CD PLAYERS
If you’re still hanging on to your beloved CDs, they will sparkle when played through these
Playback of CD, CD-R and CD-RW is supported, but not SACD
View offers: bit.ly/BestCDplayers2025
◼︎ Arcam CD5
£699
This is a tremendously talented player that deserves an audition if you want to give your beloved CDs a new lease of life.
Similar to the other separates in Arcam’s Radia range, the CD5 sports a sleek, minimal design and is made to a high standard. The black aluminium body with yellow accents looks modern in an understated way, and the whole unit feels robust. The front display, with its simple text showing track information, is easy to read from afar. The disc-loading tray operates smoothly and quickly, with a gentle but reassuring mechanical whirr. We find the CD5 easy and responsive to use, whether pressing the unit’s large buttons for playback or using the small remote.
Connections are minimal, with just a single pair of RCA line-level outputs and, on the digital side, one optical and one coaxial output apiece. The CD5 supports playback of CD, CD-R and CD-RW disc formats. You can also play music files (in FLAC, WAV, WMA, MP3 and AAC up to 24-bit/192kHz) if they are stored on a USB flash drive or hard disc storage via USB-A.
Arcam uses digital circuitry based around an ESS ES9018 DAC (the same one used in the A5 and A15 amps), while new components have been used and tested intensively by the engineers to ensure they deliver the best audio performance. We start our testing with Jamiroquai’s Virtual Insanity and straight away we know we’re onto a winner. The CD5 flows with an assured fluidity and composure that has us hooked on to that smooth, slinky tune from the get-go. It sounds agile and nimble, tracking every beat, every leading edge of a note with snappy precision – but never becoming too analytical. It gets the funk across with bags of personality and charm.