Years ago I had written off CDs as a worthy software format for high-fidelity music listening. Boy, was I wrong about that one.

It has turned out that a high-fidelity CD player is an indispensable source for me, and it compliments my listening to LPs in ways I would have never imagined possible, back when my listening diet was primarily composed of LPs. 

I suspect a CD player will also be indispensable for many serious high-fidelity music enthusiasts who want to explore all the music our recorded music canon has to offer. 

Imagine our enormous recorded music canon as a jigsaw puzzle composed of musical performances from all of the eras of the recording arts. 

If you wanted to listen to all those recorded performances from all those eras of the recording arts in their native software formats, you would need an audio and visual equipment suite equivalent to that of the USA's Library of Congress Audio Visual Conservation Program, located at the Library of Congress Packard Campus National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. 

However, now that many of the greatest performances from all the eras of the recording arts are now optimized for and available on Red Book CDs, all you need is a high-fidelity CD player to explore and enjoy them. 

Over the last few years I've been listening to the Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1x/II and CD 4.1x CD players. I've been really impressed with what I've been hearing from them, and it caused me to do something unexpected - buy a lot of CDs from the various eras of the recording arts. 

Both of those CD players deliver very analogue-like listening experiences that I think most vinyl devotees would be very impressed with, just as I was. 

Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x Red Book CD player.

Now the top of the line CD player from Audio Note (UK), the CD 5.1x, is in residence here, and I'm putting it through its paces in preparation for its upcoming Positive Feedback feature review.

Mactone XX-440 pre and MH-120 amp with Audio Note (UK) CD 4.1x and CD 5.1x & Io I MC + AN-S4 SUT, for digital and analog sources.

To start my listening adventures with the CD 5.1x I used it as the source for my Positive Feedback review of the remarkably musical Mactone XX-440 line preamplifier and MH-120 stereo amplifier (review HERE). 

To drive the MH-120 stereo amplifier I used the CD 5.1's 1.2V RMS single-ended RCA outputs to excellent effect. 

I was able to scale impressive musical heights with the Mactone kit, which was no doubt aided by the lofty level of performance of the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x CD player ($30,850 USD). 

Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x with Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier.

In my next phase of listening trials I am putting the CD 5.1x through its paces with the 2 watt Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier. 

Audio Note (UK) AN-V silver interconnects.

To be able to accomplish that, I needed to run the optional XLR to RCA AN-V silver interconnects from the CD 5.1x's 2.4V RMS balanced outputs to the 45 EVO to get a sufficient level of volume out of the flea-watt amp. 

The AN-V interconnects are not fully run-in yet, so consider all these listening observations preliminary until I hit the 200 hour mark on the interconnects. 

I've been having a ball listening to CDs with the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x, like Pretzel Logic, from the jazz-rock band Steely Dan. 

I used to listen to this album on the radio in 1974, while I was out in my parents garage working on my motocross bike, prepping it for the Sunday motocross races at the Owyhee Motorcycle Club, where I spent many enjoyable days racing motocross.

Hearing Pretzel Logic again was like time travel, and I was transported back to a friendlier time on Planet Earth when the most important thing in my life was racing motorcycles on every Sunday.  

Triode Lab 45 SET 'EVO' integrated amplifier.

“Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” was one of my favorite Steely Dan songs, and I was immediately struck by how loud I could play the 2 watt 45 EVO with the 2.4V output of the CD 5.1x, and secondly how how ‘energetic’ the CD 5.1x felt during my listening.

There was a definite sense of projected musical energy from the CD 5.1x, which I found to be altogether invigorating. 

I could listen loud, but it was not at all stressful to listen with peaks of 95 dB, rather ‘more exhilarating’ would be a good description of how it felt.

I also noted that the CD 5.1x had a very 'textured' sound quality, with a real sense of visceral engagement, evoking a ‘chills’ response during my listening. It was extremely stimulating to hear/feel this music through this CD 5.1x, 45 EVO, and Westminster Royale SE equipment combination. 

I thought the CD 5.1x sounded very evenly balanced across the seven frequency bands of the audio spectrum. 

The CD 5.1x's presentation was very dynamic on Pretzel Logic, and I heard that holographic sort of imaging presentation that makes the instruments and voices pop out of the mix in vivid and dramatic fashion. 

There was lots of inner detail revealed by the CD 5.1x, and overall I thought, "What a great album!"  

I’ve never heard Pretzel Logic sound this good, as interesting, and as engaging as while listening to it through the CD 5.1x.  There was an astonishingly vivid presence of images, and the soundstage was immense.  

Listening to Pretzel Logic was one of the those freakout “Holy shit!” moments you get every once in a while when listening, the sort of moment that makes hifi and music such an enduringly fun hobby. 

My Tannoy Westminster Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers with the Meishu 300B integrated amplifier.

After I hit the 200 hour mark of running in the AN-V interconnects, then I'll switch to the Audio Note (UK) Meishu Phono Silver Tonmeister 300B single-ended-triode (SET) integrated amplifier for some more listening impressions.

The Audio Note (UK) 4.1x CD player.

I'll also be comparing the CD 5.1x to the CD 4.1x to give you an idea of the jump up in performance to Audio Note (UK)'s top of the line CD 5.1x.

CTC Garrard 301 mounted with Io I MC cartridge.

Not to neglect the vinyl side of life, I'll also be comparing the CD 5.1x's performance to that of my CTC Garrard 301 mounted with the Audio Note (UK) Io I moving-coil phonograph cartridge, stepped up with the Audio Note (UK) AN-S4 SUT.

Audio Note (UK) AN-S4 silver wound step-up transformer.

Stay tuned, there will be lots more to come on the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x CD player. 

You can read my previous articles about the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x CD player at the links below:

• Today's Fresh Catch: The Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x Red Book CD player! HERE
• First Listen: Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x Red Book CD player! HERE
• Inside the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x Red Book CD player! HERE
• Today's Fresh Catch: Audio Note (UK) Silver AN-V RCA & XLR "Nitro-Boost" Interconnects! HERE

As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!