While streaming and vinyl may be the formats grabbing headlines these days, let's not forget that many of us still stand by our CD collection. Streaming is more convenient and affordable, but there's nothing quite like owning a physical format like CD – they're reliable, easy to store and are cheaper than vinyl.
Unlike streaming, there are no subscription fees involved and once you buy an album, it's yours to keep forever. CDs also come with the all-important booklet with lyrics and liner notes that offer a more tangible connection to your music than online streaming.
CDs are also enjoying a resurgence in sales for the first time in nearly 20 years, which means you may be looking for a new CD player to give your disc collection a fresh lease of life, or perhaps you're a CD devotee and are looking for a proper upgrade for even better performance.
Luckily for you, we're here to help with this curated guide to the best CD players and transports we've tested and can wholeheartedly recommend across all budgets. What Hi-Fi? has been reviewing CD players ever since 1983 (since the format's inception, in fact!), so you know you'll be getting first-hand expert advice.
Every CD player in this list has been tested by our experienced reviewing team and in our dedicated test rooms. We've included budget and premium models, as well as more versatile players that now include streaming and more. You can read more about how we test CD players or scroll down to check out the top CD players and CD transports that we recommend.
The quick list
A tremendously entertaining and capable player that will give your CD collection a whole new lease of life.
A slimline, no-frills CD player that’s more than listenable at this budget price.
The latest in a long line of excellent Marantz CD players, the CD6007 might look familiar but it still sounds superb.
It might look dated but you won’t find a more entertaining, more revealing player without spending a lot more cash.
Cyrus' return to its acclaimed 40 Series has been a triumph, with the 40 CD arguably the cream of the crop.
Much more than just a CD player, this brilliant just-add-speakers system can also stream from a variety of sources.
If you already own a decent DAC, the Cambridge Audio CXC is a well-built CD transport that sounds absolutely brilliant.
I have been testing and reviewing at What Hi-Fi? for over a decade, and that includes my fair share of CD players and CD transports. Dedicated players are worth considering if you (like me and my colleagues) have shelves full of CDs and even SACDs to enjoy. When testing disc spinners, we check for sturdy build quality, how smooth or noisy the disc loading mechanism is, how easy it is to use and how good it sounds for the asking price. Modern music streamers and one-box systems can also include CD players, so there's even more choice and versatility for playing all your music these days.
May 23rd: The outstanding Cyrus 40 CD player has stormed its way onto our list as the best high-end option right now. The Marantz SA-10, meanwhile, has dropped onto our also consider list.
The best CD player overall
There hasn’t been a seriously good, seriously capable, and seriously fun CD player of this level in a very long time. The newly crowned Arcam CD5 changes things. It's a tremendously talented player that deserves an audition if you’re still holding on to your beloved CDs and want to give them a new lease of life.
It's a great mid-range entry and does one thing well – playing CDs with finesse. There's composure and fluidity to the music that has us hooked from the start, with a nimble and snappy sense of rhythm that keeps our toes tapping without ever over-analysing the wealth of detail it retrieves.
Deep basslines are delivered with a satisfying mix of solidity and muscle, while the CD5 deals with shifting dynamics with ease and subtlety – it takes us through the emotional rollercoaster with songs while keeping an even balance across the frequencies.
The CD5 looks smart and is built to a pleasingly high level, and while the player's menus could be more intuitive to access, the display is large enough to read and the player itself is easy to use.
If you're looking for a greater level of clarity and refinement than what this excellent CD player offers, then you’ll have to spend more than double the money on the likes of the top-notch, Award-winning Cyrus CDi. As a new entrant into a category that isn't flourishing as it once used to, the Arcam CD5 is a solid buy for any CD fan.
Read the full Arcam CD5 review
The best budget CD player
The AX Series is Cambridge Audio’s most affordable range of separates, and while the AXC35 makes a couple of compromises to keep the price down, there are still plenty of reasons to recommend it.
For starters, there’s the classy, understated design. The front panel is uncluttered, with just six buttons and a simple LED display under the disc drive, while the slimline build of the chassis gives it a contemporary feel and makes it look much more expensive than it is.
The minimalist vibe carries through to the remote, which is perfectly functional but feels like an exercise in corner-cutting. Connections are also limited to just line outputs and a coax digital output – there’s no USB or optical here.
What it lacks in features, though, it makes up for with its very listenable performance that isn’t afraid to go big. The ACX35 is dynamically adept across the frequencies, keeping its cool with faster time signatures and delivering a sparkling, percussive rhythm through the treble. Instruments are easily distinguishable alongside textured voices in the mid-range.
At this price, it’s a perfectly capable player, but if you’re really counting the pennies the NAD C 538 is an even cheaper alternative.
Read the full Cambridge Audio AXC35 review
The best mid-range CD player
The Marantz CD6000 series has been a winning option for many years, in various versions, and while the CD6007 is business as usual on the outside (with typically excellent build quality, we're happy to report), it's on the inside where Marantz has made big improvements.
For starters, the CD6007 has a quieter power supply and improved HDAM amplifier modules. These are helped by a sprinkling of higher quality internal components, not least of which is the change of DAC chip. That chip allows the CD6007 to process high-resolution files through USB-A on the front socket, supporting PCM music up to 24-bit/192kHz and DSD128.
It's worth noting that the original CD6007 production used an AKM4490 DAC chip, but after a fire at the AKM factory in 2021 that affected supply, this was changed to an ESS Sabre ES9010K2M DAC chip and all CD6007 units produced after May 2021 use this ESS DAC.
What does all that mean? The original AKM DAC-equipped unit sounds more fluid and expresses low-level dynamics in a more rhythmic manner, but the new ESS Sabre-equipped unit sounds cleaner and has more punch. Overall, the CD6007 retains its tonality and detail resolution, and makes your music sound great. It's full of rhythm and drive. It's precise, clean and delivers dynamics at every inch of the spectrum.
Stereo imaging is focused and expansive, and there are even a few digital filters to tweak the sound to your tastes. At this budget price, the sophisticated quality of its build and performance really can't be bettered.
Owners of the CD6006 needn't rush to change their player, but the CD6007 is most definitely an excellent choice for first-time buyers at this end of the market.
Read the full Marantz CD6007 review
The best premium CD player
Cyrus hasn’t put a foot wrong with its CD players for as long as we can remember; it would be fair to say that its track record has been phenomenal. So it’s no surprise that the Cyrus CDi is another gleaming example of the company treading the right path. This model has now won the What Hi-Fi? Award for best CD player over £1000 for more than ten years in a row – that alone is a testament to just how talented and reliable this player is. To add to its plaudits, the CDi is one of our reference source players in our dedicated listening rooms.
The long, narrow aluminium chassis isn’t exactly a bolt from the blue, but underneath lies one of the best-sounding CD players we've heard at the money. We like the fuss-free design, easy-to-read display and high-quality remote (earlier SE models came with a rather plasticky affair). The slot-loader is noisy when feeding it a disc, though as silent as you’d hope it would be during playback.
As for the calibre of sound, it's truly impressive for the money, offering buckets of detail and rhythmic precision. Pace and momentum are exercised with articulation and vibrancy. There is authority and solidity to the sound that is fantastic to hear and, even over a decade later, it's a performance we haven't stopped enjoying and marvelling at.
What we said in our original review stands: "We found ourselves entertained by the Cyrus’ dynamic agility and neutral balance in a way that’s rare at this price. Though fast and fluid, the sound is much weightier than any of the company’s previous models."
It's a wonderfully revealing player, and you'd have to spend significantly more to hear anything better.
Read the full Cyrus CDi review
The best high-end CD player
Cyrus Audio’s 40 Series marked a renaissance for the British brand. Comprising the 40 ST streamer, the 40 AMP integrated amplifier and the 40 CD player, it's been a stunning return for a company with impressive hi-fi pedigree.
We won't say that the 40 CD player is the best of the bunch, but it's certainly not the runt of the litter. With a half-width chassis complemented by a refreshed and modernised design, including an anodised aluminium body and a glass front panel, it's a product that feels appropriately sleek and well-made considering its high-end price tag.
We'd get it out of the way early and say that you don't get many connections, with just two RCA line-level inputs alongside one digital optical and one coaxial output apiece. You also don't get USB for hi-res playback, nor is there support for SACDs, which is a shame.
The innards of the 40 CD have been designed to achieve the “highest possible performance”, with digital circuitry based on a 32-bit ESS Sabre ES9039Q2M chip and HyperStream IV Dual DAC technology.
The result is a sound that just about blows us away. To quote from our review: "The level of detail, clarity, stability and rhythmic precision here is fantastic, but Cyrus delivers it all with such ease that it’s at first hard to pinpoint exactly just how tremendously talented this CD player is".
Listening to anything we throw at it, from Norah Jones to Gershwin, is a pleasure and a joy, so much so that it's enough to remind the most jaded of listeners just how much they love their old CDs. It's not a showy presentation, but the poise, balance, fluidity and subtlety on display are seriously impressive.
Yes, the touch controls could be better and yes, some users will want more features, but get the 40 CD up and running and we highly doubt you'll care about such trivial limitations.
A stellar CD player if you have the money.
Read the full Cyrus 40 CD review
The best CD streaming system
The Technics SA-C600 is an elegant all-in-one system with built-in amplifier, extensive streaming and connectivity (even an MM phono stage) that you just have to add speakers to – and it also has a talented CD player.
We like the tactility of the swivelling transparent CD cover on the top; it’s made of toughened acrylic and feels good to use. The SA-C600 proves an admirably consistent performer across the board, producing musically compelling results with CD as well as high-res files across our network.
It’s an expressive and punchy performer that builds its performance around a solid framework of surefooted rhythmic drive and expressive dynamics. Details levels are good, but it is the confident way this unit organises that information into a cohesive and musical whole that really impresses.
If all you're after is a CD player, then you might want to choose something more dedicated in this list that puts all its eggs in the audio basket. But if versatility is required and you want to stream your music services over wi-fi as well as spin records - and why not - then this Technics is worth your attention.
Read the full Technics SA-C600 review
The best budget CD transport
The Cambridge Audio CXC is a transport, meaning you'll have to supply your own DAC, but with many amplifiers and active speakers now having a DAC built in, this could be an efficient way of adding a disc-spinner into your system.
This Cambridge CD transport simply reads the data using its single-speed transport and S3 Servo, and using this separate bit of kit to do one specific job makes for better sound quality.
There’s a real musicality here that can get lost on lesser players, with an organic, fluid interplay between instruments. It's punchy and agile, with ample detail retrieved in the wide, spacious soundstage. There's a good rhythm to songs, although we wouldn't mind a tad more subtlety to the detail and dynamic contrast. Paired with the CXA61 amplifier, the CXC delivers an enjoyable, friendly presentation.
It's a nicely made bit of kit too, with a machined metal chassis that feels solid and a design that matches the rest of Cambridge's impressive CX range.
If you already own an external DAC (or there is a good-quality DAC integrated in your system) we wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Cambridge CXC over a standalone CD player at this price. You’d have to spend a good deal more – leap up towards the Arcam CD5, for instance – to better the sound quality it offers.
Read the full Cambridge Audio CXC review
Also consider
Technics SL-G700M2: If you have a higher budget and want the combination of streaming and CD playing, this premium SL-G700M2 delivers the best of both worlds. Hi-res streaming and SACD playback are on the menu, plus it looks classy and sounds great through all connections.
Marantz SA-10: The Marantz SA-10 was our pick as the best high-end CD player for a good while, and it took something special in the shape of the Cyrus CD 40 to knock it off its perch. That said, it's still a marvellous product to get your discs sounding their best, and well worth considering if you're serious about shiny sound.
TEAC VRDS-701: This premium TEAC player needs a similarly capable and partnering system to match, but give it the care it needs and it will deliver a stunningly authoritative sound. It is terrifically detailed, composed and controlled, and sounds as musical as it is informative. It's brilliantly engineered, too, with TEAC's proprietary VRDS transport mechanism that allows the disc to be read more accurately, and a build quality that's sturdy and long-lasting.
Audiolab Omnia: Another all-in-one system akin to the Technics SA-C600, the well-specified Omnia combines hi-res streaming, amplification and a CD player into one neat box – just add speakers. It delivers a clear, detailed, expansive sound that's easy-going and missing a little bit of rhythmic energy, and a price cut makes it a terrific deal.
Denon D-M41DAB: Technically a classic microsystem with included speakers, but you can also buy the main unit (RCD-M41) on its own, which consists of a CD player as well as Bluetooth and radio tuners. It's an enjoyable, capable player for its affordable price, and remains a go-to recommendation if you're short on funds and space.
How to choose the best CD player for you
What should you consider before purchasing a CD player? It's worth taking into account factors like DAC functionality, ease of use, controls and of course audio performance when making your choice.
Disc formats and extra features
More premium players will have better DAC chips and internal components and fewer errors, resulting in better sound quality overall. Most CD players will support different optical disc formats (CD, CD-R, CD-RW and SACD), but it's not always a given that it will play all the various formats. If you have a strong SACD library, always double-check that the CD player can play it, as it's not always the case that a more premium spinner will play all formats.
Some CD players even pack in wireless and streaming tech to turn your CD player into an all-in-one media system, and include a USB port so you can play 24-bit high-resolution files. It's up to you whether you want the extra features (which can be more expensive) or stick with a solid disc spinner that will do the job well. At minimum, make sure it can play the essential CD formats that you have and will be using.
CD player or transport?
The other thing to consider is if you need an integrated CD player (one with a DAC built-in) or a CD transport (no DAC inside). Transports such as the Cambridge Audio CXC will need to use either a standalone DAC or the one in your stereo amplifier to handle the digital-to-analogue conversion before the sound reaches your speakers.
The upshot of a CD transport? It puts all its concentration and skills on reading the CD disc. The downside is you'll need to make sure you buy or already have an appropriately skilled DAC – either a standalone one or one integrated in your amplifier – to connect it to.
Budget and design
Alternatively, you can simply pick the player that's most closely aligned with your budget, system and preferred functionality. Do you prefer slot-loading or a disc tray? Does it have a display that can be read easily at a distance? Do you need Bluetooth, or do you have a large collection of SACDs that needs some love?
Remember to set your budget according to the demands of the rest of your system, and to read reviews to ensure that the sonic characteristics of your next CD player matches that of your existing system.
How we test CD players
At What Hi-Fi? we review hundreds of products every year at our state-of-the-art testing facilities in London and Reading, and some of those, inevitably, are CD players. We have complete control over our testing environment, and we test as a team of audio experts with a combined wealth of over a century of experience.
We are always impartial in our testing and ensure we hear every CD player at its optimum, connected to the appropriate kit and placed on a sturdy and level surface. We'll use them in their best use case with different partnering amplifiers and speakers, as well as play plenty of discs in different genres of music through them. Naturally, we also evaluate all the different features a player might support, and how easy it is to use.
It's important to us that we judge all products, including CD players, on a strict bang-for-buck basis, making sure to emphasize value and tell our readers how good something is for the money. Accordingly, we compare all products we review against similarly-priced class leaders to help us settle on the most accurate rating.
All review verdicts are agreed upon by the in-house review team as a whole rather than an individual reviewer to eliminate any personal preference and to make sure we're being as thorough, fair and consistent as possible. As a rule, there's no input from sales teams or PR companies ever in our reviews, with What Hi-Fi? enjoying a sterling reputation of delivering honest, unbiased feedback for nearly five decades.
You can read more about how we test and review products on What Hi-Fi? here.
FAQ
Are older CD players better than new ones?
This depends on the build quality and reputation of that original CD player. An older CD player that was built and engineered carefully will likely perform better than any cheaply-made player, although there is more chance of something not working if the player hasn't been used regularly or in a very long while. Any old player would benefit from servicing, while newer models tend to be in tip-top working order, and come with newer, more technically capable DACs.
While the CD technology hasn't changed drastically over the decades, some manufacturers use their own proprietary technology and mechanisms that are designed to read the CD disc more accurately (and therefore result in better sound overall).
More premium or high-end players that are built to this high standard can last longer than cheaply made options (both old and new), where you might find issues with the disc-loading mechanism or errors in the laser that reads the disc or the laser mechanism simply stops working.
Are CD players being phased out?
The advent of streaming and digital music files has meant that CDs' popularity has nose-dived in the last couple of decades, and that decrease in demand has meant that fewer CD players are being manufactured compared to their heyday in the '80s and '90s.
We imagine plenty of you went ahead and ripped your CDs into WAV or FLAC files to create a more efficient, space-saving system, but there are still plenty of us who held on to our physical CD collection, and musicians today are still bringing out CDs of new albums (alongside vinyl records).
While CD player production isn't as widespread as before, many hi-fi companies (such as Marantz, Cambridge Audio, Arcam, Naim, TEAC and more) are still manufacturing CD players to cater to audiophiles and music fans to whom CDs (and even SACDs) are still one of their main ways of listening to music.
Recent updates
May 2025: Added the Cyrus 40 CD as our best high-end option and put the Marantz SA-10 into our also consider section.
March 2025: Checked that all products are current, and updated our 'how to choose' advice.
January 2025: Cyrus CDi added to the main list, and more products added to the Also Consider section.
October 2024: The new What Hi-Fi? Awards 2024 winners are labelled following this year's announcement; updated Marantz CD6007 copy to reflect new DAC; Audiolab Omnia is included in Also Consider.
August 2024: No new entries, but have updated and checked through all products' availability.
April 2024: Updated our buying advice and testing processes, and added a new FAQ section.
November 2023: The latest Award-winning products are labelled following the announcement of the 2023 What Hi-Fi? Awards Best Buys.
October 2023: Added Arcam CD5 entry following its five-star review.
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