cd players

I've frequently raved about Woo Audio's all-tube headphone amplifiers in this blog, so I was surprised to see that the company's new WDS-1 digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is a solid-state design. Woo still offers the full line of made-in-New-York-City headphone amplifiers, with prices starting at $495.

There's also a new matching WPT-1 CD transport. Build quality is superb; these components have the sort of detailing you see on high-end gear that sells for two or three times the price of Woo's products. Each unit is 9 inches wide and 13 inches deep so they can be … Read more

I learned a lesson last week: BlackBerry PlayBook owners are a passionate bunch! My mere suggestion that the tablet was not long for the world (along with a couple forehead-smacking factual errors) elicited a response that I can only describe as fanboy-esque.

Even a RIM rep reached out to insist, "RIM remains committed to the BlackBerry PlayBook." Time will tell, of course, but I'm glad to see the product has such a vocal fan-base. I'm going to see if I can get some hands-on time with a PlayBook so I'm better informed about it next … Read more

We examine the end of the in-car CD player, our supposed hatred of Chevys, how to upgrade the head unit in your Prius, and the need (or not) for Android in your dash.

Whether you listen to music from the cloud, MP3s, CDs, LPs, cassettes, or 8-track tapes, it's always in stereo. So while multichannel SACD, DVD-A, or music-only Blu-ray discs trickle out, only a very small handful of recently recorded music is available in multichannel sound. If there was any real demand we would have surely seen an uptick in the number of surround releases, but that's not happening. Stereo rules the music world, which is why high-quality hi-fis aren't going out of fashion. Onkyo's new A-9070 integrated amplifier and C-7070 CD player are both sound investments.

The … Read more

Defining exactly what qualifies audio gear as "high-end" or "audiophile" isn't easy, but I'll give it a try. Sound quality that rises above what's available from mainstream manufacturers would lead the way, followed by exceptional build quality, and a high price.

Well, by those standards it's safe to say Emotiva's ERC-2 CD player is definitely a high-end machine. The only disqualifier might be the ERC-2's price; it's just $449, which includes free shipping in the U.S.. The ERC-2 boasts individually regulated and shielded power supplies that separately feed the CD transport mechanism, the display, microprocessors, and digital and analog electronics sections. Build quality, from the thick machined-metal faceplate; beefy, all-metal remote control; the Analog Devices' digital-to-analog converters; and fully discrete analog circuitry are all more in-line with what I'd expect to see on a $1,500 CD player.

You can also use the ERC-2 as a CD "transport" with an external digital-to-analog converter; it has a "professional grade" digital output XLR connector, as well as RCA and Toslink optical digital audio connectivity. The ERC-2 has RCA and XLR (balanced) analog outputs.

Where most digital players, including many high-end models that sell for many times the ERC-2's price have one- or two-year warranties, the ERC-2 has a five-year warranty!

I listened to the ERC-2 in my high-end system with Pass Labs electronics and Magnepan 3.7 speakers. It's a high-resolution system, so it was easy to hear just how spectacular the sound of this CD player really is. … Read more

Skipping CDs, navigation CDs do you even need CDs at all these days? We'll let you know all about it, but first I'm about to totally nerd out about all-wheel drive systems. This is the 14th episode of CNET Roadside Assistance for Thursday, the 26th of May 2011 and I am Antuan Goodwin alongside Senior Editor Wayne Cunningham. This is the show where the car tech guys take a moment to answer your emails and highlight your comments.

The analog vs. digital debate has been raging for nearly three decades, and there's still no clear winner, because it's really just a matter of personal preference. I'm fine with that, but there's a lot of sniping in the analog/digital wars, and each side never misses an opportunity to put down the other side as misguided, deaf, just plain stupid, or worse. Each side claims its chosen format is superior and the opposite's is garbage.

I'm an analog guy, but I'd admit that analog's distortions, speed variations, and noise/hiss make … Read more

Reports of the death of the CD have been greatly exaggerated. With sales hovering around 326 million units in the U.S. in 2010, the CD still generates a sizable hunk of income for the music business. You may not give a hoot about that, but if you care about sound quality, it still makes sense to buy a great-sounding CD player. I buy one or two CDs a week on average, and as I recently pointed out, it may be a very long time before iTunes or Amazon ever get around to selling CD-quality downloads. Why waste your money … Read more

You could either junk your obsolete CD player or give it a full makeover like this elaborate project by Russian site Steampunker. The player was stripped down to its innards and transplanted into a custom retro-styled chassis crafted out of wood and brass. Special touches such as analog dials and matching legs were also added.

To complete the audio system, a pair of PC speakers was given a similar overhaul in a vintage-looking cabinet for handling sound reproduction. Instructions for assembling this contraption are available here.

If you need something more rigid and contemporary, there's always the DIY ammo box speaker … Read more