I couldn't face the prospect of going without a CD player for any length of time, so picked another model.
It almost never worked correctly. Lots of misloads. Lots of times it won't read discs correctly. The updates rarely work. It won't connect to the wifi. Several features just don't work well. I ended up giving up and just used the coax out into my Boulder DAC. It's just basically a buggy piece of junk. It's the MoFi of disc players...
Hi, greetings from Cyprus and just a small post for anyone looking for buying this nice piece of hardware. I have been using Arcam A65+ and RDAC (Burr-Brown DAC) for quite a lot of time and liked the warmth, mids, bass, etc, with my B&W 685 and then B&W 685 S2s. However here in Cyprus we have wet climate and something has happened with the A65+ and it has started sounding funny. So I managed to buy the only mint SA10 on the island and got a new CDS50 for free with it (500 EUR total). First things first, it IS a bit buggy and you need to be careful with it. I managed to break the CD tray and now it won't open at all. However, my usage scenario is a bit different to all you CD/SACD audiophiles out here so I'm really bothered. I've got my entire FLAC library of ripped CDs (for Apple originally) which I've put on a USB drive 256GB formatted in FAT32. It takes a few seconds to load and then I have never encountered any issues or delays. I have also streamed FLACs from any PC with UPnP capability without any issues. The CDS50 is connected to the wired network via ethernet cable for better stability. The iPad is loaded with an Remote and it connects without any issues (because the IP address is fixed on the router). The CDS50 is connected to SA10 via RCA cables. I could have also gone via digital route but I use the SA10 inputs for other purposes. The quality is truly magnificent. The sound stage is so much wider than on an old system, I had to move the B&Ws a bit closer. The bass is more precise, the mids are indeed a bit less warm than an old system (unfortunately), however the treble and the vocals are just out of this world. The player and an amp indeed need a bit of time to live-in - I would definitely recommend a hefty 100 hours before giving any review. Any MP3 or radio stations ruin the sound quality - would not recommend at all. Hope this helps someone.
I have to contact Richer Sounds as my Arcam CDS50 tray wont open. I tried turning it off and on, but that doesn't help. I was having this problem over the last few months, but it did work after rebooting it. But not now
You people with bad CDS50 should try and get manufacturer to refund. You can get a 6 yr warranty in UK if you buy from Richer Sounds. I think Arcam selling out to Harman and then Samsung have ruined the quality and reputation. No longer UK manufactured.
I'm currently trying to compare CD and SACD via the CDS50, since I've always struggled to hear much noticeable difference with SACD stereo, regardless of the player. I'm curious to know what cables people are using?
I had this same problem, ironically after it came back to Richer Sounds from Arcam, after I asked them to get the glitch looked at, where the beginning of tracks were cut off. The CD tray wouldn't open at all. Richer Sounds just swapped it for a new unit, and I've had no issues since.
I use my CDS50 as a doorstop... It's the second crappiest piece of equipment I've owned, only surpassed by DAT.
I just picked up a CDS50 from Best Buy here in the US. I have a 60 day return option if for some reason I don't like it. So far except for the crappy manual and instructions I have had no issues and the sound quality of standard CDs or as expected. I won't be using the streaming options except to try them as my Marantz AVR has HEOS and it works great for streaming compared the MusicLife app. My question is this...how should it be connected to my Marantz? Right now I have it connected via the 2 analog RCA out to my Marantz Blue-Ray RCA inputs. The Marantz does support both coax and fiber input as well. Is it possible to get SACD 5.1 out of this player on my Marantz? The post I read seem to be confusing and contradict regarding SACD output on coax and fiber and I'm not sure how I would get 5.1 audio on 2 RCA channels. Thanks
I think the CDS50 is stereo only. If you want multichannel SACD via HMDI out, get the much less expensive Sony X800M2.
You already elaborated: I primarily use mine as a CD player, and haven't experienced any issues of not reading discs correctly etc.
You need a blu ray player that plays SACD's. I have a separate Pioneer LX500 so I can play SACD's in 5.0
I've read this entire thread before I joined so hello from leprechaun land. I owned the Arcam CDS27 from 2016 and replaced it with CDS50 in June 2023 and have had too little quality time with it, I'll explain the differences between both later but I should not have sold the CDS27 due to a horrible selling experience, and I loved the sound also. It was not worth the money I sold it for, the rotten experience and I should have kept it just for another streamer in the same system or a 2nd system. Arcam software Musiclife on Android is garbage and unusable for both players... Moving on... Both work flawlessly with Bubble uPnp app which I always used, neither players support native gapless with this app nor playing from attached 1TB USB drive nor my Mac Mini M1 running Firestream software software with 5TB drives. This is how I usually like to use it living without gapless as most times it doesn't matter except playing continuous music, for example Pink Floyd DSOTM or electronic DJ mixes... To achieve gapless playback I bought the Neutron Player app for Android, horrible to learn, very complicated, horrible interface and for die hard audiophile nerds as you have full real time DSP. You can slow tempo, full equaliser plus a plethora of options a sound engineer might use... But it does gapless as it seems to route the data through the phone/tablet it is installed upon. Ot is also supposed to sound better or have the ability to if you understand the many upsampling options etc all in real time. I bought the CDS50 as seen it for £349 in end of stock sale, it had digital inputs and aesthetically matched my Arcam SA10 for my upcoming new house in my beautiful Norstone TV hifi stand with frosted glass. The digital inputs are fantastic to access the ES9038 DAC which is better than the SA10 ES9016 DAC which was never as good as CDS27 Burr Brown DAC but no digital inputs with the former streamer. Switching to CDS50 from CDS27 on Wharfdale Denton 80th Anniversary speakers first impressions using the wonderful voive of Alison Goldfrapp... Dear God where did that massive, lush, wide and warm enveloping soundstage disappear to that I loved? Give it time it might come back? I did however notice more clarity and attack, a narrower soundstage and tighter all around. Due to circumstances I never really got using it again until I moved house. In the new house with much bigger lounge I ended up spying a ridiculous bargain just before buying a set of shorter speaker stands to fit the previously used Wharfdale Denton 80th bookshelf speakers... Fyne Audio floorstanding speakers for ahem... £199 reduced from £700 I bit the bullet... 1m tall twin woofers in D'appolito I thought would suit the new room better instead of buying stands. First record I try is the Stanley Kubrick soundtrack Barry Lyndon and there is a track with the British Army marching, and OMG I've never enjoyed marching along with the enemy as such but the immersion, the tightness, attack and lower extrnsion was a genuine pleasure. 3 days later my intermittent fault in the left channel of the SA10 went permanent so I'm still waiting for the return under the 5 year worldwide warranty that Arcam provide on amplifiers. In those 3 days the CDS50 really impressed me in a different way, yes I know different speakers but other recordings by Radiohead and others were so damn good I was completely in awe by the sound of the CDS50. In Arcam's new radia range you need to buy both the CD5 for disc play (non SACD) and ST5 streamer at a combined price of £1450 for what the CDS50 provides so I hope you guys who didn't get rid of it are enjoying the music as it is brilliant.
Hi I wondered if you still had the SA20/CDS50 combo and how you felt it had performed for you? I am tempted by the lower prices of both now on offer in the UK given their new range has just launched. Never owned anything by Arcam and at least they still have some tenuous connection to the UK! Cheers
