While streaming is probably the audiophile’s primary music source nowadays, I know many like to spin CDs as well.
(I personally like to head out to the local Goodwill on the weekend, find some 99-cent gems in the used CD section, then play them at home on my system.)
To truly enjoy a well-recorded CD, you need at least a good CD Player, a quality Integrated Amp/Receiver, plus a good pair of speakers. But an even better solution is to get an Integrated with a good DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) section and team it with a good CD Transport (basically a CD player without the DAC).
Since a CD Transport doesn’t have to perform the Digital to Analog conversion, it usually has a better transport mechanism, amongst other things. Also, since it sends a clean digital signal out to the integrated as opposed to a noisy Analog signal, the sound quality is usually superior to a CD Player using the line out.
That’s assuming that you have a good DAC converting the digital signal to Analog on the other side of the CD Transport.
That said, I put together a quality Budget Audiophile setup that incorporates a top-notch streaming amplifier with an excellent built-in DAC, along with one of the best CD Transports at any price. Everyone I know that has listened to it has loved it.
Add to that one of the most natural and detailed speakers at its price point, and you have a stellar setup that gives you the best of both worlds for a little over $3500!
The Setup:
- The Amp: Audiolab 6000A Play Integrated Amplifier with Wireless Audio Streaming ($1699)
- The Source: Audiolab 6000CDT Dedicated CD Transport with Remote ($699)
- The Speakers: Wharfedale – EVO 4.2 Bookshelf Speaker ($1,199)
Total: $3597
The Amp: Audiolab 6000A Play Integrated Amplifier with Wireless Audio Streaming ($1699)
I’m starting this system with the Audiolab 6000A Play, which sounds just like it looks, buttoned-up and refined. It’s a very flat and transparent amp, which can get out of the way and let the music shine. It pairs well with a slightly warmer speaker, one with good scale and dimensionality.
It’s a high current amp with 50w per channel that can drive even low impedance, low sensitivity speakers with gusto. The DAC section is based around an ESS Sabre32 ES9018K2M Reference DAC chip, and it provides excellent depth for connected digital devices. The DAC section also has selectable filters for some sound customization.
In addition, the 6000A Play has a built-in high-resolution music streamer based on the Play-Fi multi-room network streaming platform. At one point, using Play-Fi was something of a disadvantage when compared to streamers using the BluOS platform.
However, with the latest update, Play-Fi has become quite robust and easy to use, making the 6000A Play a pleasurable way to access tons of music from many different services (Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz + many more) and network drives.
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Besides being multi-room, Play-Fi is also a multi-brand platform that works on brands like SVS, McIntosh, and Paradigm. That means you can play the same music on several different Play-Fi devices in other rooms, no matter the brand. In addition, this amp also has aptX Bluetooth for quick high-fidelity audio connections.
The 6000A Play doesn’t allow for direct connection of USB drives, nor does it support Roon Ready or MQA, so that’s something to think about.
Buy Here: Amazon and Crutchfield
The Source: Audiolab 6000CDT Dedicated CD Transport with Remote ($699)
If you’re looking for a CD Transport under $1000, chances are you’ll get several recommendations for the Audiolab 6000CDT. It has one of the best mechanisms in the business; a smooth slot loader pulled from Audiolab’s flagship CD player (8300CD) that’s super reliable.
Its digital buffer is top-notch, making the 6000CDT capable of reading damaged discs unreadable by other CD players. Because of the advanced clock, it has remarkably low levels of jitter coming from both the coax and optical output. This makes sure it provides a pristine digital to the matching 6000A Play DAC, and in turn, the combination sounds nothing short of sensational. The accuracy and clarity are tremendous.
It doesn’t hurt that the 6000A Play and 6000CDT are a perfect match aesthetically because both have a super-clean look that makes them appear more expensive than they are. Not to mention, a single remote controls both units.
Buy Here: Amazon and Crutchfield
The Speakers: Wharfedale – EVO 4.2 Bookshelf Speaker ($1199)
All this electronic goodness means nothing if you don’t have a quality set of speakers at the end of the chain, and that’s precisely what we have here.
The 3-Way Wharfedale EVO 4.2 has some of the best articulation and range for speakers around 1k, and they also have a naturalness that brings songs to life. Since Wharfedale and Audiolab are sister companies, these speakers are pretty much tuned to work well with the 6000A Play, and it’s evident once you fire the system up.
Well-braced cabinets help the speakers to disappear when playing music, and the complement of drivers is impressive for this price point. You get one Air Motion Transformer (AMT) ribbon tweeter, a 2″ soft-dome midrange, and a 6-1/2″ woven Kevlar woofer per speaker.
These speakers are pretty sensitive at 90dB, so they should play loud in all but the biggest rooms.
The EVO4.2 is a very well-rounded bookshelf speaker that performs well beyond what you would expect for the price point. Separation, Depth, and midrange clarity are off the charts. The Treble is very smooth, and the bass is also punchy and fast.
There are a couple of caveats when talking about these speakers, however. One, the soundstage is not super wide, so if you’re looking for a stage that stretches across the whole room, that may raise an issue. That said, the stage is very tall and deep.
Also, since the bass is so tight and well-controlled, it may be a little too polite or lean for some, but then they would be missing out on a bonified audiophile experience at a very affordable price.
Buy Here: Amazon and Crutchfield (Free $349 matching stands at Crutchfield as of this writing)
On The Whole:
When put together, these nicely budgeted components (check out our system building article) provide a very sophisticated-sounding system that plays with a lot of focus and depth. The amplifier is very crisp and transparent, not trying to add anything to the performance, and coupled with the Wharfedale, which are also quite transparent, you get a system that can get out of the way and leave you with just the music. The CD complements both of them with a clear and detailed performance.
This system is not a super loud party system that will shake the house, but it will play a song with realism, pulling out all the elements and unfolding them in the room.
When listening to “Layla” from Eric Clapton’s unplugged, I loved how the lead and background vocals were nicely separated on the left and right of the soundstage, as were the background instruments. Eric’s singing sounded very natural, as did the background singers. This is a very engaging system.
Keep in mind if you buy a system like this, you will need a good pair of stands to support the relatively large speakers. Wharfedale makes a pair that matches the speaker nicely for $350, and if you buy from Crutchfield right now, you will get the stands for free.
If you don’t have speaker cables, you will need those, so keep that in mind. You will also need a digital cable (I suggest an RCA coax cable) to connect the CD Transport to the Integrated.
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I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My hunger for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
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