It's been a winning option for many years, in various versions, and while it's business as usual on the outside (with typically excellent build quality, we're happy to report), it's on the inside where Marantz has made big improvements.

What does all that mean? Great sound. It's full of rhythm and drive. It's precise, clean and delivers dynamics at every inch of the spectrum. Stereo imaging is focused yet expansive, and there are even a few digital filters to tweak the sound to your tastes.

Besides being able to let you listen to your audio in crystal clear quality, a CD player can do a lot more. Let’s take a look. Even without a brand name, the Lukasa CD Player is the best portable option on the market. As most of the brand names like Sony have exited the space, lesser-known brands look to fill the void and introduce new features to stand out. What helps Toshiba stand out is that its retro look is mixed with modern technology. Support for CD, CD-R, and CD-RW plus MP3 CDs ensures it works with every type of compact disc on the market. What makes it modern is support for Bluetooth streaming from any Apple or Android device with sound directly from the built-in speakers.

Testing the Marantz and hooking it up to an older set of speakers lying around was a reminder that streaming, while convenient, doesn’t always offer the best overall sound. For that, you need better physical hardware and the Marantz ND8006, along with the PHILIPS 1268, deliver. Conventional D/A conversion methods reduce digital pulse noise at the conversion stage but can't remove it completely. VLSC employs a unique D/A conversion circuit to overcome this problem. Data is converted between sampling points and these points are joined with analogue vectors in real time to produce a smooth output wave form. The result—a virtually noiseless, smooth, analogue signal based on the digital source that brings out even the most subtle of nuances in music sources (including DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD), DVD Video sources (including high-definition), broadcasts, digital music files such as MP3s, and gaming content. The only complaints we have are related to the size and weight of the player. We can’t say that it’s huge but it’s also not compact (17-1/8 x 5-3/16 x 17 inches). Also, it’s kind of hefty (15lbs) so it’s not the most portable CD player out there. You might not find many desktop or laptop computers with a disk drive today but they still do exist. You can easily play your media or even copy your files digitally onto the computer’s hard drive. FAQs

The streaming horde will scoff at such a list in 2023, but there are still millions of music listeners who enjoy listening to CDs and while we don’t expect to see the format enjoy the type of rebirth that has reinvigorated the record industry — it is still a format worth enjoying.

At What Hi-Fi? we review hundreds of products every year at our state-of-the-art testing facilities in London, Reading and Bath, and some of those, inevitably, are CD players. We have complete control over our testing environment, and we test as a team of audio experts with a combined wealth of over a century of experience.The other thing to consider is if you need an integrated CD player (one with a DAC built-in) or a CD transport (no DAC inside). Transports such as the Cambridge Audio CXC will need to use either a standalone DAC or the one in your stereo amplifier to handle the digital-to-analogue conversion before the sound reaches your speakers. The upshot of a CD transport? It puts all its concentration and skills on reading the CD disc. The downside is you'll need to make sure you buy or already have an appropriately skilled DAC to connect it to. The simple wood grain look adds a real vintage feel, as does the classic-style remote control. The silver face adds to the retro look with a style that’s very reminiscent of products from the 1980s.