Arcam CD5 ₹1,21,990
Going by its amplifier siblings' Award-winning performances, the CD5 could be just what CD fans have been waiting for.
Similar to the A5 and A15 amps, the CD5 sports a sleek, minimal design and is made to a high standard. The black aluminium body with yellow accents looks modern in an understated way, and the whole unit feels robust. The front display, with its simple text showing track information, is easy to read from afar. The disc loading tray operates smoothly and quickly, with a gentle but reassuring mechanical whirr. We find the CD5 easy and responsive to use, whether pressing the unit's large buttons for playback or using the small remote.
Connections are minimal, with just a single pair of RCA line-level outputs and, on the digital side, one optical and one coaxial output apiece. The CD5 supports playback of CD, CD-R, and CD-RW disc formats. You can also play music files (in FLAC, WAV, WMA, MP3, and AAC up to 24-bit/192kHz) if they are stored on a USB flash drive or hard disc storage via USB-A.
Arcam uses digital circuitry based around an ESS ES9018 DAC (the same one used in the A5 and A15 amps), while new components have been used and tested intensively by the engineers to ensure they deliver the best audio performance.
Snappy precision
We start our testing with Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity and straight away we know we're on to a winner. The CD5 flows with an assured fluidity and composure that has us hooked on to that smooth, slinky tune from the get-go. It sounds agile and nimble, tracking every beat, every leading edge of a note with snappy precision - but never becoming too analytical. It gets the funk across with bags of personality and charm.
Esta historia es de la edición December 2023 de What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 2023 de What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
The missing Link
\"Battery life on the Sony LinkBuds Open is excellent\"
Old school charmer...
\"It is sonically regimented, particularly through the low end where we expected issues\"
Home-theatre hero
\"Impressive is the way in which it manages to sound clean and o decongested, even during the most complex of passages.\"
Audiovector Trapeze Reimagined
\"The Trapeze Ri may resemble their famed ancestors, but in every other respect they are thoroughly modem\"
Linn Majik LP12 MC
\"We are having fun and encouraged to take a holistic view of the music rather than focus on the details\"
The playlist
Here are our carefully curated recommendations of the best music streaming service for those who value sound quality above all. Form an orderly queue...
MATCH FIT
Our ten recommended hi-fi systems are guaranteed to play together beautifully
THE TRUE PRO
Audio Pro's Director of EMEA Sales talks sustainability, Indian markets and the future of Audio Pro in India
Q Acoustics M40
A pair of powered baby floorstanders that have big shoes to fill
YG Acoustics Carmel 3
On paper, the Carmel 3 from Colorado-based speaker specialist YG Acoustics has a credibility problem. They cost a huge amount of money but are small, rather plain-looking two-way floorstanders.