#The absolute sound reference cd pro

Conversion is carried out by a Crystal 24 bit DAC which feeds the gain stage lifted from the Ref 3. A lot of care has gone into controlling and dissipating the unwanted vibration from the mechanism and this accounts in no small part for the sheer mass of the machine it feels more like a power amp than a CD player when you pick it up.

#The absolute sound reference cd pro

So the вЂ7 retains the Philips Pro 2 disc transport, a heavy unit built on a cast chassis that goes against the current trend for lightweight, plastic CD-ROM mechanisms that rattle around at high speed. By incorporating much of the improved circuitry developed for the flagship line-stage into their existing player, ARC felt that not only was the performance elevated to such an extent that the improvement warranted a new model, but that it was worthy of joining the ranks of their reference range, a privilege indeed. ll, it was the development of the Ref 3 preamplifier that was to be the major influence in the conception of the CD7, in particular the output stage and associated power supply. With an existing CD player in the shape of the CD3 Mk. Like the current pre-amps, I find the plastic switch panel a bit cheap and unrefined by comparison to the rest of the machine it would be nice to have something a bit more tactile and elegant, but I guess I am being picky as nobody else seems to agree with me. The old-fashioned looking display and basic functions occupy two recesses in the front panel. The CD transport is accessed via a sliding panel on the top and utilises a magnetic puck to secure the disc in place. It looks much like any other Audio research product, brushed aluminium front panel (double thickness as it is part of the reference range) with large handles, black casework and an air of functionality rather than designed aesthetics, an identity that has served the company well for over thirty years. RG is a keen advocate and seems reluctant to let it stray too far from his listening room. Despite never receiving a formal review it has become something of a benchmark product, the recipient of an Product Of The Year award last year and part of a system review in issue number 54. No startling revelations, just a player that has considerably widened the channels between my CD collection and the desire to listen to the music within it. That and the fact that for the last few months I have been living with the Audio Research Reference 7 CD player, a machine that has very gently and seductively worked its way under my skin. So yes, I guess that I am sticking up for the compact disc, a situation that surprises me as I have never really warmed to the format, but it scares the hell out of me to think that the quality of mainstream music could drop any lower. But the real irony is that the major record companies who were so scared of losing revenue through downloading are now so enthusiastic, having eventually realised that they will no longer have to fork out forpressing costs, printing, casework, distribution and retailer mark up. So while the marvels of being able to store a dozen albums on a piece of plastic the size of you fingernail is very much with us, getting them there is more of a problem, and while they are being held on a flash memory, do we yet know how stable that situation is? Then there is the fact that for a lot of us, owning the hardware complete with all the details and artwork is still an important part of the process of listening to and enjoying music. As a result (with one or two possible exceptions) most music is offered at best as a FLAC or lossless file.

Technology does indeed move at a rapid pace, but at the present time downloading is about convenience rather than quality, and moving even CD resolution type files is problematic for most of us, not so much because of the hardware but the limitations of an ancient and overstressed network. Only time has shown that the prophets of doom were wrong as a quick glance at any issue of Hi-Fi+ will testify. DГ©jГ vu, anyone? Or possibly poetic justice вЂ“ its really not that long ago that compact disc was the perpetrator and LP the victim. With the increasing popularity of downloaded music affecting sales, digital storage getting cheaper by the minute and an increasing number of manufacturers claiming superior results with harddisk drives, there are those that predict that the days of the silver disc are numbered. ItвЂ™s getting increasingly difficult to ignore the fact that CD technology has been undergoing a bit of a bashing from various quarters recently.