Are CDs experiencing a revival? The 2021 RIAA numbers were the first signs of life in many years and there is no question that consumers are buying CDs again in an environment where streaming is 85% of the market and vinyl sales are booming. We’ve been talking about this “rebirth” of CDs for the past few years and our guide to the “Best CD Players“ is consistently in the top 20 most read articles every month. Pro-Ject CD players have been on that list since it was launched.
Even with the uptick in CD sales, we can understand why some consumers would be slightly hesitant to buy a new CD player in 2022. Do you still own a CD collection or are you looking to start a new one?
I never sold any of my 1,900 CDs after I ripped them all to HDDs and have 4 CD players at home and use them all; which I think adds some credence to the argument that physical media is growing again because of the concept of ownership.
You don’t own your streaming library. You rent it.
Used CDs are amazingly affordable right now and with the price of new records hitting some historic highs — this might be the best time to consider a new CD player.
Another thing to consider when buying a new CD player in 2022 is that the sound quality of units below $1,000 has never been better. Products like the brand new Pro-Ject CD Box DS3 and CD Box S3 are prime examples of how CD playback technology has evolved over the past decade and why you don’t need to spend more than $1,000 for a really high-end unit.
Pro-Ject CD Box DS3
The $899 CD Box DS3 is a replacement for the DS2 model that I reviewed last year and if it represents a genuine improvement over the already superb discontinued model that held its own against some $2,000 and $3,000 CD players during my testing — this might be the worst news that the Rega Apollo has heard all year.
Some details on the CD Box DS3 include support for 24-bit/192kHz PCM playback and the option to use the player as a digital transport using either the Toslink or Coaxial digital outputs.
- True Red Book CD player
- Blue Tiger CD-80 servo board for 1:1 CD playback
- Texas Instruments PCM1796 DAC chip
- Luxurious slot-in mechanism
- Intelligent suspension for perfect resonance derivative
- High contrast dot-matrix display
- Trigger in and output
- Solid aluminium housing protects against interference
- Torsion-free cabinet for optimum CD drive assembly
- Remote control included
- Available in silver or black
- Magnetic wooden side panels avaialable separately
For more information: project-audio.com
Pro-Ject CD Box S3
If $899 is out of your price range, the new CD Box S3 offers a more affordable way to get the most out of your existing CD collection for only $549 which puts it into direct competition with models from NAD, Cambridge Audio, and Yamaha.
The Pro-Ject CD Box S3 uses a different DAC chip than its more expensive sibling; Pro-Ject have gone with the TI PCM5102 DAC that can handle PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz.
- Aluminium casework
- NEW 1.54“ display with color inversion function
- Slot-load mechanism
- PCM5102 DAC for precise playback of Audio-CDs
- RCA line level analog output
- Coaxial S/PDIF digital output
- Remote control included
- Metal casing protects against interference
- Available in silver or black
- Made in Europe
For more information: project-audio.com
