Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Arcam CD5 player has helped me reestablish my stero system and enjoy the 350+ CDs that I had. Sound is very musical and the sound stage is deep and broad. I am using the Arcam CD5 DAC and feeding the analog signal straight into my integrated amp. Amazing how good CDs can sound. Sure, I could stream but I think the CD sound is more pleasing. I love the clean, simple, elegant design of the CD5 and remote.

I finally got to hear what audiophiles call a wide and deep stage. I felt immersed in the music.having said that, it only works as long as the cd is of good quality. A couple of new cd’s which i felt were flat, ended up having a lot of static by the end of the cd, both of them. This was reproduced on another cd player. My point, is this player works great as long as the CD quality is good! The most notable to me was the great clarity in the high notes, something i loose from streaming. Lows are also improved but my room is not great with my sub. I definitely would purchase again, although i feel the price is too high.

Great sound for the price point, although past Arcam CD Players have better sound, although for a higher price. This isn’t like the old Arcam CD Players from just a few years ago. Bult quality is cheap and flimsy, and the remote is useless and hard to figure out and reminds me of a remote for an LED desk lamp, not a high-end CD player. Remote, for example, cannot open tray, cannot navigate to a specific track, have to long press pause to stop a track but not too long or it starts the track you want to stop over again, arrows change digital filters settings that change the sound little or not at all (why do they bother), having to select shuttle off to make the CD stop repeating, makes no sense. Harman should charge more and supply a real remote control. Arcam isn’t Arcam anymore, Harman purchased Arcam and has really cheapened the brand. The CD5 is no Alpha or FMJ which were the flagship CD players when Arcam was an independent high-end audio company. The CD5 does have a nice large sound stage, but when compared to previous Arcam CD players, the distortion number is high and can be heard when playing through high end preamps and amps as I do. The low end does booms but lacks the tight punch, vocal presence and musicality of old Arcam CD players like the FMJ and CD192 and other true audiophile CD players. There is some nice positioning of details in the sound stage but doesn’t transition well to headphones. At this price point the sound is great, but the build quality definitely is not. Do not buy this CD player from Best Buy. Best Buy only offers a 15 day return if you get a defective one, which is likely since the build quality is so poor. Best Buy support answers phone calls from an unknown location unrelated to any store and will not transfer calls to a store. All other authorized dealers offer 30 to as much as 90 day returns on defective players for the same price. Harman will not take any defective returns and requires all defective players be repaired which requires proof of defect by making a video and e-mailing it to Harman to evaluate. It can take a week to get an authorization to return the player for repair with customer having to pay for cost of shipping, plus the cost of a box, since the player cannot be shipped in the eco-friendly inventory box the player comes in. Repairs can take a minimum of 5 to 7 business days from the time it is received to the time they ship it back, if they have the parts, otherwise it can take an additional 1 to 2 weeks. Don’t expect the Harman support team to be knowledgeable or compassionate. They’re actually rude and belligerent and don’t proof read their e-mails so expect typos and to be insulted. The bottom line, the CD5 has great sound for the price point, but are cheaply designed and made with a high chance of defects so do not buy from Best Buy and don’t expect Harman to stand behind their product. Despite the great sound I would pay more and look at other brands. RIP my beloved Arcam, RIP.

Excellent sound. Well built. Mau miss some functions like tracks calendar, open/close functions on the remote. This compact disc player is definitely the reference in its class. It gives a lot of air to instruments. Finally, I can hear not only what is on the left part of the music scene, but I feel which instrument is in front of me, which one is further and even. Music is not tight to speakers.

“Superb” is the word. WhatHiFi has a detailed review and it is not exaggerated even if to some it may seem so. Compared to my Cambridge Audio CXC this one wins hands down. I listen mostly to classical and Jazz - maybe for other genres it may not be the best choice. Has a quirk : Tray does not open from the remote. I don’t mind. You need to insert the disc anyway. The downside is that this is not quite given away. So if you are able to find an open box, it is definitely worth going for it. I prefer the analog output on the player- just a matter of taste. It may sound sweeter or it is just my DAC on the amp being too clinical.

Looks good in a set with Arca A25 and Arcam St25. I don't know how it sounds, because I connected it via a digital input to Arcam 25. In a pair it sounds great. The only thing I would like to note is the lack of track selection on the remote. Otherwise, I am very pleased with the purchase.

Great CD player for the price! Couldn't be happier!