Displaying items by tag: compactdisc - StereoLife Magazine

The return of physical media is no longer limited to vinyl. CDs are also finding a new audience, especially among younger listeners who want ownership, artwork, a tangible collection and a break from the endless scroll of streaming apps. Shanling's EC Play fits directly into that moment. It is a compact portable CD player designed not as a retro curiosity, but as a modern disc player with wired and wireless headphone support, USB DAC functionality and enough battery life to make portable CD listening feel practical again.

The compact disc may no longer dominate the music market, but it has never really disappeared from serious hi-fi systems. Revox is now responding to that renewed interest with the Studiomaster CD100, a compact high-end CD player designed primarily for the company's Studiomaster M500 and M300 systems, as well as integration with Revox Multiuser 3.0. The model is small by traditional hi-fi standards, measuring only 200 mm wide, but it is not a lightweight accessory. Revox presents it as a dedicated player developed specifically for CD playback, with plug-and-play system integration, a Burr-Brown DAC and both analog and digital outputs.

For Luxman, the physical disc has never been treated as a format from the past. The new D-100 Centennial, created to mark the Japanese company's 100th anniversary, shows how far the brand is still willing to take SACD and CD playback while also turning the player into a reference-class DAC for modern high-resolution sources. As the successor to the D-10X, it is not merely an anniversary edition with a special nameplate, but a comprehensively redesigned flagship source component with a new disc transport, renewed digital processing, an updated analog output stage and the latest version of Luxman's LIFES feedback engine.

Quad has expanded its flagship Platina electronics series with the introduction of the Platina CDT, a dedicated CD transport designed to complete the company's current top-tier component lineup alongside the Platina Integrated amplifier and Platina Stream network player. Positioned as the digital transport partner within this range, the new model reflects continued interest in high-quality optical-disc playback among listeners who rely on external DAC stages and want a purpose-built source component engineered specifically for accurate data retrieval rather than integrated conversion.

Mission has expanded its compact 778 Series with the introduction of the 778CDT, a dedicated CD transport designed to complete the lineup alongside the 778X integrated amplifier and the recently announced 778S music streamer. The new model is aimed at listeners who still rely on physical digital media and want a purpose-built transport that can make the most of an external DAC or an amplifier with digital inputs, rather than a conventional all-in-one CD player. In that sense, the 778CDT is not just a matching accessory for the rest of the series, but a sign that Mission sees continued value in CD playback as part of a modern hi-fi system.