Audio Video News

NAD Electronics has introduced a performance-oriented CD player “engineered for musicality, simplicity and value” at a time when many brands have abandoned the category that dominated music playback for more than three decades.

At $299, the C 538 stays true to the 46-year-old brand’s mission of delivering high performance and value by applying techniques perfected for Hi-Res Audio playback to the venerable CD format, including a high-precision clock to reduce digital jitter and the latest generation Wolfson High Spec 24/192 digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

Optical and coaxial digital outputs are provided along with analog outputs and the 538 is compatible with homebrew CD-R/CD-RW discs made on a computer with MP3 and WMA files.

Play, pause, skip, and scan controls on the front panel are duplicated on a supplied remote control that provides additional controls for random, programmed, and repeat playback of songs on a disc. A dimmable dot matrix display shows tracks and playing time.

“Although music downloads and streaming continue to grow in popularity, CDs are still the primary listening source for millions of people around the world,” said Greg Stidsen, NAD’s director of technology and product planning. “NAD continues to innovate and develop its CD players to get improved performance while keeping prices affordable.”

The company says it has actually seen an increase in demand for CD players as other manufacturers have stopped making players.

For more information visit nadelectronics.com.