smooth and coherent mid-band with solid depth and bottom end. Highs are crisp and full. Rich textures and doesn't lose control even under complex works.

It's tough to complain at this price. Tracking is slow and the overall sound comes up short of the best players.

The Cambridge Audio CD6 is one of those players that came out of nowhere. I was listening and ready to buy Rega but this little player at a few hundred less won me over. The Cambridge was crisp and clean whatever I threw at it. Yet, the richness remained that I found present only in much more expensive players. The Rega was warmer but less detailed...almost like a haze. Mind you I really did like the Rega since it was number one on my list along with the Alpha 7SE.

In the end it came down to the Cambridge offerring a balance between the Arcam and Rega. The crisp detail and wonderous accuracy of the very accomplished Arcam 7se along with the rich layered sound of the Rega Planet.

The Cambridge does not excel in either one, but offers a better balance than the other two.

The Cambrdge also has a more elegant appearance with solid build quality and easy to access remote(which can't be said for the Rega).

I've had the unit for more than 2 years and it's been a dream. You can't go wrong with any of the three I've mentioned, but considering the price/performance ratio the slight edge must go to Cambridge Audio.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam Alpha 7SE and 8SE, Cambridge Audio CD4SE, Rega Planet, Marantz CD67 and CD72(which I owned). And of course similarly priced units from Denon, Sony, Pioneer etc.

Extraordinary sound for the price, build

Hum from power supplies

Purchased the CD6 after an audition and several good reviews. Very happy with my purchase.

Over the years I have upgraded the rest of my system until today I have a pair of Living Voice Auditorium Avatar OBX speakers (4000 gbp) and Canary valve amplification (2000 gbp) with appropriate high end cables etc

With such substantial upgrades I was quite amazed how the CD6 held its own.

The Avatar's are renowned for exceptional musicality, and certainly I wonder how I ever lived without them. Opera, organ music even techno are forceful and detailed. The real glory comes from simpler material from Eric Satie or Bebo Norman - here the system begins to truly suspend disbelief and leads you into a performance where the hi-fi no longer exists.

I do intend to replace the CD6 as it is certainly the weakest link in the system. I'm currently looking for something that is a significant improvement and does not sacrifice the clarity and sheer musicality on offer. After listening to many players I'm currently only considering products over $3000 from the likes of Wadia.

I will, however, not be letting the CD6 go as I've become rather attached to it and I imagine replacing it at a future date will be extremely difficult.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Arcam, Sony, Denon

Warm airy tone, great detail, controlled bass

display, remote control isn't compatible with my Rotel universal

As not to regurgitate what has already been said, this is a great player which can be found on the used market for $300-400, depending on condition. Compared to my previous player, the Marantz CD-46, the CD6 is simply more "real" sounding. The soundstage is deep and well definied, and I can finally have front-to-back imaging (the Marantz was fairly flat in that respect). The detail is incredible yet rarely harsh -- my tweeters are fairly revealing, and when vocal "s" and "sh" phonetics occur, they can sometimes be piercing, something I hope to solve with Ah! LS Noise Killers from Upscale Audio. For those upgrading their source, this is also a great opportunity to go for a more revealing interconnect as well, as you won't be disappointed with what you find.

A question for fellow CD6 owners, though... the manual makes no mention of HDCD abilities, and doesn't mention the HDCD indicator on the display, but on my display, the HDCD logo prominently exists. Does this mean I have a special version of this player with HDCD decoding? It would certainly make sense due to the 20-bit nature of its analog section...

In any case, I can't foresee any significant upgrade paths for my CD source without spending a lot more money. I'm considering going for the EVS Millenium DAC II, but keeping the CD6 as a transport.

My system:

Source: Cambridge Audio CD6
Interconnect: Nordost Blue Heaven
Pre/Power: Rotel RX-975 Stereo ReceiverSpeaker Cable: Tara Speaker Cable: Labs Prism Omni
Speakers: Clements 207di(A)

Similar Products Used:

Marantz CD-46, Rotel RCD-961

I recently purchased the MArantz CD67se and was disappointed with it after listening to it for two weeks. Found it quite fatiguing, lacking in the mid/low end. Don't get me wrong it clearly out performed a 10 year old Pioneer which served me well.
I just finished auditioning the CD6 with the Rotel 950, 975, and the Parasound CDC1000. The equipment used was a Krell 300i and B&W 801's. The CD6 blew the others away and I purchased it. I agree with the comments above by Chris.

Overall I would give it a four, but for the value I will give it a five.

I had my mind and heart set on several different CD players when I finally picked up the CD6. I've only been building my system for the last 6 months and was really anxious to get a hand-me-down Sony multi-disk player out of my system.

So, what was the CD 6 added to? The following:

Acurus A80 power amp
B&K Pro 5 pre amp (old,inexpensive, but gets the job done...for now)
B&W DM602's
Kimber speaker wire
Streight Wire inter-connects

Ok, how's the sound? Well, the CD6 changed the entire sound of the set-up. It's extremely detailed and, with the addition of the Kimber speaker wire, seems to have an amazing ability to produce a breathy reverb. It's great on digital recordings, ie electronic music that employs the speakers of the listener's system as the actual first-stage, sound output device. It's clean throught the bass, tight, and produces bass NOTES rather than low-end bass bloom. I can hear notes played, on either drum machines, bass guitars, or bass viola's, rather than some muddy slop which usually sounds like a band-pass box. In this regard, in's excellent, especially with a speaker like the 602. The low end can get clean and powerful enough to literally vibrate my entire apartment, while remaining extremely audible.

Though inpressive, the bass is only a small variable in the excellent sound of the CD6. The highs and mids are, for lack of a better word, incredible. Again, that reverb-transperancy quality really adds to this, and gives a sense of actual, studio listening. Voices are well balenced and instruments seem to float in the stereo field. Imaging is great, especially on music that has been WELL produced, ie thought put in to the position of microphones.

Reasons to buy this blayer: 1. cost vs. sound. I got it for less than $500.00
2. accurate bass, articulate and strong.
3. That breathy, reverb thing.
4. Incredible stereo imaging
5. Smooth highs, great realism on voices.

Vocies are so real, they some times sound like they're eminating from my wall...or somewhere BEHIND the speakers.

I have decent equiptment. The Sony Cd player I had flat-out sucks compared to the CD6. The Cal DX2 I listened to before buying the CD6 sounded dull by comparison, and that was being driven by Krell equiptment throught Pro Ac's. I've heard the CD6 driven by the Krell integrated, it was unreal. this player should not be missed. the more I listen to it, the more invalueable it becomes

In reply to the 26/2 post:
"irresponsible revenge"? Strong words indeed. Hey, isn't this a democratic review site without a prescribed review methodology?

Look, I tell it as it is. Soundwise, it *IS* awfully hard to get a player like the the CD6 at its price-point. I am just totally appalled at the QC. No matter how well it may sound, reliability cannot be discounted from the "good buy" equation. Let me remind you that there was another review here which talked about a problem with the player handling >72 min CDs. Yep, so it was still given a 4 star in that one, but there's a different value system employed altogether.

On the other hand, all the terrific reviews here regarding the CD6 sound quality are absolutely spot on. Like I had said, go buy one and take the chance. You don't have to buy my story. Please, do go ahead and treat mine as a total one-off. If yours work flawlessly, good on you, then go ahead and give a "5 star". I am sticking to my score based on how much *I* value quality and reliability (which is A HELLUVA LOT).

FYI, I gave Cambridge Audio's A3i a "5 star" in an uncategorised review here. See the new reviews section. And this was even before my CD6 submission. I don't take that one back one bit. I know well that Cambridge can make killer products at budget price points.

(PS. this message comes with a 5 star rating so as not to colour the median score)

After reading the last review (posted 2/25/98), I cannot help but throw in my two pennies. I think that the poor "review" posted was nothing but a irresponsible revenge of an unfortunate situation on an other wise excellent product. I have the player for more than three months now and have nothing to said but praise. This player is actually a lose-lead made by the company to attract attention to its other products. It is only fair to compare it to players 2-3 times its price. Just try to get a CD-player with true differential balanced output for $600!!

I bought my CD6 about a year ago when there was really hot competition between the Marantz CD-67 SE and the Arcam alpha 7. I built my system up in rather a strange way, starting with a Marantz PM-55 SE then building my own floorstanding speakers and then finding a CD player. My obvious choice was the Marantz to visually and hopefully sonically match my amp. Having heard the CD67SE not only was I not impressed but the treble was painfully sharp even though it did seem to deliver the goods in other areas. The Arcam was one of the most transparent players that I have evr listened to but had almost no bass to speak of and was generally adull listen for everything except small acoustic ensembles etc. The demonstrator at Richer Sounds (the only Cambridge Audio dealer) forced me to try the CD6 and I did, just so that I could dismiss it as the inferior player that it obviously was and carry on with my audition and decision. The rest is history, atleast in my home anyway. The CD6 is a fantastic all-rounder, has all the detail of the Marantz but without the harsh edge (this does ofcourse depend on your system) and its bass is fuller and more agile too. It is a very satisfying aural experience. In terms of how it compares to the Arcam, it doesn't. It exceeds it for almost all musical areas, dynamics, involvement, bass presence, bla bla bla. It's not nearly so smooth and seductive but it gives you the music how it should be played, how it wants to be played. Your choice will probably depend on your musical tastes and your age. For me, the CD6 takes a welcome middle path and I love its neutrality becuse it allows the speakers to do som much more. I was 17 when I bought it and so my high frquency hearing is still very good, the Marantz with its exuberant top-end could be calmed down by a mature pair of ears. Just get a demo booked and see for yourself, the CD6 was £300 but has come down to £250 now. Chances are the new Arcam or Sony will be better now and the Marantz CD63 KI Signature is now only £400. Keep looking, listeing and most of all loving.
P.S. The technical spec. of the CD6 is mind-blowing, don't be scared to look at the technology under the lid.

Ben Hooker, 147250.97@swan.ac.uk

Read rave reviews all over. Auditioned the player twice. It sounded quite terrific at the shops. Terrific price too. Very detailed sounds and is less warm than an Arcam Alpha 7 - another player in the same price/performance category. Bought one to hook up to my Cambrige Audio A3i amp. Brought it home, played it on and off for 5 days. Today the sound started to jitter, than stopped dead cold. Guess what? That yellow triangular laser warning sticker that manufacturers typically paste onto the innards of any CD transport came loose and got stuck on to the CD! Gosh, what quality control!
Furthermore, previous to this dislodged sticker problem, the "SKIP" button on my CD6 appeared to get 'stuck'. Not physically, but the player seems to go on skipping continuously until the last track on a disc is reached. This happened when the beam between the remote and the player was blocked when the skip button was pressed, or when the infrared was bounced off a wall or ceiling.

I called the local distributor for Cambridge and was told that they can only help me if the problems are replicable. Well, the player seems okay now after the sticker came off. I am going to run it in further to see if there any more surprises.

I wrote to Cambridge Audio and was told by their chairman that this was atypical of their manufacturing quality (".....otherwise we wouldn't be in
business today") and received an apology. Yes yes, what else can the man say indeed?

Whatever it is, these experiences leave a bad taste in my mouth. Who knows what damage has already been caused to the transport? I have never had such shocking problems even with the cheapest PC CDROMs.

While the player does sound quite excellent, and is still playing nicely, I can't recommend it for reasons of poor QC. Of course, one could say that this might be a one off. Oh well, you take the chance.........

By the way, the CD6 does sound much better with one of Cambridge's DACs. I have heard it with their low cost DAC2i and the latter appears to make the music breathe even more. A good combo if you already own a CD6 or if you want to use the DAC2i as a cheap upgrade for an existing player that might sound a little tired. However, with a CD6 and their DAC3 heard on another system, the sound doesn't seem to be any better than that from a plain Arcam Alpha 7. I think that's some testimony to the DAC used in the Alpha 7. Of course, you should go have a listen yourself.

I've had my CD6 for over a week now and am very happy with it. The nuances it brings out from CD's and the sweet treble and detailed bass it possesses are in a league with players at twice even three times the price [nudge nudge Sony 7AXES!!!.I wonder what it sounds like with a DAC? Music made in heaven for sure!!