Digital Drive: REVIEW: Plinius CD-101 CD Player/Recorder by Asrale

Model:	CD-101
Category:	CD Player/Recorder
Suggested Retail Price:	$4750
Description:	Single-box CD player
Manufacturer URL:	Plinius
Model Picture:	View

Review by Asrale on June 16, 2008 at 10:44:16
IP Address: 216.17.247.110 Add Your Review
for the CD-101

Background:

For the past 1.5 years or so, I've been looking for a suitable CD player for my system. Major preferences: solid-state (no tubes or hybrids), front-loading. Requirements: balanced XLR output, and a price under $5K (new or used). Reason for the XLR output being that I was going into a balanced system and was looking for a balanced source. CDPs I heard in this quest before the Plinius CD-101 include (either auditions at dealers or home purchases): 2005 Audio Aero Prima (before I decided against tubes), Primare CD31, McIntosh MCD-201, Ayre CX-7e, Accuphase DP-500. Also owned the Arcam FMJ CD33 for a good long while (~1 year) which I directly compared to most of the above. The reason I owned the Arcam as long as I did is because out of all CDPs I heard, I preferred its sound the most - it was a great "reference monitor" of sorts. Clean, fast, tonally very neutral - didn't overdo anything. Wide & deep soundstage too. So as I looked for a balanced CD player, I kept holding out that I'd find one that sounded similar to the Arcam.

System:

Power cords - Black Sand Silver Reference MKV (no power conditioner, directly into wall) on CDP, LAT International AC-2 MKII and Audience powerChord E (primarily) on amp
Comparison CDPs - bel canto CD-1, dCS P8i
Interconnects - Analysis Plus Silver Oval RCA/XLR, VH Audio Symmetry XLR
Headphone amplifier - DIY balanced Beta 22, $1.8K in parts (discrete design w/ MOSFETs) (and more info at www.amb.org)
Headphones - AKG K701 w/ SAA Equinox XLR re-cable, Audio-Technica AD2000 & W5000 w/ APureSound V3 XLR re-cable, Grado HP2 w/ APureSound V3 XLR re-cable

Listening CDs:
A Fine Frenzy - One Cell In The Sea
Alison Krauss & Union Station - New Favorite, Lonely Runs Both Ways
Jewel - Perfectly Clear
Laika - Good Looking Blues
Renee Fleming - Thais ("Je n'ai pas plus choisi mon sort que ma nature" and the Meditation in Act 2)
The Crystal Method - Community Service, Tweekend
Wynonna - The Other Side

Audition Time:

2 weeks (if this sounds short, please note that I listened for at least a few hours each night, often staying up late)

Initial Impressions:

I actually bought the Plinius CD-101 back in February this year and for a couple weeks compared it directly to the Accuphase DP-500, but since my headphone amplifier at the time was quite low-end (the HeadAmp AE-2), I'll spare the impressions there, but I will say even then I preferred the Plinius. I sold the Accuphase for a variety of operational & technical reasons (Japanese 100V model, NE5532 op-amps in analog output stage, balanced did not sound better than single-ended).

Just over 2 weeks ago I took ownership of a DIY balanced Beta 22 headphone amp, currently the most advanced design in headphone amps available (see www.amb.org for info), a fully discrete design. At the same time I also took ownership of the bel canto CD-1 and dCS P8i, which I compared to the Plinius, to find out which I would keep.

Initially, the three CDPs each clearly had a unique sound signature, and if there's one that immediately blew me away (for any one reason), it was the dCS P8i. The P8i's soundstage was by far the widest I've heard to date, at first I wasn't even sure the virtual front/center was there, because everything that was left and right was WAY into the left and right drivers of my headphones. Once I got over that, I found the P8i to have an excellent tonal balance - not too much treble or bass, and the mid-range was nice and full (but not overly so). (Caveat: I was listening to the P8i with a computer-grade AC power cord, my Black Sand did not fit into its IEC receptacle.)

The bel canto CD-1 took a more laidback seat than the P8i, with a softer tone and generally a more "distant" feel to it. In terms of soundstage only, this one sounded more like my Arcam FMJ CD33, as it had the sound of a seat in the back of a concert hall and letting you the listener walk around in it to explore the stage yourself. I found the CD-1's frequency balance not nearly as nice as the P8i's though - there was somewhat of a snarl in the lower treble that brought out the gnash of metallic sounds, and the mid-range wasn't quite as fleshed out as on the P8i. I also found it to have a light roll-off in the bass, as it didn't exude that much power at the bottom, though it did push plenty of mid-bass for good thump and impact.

The Plinius was the one that really caught my attention after the P8i though. The first thing I really noticed about it was a blinding sense of speed - not slow at all, the very opposite! It blew through the bass notes on my electronica CDs with no sign of sluggishness - just tight, clear, and extremely well-articulated rhythms. And it was very fast in the mid-range and treble too and brought out previously unheard details like whacks or tinks or the physical movements preceding an instrument's note. More than once I got the sense of air moving behind an instrument, or around one.

Extended Impressions:

After a couple days with the LAT International AC-2 MKII on my Beta 22 amp, I switched the power cord to the Audience powerChord E. I suspected I'd get better results with it, and I did. The Plinius opened up even more with more apparent detail, as in increased treble bite and a slight expansion in soundstage depth. Voices and instruments were also more clearly in focus.

I put the Plinius up against some of my reference CD tracks to see how well it could handle various aspects. I first put it up against Laika's "Widows' Weed" from Good Looking Blues to see how well it could sort out multiple concurrent layers moving around in the soundstage and it definitely passed, it easily tracked the moving positions of those layers and accurately tracked the rhythmic bass line at the same time.

I also used Alison Krauss to check how realistic its soundstage was, along with how well it could handle AK's voice and the speed of the band, and it easily caught up there too. It brought tons of dynamic swing to the band and made them sound like they were really enjoying themselves, and of course it didn't miss anything that I could tell as far as how fast they were playing (as in the banjo, specifically). AK's voice didn't exactly come across as sultry though, which it kinda did on my former Accuphase and the P8i - it was much more in the vein of being clear, crystal, and higher-tuned.

If I've already made a case for the speed of the CD-101, well I just can't overstate it, it's by far THE fastest-sounding source I've ever heard. The agility it has in dancing through complex rhythms, lines, and layers, regardless of where in the frequency spectrum they are, is really just a marvel to listen to - it makes you sit up and pay attention. It's like the speed of a racquet ball bouncing around with a non-stop relentlessness.

If this speed makes it seem like the Plinius has a "forward" type presentation, well it doesn't. It's not laidback, but somewhere in between, that makes it sound direct and assertive, but not necessarily in-your-face. It is certainly engaging-sounding, but unlike other CDPs I've heard like the Ayre CX-7e, it's not the kind of sound that really calls attention to itself.

I've also found the Plinius to have a razor-thin articulation, implying that its treble extension is right up there, and it certainly seems to. It's never missed the attack of any note, regardless of how fast a note might run into a next note.

The only real sonic complaints I might leverage against the CD-101 is that its sound could potentially be fatiguing long-term, if you don't like your music to sound like it's always running, per se. I did find both the dCS P8i and bel canto CD-1 far more pleasant to listen to in this aspect, they were much calmer, nowhere nearly as hyped up. It could certainly be said that the CD-101 is a bit tightly wound up and probably significantly tilted towards the treble. It could also be said that the CD-101 is also a bit "thin" in the mid-range as well. I also prefer that, at least for a source component, as I prefer to add mid-range emphasis at the interconnect, amp, or transducer stage. So it's a very solid-statey sound, and true to this, the CD-101 sounds very clear and distinct at all times. It unleashes volume very well too - very dynamic and intense if the recording calls for it.

As my previous reference was the Arcam FMJ CD33, I'd call the Plinius CD-101 the CD33 on steroids - a loss in overall gracefulness but an overall increase in speed, guts, and driving power. If the Arcam is like a figure skater, the Plinius is more like a fast, lean hockey player.

Of course this is only how I've heard the Plinius. I recommend anyone considering a purchase to audition before buying, if possible.

Product Weakness:	Tonally un-balanced, prone to fatigue
Product Strengths:	Frequency extension, speed, soundstage width & depth

Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: DIY balanced Beta 22 (headphone amp)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): none
Sources (CDP/Turntable): bel canto CD-1, dCS P8i (comparison)
Speakers: AKG K701, Audio-Technica AD2000 & W5000, Grado HP2
Cables/Interconnects: Analysis Plus Silver Oval XLR, VH Audio Symmetry XLR
Music Used (Genre/Selections): electronica, bluegrass, prog rock
Time Period/Length of Audition: 2 weeks
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Black Sand Silver Reference MKV
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner

Amplifier:	DIY balanced Beta 22 (headphone amp)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	none
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	bel canto CD-1, dCS P8i (comparison)
Speakers:	AKG K701, Audio-Technica AD2000 & W5000, Grado HP2
Cables/Interconnects:	Analysis Plus Silver Oval XLR, VH Audio Symmetry XLR
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	electronica, bluegrass, prog rock
Time Period/Length of Audition:	2 weeks
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Black Sand Silver Reference MKV
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner