Sure, they nonetheless make CDs and CD gamers. It is humorous, all over the place I flip I hear vinyl is again, however the CD format continues to be round, and dare I say it, there’s much more new music popping out on CD than LP. Possibly that is why audiophiles are nonetheless looking for suggestions for CD gamers, particularly inexpensive ones. This new NAD, the C538 could be the one I might purchase, and primarily for its simplicity and construct high quality. It sells for $299 within the US and £249 within the UK.
I’ve all the time admired NAD’s no frills price range gamers, beginning after I was working as an audio salesman within the Nineteen Eighties. Again then, NAD’s sound was a reduce above the opposite inexpensive gamers. The C538 seems to be awfully just like NAD gamers from 30 years in the past, and that goes for the rear panel’s connectivity choices: only a set of stereo RCA analog output jacks, plus coaxial and optical digital audio outputs permitting connection to an exterior digital converter or AV receiver. There’s additionally a tidy little plastic distant management.
In contrast with most of at this time’s client electronics, CD gamers are useless easy to make use of. Open the disc drawer, put in a CD, shut the drawer, hit the “Play” button on the distant management or on the C538 and the music begins to play! I promise you will by no means must seek the advice of the proprietor’s handbook or spend hours on the telephone with tech assist to make use of the C538. For that alone the C538 deserves some credit score, however after all that simplicity is widespread to almost all CD gamers. Cannot say the identical for Blu-ray or DVD gamers!
The NAD C538 CD participant rear panel.
I not often point out electronics “burn-in” or how their sound modifications over the primary few days of use, however the C538 sounded somewhat uninteresting at first. After I left it enjoying on repeat mode for 3 days the sound cleared up.
Past that I haven’t got a lot to report, the C538 sound is not considerably higher than different price range priced CD gamers. However because of its digital output connectivity I did handle to listen to important positive factors in readability after I connected a Schiit Bifrost digital converter to the C538. You might additionally contemplate the Cambridge Audio CXC when you simply want a transport.
The primary purpose I wrote this evaluate is to present readers nonetheless shopping for CDs (as I do) and ones who’ve already amassed giant CD collections the excellent news, NAD nonetheless provides top quality gamers that will not break the financial institution.
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