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Last year was the first time since 2016 that What Hi-Fi? The CD category of the awards included everything other than the entry-level Marantz and Cyrus flagship players. In fact, Arcam entered the fray with a new mid-range spinner too wonderful to ignore, bringing the number of category winners to three: yes, the CD category. expanded in 2023! Perhaps it is not surprising, then, that this year remains stagnant. After all, according to the recent timeline, a restructuring in the category isn’t expected until 2030, and who knows if the humble CD player will still be alive, much less kicking, then.

Our most affordable winner is once again the Marantz CD6007 (below), which combines impressive sound and features with pleasingly traditional workmanship, making it an easy recommendation for anyone looking to dust off and rediscover their CD collection without spending too much (anyone who doesn’t own the previous CD6006, i.e. as the CD6007 was a fairly modest upgrade).

CDs may be experiencing a gentle resurgence (they’re not as powerful as vinyl), but we haven’t exactly seen an explosion of new players this year, and the ones we’ve encountered tend to be high-end products, like the excellent TEAC VRDS-701 and Esoteric K-05XD. we liked it Cambridge Audio CXC Transport too… but a CD Transport Award winner in 2024 seemed a bit much.

We digress. Going up a price range we arrive at Arcam CD5which is part of the Radia series launched in 2023 by the British brand and which also generated the award-winning A5 and A15 amplifiers and whose growth has doubled this year with the incorporation of two transmission amplifiers and one independent transmitter. To quote our review, the CD5 is a “tremendously talented player.” And to echo his conclusion, “there hasn’t been a really good, really capable, really fun CD player of this level in a long time… the Arcam CD5 changes that.” It has the right features, looks great and has an entertaining, punchy and authoritative sound. A deserved winner for the second time.

We have stopped counting how many years Ciro CDi The player has won a What Hi-Fi? Award (10? 11?) as our favorite premium player. It may not be particularly exciting to announce a repeat winner with as much plaudits as the winner of the 2024 Prize, but who knows, if CD improvement accelerates, maybe something will emerge to surpass it next year. Until then, this proven artist continues to set the benchmark in entertainment and information.

FURTHER:

See our long list of best cd playersrecommended by our experts

What hi-fi equipment? Awards 2024: Rotel’s ‘budget gem’ amplifier dethrones a multi-award-winning legend

How to get the best sound from your CD player