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ATC CD2 CD player

ATC CD2 CD player

Seeing a CD player launched at this stage in the game makes me wonder what’s going on. Does it symbolise an upwelling of desire for simplicity or perhaps a yearning to engage with a physical format that saw so many of us through a quarter century of listening pleasure? For all its apparent ease-of-use and breadth of choice, digital streaming is not always as straightforward and reliable as one might hope and there is such a thing as too much choice. Universal availability is one thing, making satisfying use of it is another; there’s a lot to be said for getting to know a manageable music collection rather than embarking on an endless quest for the next great thing.

When I asked ATC for the answer, they simply pointed out that there’s a demand from distributors in Far East markets for this type of product. In Japan for instance, streaming is not what audiophiles do, and Melco makes its servers to be used without recourse to a computer because few enthusiasts would want to do that. I use CD purely for the purpose of reviewing new music. If I am listening for pleasure, I prefer streaming from locally stored and cloud-based services, although when it comes to maximum audio delight I reach for the vinyl (we all have our peccadilloes). So, it was interesting for me to journey back to reviewing a CD player.

, ATC CD2 CD player

Even by CD player standards, the ATC CD2 is a low frills affair – if not back to basics, ‘back to what counts’ perhaps. The only luxuries on offer are balanced as well as single-ended outputs and digital outputs on standard S/PDIF terminals. It’s been a while since I saw a CD player that didn’t offer DAC functions or play SACD, but I guess that if you want to get the best out of a format then a device that’s dedicated to that job should deliver optimum results. One of the biggest problems with building a dedicated CD player is that there are so few transport mechanisms made specifically for CD as opposed to computer or video applications – and even these markets are disappearing. The only brand that really supplies such things is TEAC, which ATC has specified for the drive in the CD2, choosing it for “very useful improvements in error correction, mechanical noise, load speed and reliability” over the transports used in earlier ATC players. If disc spinners have a weak point it’s usually the drive, so reliability is a big plus.

The CD2 design is based on the development work that ATC did for its CDA2 CD/DAC/Pre, which is a remarkably good piece of kit and one of very few examples of the genre in production today. It shares the transport, DAC and analogue output stage of the CDA2 but omits the DAC inputs and volume control, using a smaller case that’s finished to the same high standards. ATC did a lot of research into digital-to-analogue converters for the CDA2 and chose the AKM4490EQ, also deployed by the CD2, which they felt offered “both outstanding measured performance and a neutral sonic character”. Along with ‘dynamic’, ‘wideband’, ‘linear’ and ‘transparent’, ‘neutral’ is a mantra to ATC’s engineers. But there’s more to successful D-A conversion than picking a few chips off the shelf and putting them on a board with a power supply. To partner the DAC the company has also developed a proprietary output filter using analogue circuits in a multiple feedback configuration to offer “lower high frequency noise gain compared to simpler arrangements”.

As you might expect from a brand with a solid background in amplifier design, ATC takes the power supply side of the D/A converter very seriously, ensuring that noise and interference are kept to the absolute minimum. The DAC has its own “highly decoupled” local regulator, plus hand soldered surface mount decoupling capacitors, in order that they can be placed as close as possible to the chip. Naturally the output stage is built in-house and uses operational amplifiers having discrete components with each stage using eleven transistors in order to produce a wideband with low noise and distortion output at low output impedances. Derived from ATC’s studio experience, the XLR outputs provide a balanced connection and can drive a 600-ohm load, which means, effectively, almost any length of cable.

After years of tapping the iPad for a musical fix, waving one of those remote control units at a CD player reminded me about what I’d missed. Ah, the nostalgia: uncomplicated, devoid of software updates or apps. Nothing too alien to learn. Even so the regular remote that comes with the CD2 is a little bit counter intuitive – it took a few moments to associate button with function. Then all I had to do was look out all my review favourites on CD. No search from the iPad, just a scouring through my disc archive, which is well ordered and understood, if only by me.

 

Remote transport functions include play/pause, next and previous tracks etc. The only shortcomings operationally speaking are the absence of an eject button on the handset and the rather well hidden ‘next’ and ‘previous’ buttons, but familiarisation is, as I said, pretty quick. And because the remote unit excludes some functions, you get to use the nice stainless buttons on the unit itself, and soon learn which ones are useful. The drawer mech is smooth but nothing special – a top-shelf TEAC mech would be too pricey for a player at this level. So with the CD2 under my command I used it with both a Townshend Allegri+ and, far too briefly, an Allegri Reference preamp, as well as assorted power amps including ATC’s P2 alongside several speakers, chiefly Bowers & Wilkins’ revealing 802 D3.

The characteristic sound of this player is very hard to pin down because actually it doesn’t exist. And this raises that ornery old hi-fi debate about truth versus consistency. It goes something like this: is hi-fi meant to embellish all music, however badly recorded, for greater listening satisfaction, or turn well recorded work transcendental, while brutally exposing the deficiencies of a rotten mix? I think I know which side I’m on and declare that the CD2 has been engineered to be neutral and transparent, without a sound of its own. For this reason it can come across as dull and uninspiring by comparison with the fruity balance of many DACs; there is no apparent voicing of the output stage to make it sound particularly open or tonally lush, as is often the case when engineers attempt to generate a ‘house’ sound. Adding character in this way can make a piece of kit sound exciting and impressive on first listen but after a while its coloration of the music becomes obvious and favours some music types over others. This ATC, like all other ATCs, is a ‘tell it like it is’ product, one that does its best to stay out of the mix so that you can hear more of what went into the recording. It’s enough to make you question whether the sparkle you get from some digital sources, or the analogue smoothness from others is merely a factor of output stage tuning.

In practice this means that the CD2 does not draw you in immediately with a big, shiny soundstage, rather it lets the music get under your skin and make its message clear. It’s less of the aesthetic treat you get with more polished players, from Marantz among others, and more of a direct emotional connection. For instance, through the CD2 it’s quite hard to sit still to music with a strong rhythm and plenty of energy, as I discovered when playing ‘16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought-Six’, a fabulous bit of jazzy blues from Tom Waits’ underrated Swordfishtrombones album [Asylum]. I should point out that I don’t usually resort to such extremes of activity but after the way the player belted it out there really was no other option. Another old favourite, La Folia [Atrium Musicae De Madrid, Gregorio Paniagua, Harmonia Mundi] is less ‘dance floor’ but has its own compelling traction. It reveals the only obvious characteristic of the ATC to be an unflappable foundation for any form of music – in the case of La Folia it’s a strange mix of ancient music fused with Indian tabla, the roar of a Land Rover, car horns and original instruments, revealing a broad range of tonal colours from the solid low-end of a big acoustic bass to the sparkle and reverberant ring of many tiny bells. I’ve heard more from far pricier streaming systems, which are better at revealing the finest detail, but the ATC allows you a close encounter with the essential drive of the music. It engages heart and soul in a way that more refined digital sources cannot always manage.

, ATC CD2 CD player

It does subtlety as well, especially with a decent recording like Jack de Johnette’s In Movement [ECM], where the drummer is joined by horn player Ravi Coltrane and bass/electronics meister Matthew Garrison. The ATC brings out the shimmering cymbals, glowering bass and full bodied tenor horn to full effect, the sax in particular delivering a blast of brassy goodness. Image depth could be greater by comparison with more expensive alternatives, but the emphasis here is once again on the spiritual message – the bit that bypasses intellect and goes straight for your endorphin generators. The title track on this album builds particularly well with a simple initial synth line providing the tempo for the band to work around and the sax to strike out in distinctly fluid fashion.

Timing from the CD2 can seem a little lacklustre at times but that’s because there is no emphasis on leading edges, and the way the player delivers rhythms straight to your beat detectors suggests that it has no trouble in keeping everything happening exactly as it should, when it should. Importantly you don’t get any sense of listening fatigue in the process, even though the ATC does nothing to soften or sweeten the sound. It’s as if the effort of many designers to deliver a plusher portrayal actually has a negative effect on the musical appreciation overall, sounding a little contrived and less obviously natural. Or maybe I’m just imagining this. It’s just that the CD2 has me questioning some of the things that I have hitherto taken for granted.

Keith Jarrett’s Testament Paris/London [another ECM] is one of his best sounding solo releases and the CD2 lets you know as much right from the start. Play ‘London VII’ and while the piano sounds solid, the stage has a hollow ambience when Jarrett’s fingers begin to tap. This machine’s ability to focus on the music means that the track remains transfixing throughout, despite Jarrett’s characteristically sporadic vocalisations. The emphasis here is firmly on the playing and the sound he gets from the instrument, which is full of dynamic subtlety.

 

The ATC CD2 is an understated CD player in both looks and sound. It’s purposeful and unfussy as you’d imagine a piece of studio gear to be. No coincidence there given ATC’s provenance. But few players get to the heart of the music quite so competently. So, if you hanker for a little silver disc simplicity, dust off your old CDs and find a player like the CD2. It does exactly what it says on the tin with an unusual degree of honesty.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Type: Solid-state CD player
  • Disc Types: CD
  • Digital Inputs: none
  • Analogue Outputs: One set single‑ended (via RCA jacks), one set balanced (via XLR)
  • Headphone Amplifier Output: none
  • Digital Outputs: One coaxial (via RCA jack), one optical (via Toslink)
  • DAC Resolution: 16-bit/44.1kHz
  • Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz +/- 0.2dB
  • Distortion: 1kHz < 0.0015% (-96dB) 10kHz < 0.003% (-90dB)
  • Signal to Noise Ratio: Wide Band < 96dB DIN < 108dB IEC“A” >112dB
  • Dimensions (H×W×D): 77 × 315 × 315mm
  • Weight: 4.2kg
  • Price: £1,500

Manufacturer:
Loudspeaker Technology Ltd

Tel: +44 (0)1285 760561

URL: atcloudspeakers.co.uk

https://hifiplus.com/reviews/

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