Getting back into music after a 20 year absence. I have picked up a nice Marantz AVR and set of Def Tech speakers from and a demo Pro-Ject 6 Perspex TT with a Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2. The only thing missing was a CD/SACD player. After some research I had narrowed it down to either the ARCAM CDS50 or the Marantz 30n CD/SACD player. I found the ARCAM for sell at a local BB. I thought I'd give the ARCAM a try. As a TotalTech member, I had some time to decide if it worked for me or I wanted to return and upgrade to the Marantz. I picked up a few various CDs on the way home to play. As others have said, the hardware setup is pretty straightforward and I had it connected to the Blu-ray inputs on my Marantz using a set of the Golden Gate Audioquest interconnect cables (I also highly recommend these). The Marantz lets me rename the inputs to whatever I want so I renamed it SACD. I used the Blue-ray inputs thinking maybe it would decode the 5.1 signal on multichannel SACDs...we'll see. Playing the standard CDs on the system was really nice. Much quieter than vinyl. The built in DAC of the ARMAM does a pretty good job of creating a nice sound stage with good separation. The sound floor was completely quiet as you would expect allowing the just the music through. Setup...ok...so the manual could be better. Honestly the manual is NO help. You basically setup your network connection through trial and error. The lone Ethernet port at my TV/Media location was already taken up by my X-Box Series X. I'll eventually pick up a small router to place there and plug everything in but in the meantime Wi-Fi seems to work good enough. I have both 2.5 and 5GHz and even Wi-Fi 6 (not supported by the ARCAM) so had lots to choose from. After getting the network setup I moved on to downloading the MusicLife app on the iPad that sits on my audio system to stream to the Marantz via the Heos app. While there are complaints with the Heos app, it is SO much better than the MusicLife app. I'd be embarrassed to put that thing out there if I were ARCAM. They need to switch to the HEOS system. Honestly, I will probably never use the ARCAM streaming capability since the HEOS / Marantz is so good and I have all my streaming services already setup there. I may try some stuff off Tidal to see how it sounds. I just ordered some SACDs online to see how that sounds. I found a few Mobile Fidelity Master Recordings and some high quality SACDs from Japan. I'll test the SACD when they arrive. I'm curious to see if I'll be able to get any 5.1 functionality. My expectations are for this to sound good but I also realize it is not the $3,000 Marantz or the $6,500 Mark Levinson either.

Arcam has provided not only a SACD player, but hi-res streamer and DAC that reads numerous file formats via network, disc, or USB all housed in the same unit. In addition, the CDS50 has a modern yet refined aesthetic that looks great and sounds amazing for an unbeatable price point, still keeping it may be a test of patience. 'Hears' why: The MusicLife/software app is proving to be rubbish. It often crashes and freezes up the system causing a need to waste time rebooting the app and or the player itself. At times I've even had to reboot my phone also because the MusicLife app will no longer provide access to streaming apps like Tidal (all app connections in MusicLife will disappear until the Android/phone is also rebooted). Generally MusicLife works fine if you just press play and leave it, but if you do things like jump from one song to another, it is more likely to freeze. There is also an issue with MusicLife losing its connection to the hardware and not being able to detect it at times, even though the unit is still on the network (again, a reboot is required). Finally, while not Arcam's fault (and more to do with my setup) the provided remote happens to use the same frequency as the powered Kanto Tuk speakers I own. This has been a minor irritation, since it doesn't control them in a good way. It will change the speaker input if clicking next for a CD track, or turn off the subwoofer if using the number pad as an example. So if thinking of pairing this with Kanto Tuks, expect hiccups. As a solution, you can opt to just use the app to control the player, but as mentioned previously the app is rubbish.

This is an awesome CD Player Too bad it’s disco Looking forward to spin my CDs

I absolutely love this SACD/CD/network player. At this price point, the build and sound quality is at a level only found in SACD/CD transports two to three times (being conservative) its price. Sure, Arcam could have provided a more in-depth manual (challenging menu navigation), and the MusicLife app needs work, but these things can’t take away from its blissful sound quality, and top-notch build. I have it hooked up via ethernet (strongly suggested), and piping through a tube amp and a pair of Heresy IVs. No regrets, only smiles.

if your serious about your SACD music , then this is the player that you want. Makes even non SACD sound amazing. Great price great value all in one bundle.