Help Shape Our Upcoming CD Player for 2024

[Fosi Audio]

Hey audiophiles,

We've noticed a growing interest in a CD player among our users, and we're excited to announce that we're starting its development in 2024. At this point, we're defining its core features and really value your input. Let's work together to bring this CD player to life! Attached is an early concept sketch for your review.
Also, we'd love your thoughts on a few aspects:

• What do you think would be a fair price for this CD player?
• Where do you see yourself using it most?
• Is a balanced TRS output necessary for you to connect to active speakers?

Can't wait to hear your ideas!

 

[312elements]

I would assume that most would connect the CD player to their DAC via a digital connection.

 

[Rick63]

It looks like it should cost about $99 max.

What kind of warranty will it have?

 

[JSmith]

• What do you think would be a fair price for this CD player?
• Where do you see yourself using it most?
• Is a balanced TRS output necessary for you to connect to active speakers?

$120 or so.

Main system.

Not strictly, but more connectivity options are always welcome.


JSmith

 

[Count Arthur]

Is a balanced TRS output necessary for you to connect to active speakers? - Some active speakers only have balanced inputs, but I don't think many people would expect to connect a CD player directly to active speakers, but to a DAC, preamp or integrated.

• A good headphone output, preferably on the front, with volume control, would be nice.
• Optical and digital output, so it can be used purely as a transport.
• A USB connection, so it could be used as an optical drive when connected to a laptop or PC.

I don't really have an idea on price.

 

[Platypus20]

CD/SACD
coax/toslink
no headphone or volume control (Count Arthur wants it, I don’t)
if properly done - $500-$600

 

[b7676]

"Pro" device for at home no screens on. Hinge less like shanling's design. No dac/pre/rca. Dual usb output, for pc class ripping, and dac classes. Opt, coax, I2S ideally. Maybe dsd upconverting. SACD player. Heavy. Gapless Playback. Good buttons, maybe on top not the front. Skip foward/back.
A non pro version can be more like a walkman with the unbalanced headphone and lineouts.

 

[Putter]

While I'd like SACD licensing, it would likely be expensive and besides there a lot of cheap Sony Bluray players out there with SACD. What I'd like to see in a CD player would be some form of decompression adjustment. Most modern pop is extremely compressed with a 5 or 6 db dynamic range. This may be a pipe dream, but I seem to recall dbx had expansion hardware. A good display would also be helpful.

 

[GXAlan]

Why buy this over any other CD player?

1) Looks
2) Ergonomics
3) Features
4) Serviceability

1) If you look at how much people liked the Soncoz SGP1, I think the CD player could have a nice display with CD-TEXT support. I think a creative style that isn’t a box could also be helpful. Maybe something like Sony’s circular design or even a vertical B&O style display would be great.

2) For ergonomics, it is nice to have the CD player read the TOC very quickly. A nice remote control goes a long way

3) If this is a pure CD player, having a good laser that handles scratched discs is helpful. One thing that I loved about my Marantz SA-10 was that it also played data discs. You can imagine creating a “mix tape” of various DSD DSF files and PCM FLAC files and putting them on a disc for playback. Otherwise, the normal random, shuffle, and track selection would be great.

Consider a pass through power. If this is designed to run with a DAC, you should have a USB-C power source going to the player which can then have a second USB-C cable to a DAC for both power and sound, Minimize cables in your “ecosystem”.

4) for serviceability, if this is battery powered, make sure that the battery can be replaced. If you are not making this battery powered, servicability means using some commercially available laser module which can easily be installed or removed by a skilled end user with no soldering iron or extra calibration needed.

 

[OldTimer]

Expected price below than $200.
Use for main system.
No need for balanced output, sacd, etc. Just normal dsd

And keep the SINAD above 100

 

[flor]

Put the most used buttons on top so I don’t push the device around when using them. Basically make it look like a late eighties/early nineties Sony discman.

 

[kemmler3D]

I would say between $50 and $200 can be right depending on features.

To me the industrial design is maybe the most important thing. It has to look a certain way to get a spot in the living room. WAF standards have gone up around here.

I really like the design of the Beolab 9000 that @GXAlan posted. Probably way too 90s, but an icon all the same.

The very cool feature of that one - it returns the disc to its original orientation (i.e. always right side up) when it stops. Very good for wall-mounted players like this.

For me the only other must-have features are a remote, basic controls on the unit, and TOSLINK and/or Coax out.

I don't really care about bluetooth, but I think most people outside of audiophiles would want to have it.

I also think this one looks cool, and there are a few examples out there:

Astronord:

Muji did a really good job IMO, probably the inspiration for the above:

This clear style is coming back: (long time no see from MoMA)

 

[Talisman]

.
I'm probably one of the few who still loves CDs, I like the style but in a CD player I find a small display essential to see the track number and time at least.
Mandatory digital releases.

 

[OldTimer]

LDAC transmitter is okay because this is player, should transmit Airplay, LDAC, AptX, etc.

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

$120 or so.

Main system.

Not strictly, but more connectivity options are always welcome.


JSmith

What do you do with so many connectivity options?

 

[Kimbrough Xu]

I would recommend this contrast color, it is wonderful and really suitable for your brand.

 

[MCH]

Ás @Count Arthur mentioned above, a standalone audio CD player that can also be used as computer optical drive to, for instance, rip CDs, is a rare feature that I guess many people would appreciate.

 

[rationaltime]

I think I would use a small CD player together with the Fosi amplifiers I have.
Fosi likes to put a Bluetooth receiver in the amplifier. It would be interesting
if the CD player could transmit Bluetooth audio data to drive that input.

I would like Bluetooth pairing to be upgraded to use an optional password.
That would prevent unintentional connections. Of course it would also
require some sort of data entry or at least a display and permission button.

All my powered monitors/speakers have balanced XLR inputs. TRS male to
XLR male cables would accommodate those.

The volume control does encourage new behavior. I can see taking a small
CD player and one powered monitor to a location not set up with sound.
For that I would want a stereo/mono selector.

The images are too vague to resolve a back panel. It would be convenient
to have digital audio output on a USB port for computers without removeable
disc drive.

For me the purpose of a CD player is to translate digital format on disc to
analog audio output. I would not be using an external DAC.

I prefer line power. I would not want a battery powered CD player. Most
powered monitors do not have USB ports and would not provide USB power.

I would like a small display to show the current track number.

Thank you for asking.

 

[GXAlan]

Introducing Shanling SCD1.3_Shenzhen Shanling Digital Techno

This is a nice “premium” SACD player.
$1300
It’s basically a SACD 30n competitor with a nice touchscreen.

 

[DVDdoug]

• What do you think would be a fair price for this CD player?

I think I paid about $80 USD for my Blu-Ray/DVD/DC player. (It doesn't have any analog outputs, just HDMI).

What I'd like to see in a CD player would be some form of decompression adjustment.

There are a few problems with dynamic expansion...

- You don't know the original compression parameters so it's impossible to reverse it.
- It's impossible to (properly) reverse limiting because everything is limited the same (usually to 0dB) and the original peaks are unknown.
- Frequently, multi-band compression is used which creates more unknowns.
- Often the individual tracks are compressed before mixing and that's impossible to un-do after it's mixed.
- There may be compression during mixing and more during mastering.


...GoldWave ($60 for a lifetime license after free trial) is an audio editor that has compression/expansion. It does NOT work in real-time. If you want to play with it, note that it's "confused" between compression & expansion... If you click "expand" it works below the threshold and if you click "compress" it works above the threshold. But there are presets such as "Boost Loud Parts" and that will do the right thing and expand, even though it will show "compress". Once you "get" what it's doing you can play with the settings.