Depending on where you live, CD sales are either dead or still doing decent business for retailers. The used CD market in the U.S. and Canada is booming for the obvious reason that the physical format is very cheap and who could resist paying $4 for JVC XRCDs that once sold for $30 apiece.
Cambridge Audio is a “music first” brand that has something really fun coming later this week aside from the new Evo CD transport and it highlights why this brand is winning over new converts. I’ve already committed to the company with 3 components that are part of my daily listening routine and we have 3 reviews forthcoming later this month from myself and Chris Boylan.
Back to the music for a second.
A recent trip to Princeton Record Exchange after the Record Store Day bedlam had subsided proved to be a rather bountiful visit. 13 sealed Blue Note, JVC XRCD, and Impulse Jazz titles for less than $58 USD. I also picked up 4 sealed Bill Frisell, Depeche Mode, and Dead Can Dance titles for under $40.
With more than 2,000 CDs in my collection after almost 37 years of buying them, it is safe to say that I am deeply committed to the format; all of them have been ripped to LaCie HDDs that are connected to my Roon Nucleus, but I still own 3 CD players (Marantz, Audiolab, and NAD) that get used a lot. I need a CD player.
I also can’t justify spending $30 or more on every record purchase.
The Cambridge Audio Evo Streaming Amplifiers were a huge hit, but there was one aspect missing. CD playback.
The new Cambridge Evo CD Transport aims to rectify that.
Building on over half a century of UK hi-fi heritage, this premium CD component is developed to fit seamlessly with the heritage brand’s renowned series of EVO all-in-one systems.
Bringing your CD collection into 2023 in style, the custom developed Evo CD extracts every intricacy and detail from the CD thanks to the brand’s industry leading S5 Servo, with better error correction and faster disc detection.
A deep, rich sound with unrivalled clarity, the new CD transport delivers an immersive musical experience in any space, as well as showcasing album art on the Cambridge Audio StreamMagic app.
Tailored to partner the existing Evo range in design as well as sound performance, the Evo CD is crafted from the same premium materials as the rest of its product family.
A full metal loading mechanism guarantees stability and durability. With a sleek black aluminium top panel, available with brushed wooden or matte black side panels, made from sustainable Richlite material, the Evo CD is a subtle design piece while being a classy addition to the living spaces of music fans across the globe.
Cambridge Audio CEO, Stuart George, commented on the launch: “Get back to enjoying those treasured discs in your collection. With Evo now adding award-winning CD playback into the mix alongside streaming – as well as the option to add one of our Alva turntables – you can enjoy the music first, whatever format you fancy.”
The Evo CD joins the multi-award-winning family of Evo products; both the Evo 150 and Evo 75 boast state-of-the-art technology to achieve Class D amplification. Roon Ready with MQA built in, the Evo 75 and 150 feature the brand’s own pioneering StreamMagic software to stream digitally through Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz and more.
Specifications
| Multiformat Playback | Yes |
| CD-Servo | S5 Servo (Drive speed precision | Data Retrieval | Multi-Format Discs) |
| Gapless Playback | Yes |
| Connectivity | EVO Link |
| Audio Formats | CD-DA, CD-R, CD-RW |
| Max Power Consumption | 20W |
| Standby Power Consumption | <0.5W |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 317 x 89 x 352mm |
| Weight | 5.3kg |
Price & Availability
- Evo CD – $1,199 (coming soon)
- Evo 75 – $2,249 at Crutchfield
- Evo 150 – $2,999 at Crutchfield
Related reading: See more coverage of HIGH END Munich 2023
tyler bayles
May 16, 2023 at 11:43 pm
not having other outputs seems like a terrible decision.
Your mom
May 17, 2023 at 9:57 am
A $1200 CD player seems like an equally bad decision.
Ian White
May 17, 2023 at 11:10 am
Not sure why a $1200 CD player is a bad decision. Does that also apply to turntables and streamers?
Folks seem to forget that high-end audio pushed $10,000 and $20,000 CD players for years — which was definitely not a great buying decision.
Cambridge makes really good equipment and is not overpriced; certainly not in comparison to a number of their competitors.
Best,
Ian White
Ceedee
July 6, 2023 at 9:24 pm
Would love something like this with the addition of a few missing letters-HDCD!
Still nice,though…
Ian White
July 7, 2023 at 11:34 am
Ceedee,
I just received the review sample of the Evo CD player and it sounds very impressive so far. The only issue is that you must use it with one of the Evo streaming amplifiers for it to work.
Best,
Ian White