When bit players take centre stage
It has taken a back seat of late, but the CD format still has much to offer. We’ve picked out four of the best players to help you enjoy the benefits of the silver disc
It was the American writer and humorist Mark Twain who, in response to rumours about his health, famously responded with the immortal line “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated”. Compact discs might not have been around for quite as long as Twain had been when he gave us those words, but if they could talk they would be more than justified in saying the same thing today.
Despite the fact that streaming has muscled its way to the front of our musiclistening preferences over the past 15 years, CDS – which were, after all, the first digital format – are still an important medium for masses of music lovers. Over 14 million compact discs were bought in the UK in 2021, and global sales actually increased that year for the first time this millennium. The fact is, there are still plenty of good reasons why CDS remain a great way of listening to your music.
Unlike the medium of streaming, CDS don’t need to rely on a stable internet connection, nor do they suffer the ravages of signal compression; regardless of the music you are playing you will always be guaranteed 16-bit, 44.1khz quality on a compact disc. That translates to 1411kbps, while the highest-quality MP3 file has a bitrate of just 320kbps. Hi-res streaming is, of course, becoming more widespread, but it costs more and those who choose it are still in a minority.
And then, of course, there’s the sheer physicality of it all. With a CD you actually get to own the music – and the pretty pictures and lyrics that often accompany it – rather than merely renting it for a while.
One further benefit of compact discs is that their hardware has had time (40-odd years, as it goes) to evolve into an advanced state of being, as evidenced by the four impressive players we have rounded up for inclusion here. From the affordable (£399) but very capable Marantz CD6007 up to the premiumlevel (£2195) Cyrus CDI-XR, these players represent the market at its best. And as such, they surely deserve your attention.