Details, clear, and open sound. Good for jazz and vocal.

None at this time with this low price.

Under the price $300, this CD player is a killer. It is good for the beginner who seriously want to listen the real music.

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Denon F10 CD player

Open, British, warm sound with details.

The play button doesn't do the 'play' action and the track selected jog is weird.

Based on the budget in my pocket, this baby is the only choice to satisfy my ears.

The setup of my audio system:
TEAC Integrated Amp A-H500
KEF Q35 speakers
NBS stinger interconnected cable (one pair)
JPS Lab Ultra Conductor speaker cable (Bi-wired)

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Denon F10 mini cd player, Pioneer CLD D704 LD/CD player

Typically English sound qualities. You'll need to part with some serious cash before finding something that will outperforming the D300 SE. I love the layout, simple clean and efficient. The jog is IMHO perfect, intuitive, and functional. I like that the play button does not close the tray and start playing, I tend to want to be in my listening position before starting the music via the remote. DAC module can be upgraded.

The curved display is difficult to view in a well lit room, "Play", "Pause", "Stop" buttons on remote are text only,
accompanying symbols would have been nice, Cambridge did it for the skip and search buttons why not the others?

My review followed 72 hour continuous use burn-in (24 x 3 days) Cambridge recommends 36 but I continued to hear improvements up to
45 +/- hours. The following was the set-up and music selection;

Equipment
Adcom: GTP-400 tuner-preamp
Adcom: GFA-545 MK II Amp
Cambridge Audio D300 SE
B&W DM630 Speakers
Custom Bi-wire harness, and Custom RCA connections

Music:

Deutsche Grammophon: 439 023-2, Mozart - Requiem, Wiener Philharmoniker, Karajan
Verve: 314 523 990-2, Ella Fitzgerald - Essential Ella
El Inspectoe: CD-9505 Various -
Deutsche Grammophon: 439 768-2, Wagner-Gala, Berliner Philharmoniker, Abbado, (Live Recording)


The D300 SE (Special Edition) has the 24 bit D/A and it is very evident. I spent 2+ hours switching between the D300 SE to the D50 SE in the store's listening room, while looking at the specs I would have expected the D500 SE to have an appreciable advantage. However the audible difference between the 300SE & 500SE have dwindled since the D300 - D500 models.

I was concerned about the reviews of the limited sound field, but have been very happy with the results I have. It my be possible the issue was from the set-up or the recordings. If you have any question of how well the D300SE can reproduce the sound field try the DG recording of Mozart I used in the test. If the first 5.25 mins. does not impress, I would be very surprised, but listen on, jump to track 14 and by the time the last voice fades at the conclusion of the "Communio" I think any concerns will fade with them.

I believe I had a large enough selection of music to exercise all aspects of the D300SE, I found the highs to be clean, and crisp, the horns in Estamos Pegados were tight and brilliant, the soprano voices of the Requiem were natural yet stunning. The Chorus work was soft, natural and had classic English musicality.

The older analogue gone digital recordings of Ella and her fellas brought back some of the sweetness only LPs have. The D300SE has convinced me to start replacing some of my favourite LPs. Most of the recordings of Ella date to the late 50, early 60s but the D300 (and the great digital engineering work by PolyGram) bring the piano, bass, cymbals, and vocals to life like no other CD player I've listened to. The detail and smoothness of the D300 is very appreciable.

Shifting gears I then listened to Estamos Pegados. A Salsa de Cuba collection by various Cuban artists. This was an important listening because my other CD players hid its' sins. I've always enjoyed this CD & considered it a good recording. I was mistaken, one playing and I could hear many recording sins. Although the Congas, maracas, and brass are incredibly reproduced, sparkling highs, and tight bass, the voice recording was weak and thin, almost washed out.

Final listen when to a live recording on New Years Eve 1993 of Wagner. Again then natural smooth sound of the D300SE came through. The final track Walkurenritt from Der Walkure showed the D300SE could do it all, the chime of the triangles, the crash of the cymbals, the booms of the bass drums, strings and brass come to life in crescendo of sound. I could not resist a large twist of the attenuater. Closing my eyes I could imagine being front row centre, right down to the satisfying roar of the crowed at it's conclusion.

5 stars for value, in this price range NOTHING, I mean nothing, even comes close. You would have to double, possibly triple the amount of money to get this level of performance. This CD player even helps take some of the edge off the Adcom amp.

5 stars for overall rating, even with it's trivial weaknesses, when a CD play like this comes along at this price, with this performance. It should give all other CD builders sleepless nights. Bravo Cambridge.

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Sony, Denon, Marantz.

Very nice build,Good clean sound. Very smooth. Great little machine!

None at all. No callendar type display, but not a big deal

As soon as i saw the box of this D300 i alrealdy could tell its not your ordinary cdp. And boy was i right. The build on this is Superb. And the sound is very incredible. the voices are soo natural and smooth and the highs are clean and sweet. The bass response is of course wonderfull. The front panel is very simple and clean, The transport is quite sturdy and oh yea The face plate IS Brushed aluminum.. Despite what you may have read elsewhere like i did. jog shuttle thingy is sortof strange at first but when you get used to it, it can actually be kina nice. The display isisnt in my opinion hard to read. I guess it could be during the day at the wrong angles. Like i said before the sound is very good, and this is quite a nice little machine. I highly reccomend you give this beauty a try. I really dont think you will be dissapointed.
My system:

NAD C-370 int amp
JBL ND310 speakers
Cambridge Audio D300 cdp
Clarity Wires FoxFire and Emberglow IC's
Sansui TU-517 tuner

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Teac PD-d2750 ( AKA el cheapo el junko)

Value
Clean presentation
Build quality
Ergonomics

Antiquated DAC
No HDCD capability

Let's pick nits.
I really like the jog knob. Easy to use and not at all confusing. Just different is all.
I must have the world's largest HDCD collection, so the lack of HDCD decoding kinda matters to me.
The improvement with this unit over the Toshiba is outstanding, however i hope that this CDP is a temp until I can raise the funds to get a good SACD machine. The crap $300 sony dvd w/ sacd sounds amazing in sacd format and more than awful in regular cd mode.
I just can't get over what a deal this thing was.

Cambridge Audio D300 cdp
Acurus ls11 preamp
Acurus A200 power amp
Tannoy d-80 loudspeakers
Straightwire chorus interconnects
Audioquest Slate biwire

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Pioneer LD
Toshiba 2200

Build, sound, everything.

remote feels a bit cheap

I had considered many possible cd players before I saw this model on audio advisor. At the time, a great deal was offered, so I bought it, hooked it up, and was amazed. This cd player just blew me away. The imaging capabilities was superb, the soundstage was phenomenal, everything about it was well worth the money. The remote feels very cheap in hand, but it doesn't hinder the player's performance. I believe that I got one of the few remaining D300's from audio advisor, and at this time I don't think there are any left. But do give this cd player a try, you might just be surprised.

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AMC, Marantz, Yamaha

Great sound for the price

not much for the money

I got this as a demo after looking at the above mentioned brands and this one blew them all out of the water. The nad 520 was being cleared out everywhere at rock bottom prices too, but this demo cambridge sounded even better to me and was cheaper still. It is in the family room hooked up to my second system, denon receiver, and paradigm atoms. This combo sounds fantastic! Very musical and enjoyable. The display like others have said isnt that great from different angles and
I'm not crazy about the knob for changing tracks, but other than those two small items, I am very happy with it. Even at full price it would have been worth the money.

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looked at sony,yamaha,technics,nad,etc

build

sounded bright to me

I was trying to decide between the Sony DVP-NS500V and this unit for my music only system. DVD players are good or terrible for music depending on which reviews you read. The Sony sounded fine to me and has SACD playback too. I let the Cambridge Audio D300 run for a few days and did an A/B comparison. The D300 seemed way too bright for me (I prefer a warmer sound) so back it went.

I loved the sound of the D500SE and didn't expect such a difference.

Audio Refinement Complete intergrated amp
Triangle Zephyr xs
DH Labs interconnects
Analsysis Plus speaker cable

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Cambridge Audio D500SE
Marantz CD5000
Panasonic DVD player
Sony DVD/SACD player

Nice open, uncluttered display panel, very sturdy build, incredible sound for the price, black brushed stainless steel is nice, 20 bit DAC, plays CD-R...everything

none

I was slightly skeptical about buying a cdp with a 20-bit DAC, but this cd player immediately wiped out all skepticism once i first heard it. I considered buying the upgraded 24-bit D300 Special Edition cdp, but for the price (½ off at $170), and the fact that it was said that the D300 and the SE version sounded very similar, it couldn't be beat. I trusted the name, plus I liked the design very much and the simple, useful features that came with it. I was searching eBay for an Arcam or a Carver cdp, however I read reviews that gave the D300 much acclaim. It is slightly sensitive to scratches, but it is a good sign that this cdp is doing everything in its power to pick up every rhythm and beat...and it will catch scratches RARELY. I am connecting it through the rca analog terminals (Monster interconnects), thus giving it the warm, thorough sound it is capable of producing. The imaging is wonderful with guitar picking and vocals. I don't believe audio advisor is selling this product anymore (drag, good deal), but I'm sure it can be found elsewhere. If you feel like spending the extra money for the upscale SE version, by all means, do. However, not much of a difference will be detected unless you own top quality audiophile equipment. Overall=great buy. Especially the deal that WAS going on.

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Teac PD-D1200, JVC XL-FZ258BK, Pioneer CDP (in LD player)

Very Detailed Sound. Good Range. Good Price. Nice Soft sound.

As always you get what you pay for. Definetly not as detailed as more expensive D500 or some other units

I purchased this unit about a week ago and am extremely impressed by the quality of the sound. It is quite extraordinary to hear old CDs and hear stunning improvements in the soundstage and in the detail. On more than one CD I was checking the liner notes in disbelief that I had never heard some elements before. Quite a lot better than the 5-year old high end Sony player that my parents have that serves as my best reference.

OTOH the sound is not as good as some of the other 'audiophile' equipement out there. Although it does seem to sound better than anything you are likely to find in a consumer electronic shop, it can not compete on sound quality with higher end CA or some Arcam units I tried. It is definetly better though than any SONY, DENON or NAD player that I have heard for less than $1000. Perhaps this is my listening style.

The CD drive seems pretty stable. I tried knocking the shelving unit around a bit and it took quite a lot to get skipping. It was able to go through without difficulty some scratched CDs that I have had problems with on other players.

Ergonomically the player is not well designed. The knob that controls changing tracks and fast forward/reverse is a clumsy implementation IMHO. A couple of buttons for these functions would be better. While I may have figured it out at my next party my guests will be clueless if they are trying to find track 5. Additionally the display is a curved screen resulting in lots of glare.

Cosmetically the unit is nothing special either. It certianly does not scream hi-end, or even cool. The only effort at improving the looks is the control dial mentioned earlier. I suppose that it is trying to create a compatible look to the Amp or something.

On the whole I am giving this unit 4 stars overall. It is better than 95% of the players out there, but it can not compete with the big boys. As far as value however I have no quams about giving it the full 5 stars. If you want to get more out of your music, but have limited funds and/or family hiderances, you can't go wrong getting this unit at all.

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Sony, Denon