Clarity and sound stage.

I have the black one which most people describe as ugly but mine is out of sight - so nothing!

I bought this when my Pioneer PDS-801 gave up it's grip on life. I looked at Marantz and NAD but decided to take this home with assurance from the shop that I could return it within a week if it was not what I wanted. Well out of the box I was very disappointed, having run it in for about 6 hrs it was sounding better. After a week of serious running in I was hearing things on recordings that I didn't know existed! It is very revealing but not the least bit tiring to listen to. I am now looking to replace my Harman Kandon amp, possibly with the Cambridge A500. I have Mission 702e floorstanders which seem to partner the CD player well - I am hoping the extra punch of the A500 will round off the system.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer PDS-801, NAD, Marantz.

Great looks, CLEAN, and CLEAR sound. With this CD player, my system came to life.

At this price, not a thing!

Howdy everybody! I certnaily am NOT an audiophile, more like a casual listener. One year ago I bought a system that is: Panasonic TV TX-36PG50, Panasonic DVD player DVD-RV41, Technics SA-DX950 A/V receiver, five Technics bookshelf speakers SB-HTS250 and Technics SB-AS100 subwoofer. This system sounds good when watching DVD's, it never gave me any problems. But it doesn't sound good in stereo mode. Recently I bought Cambridge Audio D500SE CD player and stereo sound became cleaner, more detailed, the music just became more exciting! Now, it's time to buy a new pair of speakers. I was thinking of Infinity Primus 200, KEF Coda 70 and Wharfedale Diamond 8.2. Or maybe B&W 600's? Could anyone recommend a pair of speakers that would match the rest of the system - Cambridge D500SE cd player and Technics AV receiver? Any advice would be much appreciated. I listen to all kinds of music, especially rock/rock'n'roll from the 1950's-1970s.

Similar Products Used:

NAD c521, Harman/Kardon HK 750

Once again this board has proved it's worth. just checking the reviews on my beloved d500 and saw those about changing the power cord. upgraded to an onix brand cord and am being astounded by the difference. change it!

It is a good value. I find it detailed but not tiring. To me, very natural sounding, no colorations.

Power cord fairly stiff and maybe hard to channel around back of your rack but my connections are tight.

I have the D500-SE. This unit was listed as a demo. When it arrived, I could not see any sign that it was previously used. Only signal that it was a demo wat that the carton containing the unit was previously opened. The remote was not opened nor was the power cord prevously unwound. I find the most critical music to listen to on a CD is the high notes of a piano. I have several discs of piano concertos and dropped one in. Yuck!!! The sound that came out was like a mass market $99 CD player. The piano nearly sounded like honky tonk. The highs were metallic, harsh, ear splitting, edgy, you name it. So it did not sound as though it went through its recommended 36 hours of break in. So I left it running for 24 hours, nice improvement. Another 24 hour of running and I have the most naturally sounding music I have come across. Not warm, not grainy, no emphasis on high's or low's just natural. Can here the individual strings of the violins, not mushed together, detailed but not stringent. Have had no problem with the power cord. The one on this unit is gray as large in diameter as my power amp but somewhat stiff and fits securely in its socket, no real problem. Maybe they made a change from earlier models reviewed. To sum up, a great player for the money. Give it 4 stars for overall rating because there are $5,000 players that give you the extra 10% at 10 times the cost.

Similar Products Used:

Main system is Sony DVD player with dual lasers for DVD and CD play connected through coax digital output to Monarch DIP 24/96 to Anthem tube preamp to Audio Source Amp 3.

Very clean, detail and smooth sound

Display, power cord.

It's simply the best CD player below $1000. It sound better than lots of CD players which cost 2 or even 3 times more than this.

Image, detail, warm, soul of music, midrange

Dynamic range, bass, lacking high end, poor display, this machine it is not all rounder

The main force D500SE is midrange, open and warm, very detail. But, this gear sound a little bit undynamic and the trebble are cut in high end. I will tray to do something with power cord.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz 63se, Pionner 705, Yamaha 492, Harman Kardon 740

The sound, the flat shape so it fits in every stereo. The timeless design. The excelent converter.

Well maybe the display, but you get up there close when you change the cd anyway!

Well i have just bought this D500 and i'm very pleased with it. I have a friend, who's had it for about a year and so through his good experiences with it I bought one aswell. Well I don't have the most sensitive ears, but I was surely able to hear that this "hifi" Cd-player was brilliant for the price. I've been listenig to 700$ cd-players that sounded worse than this one. It surely fullfills all expectations and more. And then you save money so that you could get the amp in the same serie with it aswell!! The 115$ you pay ekstra for the D 500 instead of the D 300 really pay of in the soundquality. The difference between these two are the D/A converters. My best regards.

Similar Products Used:

Denon DCD 685 NAD C 521 Cheaper but only around 70$ But not half as good.

The sound of course. Very good dynamic range. It's quite simple to use, very intuitive. Unlike most I like the jog dial. Quick shuttle and the transport is much quieter than my Pioneer unit.

Poor display, power cord, yada yada. Minor weaknesses for the price and considering the sound that comes out of this unit. I tend to leave mine powered up all of the time because it seems like the DAC's (I assume) need to be warmed up to work their best - I've experienced a few seconds (up to 20) cut off of the first song when at the beginning of a listening session.

This review is for the D500SE model. Previously using Pioneer DVD 525 player for DVD's and music, but wanted a dedicated CD player - primarily for the improved sound. This baby has it! I am using the analog outputs so the DAC's in the CD player are being employed (other reviews haven't really specified which outputs they're using). The sound is fuller and warmer from the Cambridge than the Pioneer (I have to admit that I was initially skeptical that I would even HEAR a difference - I'm a believer now). To me it does sound like the upper frequencies may be rolled off, but that doesn't seem to be a hinderance (Personally, I wouldn't classify the sound as dark or laid-back, but warm and inviting). The 'grain' and fatigue are definitely gone, but detail abounds, especially in the midrange. I hear background vocals I never knew existed before, not to mention individual instruments. Could be that having that 'grain' gone allows better listening - I dunno, but I like it. CD's I'm using for evaluation: lots of Beatles and McCartney, David Grays "White Ladder", Peter Gabriels "So", Alan Parsons, and lots of other misc. rock and country (wifes) CD's. Most CD's (95%) sound improved to what I'm used to; the other 5% do seem to be lacking high end, but I suspect that's more a factor of the original mix. All newer releases and remastered CD's sound superb (as they should). I'm sure there are better CD players out there (so I've given this one 4 stars), but you're going to pay for them, so this one gets 5 stars for value.

Similar Products Used:

Main Speakers: B&W Nautilus 805's Surround Speakers: B&W LM-1's Subwoofer: Velodyne VA-1250X CD Player: Cambridge Audio D500SE Reciever: Denon 3300

Sound quality, deail, soundstaging. Build quality.

Front display panel. Power cord is very poor.

As reviews below state, an amazing CDP for the money. I bought this to use as a dedicated CD player to compliment my Marantz DVD-7010 DVD player. I didn't expect much of an improvement in audio, but got one!! Detail much improved vs. the Marantz (far more expensive player!), soundstage also improved. Only gripe is the dim display and yeah, the power cord sucks - - replace it! Otherwise, nice build and visual appeal. A giant killer, indeed! 5 for value, 4 overall for poor display and power cord.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz DVD-7010, Sony DVP-550, other Sony products.

Nice built, great looks (avoid the black version), clean and clear sound, reads CD-R/RW, the price.

Noisy transport, dimmed display.

D500SE is available in two versions: silver and black. BLACK one has a black display with green letters. And it's not very pretty, almost like ugly. But, SILVER one is a BEAUTY! Beautiful silver aluminium brushed front panel with a blue display. One of the most beautiful hifi toys available on the market (in my opinion). Actually, the price was 280 USD, but you get a 15% discount when paying by cash. So, I paid 240. Also, it has been out on the market for two years now, so basically it's an old model and that's why it's cheap. It is built very good, resistant to external vibrations. Front panel is aluminum brushed - but random, play, stop and program buttons are PLASTIC, while power on/off button and jog dial are ALUMINUIM. Everybody's talking about D500SE and recommending it. So, is it perfect? NO, it's not. Just like someone said, there's NO such thing as a PERFECT CD player; if there was such a beast, we would all buy it and own the same player. Two major weaknesses are: a dimmed display and a NOISY transport - but if you have a bigger room, a listen to your music 2 or 3 meters away from the player, you will not hear the transport. But, it has a very good sound, good definition, bright sound, LOTS of air, good bass, good timing. From my experience, D500SE sounds best when paired with KEF speakers. I mainly listen to 50's rock'n'roll, rockabilly, surf intrumentals, but also have a lots CD's by the the likes of Bowie, Moby, Blondie, Clash, Hasil Adkins or Miles Davis, Schubert, Bach or Vangelis, Dead can dance or Prodigy. And D500SE plays them all well.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz CD6000, Harman/Kardon HD750, NAD c541, Sony 930