Are you looking for a brand new, full-fledged CD player? If so, you’re in luck, because Denon has just announced the DCD-1700NE, a CD/SACD player capable of playing high-resolution audio, among many other features.
There haven’t been busloads of CD players released in recent years, but CD fans will be happy to know that CDs are reportedly making a comeback. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)compact disc shipments rose in 2021 for the first time in 17 years, marking the first time CD sales have increased since 2004. The CD revival may not reach the same heights as the ever-expanding vinyl revival, but we’re happy to see serious new players entering the market.
This brings us back to Denon: the DCD-1700NE can play just about any disc from CDs to SACDs, and even DVD-R/RWs and DVD+R/RWs that contain DSD and Hi-Res files (there is no separate USB port). input). As for high resolution support, the 1700NE can handle playback up to 192kHz/24-bit PCM and 5.6MHz DSD. There are optical and coaxial outputs and a fixed line level RCA output.
According to Denon, thanks to Advanced AL32 Processing Plus and a proprietary SVH-class disc drive, the 1700E can handle flawless, faithful reproduction with optimal accuracy, even recovering information that was lost during the original digital recording. In addition, the 1700E features carefully selected and tuned internal components that have been evaluated by Denon with the brand’s signature sound in mind.
In addition, the 1700E is designed to minimize chassis vibration and reduce any adverse audio effects from the heavy, powerful components within to maximize audio quality, Denon said. Suffice to say, this CD/SACD player is pretty much the full package of what you could want from a player.
The Denon DCD-1700NE is on sale now and costs £1299 / $1499 (about AU$2296). It’s designed to work with Denon’s own PMA-1700NE amp, released last year.
Denon is not the only one to release a new CD player in 2023. JBL announced its CD350 Classic CD player (£799 / $700 approx AU$1440) at CES 2023 earlier this month. It’s a charming new development to see new CD players hitting the market and increasing sales of CDs is rising, and we’ll have to get our hands on the new DCD-1700E to get a full picture of its performance. Will it bother the Cyrus CDi (£1195 / approx. $1474 / AU$2118), our award-winning class leader that has dominated in recent years? We’ll have to wait.
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