very musical, acurrate tonally, cymbals sound like cymbals
snare drum like snare drum , voices are great

power cord. can be a little bright and splashy if not paired with proper cables.

i have had this player for over a year .i replaced the power cord,not because the other was a problem,but just to see what the change would be. it's a new player to my ears.
now it has more drive, voices and mids are more natural.
now i can hear more into the cd's, the reverb of the room etc.and more background instruments all i can say is wow!.
this is with the old 20 bit dac. has anyone compared the older model with the new 24 bit machine. this machine blows the rotel 971 away with it's realism of the music. it also makes me question spending any more money on a cd player for my system.
it includes
bryston b-60
cambridge d500
mirage om-9's
kimber 4-tc speaker wire
monster 400 mk11 inteonnects
taralabs power cord

Similar Products Used:

cal cl-15,rotel 951 and 971,arcam fmj 23

Simple, good built, value for the money

Non

My sisitem:

Amplifier: Cambridge Audio A500
CD-player: Cambridge Audio D500SE
Speakers: Mission m73
Interconect: Cambridge Audio Pacific
Sp. cables: Monster bi-wire

OK if you are a pop/rock more oriented than you should consider buying
this player for reason that it has good bass extension and clarity. But
this is player for one that is looking for details. Much more that I
expected for this price. I know that there is bunch of players for this
price range and they don't even come close to this one. For example
some low bass sounds I newer heard on other player as they were newer
there. With this player situation is completely changed. I can't stop
listening it. This is definite bargain and sleeper of the year. If you
hear some instrument it is the true sound of that instrument. I listen
mostly rock 80% and Cuban+classical 20% now situation is slightly changing
in favor of classical. You can rally enjoy it.

Similar Products Used:

DENON series (755,435)

Excellent, well-defined bass. Superb mid-range.
Great value.

Dim display

Do not judge this player upon first audition; it was bright, tinny, and bass shy. What a difference 24 hours can make! The player smoothed out and became a joy to listen to. Bass is prodigious, the mid-range almost perfect, and the highs are just as they should be. This is definitely the player to own in the sub $1,000 price range.

Similar Products Used:

Integra, Sony, Arcam, nad

simple design, excellent musical reproduction at this price point

wish it had a metal drawer but no others do anymore so....

I have been suffering through listening to a mid 90's 5 disc Technics CD player for some time now and although I had plans to buy a new player it kept getting back burnered for other things. I went audio shopping with no intentions of purchasing but then I saw a D300 and a D500se used at my favourite store and immediately auditioned both. I probably would have bought the 300 were it not for a close friend who decided on it for himself so that left me with the 500se. I took it home and just for fun (and trust me it was funny) A-B tested against the Technics unit..... my only question is why would anyone even buy these units when there are competitively priced units out there of much higher caliber! My unit was slightly used so it required little play time to hear the true value of my purchase and suffice it to say I am very pleased...excellent reproduction of all ranges, maybe a little lacking in the highs but nothing I would even consider complaining about!! Next step will be to try the powercord swap and see if there is a significant difference. Unit is currently connected to a circa 1982 technics SA-410 reciever (not a bad unit at all) with monster cables and plays through Paridigm Monitor 3's

I definitely recomend this player for anyone wanting to make the initial leap to premium equipment or for a step up from all those using some of the lower end NAD, Marantz units that are out there. I would definitely put it on the same level as the Alpha 7 or better. Nest step will be to replace the reciever with an A500 from Cambridge and or something to make use of the optical and coaxial digital outputs on my new player

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Marantz, Cambridge audio CD4se

Deep and detailed bass, smooth highs, 3D imaging, cool looks.

Long breakin required.

This is a review of the D500SE model with the Silver faceplate option. The sound quality is very analog -- a great sounding player at a great price.

My initial impression of this Cambridge Audio CD player was _not_ favorable. I got it brand new, connected it to my system and listened. The sound was very tinny, had hardly any bass impact, and was smeared with an awful electronic, digital haze. But there was a sense of detail and three dimensionality to the sound. There was hope.

The manufacturer recommended 36 hours of continuous play before doing any serious listening. So I popped in a CD and let the unit play. Before I did this, I tried several different CDs and to my surprise, the player refused to play some of them. Sigh...did I get a defective unit?

Twenty-four hours later I listened again. Wow, what a difference a day made. The sound blossomed with full and deep bass. The highs were still a little harsh and that haze was still present. I tried the CDs that would not play the day before and was pleased to find that the player had no problems playing them this time. I guess the transport needed some breakin time as well as the DAC electronics.

After a week of continuous play, the D500SE transformed itself into a very sweet, analog sounding CD player. The improvement in sound quality really impressed me.

I have the D500SE connected to an AVA Super Pas 3si preamp using DH Labs interconnects. The power amp is a Classe CA100 and the speakers are a pair of KEF Reference 3s connected by DH Labs T14 wire. The D500SE replaces a Cal Audio DX-2 CD player.

The DX-2 served me well, but it seemed to be lacking in detail. The D500SE had great reviews and was offered at a great price, so I decided to try it. Comparing the two players, the D500SE goes deeper on the bottom, has more detail in the extreme bass and treble ranges, and has a more lively sound quality. The DX-2, on the other hand, presents a dark and dry sound. The DX-2 has more midrange substance than the D500SE, but on the whole I prefer the softer and lighter sound of the D500SE. The DX-2 also has a hard edge to the upper midrange -- especially noticable in vocals by Diana Krall, Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli. Both players have great front to back imaging.

Some may find the D500SE to be too bass heavy and too soft in the upper range. With some recordings, it seems that way to me, but on the whole I find the bass to be a solid foundation -- it's not too overwhelming. I also find that with the bass firmly established I can turn the volume down and still get that sense of being there.

If you decide to get the D500SE, I highly recommend the Silver faceplate option. It looks way cool.

Similar Products Used:

Cal Audio DX-2

Open, cyristal clear sound. Soft sounding, not fatiguing, so you can listen continuously for hours. Additionaly D500SE/Silver is absolutely a killer design, but 10 percent more expensive than the black D500SE

none for the price. If only all models were silver instead of black.

I have listened this player with A500SE amp and Castle acoustics's Richmond speakers and interconnects from Cambridge Audio. Marantz Pm6000 and cd6000 amp and player sounded absolutely harsh compared to A500se D500se combo. D5oose is not attractive in black colour but it's silver version is one of the most elegant hi-fi equipment I have ever seen. Aesthetics even compete with that of Pathos Acoustics'. I will buy a D500SE within a week, but I am still not sure which to choose: black model for 320dollars or the BEAUTIFUL silver for 385.Also, I wonder if it sounded so good with Richmond, how excellent would it perform with a Triangle Titus. Conclusion, if you are on a tight budget and looking for open,airy, tube like sound seriously listen to this player. One good piece of equipment and a giant killer at this price. higly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

auditioned Marantz range series. Arcam Alpha 7

musical, deep, affordable

slightly quirky operation, no HDCD decoding

I went to the listening room with a few CD's:

Baduizm -- Erykah Badu
My Funny Valentine -- Chet Baker
A Passage in Time -- Dead Can Dance

I auditioned the Rotel and NAD models noted above and of course the D500SE. I listened to several tracks on each player switching back and forth between them. A salesman set me up with a Rotel integrated amp (1070) (probably because I told him I have the RB-1070 separate amp) and a pair of B&W 803's.

I eliminated the Rotel first. There were a few passages in which it lost some detail that both the C541 and D500SE exposed. It surprised me because the Rotel was the priciest.

The C541 was a bit smoother than the D500SE, but at the expense of some depth. Also, the NAD seemed fairly flimsy; the tray action is clumsy.

The NAD was priced about $70 higher than the Cambridge Audio.

Similar Products Used:

Owned: Marantz CC3000, Auditioned: Rotel 961, NAD 541

Simple interface, clean, detail, dynamic and controlled bass

Dimmed display

This is my first CD palyer. At the very beginning I'd like to use a DVD palyer as the CD palyer but the truth told me that it don't know how to play music! So I'm shopping around to find if there's some good player oflower price.
After audition to the D500SE, I immediately like it and can tell the difference from my DVD player, which costs only half the price of it. So I simply take it home and enjoy the music right now!

For people who complaint the play button will not work if the CD tray is open! Actually you can overcome by user the "play" button from the remote, it works even the tray is open!
For the display, it's a bit dimmed and districting, but it won't affect the overall peformance of this player.

This player is the cheapest component in my system but it really paly a very important role of the overall performance when palying CDs.

Similar Products Used:

Poineer DVD-S737

Great range and great soundstage depth,

None - but you must replace the power cable

I'm just writing this because I was looking the other day at Tom's notes (see below) and decided to change my power cord as he recommended. Even though his is US model, the power cable switcheroo did wonders for my UK model. I just changed the power cable with one I had for my PC.
Way more bass was in evidence - specially sub bass -
I don't know why.

Anyways - I bought this CD Player over the competition - basically cos it has a wonderful neutral sound, years of sound engineering has left me with a real dislike of overly toppy sounding CD players - even the high end Marantz ones over emphasise the high end - partly to bring out the consonants in Japanese speech I understand.

I run it with a Quad 33/303 and Tannoy Mercury M2.5's.

Its a great sound for techno and for classical. And it doesn't hurt your ears our sound fake like those from the east. It just delivers whats on the disc.

Right now (july 2001) its even on sale at Richer Sounds for £150 quid. Don't bother with the competition unless you can afford the Arcam Alpha 7. Do it. And change the power cable when you get home

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Tascam, Denon, Revox CD players

Cheap, Detail, Clarity.
Good mid-range.
Somewhat sounds like High-End CD-P.

No power on/off remote button, BNC digital out port.
Long break-in time for it's ultimate sound.
Colored high range sound.
Doesn't support HDCD.

D500 CD Player is very good machine for the hifi first-step(or maybe poor like me) user. It resembels, so called, High-End CD Player. But it cannot overcome it's price limitations.
At first, D500 played very poor high range sounds. As time goes by, this was fixed. High sounds like heavy fog become clear. So I recommend to use D500 more than 1 month.
Thanks.