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Review 2 of 14
Price Paid:
$0.00 Summary:
I have felt compelled to write this review ever since about 30 minutes after taking my new Audio-Note CD2.1X out of the box, and hooking it all up with some superb Audio-Note AN-V interconnect, on New-Year’s Eve.
(My system comprises a modified Audio-Note M1 pre-amp with silver wiring, A-N Copper-Foil signal capacitors, Aura PA200 mono’d power-amps, Mountain Snow Atlas 2 Silver speaker cable and B&W Nautilus 804 loudspeakers.)
Straight out of the box, the bass was way too heavy, but after just 10 minutes or so, it snapped into line. By the way, the sonic qualities of the system are still improving as I have only had it for about 10 days! Just before my purchase, I tried a number of other “Best-Buy” Japanese models. They weren’t bad, but they didn’t really ring my bell. Then along came the A-N CD2.1x……
Physically, it is a large, heavy player, which feels satisfyingly substantial. The brushed aluminium fascia is beautiful, as are the buttons, which have a pleasant smooth feel to them. The display is a cool-blue LCD affair that has all the usual info present. Quite why display manufacturers need to tell you the track number via a digit, and by the matrix of flashing numbers on the right-hand-side baffles me! The CD-tray is fairly quiet and smooth, but is also quite quick in ejection and retracting into the player. Personally, I find a slower drawer has more of an expensive feel! But that’s my opinion. Nonetheless, this is a very well built machine, with basic controls, no frills, and a digital out on the rear too!
It didn’t take too long to warm up, and the chassis and front-panel soon had nice warmth to them. I like this a lot – especially a warm amplifier, with warm controls!
I hooked the CD2.1x to my M1 pre-amp, and immediately, I fell foul of the high output voltage (3V). But once the player had run in (I suggest 20-30 hours minimum), the quality of it was apparent. In fact the quality of its sound was apparent well before 20 hours! It just sounds even better after 20 hours of playing.
Whatever I throw at it from Kylie to Madonna, Michael Jackson to Fluke, Shostakovich to Bach, Vierne or Dupre, the Audio-Note excelled. I am having a real renaissance with my hi-fi now, exploring old CD’s that used to sound bland that now sound wonderful. Everything about the sound is right. The bass is very extended and deep, but has a dynamic punch to it, perfect for more modern electronic recordings such as Moby, Leftfield and Kosheen. The midrange is so clear and “present” that it makes you want to listen to more, and has you on the edge of your seat listening to new, unheard details, and the high-frequencies are supreme – beautifully detailed and airy, with no sense of harshness whatsoever. I have never had a vinyl system, and I am thinking that this CD-player must be sharing some of vinyl’s qualities.
This player is simply brilliant. It looks a million dollars, is substantially built, and sounds awesome. For the money, it surely must be unbeatable, and I am positive that it could give players costing several times its price a good run for their money….maybe with one exception, the Audio-Note CD3.1x…….! Strengths:
The whole acoustic strength of this player is underpinned by a sublime bass. Its midrange and high-frequencies also are very well presented, in a beautiful presense that makes you smile!!! It sound magical. I am so pleased I bought it!!!!!! Weaknesses:
Flashing LCD display. A strange remote control. It's all there, and it actually quite nice to hold and use, but how do you select a track number greater than 9....you can't....you have to press the "track skip" button on the remote or on the player. Not good. Also, why has it got two A-N logos on the front?? Peter, get rid of the one on the Tray, move the 'Compact Disc' logo to take its place, and just have the one large A-N logo on the fascia!! Then it'll look perfect. No sonic weaknesses at all!
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5 of 5
4 of 5
