Products

This Japanese manufacturer has a long history, some 33 years, of making some of the most respected CD players in the high-end business. Around the world, their equipment is used as references for others to be judged against. Their sound has a smooth tonal balance without any bloom, producing a very transparent and deep soundstage. Superb power supplies ensure superb dynamics and a realistic presentation of the rhythmic qualities of the music. The build quality is of a very high order and ensures good reliability. The new DP-500 CD player also has a custom designed, stiffened drawer and stabilised transport mechanism.

The appearance is deliberately retro with a pale champagne anodised fascia panel and looks extremely good when combined with their amplification products. Sonically they combine well with any other brand of equivalent quality.

Products on Demonstration

DP-400 (to order only) £4850
DP-500 £5600 (pictured top)

Other products could be available. Please ring for details.

Accuphase website    Return to top of page

One of the most focused and layered sounds at this price point. Fully balanced with a multi-stage filter; the first upsamples to 176.4 kHz/24 bit and the second filter upsamples to 1.4112 MHz/24 bit. One of the best sounding CD players which competes with others up to £3-3.5K.

Products on Demonstration

Ayre CX-7eMP £2695

Other products could be available. Please ring for details.

Ayre website    Return to top of page

This Italian manufacturer has been making high quality audio products for many years and have always offered a much better sound than the price would indicate. Their CD players are now in REV2.0 updated versions and the sound is of an even higher quality. The chassis and build quality have been improved considerably with a commensurate improvement in reliability. As the name would indicate, the sound from these CD players is less bright and forward than most competitors at these prices. A very modern sound with a good dynamics and with the capability of delivering large soundstages. The Composer range offers excellent value for money with the latest technology resulting in high speed and low noise circuitry. The Maestro series takes this up a few notches where no restriction is placed on the cost, size and type of components chosen for the circuit design.

Products on Demonstration

Composers Line
Paganini 192/24 REV2.0 upsampling CD player – black or silver £1399.00 (picture top)

Maestro Line
Maestro 192/24 REV2.0 upsampling CD player – silver £2299.00 (pictured bottom)

Audio Analogue website    Return to top of page

This Swiss company is synonymous with making the world’s best professional portable recording equipment, both for audio and visual. They also make some of the finest sounding high-end audio replay equipment. The build quality is to military standards with the pre-amplifiers in jewel-like machined casework. Internal circuitry utilises the shortest path possible philosophy and ensures the high level of quality for the signal. The company is well known for its philosophy of ignoring any compromise on quality.

Their very first CD player was launched early in 2007 and we are very privileged to have the very first in the UK. In a word, the sound from this diminutive player is stunning. Unlike any other CD player we have heard, at any price, in its sheer musicality, correct tonal balance, transparency and detail. This sounds like the best analogue replay systems with very large and, especially, deep soundstages. It is particularly apparent how good this player is on the tonal qualities of well recorded violins and piano, which up until now has been somewhat hit and miss with CD players. Hearing it is likely to change many serious listener's perceptions about digital replay’s capabilities and is a must listen in our opinion. Not cheap but the best never is.

For those that want the ultimate DAC, the Nagra professional level design is the answer. (pictured bottom)

The NagraDAC has inherited the very special electronic designs of the Nagra D and Nagra V digital recorders used by the most prestigious music companies and professional recording engineers around the world. These exceptional machines have convinced these engineers that digital audio can convey the emotion and the warmth of analogue tape recorders and vinyl LPs that are missing with other digital formats. This DAC was designed with the same components and philosophy so that you can replay your CDs with the state- of-the-art technology used in the recording thus respecting the original music.

This DAC provides 192 kHz/24 bit up sampling to all incoming signals; even 16 bit resolution signals from regular CDs result in a conversion to a smoother and more elegant sound. Transparency is greatly increased, the sound stage expands in depth resulting in a more natural experience of digital formats. Incorporating an Adaptive Time Filtering  module developed by Anagram Technologies, input and output clocks are kept complete independent and so eliminates jitter.

The combination of the Nagra CDT transport and the NagraDAC, with a commensurate high quality digital interconnect, can bring CD replay to new level that is hard to beat even with other products costing many times more. We would be happy to demonstrate this combination for the pleasure of any serious audiophile who wants a more musical and natural digital replay system - even rivalling many top turntable systems.

Products on Demonstration
CDC (with pre-amplifier) £10950 (pictured top)
CDP integrated player £9500 (pictured middle)
CDT transport £8450

Digital Audio Convertor. Up samples to 192 kHz 24 bit from any input source. 2 Channel with balance option. £8950 (pictured bottom).

Other products could be available. Please ring for details.

Nagra website    Return to top of page

This new CD player/transport from the high-end Greek manufacturer is absolutely stunning to look at.

The sound is no less stunning with a large, holographic sound stage. Their 24 bit DAC chip, with no oversampling, produces a high level of transparency but with an “analogue” sound. Probably a new reference player at this price point.

Products on Demonstration
CDT 100 Player £11000. (pictured)

Other products could be available. Please ring for details.

Ypsilon Electronics website    Return to top of page

This Japanese company makes some of the most musical audio components that have been produced in the last few years. Combined with radical, almost architectural, designs they have an almost obsessively high attention to detail both inside and outside their chassis. The sound is very natural, extremely holographic, with the tonal balance being slightly on the warm side of neutral. Fully engaging thereby allowing the listener to forget the equipment and to concentrate on the music. The integrated CD player has probably the finest sound we have heard from a single chassis CD player. Not particularly cheap but the best never is.

Products on Demonstration
2500S CD player – single chassis £19500

Other products could be available. Please ring for details.

Zanden Audio Systems website    Return to top of page