In a word - stunning.
Whereas many audio enthusiasts are firmly rooted in the analogue/turntable/vinyl world, for me it has been more about the CD/digital side of things. And now that the CD begins to fall out of grace (and vinyl returns) this format will also become a part of the realm of hobbyists and collectors.
My latest CD player was a Kenwood DP4090 which, like most other players from the 80's and 90's, relied on oversampling & error correction to fix the gaps in the data retrieved from the disc and then to repair the signal enough to make sure that it didn't sound too bad. The Kenwood has a feature called D.R.I.V.E which applies digital filtering to the signal in order enhance low-level information - and the result is really very enjoyable.
More recent, higher-end players have gone about this a different way. Using tailored servo-motor systems tuned to CD playback, these monitor the activity of the drive and laser head in order to retrieve the absolute maximum of information from the disc and reduce the need for extensive rebuilding of the data into something approximating the original music. The Project CD Box S player takes this approach with special drive and servo control created by StreamUnlimited, and the Cambridge CXC does this as well.
The CXC is a stripped-down version of Cambridge's top-of -the line Azur player. The CD-transport and Cambridge's own S3 servo controller have been put into a chique metal box with a hefty toroidal transformer. All this thing does is play CD's - no MP3, no DVD. Basic and functional.
But - it's just a transport that has a digital-only output, so an outboard DAC is essential. Hooking up the CXC through my main rig was an immediate surprise. So that is what CD can sound like! I have had several quantum leaps in digital playback reproduction in the last half year with a number of CD players passing through and then the RPi network players. Each time a definite improvement is noticed. Having come to the conclusion that a file-based system will beat a CD transport every time in terms of stability and detail I am now forced to say that this isn't true.
The CXC presents the music in an open, unforced, relaxed, detailed and dynamic manner that is for me a totally new experience. It really feels like every scrap of music is being pulled off the CD's. I'm currently in a Mike Oldfield cycle, comparing his newest remixes with the older editions, and even the original 80's pressings are sounding very fine, with new layers of detail being revealed for the first time.
Handling wise. The CXC is cosmetically very smart. Has a solid drawer mechanism that clunks in and out in a businesslike way. A luxury remote is included that also controls the rest of the CX system. This player's limitation is that it does one thing only - read CD's to digital output. But it does that magnificently.
