CDs are amazing. I fully support companies making transports/players. For reference listening I still turn to CDs from my incredible player. ❤ People have to remember that the quality of the player/transport matters. Data collection from the CD itself matters. It is not bullshit and when you’ve got a great player? Oh god. You’ll never stream again for reference level listening.
I am with you bro. I'm so passionate about CDs. I'm from Italy and here there aren't so many passionate people like me or you. I'm glad, because the values have decreased and I don't have to bargain so much in order to close a deal.
GM ❄️☕️ I needed a replacement cd player recently…so I went with the Audiolab 6000CDT feeding a new Denafrips Ares 12-1…and it’s a revelation as to how good cds 💿 can sound . I’ve had songs disappear from my streaming services..so I’ll use streaming as a library..and if I like it , I’d buy the physical copy. Great review.
The Audiolab 6000 is said to gradually scratch CDs due to its poorly design slot mechanism. Some RU-vidr whom I longer recall also tested it and found it to be somewhat scratch-prone. Is that true or not for all units, I do not know. Audiolab did dispense with that mechanism in their newer 9000 series transport, though. That said, I only listen to CDs myself, but use an old player as a transport connected to a DAC. A local dealer told me he now sells more CD players than at any point during the last decade. New models seem to be coming out all the time as well.
For me the reason I want a top loading cd player is that I don't want to worry about a drawer or slot mechanism breaking. That's it. It's the dumbest possible reason for cd player failure, yet it's also the most common. Plus, there is basically no risk of disc damage with a top loading mechanism. I couldn't care less about the "ritual". And you don't need to place the large lid to play. Just place the puck then long press the play button. RTM :) Obvs it's a good idea to replace the large lid when it's not in use to keep the insides clean.
A comprehensive review, thank you. Two other YT reviewers mentioned that SMSL PL200 sounds rather bad or mediocre as a CD transport using the *coaxial* digital output. Your (positive) experience was using the Toslink output, so I wonder whether you tried the coax...
Thanks for the overview. I don't understand your criticism of the top loading mechanism. If it's just about convenience, we don't need a CD player in 2024 - we can stream all the music we want and/or play ripped music from a server. Top loading and the two piece aspect is actually the point of this CD player. You can play the CD without the top lid and watch your CD spin like a record! Why do say "cursory headphone output"? It's 1000mW/channel into 32 ohms!
Thank you for the review. I think that the vinyl revival has now led to revived interest in the CD format -- we want the experience of physical media, ownership, liner notes, photos, etc. without the expense and inconvenience of vinyl. I have been looking for a transport to run into a Matrix Element X. Not sure if the Urd is the best choice. People have had issues with the USB output and it doesn't have I2S. Agree with your assessment of the SMSL -- that a transport may have been a better idea, but I would like to see a better transport/ddc not a cheaper one. I also agree that a transport that plays CDs and SACDs, cheaper than the PS Audio Perfect Wave, would probably sell like hot cakes right now. The Urd needs SACD and an I2S output to justify the price. I would pay more if it had that. As an aside, I would really like to see a review of the Nuprime CD transports. They upsample and have I2S. Might not be your bag. Why dont you have a Thanks button for an easy way for one-time support of your channel? Not everyone wants to be a Patreon, but people will want to contribute.
This looks very nice. I have a Rega Apollo which is probably all i'd need for my remaining CDs. But it is tempting to sell and replace with this or a Shan Ling because they have better DACs, or an Audiolab slot loader. But then i just use Apollo into mu Schiit MMB2 so the DAC doesn't really matter. But hey it's nice to beautifully built and engineered things...
I own the Shanling ec3. That thing has a glass piece top loader. The CD may not be centered after loading and wobbles a bit and fails to play. I think the 2 pieces system prevents that.
Hey darling. I'm Luca from Italy I have bought the same player, but it struggles with my cds. My older one cd player used to read better. By the end of the day pl200 reads them, but this situation is a little strange. Do you experience the same situations?
@@wavetheorysound, I, too was joking, because OBVIOUSLY I own a compact disc player (a professional Marantz model). However, after several years of contemplating the enormous task of "ripping" them all to hard-drive, I finally completed that task just a couple of weeks ago. Now all that is to be done, is to label every single track on every single album, and search for album art images online to include in each album folder.
Ritual aside, there are albums with hidden gems. Some musicians put the "art" within the album. Songs may begin in a way you may not like, but then it changes and becomes magical. When we only listen to songs, and jump around maybe we are missing out.
I do like the look of this but my only gripe from your video is that getting the CD in and especially out again seems a little fiddly, seems like you have to sort of tip and put fingers underneath (leading to scratches and fingerprints on the playing side?) Its a shame they didn't make larger deeper scoops at opposite sided so finger and thumb could nicely grab the edge.
For its price point, It’s construction is rugged, it’s connectivity options are excellent, the 4 transport buttons seem chincy, thank goodness it’s not a slot loader😎.
If I use headphones and skip tracks from a CD, it makes a noise like it is turning on and off as soon as I click the button for the next track. Did you notice that?
I prefer physical media and the sound quality to streaming but streamings conscience and access to an entire universe of music in undeniable. A properly setup reel to reel and tape collection is undeniably superior but I cannot afford it.
Good points. It's very hard to directly compare streaming to physical media as well since the quality of transport, usb implementation, network, software, etc, all play a role. The PL200 simplifies it some as it clearly sounds better to me with CDs as compared to its own usb inputs. Also I agree about the value of music streaming. For the cost of a brand new CD per month we get access to just about every CD Earth has to offer. And with good gear it all still sounds pretty great too. A beautiful time in history to be a music lover and audiophile.
IMO the disadvantages of how the CD loads is far superior to any conventional disc tray of disc entry because CD players often have trays or ejection systems that break down.
Some others have commented similarly. I can see it. My thinking here is probably colored by the fact that I was with my dad when he bought his first CD player circa 1988 or 89...I was kid and the store was Montgomery Ward (lol). The player was a Sony that I've long forgotten the model number of but it was a drawer loader. I remember visiting my parents a few years after I finished undergrad (probably around 2011 or 12) and dad told me it had finally died, and it was the transport motor that failed and not the drawer mechanism. So later that year for Christmas I helped mom pick out a blu-ray player for his HT system and then his standard def DVD player (also a drawer load Sony) got moved to his stereo system to replace the CD player. That Sony DVD player is still working great (far as I know) and is going on 20 years old itself. All that is to say I have not had issues with drawer loading disc players, but it is true that it's a mechanical part that can fail.
HELP!!!!! I bought this, having issues! I can use RCA, or Coax, or optical to hook it up as my amp has all three options. BUT on optical, the remote will not operate the volume of the player. Only the amp volume works. Also, sometimes, not always, when going from listening to music to the menu, I cannot exit the menu, it just shows "Read'y and is stuck there, till I turn the CD player completely off and turn back onto unstick the unit. Is my unit defective? Or what?
Usually the volume control applies only to the analog outputs (RCA and balanced). It's not common for digital outputs to be volume controlled. Regarding the the "stuck" issue, it's most likely a software bug. Report it to SMSL and hopefully they'll fix it in a software upgrade.
I use a Sony Blu-Ray player with a DSD-supporting HDMI audio extractor from eBay. The specific extractor I got supports DoP, which allows me to use it with a variety of DACs. The Sony is the UBP-X800M2, which has a dedicated HDMI audio output.
I have the PL200 and it ticks a lot of boxes for me, I like that it is so small and I can move it about the house very easily and listen to CDs in different places. What pcm filter did you use and what about sound colour?
Hey darling. I'm Luca from Italy I have bought the same player, but it struggles with my cds. My older one cd player used to read better. By the end of the day pl200 reads them, but this situation is a little strange. Do you experience the same situations?
@@stephenmacks23 first of all thank you so much for answering ! Mine is that with carbon fiber and I didn't have any protection over the lens. There are differences between " with carbon " and " without carbon " ?
@@lucab5652 I don't think so, just the appearance. I prefer the carbon myself. I think the silver version was the one sent out to reviewers. They must have updated it. I like the player a lot but it's expensive and missing a few features I would like. For example a media player I could plug a usb dongle into and a usb output. Are you enjoying yours? I prefer CDs to files and I enjoy the cover art and booklet.
should be noted that if you're not careful you can accidentally scratch your CD while loading it into the player. not sure it was a very good idea for SMSL to have the user load the disc themselves by having to put a magnet on the disc as well as a metal cover
I'd check your settings and make sure the USB driver is activated. I get bit perfect output from roon arc from my Android phone and my iPad. It supports both major mobile platforms well.
Vinyl people can be an odd crowd. I stopped buying records when the better format of CDs came out. I mostly stream now through Spotify. That's a unique unit, although unfortunately, it's made in Communist China, so I wouldn't buy it anyway. Nice review. Thank you
Wish I could swing something like that. Have a Modi/Loki/Magni stack already. Unfortunately with how expensive life is right now China transport might be the play.
@@leviuslee8896 no, but look at the facts! The grand old masters, Philips and Sony, made the cd format! Their inboard DACS have never been improved! You must be a very stupid person!