Great value for money.

Power cord, Cambridge Audio's promised upgrades don't seem to exist.

I bought this CD player to replace a nice Denon that would not play "stripped" discs. I did quite a bit of research in Asian, Australian and British audio mags and, of course, at this web site. At the time I bought this (about four years ago), Cambridge Audio had virtually no distribution in the US, so I bought it mail order from the Audio Shop (thanks Marc). I agree with the majority that this little baby is a killer.

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Denon

With the right power cord, this player kills all competition in the under $2000CAD catagory.

The crappy powercord it comes with, and the back-lit LCD display isn't visible further than 3 feet away.

When I picked this player up, I grabbed some Cambridge Audio interconnects to go along with it. Took the unit home, hooked it up, and damn... it killed my last CD player (sony 5 disc) in all sonic aspects. The one thing that bothered me about it, was the fact that the power cord came loose easily. Everytime I'd get behind my equipment rack, guaranteed the powercord would fall out. (I was almost tempted to glue the thing in!) My friend suggested getting a newer higher qualiy one. So I found puresilversound.com, and ordered a new power cord, and some silver interconnects for my tuner. Once the products were delivered, and hooked up.. (I decided to use the silver interconnects on the CD player after all) Wow, what a difference. It was like going from my Sony 5 disk to the Cambridge all over again! Everything opened up... the bass became clear and deeper, the highs were not so bright.. and the mids sounded perfect. I quickly ordered puresilversound interconnects/power cords for all my equipment, and every component benefited from the upgrades. Anyway, back to the CD player. Before I purchased it, I demoed it beside the Rega Planet 2000, and the Adcom GCD-750. All of them sonically astounding, but for the money the cambridge seemed like the way to go. (if the demo model had the upgraded power cord, it would've been no contest!) Associated Equipment: Adcom GFP-750 Pre Adcom GFA-5500 Amp Cambridge Audio D500 CD Cambridge Audio T500 Tuner puresilversound interconnects/power cords Paradigm Studio 100 V2 speakers MonsterCable M2.4s

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Sony 5 disc, Demos of Meridian, Marantz, Rega, Adcom

24/96 Crystal DAC, Solid construction. Cool silver with da blue light thing going for it. Everything sounds great.

I did dynamat under the hood....

I belabored this purchase for some time. I listened to several players tube and solid state. My budget ranged from $500.00 us to $1000.00 us. I went to review sites like this....whew !!! Toy anxiety sure is tough on a guy. I really like the D500se because of the open quality of the sound I now enjoy. It really is quite remarkable and seeing as how I auditioned this against players like Arcam, NAD, CREEK I could not for the life of me notice anything lacking and in some cases heard more. I realize that this forum is very open to interpretation. But I like what I hear, the money I saved went to upgrade speaker cables (Heartland Cables Cool guy on the web check him out), and purchase some new music. The tech gurus out there might have something else to say but if you want a great uprade on an audiophile path check this wonder out.

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none

price, airiness, acoustic palpability, attack speed, non-fatiguing mid''s & hi''s,

Could be built more burly, but I''m not exacly playing rugby with it! Soundstage not at all ''weak'' but not as open as I''ve heard.

Overall very happy with the unit sound and performance. No problems after 4 months operation. Break-in was truly at least 40 hours. The silver faceplate is much nicer on the eyes. Cheap power cord a real weak link (and the connection jiggled loose on me a few times shutting off the unit) - replace it immediately! I swear by an INEXPENSIVE DIY cable and outlet using Belden #: 17604 14 guage, replace connectors with Shurter 4300 IEC and Pass & Seymour 5266-XHG AC plug and 5252 outlet (totals less than $20 each! Look em all up on the internet. For really cheap and easy, just order the Belden#: 17604 and stay with the 15amp rated connectors at $10). Sound across the board is good to great. Perhaps the weakest area (in my system) might be the soundstaging. I have heard my Marin Logan CLS ''stats with a bit better soundstaging with a phono. Excellent warmth, detail, and attack speeds though. I find that D500SE''s strengths especially shine with light passage accoustic music and vocals. Lots of airy detail, depth, and transition dynamics for a sub $500 unit. I can detect no problem with congestion or smearing during big passages, instruments remain defined and articulate. Bass in my system is excellent in the mids and good in the lows (I''ve never heard a system convince me that I was standing in front of big drums or a canon). My maximum CD pricepoint was $1000. I reviewed and read reviews, talked with many "experts" and finally settled for the 500SE. The Rega, NAD, and Rotel units I reveiwed also had their strengths, and (minor) weaknesses, but I found that the added cost was not justified, and I was able to use the savings to upgrade my interconnects. System: Martin Logan CLSIIz fullrange stats on 12" stands Adcom 5802 amp Legacy dual 12 sub Adcom 555 mkII sub-amp Denon DAP2500 pre Cambridge Audio D500SE Acoustic Zen Satori 8'' (Ohmigod!) Homegrown Audio Silver Lace 1m throughout DIY 14 guage Belden 17604 power cables throughout.

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Rega, NAD, Rotel, Sony

Excellent detail and soundstage. Smooth sound after 40 hour break-in.

Power cord that comes with unit (probably kept cheap to keep costs down) really hampers performance. Recommend buying/building high-quality heavy-gauge power cord w/ hospital-grade connectors.

I purchased the D500SE and put it through the recommended break-in period, whereas the sound transformed itself from harsh to detailed and silky smooth. However, there is one change I made after a few months of ownership that I absolutely recommend to everyone owning this player-- take the el-cheapo 18-gauge power cable that came with the unit, toss it in the garbage, and either make or purchase a high-quality power cable with heavy-gauge copper and hospital-grade power connectors. The improvement in sound quality is remarkable-- stronger, smoother bass and a warmer, more pleasant and silky sound. It really took the D500SE to another level. In fact, it is such an improvement it is almost a required upgrade. I made my own power cable with 3-conductor 12-gauge heavy-duty cable, a hospital grade connector, and had to mail-order a quality IEC connector for the plug in the CD player (your electrical supply store may or may not stock the IEC connector). Total cost was about $40 in parts. Difference in sound? Priceless. :-) Also upgraded the IEC power cords for my Cambridge audio C500 pre-amp and P500 amp, with equally satisfying results. I can''t explain why upgrading the power cord and connectors makes such a big difference in such a low-current device as a CD player, but trust me in that the improvement in sound quality is significant and makes for a compelling, and relatively inexpensive upgrade. As with all quality sources, it needs high-quality RCA interconnects to preserve detail and soundstage. Personally I use IXOS Gold-series cables and found them to be excellent performers for the price (got mine on-sale for $100).

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Demoed against NAD and Jolida (hybrid tube/solid-state) CD players at store. Liked warmth of Jolida quite a bit, but it lacked too much in the way of imaging and soundstage. The Cambridge really shine

Great Bass Reproduction Warm Vocals and Open Midrange Accurate Treble

None that I have noticed!

I purchased the D500SE from AA based on the Reviews in Sterophile''s April 2002 edition and this website. I was skeptical because of the price, but that was quickly erased once I had the opportunity to plug this player into my system. For those of you who are looking add a cd/transport to their system, I would urge you to give this one a try and save your money! The D500SE has an incredible low end reproduction with an open midrange. The hi''s are just right, not too much sizzle! Before I made this purchase, I auditioned the Meridian 508.24 Class A player. For over 30 days I did an A and B comparison, The Meridian sounded a little more open than the Cambridge. The Meridian did hold the bass note as well as the Cambridge. It sounded as if the 508.24 Meridian was not reproducing as much music, but this is only my opinion. Please do not get me wrong, the Meridian is a fantastic player, but for $3000.00, I could not justify it for how it sounded in my system. Before you spend $2500.00 or more for a player/transport, consider this one. My System 1 Pair of Bose 901 VI Concerto Special Edition (1989) Bose 901 VI Active EQ Adcom GFP 710 Pre-Amp (2) Bridged Carver TFM- 15CB Power Amps 300 watts each (1996) Cambridge D500SE HK CDR 20 Recorder MSB Link 3 DAC MSB Power Supply MIT Terminator 2 Interconnects MIT Terminator 2 Speaker Cables MIT Toslink Cable MIT Digital Cable Pioneer Tuner (1985) Onkyo Integra TA 2600 Cassette Deck (1992)

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Meridian 508.24, Adcom GCD 750(No digital Output)

Highly recommend aftermarket power cord...with Cardas Golden, laid back, warm, smooth, gorgeous vocals, increased depth and width of soundstage, with VERY little loss of detail (if any).

display almost impossible to see from even a short distance away, but who cares when the sound is this good.

Excellent player. Compared to Rotel 971, it is smoother, more open and airy and less flat, with comparable detail (Rotel is slightly more detailed). Used a Cardas Golden Power Cord with it, and was very pleased with the results...increased depth and width of soundstage, more laid back, less fatiguing presentation, increased warmth, gorgeous vocals. The Rotel is a bit more dynamic. Makes me wonder what the Rotel would sound like if it had a detachable power cord. The two are very comparable, but I think the CA wins out based on the above strengths. The Rotel may sound better if paired with a warm, holographic amp, I suspect. Should factor in price (Rotel is pricier) and system when choosing between the two. Denon DCM-370 is warm, but nowhere near the CA or Rotel in all areas. The Musical Fidelity A3 is more detailed and airy than the two, but costs about twice as much. I chose the CA.

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Extensively: Rotel 971, Denon DCM-370 Briefly: Musical Fidelity A3

Sounds good high, low and in between. Smooth and detailed.

Nothing important.

I can't say a whole lot about the CD player business, because the only other one I've owned was a decade old Yamaha, which never gave me any trouble, but was starting to sound very grainy and harsh in its old age. I noticed a significant improvement in sound as soon as I hooked up the Cambridge Audio. It sounds very musical to me, but not does not color the music. I have heard a Rega planet in the store and didn't think it sounded better than the D500, but that was not a reliable side by side test. Anyway, I got a good deal ($420 shipped from Toys in the Attic--I don't work for them, they are in upstate New York somewhere--got the number from Stereophile magazine). I had never auditioned the player, only read reviews on this site. I am not at all disappointed. The only component in my in progress system that has never gotten on my nerves. Give it a try.

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An old Yamaha CD player.

Smooth, non-fatiguing sound.

No HDCD capability.

Used a Toshiba DVD player for one year as my CD transport. Read the great reviews on this product, bought one, and am very impressed. Excellent transport, upgradability and fantastic sound quality at this price point. Thanks to the folks at Northampton Audio for their advice and service.

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CAL Icon Mk.II.

Brings you closer to whats important: The music

None that I can see

After having listened to this player for more than a
month now, I find it has just gotten better and better
sounding with time. Things like background vocals come
out more than with my other players. Whispers, or the
sound of a pick striking a guitar all become more audible.
All instruments and vocals sound more real (that is to say
more natural). The low end is much stronger than before.
It almost sounds as if I added a sub-woofer to my system.
Highs are much smoother and I don't find I have any listener
fatigue with this unit. All in all I am very satisfied
and would not hesitate to recommend this unit to anyone.
I only paid $360.00 for it and I consider it the best upgrade I've made to my system so far.

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Old low end cd players