John Darko
Compact disc sales might be down but 1) the silver discs still outnumber vinyl and 2) new CD players continue to come thick and fast. Fresh from Gold Note this week comes news of the CD-5, the latest entry in the Italian company’s 5 Series of half-width components: 20cm wide x 8cm high x 26cm deep.
The CD-5 isn’t a slot loader but a draw whose mechanism comes from Stream Unlimited (whose CD mechanism business is now called SUOS Hifi). The DAC circuit is built around the popular AKM AK4493 DAC chip — but we aren’t told anything about its internal power supply and analogue output stage, only that theย CD-5 can be upgraded with Gold Note’s outboard PSU-EVO10 power supply.
From the press release: “The audio path is carefully mapped on a multilayer PCB through audio-grade select components and single-sealed relays, ensuring the utmost purity of the signal all the way to the output.”
The analogue signal exits the CD-5 on the back panel via balanced XLR sockets or single-ended RCAs. Nearby sit coaxial and digital outputs for anyone wanting to use the unit as a CD transport with an outboard DAC.
Less common on CD players of this stripe is the small ‘multifunction touchscreen’ found on the CD-5’s front panel. An infra-red remote control rounds out the feature set.
Gold Note’s CD-5 is made in Tuscany but pricing (weirdly) isn’t given.
Further information: Gold Note
