own a DAP or network player after listening to this.
Yes…access to millions of tracks through a network streamer is a great experience, and one that we totally endorse — but you really need to listen to your CDs through something this good.
Pros:
- Reference quality 16-bit/44.1kHz playback
- Stunning design and build quality
- Designed to make you want to buy more CDs
Cons:
- $5,000 is a lot of money for a CD player that does not offer hi-res support
- Can’t be used as a high-end DAC
- Did we mention that it only plays CDs?
Related reading: View our latest Editors’ Choice Awards
