CD/DVD Players

The limited-edition Philips LHH1000 has a transport (which houses the laser pickup assembly, the remainder of the CD player mechanics, and the servo electronics) as well as a separate digital-to-analog converter. The proposed list price for this player is $4,000, which is half the price of some other two-piece models but still twice the price […]

Paul Miller, pointing out the complexity in the low-end CD market, demonstrated how pandemonium prevails when too many manufacturers compete for the same budget dollars. In his January issue review, he assessed Marantz’s latest entrance at the £200 pricing point, highlighting the dangers of rushing to market and issuing a run with shoddy parts. Which,

The ambassador from Marantz is treating us like royalty. Only the KI-Signature badges set the CD player and amplifier out from the rest. Not for individuals who simply listen to music in the background. Both the amplifier (left) and the CD player have substantial copper plating and beefed-up power supply, which are trademark Marantz/lshiwata features.

Rega’s first Planet CD player, which was released in the mid-1990s and was not to be confused with the first Planet turntable, was the company’s entry-level silver disc spinner. This was the 2000-model-year update, and it was an unusual piece of equipment. It’s a pleasure to operate simply because it doesn’t have a traditional drawer

MiniDisc was on its way out in 2003. Sales were dropping, and the format’s brief resurgence between 1998 and 1999 seemed like a distant memory. Of fact, it was at this point in its sales cycle that vinyl made significant advancements in the sound quality of its players, and we now see CD doing the

Compact disc had a particularly intriguing period in the early 1990s. Digital audio, like ‘that difficult second album,’ had a dilemma in terms of how to progress. Philips and Sony had developed slick second-generation machines, but these were simply evolutions of their first-generation goods, and it was time to start over and create fresh forward-thinking

In 1988, the recordable CD (also known as CD-R) was introduced. The format, known as CD-WO (CD-Write Once), was fully compatible with the original ‘Red Book’ CD standard, offering up to 74 minutes of recording (650 MB), although later CD-Rs gave up to 80 minutes of recording (800 MB) (737MB). CD-RW (CD-ReWriteable) discs were also

The DVD-Audio vs. SACD conflict was raging by 2002. Many manufacturers first pledged their allegiance to one format, but quickly realized that they needed to support both new hi-res disc formats. Because this was before the age of so-called “universal” players, most businesses offered a choice of two models that were essentially the same. For

Even in 2004, CD players seemed to be nearing the end of their useful life. Because of the onslaught of DVD-Audio, SACD, and even universal machines, less and fewer people sought outdated, unreconstructed CD separates. Those who did were discerning audiophiles who realized that even the best DVD spinner couldn’t play 16-bit Compact Disc as

Prices began to drop within a few years after the first SACD players arrived. You didn’t have to spend £5,000 on Marantz’s groundbreaking SA-1 any longer. Suddenly, DVD players with SACD compatibility became available for a tenth of the price, and the Philips DVD 763SA was the cheapest serious Super Audio Compact Disc spinner by