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I would say that this is a great value for the Use Case. The Schitt URD is 2X more expensive and many CD Transports alone are a Minimum of $600. Also this is pretty compact so I would say it’s primary use case is for desktop and headphone listening where Optical and Coax inputs would be overkill.
I'm looking for a CD transport but this one is way too expensive, SMSL should bring a stripped-down one out without Blue Tooth, onboard DAC and headphone input for under $300, then they would be onto a winner IMO
Hard pass on a CD player with an exposed laser mech. If you want to use a transport just get either any 90's DVD player with a digital out, an Onkyo 7030, or a Yamaha CD S300/301. You mentioned having an internal DAC.. that would strictly speaking not be a CD transport.
Agree. People who buy CD players or transports nowadays will be audiophiles. They won't care for the other bells and whistles. On the other hand, people who care for bluetooth and network capbailities won't care about having a CD player built in. So who is this for? And at what price?
Its funny Randy, as a Gen xer you should have mentioned the old school early 80s matte silver finish. As a kid I'd look at Radio shacks stackable componants( lots of eq's) an everything was that silver till like, 86; then all black after that.
The ability of a CD player/transport to track a CD - that may or may not be concentric - is very important. The pits and lands that make up the physical "track" on a CD, are very small, and the tracking laser needs to be moveable (side to side) in order to stay aligned with the pits and lands. The linear speed of a CD is constant, so at the beginning of a CD (which starts on the inside) the disk has to be spun much faster, and it continuously slows down as it plays. So if the center hole of the disk is even a little eccentric from the spiral of the pits and lands - then the tracking mechanism of a CD player/transport gets a workout.
Seems reasonable if it's high quality. Some here say "Get a $40 computer drive & add a good DAC," but those cheap drives only last a couple of years. Is the lid + puck a good idea? It's the same as my Pro-Ject RS which looks cool & reduces the complexity of a drawer or slot loader ("Hey, gimmie back my disc! Where's the pliers?"). The form factor is smaller than a Rotel, so it fits nicely on a desktop for headphone listening or can send audio to bluetooth speakers.
I'd love to see a review comparison between this and the Pro-Ject RS, especially considering the cost difference (to those whinging about the price of the PL200, the Pro-Ject is ca. $2500). I've heard great things about the RS but can it *really* be worth that much more? I honestly have no idea - that's why I'd like to see a head to head with this device.
@@lisar3944 Pro-Ject has had a few "ultimate" CD drives. I have the RS, which was $1,100 USD in 2020. The current model is the CD Box RS2 T which is over $3,000.
There would have to be a volume control for the headphone amp so I would assume it would also work for the amp outs. It's probably the center knob. It also comes with a remote.
So how does this unit compare to an SMSL SU-1 DAC with a $30 budget DVD player for CD playback? That would seem to offer a bit more flexibility, if you did not need the headphone output and Bluetooth, for 1/6 of the price.
I've been waiting for somebody to review this it just popped up glad it's you. They are very proud of those keys, they even explain how they are made in that SMSL info sheet you showed. The price of the Audio lab 9000cdt is £999.00. I'd be pushing this via Qacoustic active speakers..
I had an Aspen ... thanks for taking me back to good times. When it was done for we covered iit with trashy paintings and beat it with baseball bats ....
Randy should review that one too, and do a comparison. There is also the Shanling ET3 which is a CD transport with no onboard DAC. I'm looking for a device in the ballpark of these and the Schiit Urd, but so far I don't think any of them are exactly what I'm hoping to find... but we're getting very close.
It's almost a year since i bought shanling CD player ec3. I can say that it is an excellent player, well made, solid as a brick when you hold it in your hand and most importantly, it sounds great. This one is also top loading and that is why the CD rotation is inaudible, without unwanted vibrations. It has a bunch of more or less useful things, you can manage it via the app if you want. At first I was skeptical because it is a Chinese brand, but it turned out to be the opposite.
like to see you compare this to the Shangling EC3 CD player, which btw does kind of have the same look as far as the CD placement. and removable CD cover. Both are within a $100 of each other
@@CheezMonsterCrazy And they probably wanted a cleaner front look, but IMO it isn't a good design. They could have just run some wires to a jack on the front.
Shanling top-load EC 3 (seems not available now) was similar in some ways. The Shanling CD 80 was also a maybe for me. Too late; did not research enough. PL 200 also looks good. It has features I wanted. Would not use rear headphone jack. I spent more for less features. Not necessarily less quality nor a bad choice, maybe not best choice - the Pro-Ject DS 3 CD box was just a few hundred dollars more than this SMSL PL 200. Then I saw $3k+ Cyrus half-width CD players, looking thru other's YT videos. Putting the price of the Shanling, SMSL, even Pro-Ject and such, into perspective for most of us.
key point about the shanling ec3: I was looking at it too and it was my top contender. Given the issue many players seem to have with gapless playback now, I asked the seller if it supported gapless playback, and they said it does not! The seller might be wrong but it's so common now, I suspect it's true. The et3 might be better but to be frank, any company that offers any cd player that can't handle gapless playback is out of bounds and loses my interest. It's unconscionable. I just got this unit and it does support gapless playback, thank goodness. I also considered the ProJect models but I really wanted to stay away from slot loaders for the extra mechanical risk - of course they have a top loading model, too, costing somewhere around 2k euros. As if!
The lid idea is maybe fun to start with but it will get old quickly. Also, it’s just gonna collect dust. There shouldn’t be any nooks n crannies facing up. Great functions though. It would suit my current requirements but I’m not on board with the design of the top. Cheers 🍻😎
In my opinion, a top loading design like this is superior because it eliminates a moving drawer mechanism which can wear out or break, and also produces a considerable amount of undesirable vibration and resonance. An added benefit is that the magnetic cap stabilizes the disc during playback, further eliminating vibration and drastically cutting down on the use of the correction system.
@@HareDeLune indeed. When I got this one I gave it a bump test while in play - I started by opening and closing the drawer under the table top. My old player always skipped when I did this, no matter how gently. The pl200 didn't blink. Then I gave it a few sharp taps on the side with my finger. Nothing. I finally escalated to a full on open handed (though controlled) slap and still no skips, jumps or hiccups whatsoever. I quit there as it was enough for me and I don't like to abuse my equipment ;) Bottom line: the stabilization in this thing is impressive.
I have a Shanling ET3 transport which checks all the boxes for user involvement and file playback. Problem is it doesn't have a full remote and you must set up your phone running an app. I haven't been able to set up the app to get it working. Anotherwords, I have no direct CD track access nor USB track access. I was looking really hard at the SMSL but you pointed out what I surmised: there just aren't enough inputs. Why would you need so many ouputs on a device that has its own DAC? This is plainly inscrutable.
Actually it's very common to have at least one digital out on a cd player, and dare I say most (?) have both coax + optical out just like the PL200. In fact I don't think I've ever seen a player that didn't have any digital outs. Additionally, it's not common to have loads of digital in's on a cd player as it's primary use is to play cds. Consider that this thing costs less than a really good dac, what is built in here is not top notch, it's just there so you *can* play cds without an external dac (that is what makes it a cd player, as opposed to a cd transport). Many people use cd players as transports only (via the digital outs) as so many standalone dacs can easily beat what's built into any player at this price point. In other words, there is nothing inscrutable about this device - it's completely normal for a cd *player* to be designed this way.
The lack of other inputs for the DAC doesn't bother me because USB is all I use anyway or CD, so it works out perfect. And in DAC's, the greatest amount if file times and play back quality is gonna come from USB regardless. For me, and I'm just speaking for me. All the other DAC inputs are redundant. I would cry if their were there for backwards compatability sake. But it's nothing I would ever miss. I'm probably gonna snag this thing, it's priced about the same as any other well built transport but has some awesome value propositions tacked on.
I think I might actually have a good use-case for this as I'm looking for a desktop solution. I like the size, the fact that it has a headphone amp built-in, and balanced outputs to go to my powered monitors and sub. My question is, what other desktop CD players should I look at to fit this bill? Looking to keep it clean and simple, without a big stack of components!
so...I am in a similar camp, not because I want to put it on my desktop but because I live in a teeny tiny (325 sq ft tiny) apartment and have no room for traditionally sized components. The main problem with a lot of "modern" cd players is that they don't correctly handle gapless content. If that matters to you, you need to add that "feature" (which should be completely laughable, though sadly it's true) very high up on your wish list. Aside from that I think having a headphone amp built in is pretty unique to this player. I've never seen that on a cd player before. If you can live without the headphone amp, I can attest tha the TEAC PD-301 is very small and works ok. I had one for a few years and by now it's a little noisy when it spins, it's quite slow to start/load/do anything but it's ok. I don't really like the burr brown dac it uses but this is a matter of taste - many seem to love that dac as it's quite "warm". If you don't like the dac it has optical out to your own dac of choice. ProJect also makes a range of cd players at different price points that are wee little things, they have a good reputation too.
Looks cool but dayum that price, I picked up a Sony Mega Storage 200 CD player for 50 bucks at my local record shop. Sounds great and for literally a 10th of the price and stores 200 CDs at once. I have a hard time with newer CD and Tape decks, so overpriced for barely any features if at all
Hi Shanling ET3 is similar looking device but is only a transport and sure has better connectivity on the back. The only thing I find quirky here is the small round display screen. Jonny Darko reviewed it too.
I'm intrigued by the looks & build alone. I can't really explain why, but I think the top loading system is crazy nice on this device... EDIT: the device is currently $568.65 on amazon...
Of course it has a DAC... EVERYTHING that plays or revives digital audio and outputs it analog either as low level signal output or as a speaker output. That's also the difference between a "CD player" and a "Transport".. CD Player has a DAC built in while a Transport needs an external DAC.
You know I've been looking at CD transports. I think this thing 'looks' awesome. I'd probably consider it even if it sounded like tin cans banging together. But for me to consider a transport for a floundering medium like Compact Disc, well it's gotta be a whole lot cheaper. $300, no-brainer, sign me up. It has the 'look' that says both futuristic and retro at the same time. When you can pick up a $60 BluRay player that gets you 97% of the way there just can't bring myself to spend well $780 Canadian. But dig the looks. Make it a simple transport, drop the DAC, bluetooth, USB in, MQA support and lower the price, and SMSL might have a winner.
I wonder if Schiit knew they were in competition with engineers on the other side of the world to make the weirdest CD player ever made? The real question is which is more odd, the Urd or this?
And with the Sony you're assured of getting parts that haven't been bought in from dodgy sellers at the Shenzhen market. No such luck here. These are fine when they're $50. Not ten times that.
Hey darling. I'm Luca from Italy I have bought the same player, but it struggles with my cds. My older one cd player used to read better. By the end of the day pl200 reads them, but this situation is a little strange. Do you experience the same situations?
Cool design, but I'll stick with my Pioneer Elite DVD player I bought for $7 at Goodwill. CD transports is not where I'm spending big money on hi-fi and I already have transparent DACs.
If you use earphones, you can hear noise when the player goes to the next track on the CD. This is very annoying and not acceptable. Did you experience it?
I wish you'd stop telling me to grab a cup of coffee, I can only watch in the evenings and you're playing havoc with my sleep patterns... Great show, thanks for all you do!
Years ago I did a test. First I copied a cd. Then I ripped it into flac. And then I burned the flac onto a blank cd. In my test,the original cd sounded better. And my system was not high end. I had a Emotiva XPA-2 gen 2 amp. The Emotiva XSP-1 gen 2 preamp. And an ERC-3 cd player. I also had a Panasonic DMP BDT500 (top of the line) bluray player,with analog outputs. My speakers were SVS Ultra Towers. The result was ,the original cd sounded much better in both the ERC-3 cd player,and Panasonic BDT500. The directly copied (.WAV) cd i made wasn't as clear. The one burned from .flac onto cd was a little worse. I couldn't tell much difference than playing the flac file directly from a flash drive. So,people who think all digital is the same,don't know what they're talking about. I've been an audiophile for over 35 years now and have had many cd players. I know of many people that criticize Emotiva products. But I can say they beats all the other equipment I had in the past. The ERC-3 cd player bested the top of line single drawer Denon by far,and replaced it. Before that I had a $1200 Yamaha player with burr brown dacs. It was no contest, the ERC-3 was better in every way. So,I just don't get audiophiles who insist on streaming. Cd's are going to sound better. I can only imagine how much better if you have a more resolving system than I have. On a side note, I built speakers in the past, I designed and still have my own RCA interconnectes,which sound much better than interconnects selling for $500 for 1/2 meter pair. And I made my own power cables. Relatively cheap for everything. I end up thinking that nowadays,with the younger generation, that convenience is everything. If your a dedicated audiophile, and the most respectable ones are musicians who know what instrument brands,equipment (amplifiers,effects,monitors,etc) really sound like, then cd's are what you want. Whats the point in spending more money upgrading speakers,amps,preamps,etc, if all you're going to do is stream and listen to flac? And one thing nobody is mentioning. This SMSL PL200 has balanced XLR outputs! Cheap balanced XLR cables can sound better,more open and clearer,than many real expensive RCA interconnects. Though I never got around to it,my next projects was to make my own Balanced XLR interconnects,using the best UPOCC Neotech copper wire that you can get. My Emotiva ERC-3 has balanced XLR outputs as well. You can be critical all you want,but what other Cd player brands can you get that have balanced XLR outputs,and doesn't cost thousands of dollars?
So this hunk of merchandise is $570.00 on Amazon... it reminds me of an AIWA product one would find on a shelf, in Target...in 1996, next to the Texas Instruments Calculators, and Tickle Me Elmo's....but that's just me. Nice review though.
I’m noticing that you’re recording this video on the same day as the previous one because you’ve got that Jeff Goldblum shirt vibe from Jurassic Park, with the taco meat present and accounted for. It’s a new look for you, but I’m not complaining. (I still prefer the Wayland-Yutoni. That’s just me.) edit: To properly legitimize this comment, I do think the balanced weight on top of the disc is pretty awesome. I’m sure that adds a lot to the price, but spinning up a weighted disc will ensure stability. You know…so you don’t have to keep it on your lap.
I really like the look of this and am in the market for another cd player or transport (currently have a mark 1 rega Apollo, also a top loader). But the price is just too high and I cannot find it for sale here in the UK. but, based on the USD price i can easliy get a 6000cdt or Cambridge CXCv2 or a rotel A11 for way under that.
Their VMH line SMSL's Lexus range as to Toyota. SMSL VMV D2R Audio DAC is 1000 euro, SMSL VMV P2 Headphone Amplifier is 1000 euro. Do you remember how the Japanese took over the motorcycle industry, small, cheap,, and reliable now making the best superbikes in the world.. What is Harley Davidson doing now hanging on by its hairy biker fingernails?
@@patricaomas8750 Comparing Toyota, a Japanese brand known for exceptional quality, reliability and a lack of hype marketing, to SMSL is an absolute insult. Lexus is reasonable as an expensive brand because it's Toyota quality applied to a cool premium car.
@@patricaomas8750 never catch me going to bat for a corporation but not even they deserve that kinda treatment. Your comparison just doesn’t hold is my point.
The Shanling ec mini which is currently $340 from Hifigo gives almost identical spec but with dual ESS dacs. It also has a very decent Philips cd mechanism and, I think looks better. The headphone amp is not as powerful and it, too, only has usb digital inputs (I think). All round better value, I reckon. The Shanling ET3 which costs about the same as the SMSL is altogether a much better machine and has streaming and I2S and other goodies.
I have the EC mini here on my desk. I tested with balanced out, and it can somewhat play my hifiman he6se v2 if I floor it, which is impressive. Didn't think the portable part was important too me since it normally rests in my living room, but now I also love that part.
@terjes64 I am so tempted by it but am struggling to find a use case (an excuse case). I have an upgraded Jay's Audio transport, an old Oppo and an old Pioneer dv 757 so a surfeit of disc spinners. But there is something about that little device that draws me...
the et3 has some serious shortfalls that don't show up on that shiny spec list. to whit: the i2s pin configuration is not compatible with topping dacs and possibly others (this is always a risk with i2s but worth pointing out). You'd have to source a special hdmi cable with "translated" pin arrangement to get it to work. The usb out has to be physically unplugged if you want to use any other output. DSD upsampling is only available over i2s - which if you have a topping (or other "incompatible" dac) means there is effectively no dsd upsampling. They claimed pcm->dsd64 over coax/optical/aes in the spec but turns out they software wasn't implemented correctly (according to Shanling themselves) so...sol if you care about that. Oh but you can use it as a streamer! Why I would want a streamer built into my physical media oriented cd transport is beyond me, but if that floats your boat, yes that is a plus. I'm admittedly annoyed after my experience with the et3 - can you tell? :D It's ok but I like the pl200's UX better, and it doesn't promise any extras that don't actually work. I don't like the dac and have no use for the headphone out but I anticipated that before I got it, so my expectations were reasonably set and met with the pl200.
Is this player gapless? and to me most important can it play ya know Burned cds?cause im finding it hard to play burned cds!got a bunch of them and they are pretty cool!thanks
Never again buying a CD player that won't play gapless. What use is a CD player that can't play classical music?! How is that by any stretch 'audiophile' to have an orchestra fuck up and put beats of rest into the middle of the Rite of Spring?! Bonkers...
Sadly this unit is a day late and a dollar short in more than one way. I REALLY can't justify the price of this at all TBH. As Randy states at $200-$300 cheaper it would start to be a worthwhile purchase but not as it stands. I'll still stay with my SU-1, Fosi amp and small form Sony BR player as a transport. Although I would like to hear how this would sound connected to a set of Klipsch Sevens. Definitely a cool looking unit but unless/until SMSL corrects a lot of the issues it's not a consideration. This needs more well thought out functions and a LOT lower price.
I have an SMSL DAC, and an SMSL amp. Why would I go for this? If it was a provable, very good transport, I wouldn't mind the price. Oh, and I don't like the looks at all.
Shanling does it this way, but ime their lids don't feel very durable, insofar as the "puck" is fully plastic and it rattles around when you lift and place the lid. If *anything* goes wrong with that plastic puck the player won't work. Same if you drop or otherwise break the (glass) lid. The player is effectively inoperable. What I like about the PL200 design is that you don't need the big lid at all, as it will play with the puck only, and the puck feels much more durable than the shanling equivalent. Even if you lost the PL200's puck or crushed it underfoot, or your dog ate it, and you net needed to replace it, I suspect a variety of other pucks would do the job. Not so with the shanling lid :/
HELP!!!!! I bought this, having issues! I can use RCA, or Coax, or optical to hook it up as my amp has all three options. BUT on optical, the remote will not operate the volume of the player. Only the amp volume works. Also, sometimes, not always, when going from listening to music to the menu, I cannot exit the menu, it just shows "Read'y and is stuck there, till I turn the CD player completely off and turn back onto unstick the unit. Is my unit defective? Or what?
I have heard OPA1612 based DACs and never liked its sound. I believe it is as good as it gets for a $600 device but nothing to die for. The TPA6120 headphone amp is a very old part too and has poor output performance as headphone amp because it requieres an in line output resistor to avoid oscillations. that makes them only suitable for very high impedance headphones. In summary the analog section for this product is about 10 years old and the AKM4499 gets severely degraded with that poor analog stage design.
I had to look on the web site to see if it has a remote and it does, What I cant tell is whether it has numeric buttons for easy access to the cut you want or whether it's the semi-useless kind of remote like the Schiit URD with just fast forward so you have hit the remote ten times to get to cut 10 on a CD. It's an issue with me but maybe not with you.
Not interested in wearing out the remote hitting the forward eight time to get to a track. I'm talking about a button with a number. You press it and it goes directly yo your track. Big deal with me. Maybe not others. @@lisar3944
Lots of premium players use a puck system these days. The plate on top absolutely does not spin if that's what your thinking (that would be loud, screechy, wear down the metal and be super dangerous). The puck has a pretty small moment of inertia around the principal axis of the spindle's rotation because of its small radius; none of the mass is too far from the axis. Wouldn't be surprised if it's not adding that much more MoI than the CD itself honestly. And the spindle tends to be a much more reliable part of a drive mech than the laser rack & pinion (and the laser itself), and for that matter, the drawer/slot loading systems on other drives. My main concern would be trying to put the top plate on without touching the spinning puck/disc, I probably wouldn't even try.
I'd rather have a CD player without the magnet and lid to take off before putting a CD on, replace, and then remove again before retrieving the CD. Too much bother.
Why do these companies build products with a decent DAC only to limit it severely without an optical/coax in so it cannot be used with a streamer too? Now I have to pay for another DAC for a streamer. There are only a couple of good streamers with USB output.
I mean it has A Lot of audiophile components so it must be worth $600+ dollars 🙄. My personal opinion is this is for a person that will be using the internal dac. LDAC/Bluetooth is a nice feature if one of your other components doesn't carry it. I'm not a fan of magnets near my stereo equipment. I imagine the dac in this sucka is pretty good. Digital inputs would have put this up a notch or 2 on the buy scale. I didn't see a remote which is a bummer for a CD player of any price. I think it's cool just because it's a CD player from a different company. Not for me though. I'd like a CD transport (no dac), Digital inputs (switcher 4 my Dac), Remote, and the Bluetooth (LDAC) would be a bonus. Entertaining review 👍
it has a remote. The dac is indeed pretty awful (to my ears at least/compared to my topping) so having the extra inputs would be pointless imo ;) I think the bluetooth and onboard dac are only useful if you primarily use this standalone for headphone listening only.
568 bucks for a cd player ? I could set someone up with a decent receiver, turntable, cd player and a tape deck along with some 1/2 way decent speakers for that. and give back change.
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I would say that this is a great value for the Use Case. The Schitt URD is 2X more expensive and many CD Transports alone are a Minimum of $600. Also this is pretty compact so I would say it’s primary use case is for desktop and headphone listening where Optical and Coax inputs would be overkill.
I'm looking for a CD transport but this one is way too expensive, SMSL should bring a stripped-down one out without Blue Tooth, onboard DAC and headphone input for under $300, then they would be onto a winner IMO
Hard pass on a CD player with an exposed laser mech.
If you want to use a transport just get either any 90's DVD player with a digital out, an Onkyo 7030, or a Yamaha CD S300/301. You mentioned having an internal DAC.. that would strictly speaking not be a CD transport.
The Tangent CD II is a great small space cd player. Only £150. No screen though, but looks far more expensive than it is.
Agree. People who buy CD players or transports nowadays will be audiophiles. They won't care for the other bells and whistles. On the other hand, people who care for bluetooth and network capbailities won't care about having a CD player built in. So who is this for? And at what price?
Agree 100% . Cd player with digital out is all I need . Allows me then to do whatever I want . I need neither bells nor whistles .
Totally agree 👍a cheaper CD transport version would be great
Exactly. Implement Coax, optical usb input and remove Bluetooth and headphone output. Add sparco op amps for icing on the cake.
I’d buy with all of the above.
If they did a transport in black for half the price I'd be interested.
Its funny Randy, as a Gen xer you should have mentioned the old school early 80s matte silver finish. As a kid I'd look at Radio shacks stackable componants( lots of eq's) an everything was that silver till like, 86; then all black after that.
Maybe I'm missing something here, but I just can't get behind a $700 CD player. What are we doing???
_Thank_ you.
The ability of a CD player/transport to track a CD - that may or may not be concentric - is very important. The pits and lands that make up the physical "track" on a CD, are very small, and the tracking laser needs to be moveable (side to side) in order to stay aligned with the pits and lands. The linear speed of a CD is constant, so at the beginning of a CD (which starts on the inside) the disk has to be spun much faster, and it continuously slows down as it plays. So if the center hole of the disk is even a little eccentric from the spiral of the pits and lands - then the tracking mechanism of a CD player/transport gets a workout.
The buttons on the right reminds me of a Teac tape deck from the 70s I've got collecting dust.
I love this product but I recently bought Shanling CD Transport.Thanks for the review sir
This is a really funny and informative video, Randy! You’re right about the input. Gotta have the optical or coax in.
Seems reasonable if it's high quality. Some here say "Get a $40 computer drive & add a good DAC," but those cheap drives only last a couple of years. Is the lid + puck a good idea? It's the same as my Pro-Ject RS which looks cool & reduces the complexity of a drawer or slot loader ("Hey, gimmie back my disc! Where's the pliers?"). The form factor is smaller than a Rotel, so it fits nicely on a desktop for headphone listening or can send audio to bluetooth speakers.
I'd love to see a review comparison between this and the Pro-Ject RS, especially considering the cost difference (to those whinging about the price of the PL200, the Pro-Ject is ca. $2500). I've heard great things about the RS but can it *really* be worth that much more? I honestly have no idea - that's why I'd like to see a head to head with this device.
@@lisar3944 Pro-Ject has had a few "ultimate" CD drives. I have the RS, which was $1,100 USD in 2020. The current model is the CD Box RS2 T which is over $3,000.
The piano key switches remind me of an 80's portable tape recorder. Had one for my TI99-4A computer, no floppy disk!
It would be nice if there was a volume control so the balanced analog outputs could be run directly into amp(s).
There would have to be a volume control for the headphone amp so I would assume it would also work for the amp outs. It's probably the center knob. It also comes with a remote.
it's got a volume control
I believe you can. Under Settings you can set Output to Variable. The front knob is the volume control. Remote also has volume control.
So how does this unit compare to an SMSL SU-1 DAC with a $30 budget DVD player for CD playback? That would seem to offer a bit more flexibility, if you did not need the headphone output and Bluetooth, for 1/6 of the price.
I've been waiting for somebody to review this it just popped up glad it's you. They are very proud of those keys, they even explain how they are made in that SMSL info sheet you showed. The price of the Audio lab 9000cdt is £999.00. I'd be pushing this via Qacoustic active speakers..
Cool device. Great video, and you are certainly correct on the lack of inputs. For the price, it should have that extra bit for that kind of money.
I had an Aspen ... thanks for taking me back to good times. When it was done for we covered iit with trashy paintings and beat it with baseball bats ....
Stream of soothing babbling water, koi carp and...lotus flowers. Altogether now, Ohmm....
No mosquitos? I'm in! 😂
As for the price, the similarly styled Shanling EC3 is going for $650.00, but it also has a Sabre DAC. Hmm...
Randy should review that one too, and do a comparison. There is also the Shanling ET3 which is a CD transport with no onboard DAC. I'm looking for a device in the ballpark of these and the Schiit Urd, but so far I don't think any of them are exactly what I'm hoping to find... but we're getting very close.
It's almost a year since i bought shanling CD player ec3. I can say that it is an excellent player, well made, solid as a brick when you hold it in your hand and most importantly, it sounds great. This one is also top loading and that is why the CD rotation is inaudible, without unwanted vibrations. It has a bunch of more or less useful things, you can manage it via the app if you want. At first I was skeptical because it is a Chinese brand, but it turned out to be the opposite.
@@gogo-fk1lu
Thanks for the feedback on the Shanling.
like to see you compare this to the Shangling EC3 CD player, which btw does kind of have the same look as far as the CD placement. and removable CD cover. Both are within a $100 of each other
Headphone jacks do not belong on the back of equipment. I've never understood why this is even a thing. It belongs where it can be easily accessed.
It simplifies circuit board design to have it near all the other input/outputs.
@@CheezMonsterCrazy And they probably wanted a cleaner front look, but IMO it isn't a good design. They could have just run some wires to a jack on the front.
Shanling top-load EC 3 (seems not available now) was similar in some ways. The Shanling CD 80 was also a maybe for me. Too late; did not research enough.
PL 200 also looks good. It has features I wanted. Would not use rear headphone jack.
I spent more for less features. Not necessarily less quality nor a bad choice, maybe not best choice - the Pro-Ject DS 3 CD box was just a few hundred dollars more than this SMSL PL 200.
Then I saw $3k+ Cyrus half-width CD players, looking thru other's YT videos. Putting the price of the Shanling, SMSL, even Pro-Ject and such, into perspective for most of us.
key point about the shanling ec3: I was looking at it too and it was my top contender. Given the issue many players seem to have with gapless playback now, I asked the seller if it supported gapless playback, and they said it does not! The seller might be wrong but it's so common now, I suspect it's true. The et3 might be better but to be frank, any company that offers any cd player that can't handle gapless playback is out of bounds and loses my interest. It's unconscionable.
I just got this unit and it does support gapless playback, thank goodness. I also considered the ProJect models but I really wanted to stay away from slot loaders for the extra mechanical risk - of course they have a top loading model, too, costing somewhere around 2k euros. As if!
Was hoping a sale on these for the holidays. Such a cool unit if you’re into CDs
The lid idea is maybe fun to start with but it will get old quickly. Also, it’s just gonna collect dust. There shouldn’t be any nooks n crannies facing up. Great functions though. It would suit my current requirements but I’m not on board with the design of the top. Cheers 🍻😎
In my opinion, a top loading design like this is superior because it eliminates a moving drawer mechanism which can wear out or break, and also produces a considerable amount of undesirable vibration and resonance.
An added benefit is that the magnetic cap stabilizes the disc during playback, further eliminating vibration and drastically cutting down on the use of the correction system.
Yes, the drawer is the enemy of lower priced transports. Not much innovation in this right now.
@@HareDeLune indeed. When I got this one I gave it a bump test while in play - I started by opening and closing the drawer under the table top. My old player always skipped when I did this, no matter how gently. The pl200 didn't blink. Then I gave it a few sharp taps on the side with my finger. Nothing. I finally escalated to a full on open handed (though controlled) slap and still no skips, jumps or hiccups whatsoever. I quit there as it was enough for me and I don't like to abuse my equipment ;)
Bottom line: the stabilization in this thing is impressive.
@@lisar3944
Thanks for the information.
I have a Shanling ET3 transport which checks all the boxes for user involvement and file playback. Problem is it doesn't have a full remote and you must set up your phone running an app. I haven't been able to set up the app to get it working. Anotherwords, I have no direct CD track access nor USB track access. I was looking really hard at the SMSL but you pointed out what I surmised: there just aren't enough inputs. Why would you need so many ouputs on a device that has its own DAC? This is plainly inscrutable.
Actually it's very common to have at least one digital out on a cd player, and dare I say most (?) have both coax + optical out just like the PL200. In fact I don't think I've ever seen a player that didn't have any digital outs. Additionally, it's not common to have loads of digital in's on a cd player as it's primary use is to play cds. Consider that this thing costs less than a really good dac, what is built in here is not top notch, it's just there so you *can* play cds without an external dac (that is what makes it a cd player, as opposed to a cd transport). Many people use cd players as transports only (via the digital outs) as so many standalone dacs can easily beat what's built into any player at this price point. In other words, there is nothing inscrutable about this device - it's completely normal for a cd *player* to be designed this way.
The lack of other inputs for the DAC doesn't bother me because USB is all I use anyway or CD, so it works out perfect.
And in DAC's, the greatest amount if file times and play back quality is gonna come from USB regardless.
For me, and I'm just speaking for me. All the other DAC inputs are redundant. I would cry if their were there for backwards compatability sake. But it's nothing I would ever miss.
I'm probably gonna snag this thing, it's priced about the same as any other well built transport but has some awesome value propositions tacked on.
Didn't even get to see it powered up and how the display looks. Although doesn't matter once I heard the price.
Shanling CD80 is perfect. I received mine this week. Loving it
I think I might actually have a good use-case for this as I'm looking for a desktop solution. I like the size, the fact that it has a headphone amp built-in, and balanced outputs to go to my powered monitors and sub. My question is, what other desktop CD players should I look at to fit this bill? Looking to keep it clean and simple, without a big stack of components!
so...I am in a similar camp, not because I want to put it on my desktop but because I live in a teeny tiny (325 sq ft tiny) apartment and have no room for traditionally sized components. The main problem with a lot of "modern" cd players is that they don't correctly handle gapless content. If that matters to you, you need to add that "feature" (which should be completely laughable, though sadly it's true) very high up on your wish list.
Aside from that I think having a headphone amp built in is pretty unique to this player. I've never seen that on a cd player before. If you can live without the headphone amp, I can attest tha the TEAC PD-301 is very small and works ok. I had one for a few years and by now it's a little noisy when it spins, it's quite slow to start/load/do anything but it's ok. I don't really like the burr brown dac it uses but this is a matter of taste - many seem to love that dac as it's quite "warm". If you don't like the dac it has optical out to your own dac of choice. ProJect also makes a range of cd players at different price points that are wee little things, they have a good reputation too.
Looks cool but dayum that price, I picked up a Sony Mega Storage 200 CD player for 50 bucks at my local record shop. Sounds great and for literally a 10th of the price and stores 200 CDs at once. I have a hard time with newer CD and Tape decks, so overpriced for barely any features if at all
Loved the chime joke. Classic CAM.
Hi Shanling ET3 is similar looking device but is only a transport and sure has better connectivity on the back. The only thing I find quirky here is the small round display screen.
Jonny Darko reviewed it too.
Very interesting piece of audio gear!!! The price makes it difficult to buy...
I wonder whose laser and focus assembly they are using. And I wonder who else is using it for less money.
I'm intrigued by the looks & build alone. I can't really explain why, but I think the top loading system is crazy nice on this device...
EDIT: the device is currently $568.65 on amazon...
Let me know when it goes for $329.99 (or less) and then I will buy it.
Of course it has a DAC... EVERYTHING that plays or revives digital audio and outputs it analog either as low level signal output or as a speaker output.
That's also the difference between a "CD player" and a "Transport".. CD Player has a DAC built in while a Transport needs an external DAC.
You know I've been looking at CD transports. I think this thing 'looks' awesome. I'd probably consider it even if it sounded like tin cans banging together. But for me to consider a transport for a floundering medium like Compact Disc, well it's gotta be a whole lot cheaper. $300, no-brainer, sign me up. It has the 'look' that says both futuristic and retro at the same time. When you can pick up a $60 BluRay player that gets you 97% of the way there just can't bring myself to spend well $780 Canadian. But dig the looks. Make it a simple transport, drop the DAC, bluetooth, USB in, MQA support and lower the price, and SMSL might have a winner.
Cayin Mini CD player folks. Only $270 with free shipping and it rocks
'70 Dodge Aspen RT" comment made me laugh. I lived through those days and those vehicles. Great content!!
Glad you enjoyed it
Thank you so much for reviewing this!!!
What about newly released Shanling CR60 CD transport and ripper?
I wonder if Schiit knew they were in competition with engineers on the other side of the world to make the weirdest CD player ever made? The real question is which is more odd, the Urd or this?
What is so strange about the Urd? I would use the words “innovative” over “strange”.
I bought a Sony Blu-Ray Player for $99.00 and it also plays SACDs. This is way too expensive.
And with the Sony you're assured of getting parts that haven't been bought in from dodgy sellers at the Shenzhen market. No such luck here. These are fine when they're $50. Not ten times that.
How about doing a comparison test on Some different brands of DVD / BlueRay players on cd playback quality
Hey darling. I'm Luca from Italy I have bought the same player, but it struggles with my cds. My older one cd player used to read better. By the end of the day pl200 reads them, but this situation is a little strange. Do you experience the same situations?
Did I miss the remote? I did maybe but, at that price I threw up a bit. At 99 dollars-great.
it does have a remote. Just forgot to mention it. I had fun making this video but it wasn't really "scripted out"
Cool design, but I'll stick with my Pioneer Elite DVD player I bought for $7 at Goodwill. CD transports is not where I'm spending big money on hi-fi and I already have transparent DACs.
If you use earphones, you can hear noise when the player goes to the next track on the CD. This is very annoying and not acceptable. Did you experience it?
I wish you'd stop telling me to grab a cup of coffee, I can only watch in the evenings and you're playing havoc with my sleep patterns... Great show, thanks for all you do!
Sorry!
Decaf perhaps?
@@bikeman7982 never! 😉
Do I need an Amplifier or Receiver to play this player through my speakers with an RCA cable
I wanted one immediately when I saw it! But the price....... nope. But I like the style!
I like this product from SMSL ... I have a huge collection of CD's I'd like to keep going - though of course I have decent players.
Years ago I did a test. First I copied a cd. Then I ripped it into flac. And then I burned the flac onto a blank cd.
In my test,the original cd sounded better. And my system was not high end. I had a Emotiva XPA-2 gen 2 amp. The Emotiva XSP-1 gen 2 preamp. And an ERC-3 cd player. I also had a Panasonic DMP BDT500 (top of the line) bluray player,with analog outputs. My speakers were SVS Ultra Towers.
The result was ,the original cd sounded much better in both the ERC-3 cd player,and Panasonic BDT500. The directly copied (.WAV) cd i made wasn't as clear. The one burned from .flac onto cd was a little worse. I couldn't tell much difference than playing the flac file directly from a flash drive.
So,people who think all digital is the same,don't know what they're talking about. I've been an audiophile for over 35 years now and have had many cd players. I know of many people that criticize Emotiva products. But I can say they beats all the other equipment I had in the past.
The ERC-3 cd player bested the top of line single drawer Denon by far,and replaced it. Before that I had a $1200 Yamaha player with burr brown dacs.
It was no contest, the ERC-3 was better in every way.
So,I just don't get audiophiles who insist on streaming. Cd's are going to sound better. I can only imagine how much better if you have a more resolving system than I have. On a side note, I built speakers in the past, I designed and still have my own RCA interconnectes,which sound much better than interconnects selling for $500 for 1/2 meter pair. And I made my own power cables. Relatively cheap for everything. I end up thinking that nowadays,with the younger generation, that convenience is everything. If your a dedicated audiophile, and the most respectable ones are musicians who know what instrument brands,equipment (amplifiers,effects,monitors,etc) really sound like, then cd's are what you want. Whats the point in spending more money upgrading speakers,amps,preamps,etc, if all you're going to do is stream and listen to flac?
And one thing nobody is mentioning. This SMSL PL200 has balanced XLR outputs! Cheap balanced XLR cables can sound better,more open and clearer,than many real expensive RCA interconnects. Though I never got around to it,my next projects was to make my own Balanced XLR interconnects,using the best UPOCC Neotech copper wire that you can get. My Emotiva ERC-3 has balanced XLR outputs as well.
You can be critical all you want,but what other Cd player brands can you get that have balanced XLR outputs,and doesn't cost thousands of dollars?
optical/coaxial input would have been nice so you can attach a streamer to it that doesn't come with usb out.
So this hunk of merchandise is $570.00 on Amazon...
it reminds me of an AIWA product one would find on a shelf, in Target...in 1996, next to the Texas Instruments Calculators, and Tickle Me Elmo's....but that's just me.
Nice review though.
I’m noticing that you’re recording this video on the same day as the previous one because you’ve got that Jeff Goldblum shirt vibe from Jurassic Park, with the taco meat present and accounted for. It’s a new look for you, but I’m not complaining. (I still prefer the Wayland-Yutoni. That’s just me.)
edit: To properly legitimize this comment, I do think the balanced weight on top of the disc is pretty awesome. I’m sure that adds a lot to the price, but spinning up a weighted disc will ensure stability. You know…so you don’t have to keep it on your lap.
lol. yes. I shot two videos yesterday. love Jeff G. the CD player is pretty cool. confuses me a little bit but cool none the less
"There's no mosquitoes." 😌
I really like the look of this and am in the market for another cd player or transport (currently have a mark 1 rega Apollo, also a top loader). But the price is just too high and I cannot find it for sale here in the UK. but, based on the USD price i can easliy get a 6000cdt or Cambridge CXCv2 or a rotel A11 for way under that.
$600 for an SMSL device?! I was expecting $100-200. There are so many better options for the money. I would go for Technics, even if used.
Their VMH line SMSL's Lexus range as to Toyota. SMSL VMV D2R Audio DAC is 1000 euro, SMSL VMV P2 Headphone Amplifier is 1000 euro. Do you remember how the Japanese took over the motorcycle industry, small, cheap,, and reliable now making the best superbikes in the world.. What is Harley Davidson doing now hanging on by its hairy biker fingernails?
@@patricaomas8750 Comparing Toyota, a Japanese brand known for exceptional quality, reliability and a lack of hype marketing, to SMSL is an absolute insult. Lexus is reasonable as an expensive brand because it's Toyota quality applied to a cool premium car.
@@ChrisStoneinator I apologise to the corporation. I hope I didn't hurt its feelings
@@patricaomas8750 never catch me going to bat for a corporation but not even they deserve that kinda treatment. Your comparison just doesn’t hold is my point.
The Shanling ec mini which is currently $340 from Hifigo gives almost identical spec but with dual ESS dacs. It also has a very decent Philips cd mechanism and, I think looks better. The headphone amp is not as powerful and it, too, only has usb digital inputs (I think). All round better value, I reckon.
The Shanling ET3 which costs about the same as the SMSL is altogether a much better machine and has streaming and I2S and other goodies.
I have the EC mini here on my desk. I tested with balanced out, and it can somewhat play my hifiman he6se v2 if I floor it, which is impressive. Didn't think the portable part was important too me since it normally rests in my living room, but now I also love that part.
@terjes64 I am so tempted by it but am struggling to find a use case (an excuse case). I have an upgraded Jay's Audio transport, an old Oppo and an old Pioneer dv 757 so a surfeit of disc spinners. But there is something about that little device that draws me...
@jimfarrell4635 I believe in you, you can find an excuse! Sometimes it helps selling something that honestly doesn't give you any joy anymore, first.
the et3 has some serious shortfalls that don't show up on that shiny spec list. to whit: the i2s pin configuration is not compatible with topping dacs and possibly others (this is always a risk with i2s but worth pointing out). You'd have to source a special hdmi cable with "translated" pin arrangement to get it to work. The usb out has to be physically unplugged if you want to use any other output. DSD upsampling is only available over i2s - which if you have a topping (or other "incompatible" dac) means there is effectively no dsd upsampling. They claimed pcm->dsd64 over coax/optical/aes in the spec but turns out they software wasn't implemented correctly (according to Shanling themselves) so...sol if you care about that. Oh but you can use it as a streamer! Why I would want a streamer built into my physical media oriented cd transport is beyond me, but if that floats your boat, yes that is a plus.
I'm admittedly annoyed after my experience with the et3 - can you tell? :D It's ok but I like the pl200's UX better, and it doesn't promise any extras that don't actually work. I don't like the dac and have no use for the headphone out but I anticipated that before I got it, so my expectations were reasonably set and met with the pl200.
Nah, for $670 there are plently proper CD player options.
Is this player gapless? and to me most important can it play ya know Burned cds?cause im finding it hard to play burned cds!got a bunch of them and they are pretty cool!thanks
Never again buying a CD player that won't play gapless. What use is a CD player that can't play classical music?! How is that by any stretch 'audiophile' to have an orchestra fuck up and put beats of rest into the middle of the Rite of Spring?! Bonkers...
Question,
Is it possible to play apple music via an ipad hooked up to the usb input of the pl-200?
Thank you Randy
Should Naim be worried about SMSL copying their magnetic puck design?
A parred down version no dac no Bluetooth with balanced outputs and in black then that would be cool.
I didn't last past the 'a word from our sponsor'
Sadly this unit is a day late and a dollar short in more than one way.
I REALLY can't justify the price of this at all TBH. As Randy states at $200-$300 cheaper it would start to be a worthwhile purchase but not as it stands.
I'll still stay with my SU-1, Fosi amp and small form Sony BR player as a transport. Although I would like to hear how this would sound connected to a set of Klipsch Sevens.
Definitely a cool looking unit but unless/until SMSL corrects a lot of the issues it's not a consideration. This needs more well thought out functions and a LOT lower price.
Does it boil water too, if you put that lid thingy on it?
Chances of my affording lies somewhere between Diddly squat and Buckleys.
Thanks. Surprised you haven’t reviewed the Aiyima A07 max. Aiyima’s upgraded version similar to what Fosi has done with the V3.
Thank you so much for supporting the channel!
I may have it somewhere here. I have a few boxes to open
@@cheapaudioman Must be like Christmas all year round at your house :)
A
Off topic but ... your watch?
I have an SMSL DAC, and an SMSL amp. Why would I go for this?
If it was a provable, very good transport, I wouldn't mind the price.
Oh, and I don't like the looks at all.
Can you have a look at the Shanling CD80 or CA80.
Please
Moon Baby is the most under-rated Godsmack song.
Why couldn’t the clamping magnet and the lid be combined into one ????🙂
Shanling does it this way, but ime their lids don't feel very durable, insofar as the "puck" is fully plastic and it rattles around when you lift and place the lid. If *anything* goes wrong with that plastic puck the player won't work. Same if you drop or otherwise break the (glass) lid. The player is effectively inoperable.
What I like about the PL200 design is that you don't need the big lid at all, as it will play with the puck only, and the puck feels much more durable than the shanling equivalent. Even if you lost the PL200's puck or crushed it underfoot, or your dog ate it, and you net needed to replace it, I suspect a variety of other pucks would do the job. Not so with the shanling lid :/
HELP!!!!!
I bought this, having issues! I can use RCA, or Coax, or optical to hook it up as my amp has all three options. BUT on optical, the remote will not operate the volume of the player. Only the amp volume works. Also, sometimes, not always, when going from listening to music to the menu, I cannot exit the menu, it just shows "Read'y and is stuck there, till I turn the CD player completely off and turn back onto unstick the unit. Is my unit defective? Or what?
Way too expensive. How does it compared to cheapest Marantz CD6007 ? Heard that it is one of best bang for the buck cd players outthere.
It has optical and coaxiaal inputs. So----product of the year🎉
those are outputs.
Transport only at $300 and I am in.
Is SMSL trying to go upstream in the hifi world?
And what does everyone think of SMSL's AO300 integrated?
I have heard OPA1612 based DACs and never liked its sound. I believe it is as good as it gets for a $600 device but nothing to die for. The TPA6120 headphone amp is a very old part too and has poor output performance as headphone amp because it requieres an in line output resistor to avoid oscillations. that makes them only suitable for very high impedance headphones. In summary the analog section for this product is about 10 years old and the AKM4499 gets severely degraded with that poor analog stage design.
$199 -$270 for this is the sweet spot - I’ll check back in 6-8 months and betting that’s where the price is on various sites
I think Darko showed a similar thing, but from another Chinese brand
Blue sound node has a USB out. I guess you would need a USB USB-C adapter.
I had to look on the web site to see if it has a remote and it does, What I cant tell is whether it has numeric buttons for easy access to the cut you want or whether it's the semi-useless kind of remote like the Schiit URD with just fast forward so you have hit the remote ten times to get to cut 10 on a CD. It's an issue with me but maybe not with you.
you can find the manual online without much effort. to answer your question, yes you can use the remote to skip to a specific track on the PL200.
Not interested in wearing out the remote hitting the forward eight time to get to a track. I'm talking about a button with a number. You press it and it goes directly yo your track. Big deal with me. Maybe not others. @@lisar3944
What's that on yer MousTashe, cheapAudioHombre?
No SACD? Ok, next one please!
If that Frisbee spins with the disc it might be a problem due to inertia as disc speed changes.
Lots of premium players use a puck system these days. The plate on top absolutely does not spin if that's what your thinking (that would be loud, screechy, wear down the metal and be super dangerous). The puck has a pretty small moment of inertia around the principal axis of the spindle's rotation because of its small radius; none of the mass is too far from the axis. Wouldn't be surprised if it's not adding that much more MoI than the CD itself honestly. And the spindle tends to be a much more reliable part of a drive mech than the laser rack & pinion (and the laser itself), and for that matter, the drawer/slot loading systems on other drives.
My main concern would be trying to put the top plate on without touching the spinning puck/disc, I probably wouldn't even try.
no identity crisis. it's a cd player, not a DAC.
I'd rather have a CD player without the magnet and lid to take off before putting a CD on, replace, and then remove again before retrieving the CD. Too much bother.
Why do these companies build products with a decent DAC only to limit it severely without an optical/coax in so it cannot be used with a streamer too? Now I have to pay for another DAC for a streamer. There are only a couple of good streamers with USB output.
I mean it has A Lot of audiophile components so it must be worth $600+ dollars 🙄. My personal opinion is this is for a person that will be using the internal dac. LDAC/Bluetooth is a nice feature if one of your other components doesn't carry it. I'm not a fan of magnets near my stereo equipment. I imagine the dac in this sucka is pretty good. Digital inputs would have put this up a notch or 2 on the buy scale. I didn't see a remote which is a bummer for a CD player of any price. I think it's cool just because it's a CD player from a different company. Not for me though. I'd like a CD transport (no dac), Digital inputs (switcher 4 my Dac), Remote, and the Bluetooth (LDAC) would be a bonus. Entertaining review 👍
it has a remote. The dac is indeed pretty awful (to my ears at least/compared to my topping) so having the extra inputs would be pointless imo ;) I think the bluetooth and onboard dac are only useful if you primarily use this standalone for headphone listening only.
Wow.What a bummer in terms of no dig inputs and 1/3 too much inn terms of cost
Need optical in. Std 5V usb as well a bonus
568 bucks for a cd player ? I could set someone up with a decent receiver, turntable, cd player and a tape deck along with some 1/2 way decent speakers for that. and give back change.
Over-priced for what it is to me. I would go for an Audiolab 6000CDT for the same cash.
It's cool but not $650 cool. Not for me anyway. Thanks for showing it though.
Oops! I made rice in the CD player and I put my cd in the pot on the stove!