The Anthem CD-1 is the best cd changer on the market in my opinion. I was looking for a great transport with HDCD and XLR digital out and a changer system. I checked out Adcom, Arcam, Theta and a few others, but none of them could meet all of my criteria. Sure some of them sounded just as good, but you would have to spend over $2000 to come close and none of those were changers. It is a beautiful looking unit and I have not had any problems with it. The tube output stage gives the unit a nice clean and warmer sound than most others. The internal Burr Brown DACs sound better than the DACs in my B&K Ref. 20. I have since upgraded to a Theta Casa Nova so I don't think I'll be using the transports DACs anymore. I highly recommend this unit for the audiophile who is looking for a great transport with a changer system.

deatil

None

Best sounding sub 2500.00 i have ever heard.Give one a lsiten.Sound is incredible.Great value used unit are 1000/1200 get one.

I bought the CD1 recently and just broke it in, but before my unit came in I had a demo for about 3 weeks so I'm very familiar with the sound. It is a great player for the money but it's not perfect. The only drawback (on the ultimate scale) I can hear is in the low level detail which makes it sound a little veiled in some recordings. Other then that it is great. It has a tube output stage that makes the midrange sing like no solid state player ever will and it has excellent soundstage depth. To get all this you need the right wires or AQ Emeralds which I tried on at least five different CD players with unbelievable results. To tell you the truth try these wires on your current set up and maybe you won't need a new CD player. The Anthem also has to warm up for half an hour before it really starts to swing.

Tube Harmonics, Refnenment, Powerful Dynamics, Bass power,
Detail.

Needs "fast" cables to sound best.

I auditioned this product on more than one occasion while shopping for a power amp to match my Audible Illusions Modulus. I have nothing but praises for this
unit. The thing that struck me was the purity of the sound, along with the dynamics and three dimensionality of it all. Tubes indeed, forget the Rega Planet!
One caveat though; be sure and use 'fast' cables, this was
amazingly demonstrated when Cardas interconnects were inserted into the system in place of XLO. The tempo of the
music actually slowed ! and the music became merely good.
What I think was happening was that this being a tube powered player, which has a rich, powereful sound, needs a
lean sounding cable to give its best performance. Anyway,
when you take into account the looks, HDCD, changer capablities and price, this one is an easy 5 star product.

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Ultech, Kinergetics

detail without harshness,HDCD capable, quality sound in a changer!!

Actually, I wasn't looking to spend this much, and as luck would have it, I didn't have to! Somebody owed me a favour, and I got a barely used unit for half the price. Mindya', the list price isn't baad at all. But I did manage to borrow a couple of players in the same price range, fro comparison, and I had listened to others that cost a lot more, where the Law of Diminishing Returns resides.
The Anthem CD1 is a pleasant cd player to listen-to, and listen I did, for many hours, trying all of my favourites. Repeatedly, I switched back to the other players, to confirm the truth. I was hearing details I hadn't noticed before, or details that were much more clear through the Anthem. Response was better throughout the frequency range.
But it was the HDCD decoding that really sold me. Anyone who says that HDCD doesn't work is either hearing-impaired, inexperienced, hopelessly prejudiced or just not listening. Finally, I was able to hear the best that my HDCDs had to offer.
You can easily and cheaply get a better tube than the factory-installed one. A Siemens "New Old Stock" tube, available through the Parts Connection, was an improvement. I'm not an extremely tweaky person, and I'll just stay put for a while on the tube subject.
The fact that the CD1 is a changer is a bonus. Now I can load-up six of my favourite discs when I'm evaluating other components, and stay in my comfortable Ikea chair while moving from one disc to the other.
This player will do just fine, and I can sit back and wait until the new format wars are over, if ever!?

Similar Products Used:

Rega Planet, Rega Jupiter/Io, YBA Special, Sugden, Rotel