Best CD players: Rediscover the OG of digital music with our pick of sharp-sounding players

Neil Young may not be a fan, but the rest of us agree that streaming is easily the most convenient way to listen to music. It’s just not always the most fun. Hundreds of thousands of rock fans are rediscovering the joys of physical ownership – that thrill when you get to bring home a new release, box set or special edition and if you’re collecting CDs, you’re going to need one of the best CD players currently on the market.

Vinyl may be the poster boy of the physical music market (with sales up 13.2% this year in the UK alone), but CD remains a brilliant alternative, and for many represents the best of all worlds – offering outstanding digital clarity and compact collectability.

For those ready to rediscover the compact disc, we’ve assembled a guide to the best players on the market. The humble Discman may have been consigned to the car boot sale of history, but there’s still plenty of choice available, from inexpensive radio disc combis, to audiophile performers.  

Quick list

The Louder choice

With a slick and slim design, you’d never guess the AXC25 is the entry-level CD player in the Cambridge Audio roster. Finished in lovely Luna Grey, with minimalist design and classic 430mm width, it certainly looks the part – but there’s also some decent audio chops under the lid too – and that includes a Wolfson WM8524 DAC. 

The Cambridge Audio AXC25 also supports Gapless CD playback, which is ideal if you’re engrossed in a live album or a conceptual prog masterpiece. It’s worth noting that this particular CD player differs from the slightly more expensive Cambridge Audio AXC35 player in that it lacks a digital coaxial output, but this really won’t be an issue if you’re not planning to use a separate DAC. 

Partner the AXC25 with a Cambridge Audio AX series amplifier and you’ll create a classic music system, which like your discs if you take care of them, should stand the test of time.

It also comes with a power cable, remote control and a couple of AAA batteries.

Best all-in-one

Technics may be best known for its high-end vinyl record players, but they also makes stratospherically expensive audiophile separates, and more affordable lifestyle all-in-one music systems. 

The SA-C600 is one of the latter: a highly specified, futuristic looking music centre, complete with top-loading CD player and hairline-brushed aluminium top plate. Aimed at those that want the elegance and ease of use of an all-in-one, but the performance of a Hi-Fi thoroughbred, the system employs the brand’s acclaimed JENO Engine (to reduce jitter), has a 2x60W amplifier, and extensive wireless support.

There’s Chromecast built-in, Apple AirPlay 2 support, Spotify Connect and Internet Radio / DAB / FM on-board. There’s even a phono MM input should you want to hook up a record deck. 

Best CD/Blu-ray

If you want a new CD player, maybe your best bet isn’t a CD player at all. Blu-ray players are fully compatible with CD, and have the benefit of also playing Blu-ray discs (both regular and 4k), as well as DVDs. 

They’re also generally cheaper. Ironically, many dedicated CD decks actually use Blu-ray drives, as they’re more widely available. The Panasonic DP-UB820 is an exceptionally well specified disc spinner, which just happens to do a great job with CDs.

In addition to HDMI and optical digital audio outputs, there’s a full array of analogue audio outs, and in terms of CD performance, it’s more than able to hold its own against CD only players that cost the same or more. It also offers Hi-Res audio file support from USB. We reckon it’s exceptional value.

Best for hi-res audio

A stalwart of serious Hi-Fi, Denon remains an enthusiastic supporter of CD, with its  latest 900 Series components occupying the middle ground in terms of price and performance. 

The DCD-900NE is the player of the range. A cosmetic match for the PMA-1700NE Bluetooth amplifier, naturally, it not only plays CDs but also hi-res music files, up to 24-bit/192Kz and DSD5.6.

As you’d expect, build quality here is excellent. Denon has gone out of its way to keep digital and analogue circuitry apart, while on DAC duty is an ESS Sabre, coupled to the brand’s proprietary Advanced AL32 Processing Plus technology. This uses up-sampling and bit-extension techniques to unearth extra detail and texture in recordings. A class performer. 

Best premium

Legendary British hi-fi brand Arcam has just unveiled a whole new look with its Radia range, including a dedicated CD player, the CD5. The player boasts a smooth, matte black aluminium chassis with distinctive yellow highlights. If Arcam’s old look was industrial metal, this 2023 is unashamedly glam. 

The player is compatible with regular CD, and USB storage devices. Beneath the hood is a high spec ESS ES9018 DAC capable of 24-bit/192-kHz resolution. 

If you’re after a leading edge disc spinner, with hi-res file compatibility, then the Arcam CD5 is a tempting choice – although you may well feel inclined to upgrade your amplifier to a matching Arcam Radia 2x100W A15 Bluetooth receiver, just to match.

Best budget

For many of us music fans, CD remains the ultimate convenience format despite its seeming decline in favour of vinyl or streaming. A whole pile of CDs are easy to store, the discs and cases are easy to store and you can pick them up pretty cheaply these days.

With this in mind, it makes sense to have a CD player that follows suit. Enter the Majority Oakington all-in-one device – a CD disc spinner with in-built DAB/FM radio, and, it also performs as a Bluetooth speaker for top-notch versatility.

With its retro-style wooden finish, and integrated 30W amplifier, it’s ideal for apartments, dens and bedrooms. There’s also 3.5mm Aux input, if you want to hook up another gadget like an Amazon Echo Dot.

All in all, the Majority Oakington is an excellent choice for those on a budget who want a tonne of flexibility when it comes to a CD player.

FAQ

CD players tend to be slightly more expensive than equivalent vinyl record players – but (and it’s a big but) the discs are a good deal cheaper. A new vinyl release will more often than not be pretty expensive, while the equivalent CD will typically be less than half the price. 

The other good news is that the secondary market is littered with CDs that you can pick up cheaply. It’s also worth noting that  – and I’m sure you’ve noticed this – some amazing albums from the past are still not on streaming services and tracking down vinyl from years ago can be a real pain. For me, CDs tend to be easier to unearth and a visit to a local record fair usually throws up some cracking bargains. 

When it comes to features and specification, CD players come in a variety of guises. Many don’t just spin compact discs, they also offer hi-res audio file support from USB media (a stick or external drive), and they come in a variety of form factors. Others will have in-build DAB digital radios – and don’t forget many Blu-ray players will also play your CD collection just fine – just check the small print before you buy.

You might also want to consider the amplifier you’re partnering your deck with, in terms of width and overall design. All Hi-Fi manufacturers will offer CD players as part of a balanced, cosmetically matching range.

How we test

As a team, we’ve been collecting CDs for years – although I have to report that some of us have binned the outer shell and flung the discs into folder. Convenient? Sure. Sacrilege? Pretty much.

As a result, we’ve played our CD collections on a huge number of devices over the years – from pretty ropey portable players to those big plastic ghetto blasters with a top-mounted CD player. We’re glad to report that things have moved on considerably since those early CD-playing devices, and there are a heap of fabulous CD players on the market.

We took into consideration the on-board features on the player itself, whether or not Bluetooth was included, how easy the units were to get up and running, how they sounded while spinning our much-loved favourites – and we also delved into the players’ individual features.

Some have headphone jacks, some don’t, while others include in-built DAB digital radios, the ability to play hi-res audio and if they’re CD-R/CD-RW compatible. We’ve listed these features above so you can see at a glance just what you’re getting for your money.

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

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Steve is a home entertainment technology specialist who contributes to a variety of UK websites and mags, including Louder Sound, Yahoo UK, Trusted Reviews, T3, The Luxe Review and Home Cinema Choice. Steve began his career as a music journo, writing for legendary rock weekly Sounds, under the nom de plume Steve Keaton. His coverage of post punk music was cited in the 2015 British Library exhibition Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination, as a seminal influence on the Goth music scene.