Smooth, detailed, tube-like sound

LCD

I recently picked this gem up at a local shop for $299 because it was a floor model, however I understand that it typically retails for around $499. Anyway, this is truly a fine piece of equipment. The sound is very open and warm with a hint of tube amp. The transport is solid and quick. The best part is the BNC digital out on the back because BNC connectors are better for digital signals (hey they don't use them on oscilloscopes becuase they look cool!) I plan to later upgrade to an external DAC, but only because there is not an HDCD decoder in this machine. The 20 bit DAC from crystal does a wonderful job of reproducing the music, thought. Another nifty feature is the gold signal traces on the circut board. I use this player hooked through Tara Labs Prism 11 interconnects, my Adcom GTP-500 preamp, and my Sennhieser headphones.

This is truly a great value, even at normal retail and the performance compares to that of much more expensive players.

Performance, price

Tacky front panel, no mains off on remote

If you see one of these, buy it: they're real gems. Detail, pace, only machines costing more than ten times as much come close.

Bought mine as a temporary replacement while my Planet was off for repair (see my review of that player) and it has never left my system since. Coupled to an Electrocompaniet amp and a pair of Sonus Faber Concertos, it made the ystem sing.

A word of warning, though. Play in the CD4SE for at least 24 hours. It sounds too bright out of the box, but improves dramatically improve with running in.

Similar Products Used:

Rega Planet

Like to share with all the Cambridge Audio owners that are thinking of upgrading. I have Cambridge Audio CD4SE and A3i, these are very well reviewed here with a Gale 4i speakers. I have gone auditioned for a newer speakers such and settled for the Mission 773e. Gorgeous speakers but need time to run in.. during the run-in I noticed everything seemed to be harsh and bright. Took away all the music I enjoyed. Then it started to settle in. During this time I was introduced to "Musical Fidelity X-10D" which the salesman said will definitely take away all the hardhness and brightness. To cut the story short, the X-10D really change the sound of my whole system to better. After couple of weeks and tried an A/B , with and without the X-10D, and the difference is significant. Without the X-10D everything sound so thin, with them , you have soundstage, smoothness and body in the music (the tube sound). The salesman guaranteed the improvement of money back guarantee ( which is not practice in my country).

For those that want a better sound but limited budget, go ahead and get the X-10D , you can hear the difference, of course on my humble system that has been highly rated here.
Get them fast coz MF are no longer manufacturing them.

Over the past six months I've been on a quest for a "fantastic" stereo system for my home. I ended up with a Naim+Royd setup (Naim CD3.5/Hi-Cap/102/Flat-Cap/NAPSC/140/Royd Albion). After all of that, my office system sounded pretty poor in comparison (15-year-old Toshiba XR-Z50K CD player, Yamaha A-500 amplifier, and 17-year old Yamaha PC-9 ghetto blaster speakers).
I hoped I could get away with merely changing the speakers. While I was shopping for my home system, the Albion speakers came last (five months after the amplifiers). To hold me over until their arrival, I had purchased Royd A7Xs, which were destined for the office. Before they could get there, I got a great deal on Royd Merlins. So my first change to my office system was to swap the crappy little speakers for the Merlins. (The A7Xs will be used as surrounds for my H/T setup.)

It was at this stage that I discovered that my CD player sounded quite awful (very fatiguing). At least I figured it must be the player, because it was exhibiting all of the standard problems associated with cheap CD players: bright, edgy, harsh, weak bass, etc. So now I had to go looking for a new CD player, and I wasn't about to spend another $2000 on a Naim player for my office.

Based on the suggestion of an associate whose recommendations I trust, I began researching the Cambridge Audio CD4SE. All reviews that I could find were glowing. To top if off, Stereophile agreed with the UK press. Astounding! So I headed down to the store to give it a listen.

They had the CD4SE playing through Arcam amplification and Linn Keilidh speakers. The first CD that I auditioned was "Love Scenes" from Diana Krall. I was almost immediately into the music, so that was a good sign. The bass seemed a little lightweight, though. The next CD was "The Soft Bulletin" from The Flaming Lips. This actually sounded quite awful, but this CD is very difficult to reproduce. Linn speakers are usually too polite, and Arcam amplifiers can't supply the current necessary to handle big transients. Musically the player still seemed to be performing. I decided that I should take it to my office to give it a try. I paid $360US for the demo unit off the floor. I also grabbed a Lovan stand, as my current setup had the amp sitting directly on top of the CD player on my desk.

After hooking everything up, I discovered that this player could really sing. The tonal balance was perfect, with a great sense of scale. The music was reproduced with an ease and finesse that belied its low cost. It sounded smooth and deep, with much better bass and transient handling than I had experienced in the store. (I'm glad that I went with my instincts.)

The pace and rhythm were spot on. It wasn't as engaging as my Naim system at home, but I didn't want my office system to be that intrusive. The soundstage seemed distinctly "live". Everything just felt right.

The Lovan stand added a bit of warmth and control to the lower bass registers, but the difference wasn't significant. Because it helps me organize my space, I'm going to keep it.

I've not tried changing the cheapo interconnect yet. That will come when I feel the urge to tweak. (You should also leave something for the future.) For now, I'm really enjoying the music. There are CDs that I couldn't stand playing at work, which are a real pleasure now. If you can find one of these players before they all disappear (they are discontinued by Cambridge), then go for it! Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-