10 best CD players, including all-in-one, micro hi-fi and premium buys

The Denon D-M41DAB is the latest in a long range of excellent micro hi-fi systems from Denon, and is available both with or without speakers, depending on if you already have some you’d like to use. If you don’t, we fully recommend buying the full package from Denon (as we tested here) – the SC-M41 speakers sound great with it and we think you’ll struggle to find better at this price.

Having the separate speakers might look a bit more traditional but it will mean you get a better overall sound than you would from an all-in-one design, plus it’s still a more compact solution than going all-out on hi-fi separates.

Make no mistake, though – the D-M41DAB is a hi-fi product, with careful consideration given to its internal circuitry to ensure every last drop of performance is squeezed out of it.

It’s really well-built on the outside too, and the main unit – which contains the CD drive – has a small footprint, making it easy to accommodate. It’s far from small on features though, with DAB+/FM radio, newly added Bluetooth and both analogue and digital inputs around the back, plus a 3.5mm headphone socket and subwoofer out too. The only thing that’s missing is wifi – something Denon has shied away from so far because of the sonic compromises it would bring.

If you can do without, then Denon is pretty much unrivalled, as the D-M41DAB demonstrates. It’s a confident but nuanced sound, with stacks of detail, plenty of space and separation, and unrivalled dynamics at this price. If you don’t mind the slightly more traditional look, you won’t find better for the money.

You can always rely on Ruark to dial up the style on its products, and the R3S is no different. It delivers a slick, minimalist all-in-one design that leans into the brand’s vintage aesthetic, and we think the combination of its walnut veneer body and grey fabric grille will look the part in any household.

Everything feels really well made too. From its great on-unit controls and built-in antenna to the included remote, no corners have been cut here. Push a CD into the centrally mounted, slot-loading drive and you’ll see full track details displayed on its OLED screen, which is crisp, easy to read and auto-dimming at night time.

Of course, the R3S isn’t just about looks – and this version has actually been further refined from its R3 predecessor, to include a new processor and revised circuitry that deliver a slicker performance and even better sound.

Start listening and the R3S wastes no time in showing how fun and entertaining it is across all sources. There’s plenty of body and a good level of detail without being too forward or tiring, which means this will work just as well for kitchen parties as it will relaxed daytime listening. Its built-in stereo speakers do a good job at filling a mid-sized room with a convincing amount of sound too, and if you use this as a bedside radio, there’s an alarm function and sleep timer as well.

On top of all that, the R3S is seriously versatile. So not only does it cater for the CD owners out there, it also supports DAB/DAB+ and FM radio, Bluetooth streaming, and has wifi connectivity for internet radio and services like Spotify Connect. Physical connectivity also covers a headphone output, USB-C port (for playback and charging) and switchable analogue and digital inputs for hooking up other kit as you need – the line out can even be switched to take on a subwoofer if you need.

While the Pure C-D6 isn’t super small, at 36cm wide it’s one of the more compact options on test, and if you’re looking for an all-in-one CD player for a bedside table, bookshelf or kitchen windowsill, this is one of your best options – plus it will sound so much better than the portable CD radios of old.

It squeezes a lot in to that compact design as well – of course you get the front-loading CD player and built-in speakers (15W each), but there’s also DAB+/FM radio, Bluetooth playback and an aux-in and USB input. There’s no wifi here but there are more than enough audio sources for most people, especially given its £180 price tag.

Pure has done a good job with build and design too. There are two colourways to choose from, and everything feels really solid. A pretty basic remote is included in the box, but it does the job for controlling source and playback from afar, though we actually set everything up using the control panel on the speaker itself – mostly there are no batteries included in the box. Setup is straightforward and you can pretty much be playing music from your source of choice within a few minutes of getting it out of the box.

The LCD screen is clear and bright, though it didn’t pull through song details from a CD during testing for us – just the track number. It does at least pull through radio station details though.

In terms of sound quality, the C-D6 is perfectly enjoyable for casual listening. It won’t wow audiophiles, but has plenty of energy and no harsh edges. To a critical ear, it sounds a little congested through the midrange compared to something like the pricier Ruark R3S, and doesn’t project its sound quite as convincingly – but at its price, it’s a good performer.

The Panasonic SC-DM202EG-K is the cheapest CD player we tested, and while there are some small things that might give that away when you have lots to compare it to, it offers superb value overall for those on a budget.

The design is a little more functional and arguably less premium than some of the other CD players on test. The metal grilles over the speakers look more basic and the shiny control panel at its centre can be a bit of a dust collector. Still, the all-black finish with silver accents is pretty understated and it's compact too – a similar size to the Pure C-D6.

In terms of features, there’s the slot-loading CD player in the centre panel with a 2.5-inch colour display just above it, plus DAB+/FM radio and Bluetooth connectivity, but no wi-fi. Physical connections are covered by a line in and USB port, and while there are some simple controls on the player itself, there’s also an included remote – it’s on the small side but works well enough.

The speakers aren’t quite as powerful as Pure’s at 24W, but it's still loud enough. We’re just a bit disappointed with the antenna for the radio – it’s a flimsy cable that needs to be hung up somewhere rather than a built-in telescopic one, and it’s not as reliable for that reason. If radio is important for you, you may want to look elsewhere.

As a CD player though, it’s a great budget option. We were pleasantly surprised with the performance. It’s a touch bass-y for our taste, but clarity is good overall and it’s a perfectly good sound for easy listening. The display doesn’t show the CD track name though – only a small inconvenience if you’re looking for something on a budget.

Missing your classic Discman? We know the feeling. Of course, a portable CD player might be even more of a niche recommendation than the all-in-one and premium options featured in this list, but we've thoroughly enjoyed testing the FiiO DM13. Unsurprisingly, there aren’t a host of new launches in this category; however, this little FiiO is a 2024 release that’s perfect for breathing some life back into your CD collection.

It’s ideal whether you plan to listen via wired headphones, wireless ones (yes, it’s got Bluetooth!) or a speaker setup, with its 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone outputs and analogue line-out for hi-fi systems. We’re impressed by its robust and sturdy build quality, and if you use it while on the move, there’s the option to engage “electronic shock protection” that should prevent your music from skipping.

It’s not just the presence of Bluetooth that makes this a CD player for modern times: it includes USB audio output and support for playing audio files stored on a recordable CD, too, plus its rechargeable battery will last you for eight hours of playback. We’ve been testing out the lovely red colourway, but it comes in a selection of five colours: white, black, silver and blue round out the range.

We found the controls easy to understand and use, and the audio quality is superb. It has a neutral sound and delivers all the detail you’ll probably want. Overall, we don’t think CD fans will be disappointed with this. It comes at a reasonably high price, but given that it adds several new features to a portable CD player (including support for wireless headphones that weren’t around back when the players were popular), it’s a versatile option for on-the-go playback.

The Revo SuperCD is another all-in-one system, packing a whole host of features into a statement retro design. While it’s a little narrower than the likes of the Panasonic SC-DM202EG-K or the Pure C-D6, it sits much taller so feels larger, with around two thirds of its anodised aluminium front panel taken up by the speaker grille.

The upper third is given over to a bright 2.7-inch OLED display and two rows of small buttons for presets, playback and menu controls, plus a small joystick to help make menu navigation easier. There’s also a large volume knob on top of the player, which sits just in front of the vertical slot-loading CD player.

It’s a little busy to look at when compared to something like Ruark’s R3S, but everything has its use and it makes setup a breeze – particularly when it walks you through every setting you need to consider the moment you switch it on. It’s easily one of the best setups and most intuitive interfaces we’ve tested, plus everything feels incredibly well-built.

There is a small, improved remote control too, though the plasticky white and black design feels a little mismatched with the premium walnut and black design of our review sample.

As well as that vertically loading CD player, which plays quietly and has a smooth mechanism to feed discs into, the SuperCD has a wide range of connectivity options, including DAB+/FM radio, aptX Bluetooth streaming, and wifi connectivity for internet radio and services like Spotify Connect. There’s also a headphone socket, USB charging port, an aux-in, and both stereo RCA and optical outs.

As for how it sounds, it’s superb. Powerful 40W stereo speakers mean you aren’t ever wanting for volume, and they’ll fill a pretty large room with a rich, full-bodied sound. There’s a particularly engaging level of clarity through the midrange, alongside crisp highs that never sound pushed. A joy to use and listen to.

If you’re an audiophile with a decent budget but not very much space, the Technics SA-C600 could be the CD player for you. It’s a hugely versatile “just add speakers” music system that looks pretty swish to boot, and is a sonic step up from something like the Denon D-M41DAB.

What speakers you add really determines just how much performance you squeeze out of the SA-C600, and if you’re spending the money on a system of this quality, you don’t want to scrimp on it at the last hurdle. The matching Technics speakers for the system cost an extra £900, and while you don’t need to spend that much if your budget won’t stretch, do consider adding speakers at least around the £400 mark.

With its brushed aluminium finish and minimalist aesthetic, the SA-C600 looks every bit the premium piece of kit, and its top-loading CD player is a nice focal point too. Simply swivel the see-through acrylic cover back to add a disc, and you can watch it spin as it plays.

Internal features don’t disappoint either, with DAB+/FM radio, support for Bluetooth, and a choice of Chromecast and AirPlay 2 thanks to built-in wifi, plus stereo RCA, coaxial and optical inputs, and a moving magnet phono stage for hooking up a turntable. We found the wifi setup a bit convoluted but we got there with some perseverance – thankfully, the rest of the user experience is much more intuitive, and you can use the included remote or the Technics app to navigate and control the system.

The best bit is how the SA-C600 sounds. There’s a real refinement to its performance that shows where the extra money you’ve spent has gone, and it doesn’t hold back on anything, from detail to dynamics. There’s authority in spades too but it’s never short of expression and nuance. That means it won’t gloss over the subtleties in a record but you can still expect it to go big on bold and punchy basslines when needed.

If you’re dipping your toe into the world of hi-fi separates, or building a CD-capable hi-fi system on a budget, the Cambridge Audio AXC25 is a straightforward way to get things started.

It has an understated, slimline design, with the range’s matte Lunar Grey finish on the front panel, along with a smattering of playback controls and a simple dot matrix display. A slender remote is also included in the box, but just remember it will control playback only – volume will be down to your amplifier.

The focus here is on CD sound quality, so you won’t find anything by way of additional features or connections – just the analogue outputs on the back for hooking it up to your amplifier of choice. Cambridge Audio would of course like that to be with something like the complementary AXA25, and if you don’t already have an amp, sticking to a family sound is often not a bad place to start.

The AXC25 loads discs quickly, offers gapless playback, which means you don’t get any annoying pauses between tracks, and features a good-quality Wolfson digital-to-analogue convertor – something that can make all the difference between a good CD player and a great one. It’s solidly built too, as you’d expect from a brand as respected as Cambridge Audio.

Thankfully, the AXC25 backs all of that up with a really enjoyable sound. The Arcam and Marantz do push things further here, but for its price, the AXC25 is plenty detailed with tonnes of clarity, a good tonal balance and a strong handling of tempo and dynamics. It’s a great gateway to proper hi-fi, and the difference you’ll hear in sound quality if you’re moving from a micro hi-fi or all-in-one system can’t be understated.

The Marantz CD6007 sits somewhere between the Cambridge Audio AXA25 and the Arcam CD5, and is a great CD player for those building a mid-range hi-fi system. In fact, this range has been a strong recommendation for several product generations now, and this time round, it sounds better than ever.

This is proper hi-fi. It looks it, for a start, with a pretty functional but well-built all-black design. However, it’s on the inside that things get really serious. The new changes in this iteration have all been focused on performance, including a quieter power supply, new internal design that focuses on maintaining sound purity, improved amplifier modules and a headphone circuit that switches off when not in use to prevent interference.

There’s also a new DAC, which means it now supports high-resolution music playback via its USB port, though navigating a huge library on the small screen isn’t the easiest. There are also two new filters for tweaking the sound to your taste. We prefer the first one, but there’s no right or wrong here.

Alongside the USB input, there’s your choice of outputs for connecting it to your amplifier – you have either analogue, digital or coaxial – but that’s it. When you choose the hi-fi separates path, that’s really what you’re getting – separate boxes for separate tasks, though the addition of a headphone output here is a nice touch.

You reap the rewards for its focus in the performance, and for a lot of people, the CD6007 will be all they’ll need in a lifetime. It takes things up a notch from something like the Cambridge Audio AXC25, sounding bigger and more authoritative, with more composure at volume and even better detail retrieval across the frequency range.

There’s a great sense of space in particular here, which gives instruments room to breathe and dynamics lots of space to build. That means you’ll hear the difference between the loudest and quietest parts of the music all the more clearly, which is what makes for a more exciting and engaging listen.

While some of the CD players in this list have been go-to recommendations for years now, the Arcam CD5 is a relative newcomer, and was only released in 2023 as part of a new range of hi-fi separates from the brand.

Arcam has stepped a little out of the hi-fi comfort zone with the more contemporary styling here, and we love the slick-looking front panel with recessed buttons and yellow accents. There’s a small borderless screen for track info (though no track names) and there’s a remote to match too, which is small but has everything you might need for playback.

That includes options you won’t be able to access directly on the CD5 itself, like shuffle and repeat, the ability to change and turn off the display, and three choices of filter for tweaking the sound. The small display means it’s not the easiest interface to navigate, but you do get used to it.

As with most hi-fi-focused CD players, the playback is really focused on CD sound only, though there is a USB port for adding a thumb drive of high-res music if you wish. Otherwise, the back panel has stereo analogue outs for hooking up to an amplifier, or you can keep things digital with your choice of coaxial and optical outs instead.

The CD tray operates quickly and quietly upon pressing the eject button, and jumps into action, giving even our oldest CDs a fresh lease of life. Its sound expertly balances subtlety with authority, and precision with fun, for a likeable sound that grabs your attention and holds it. It’s pretty even-handed in its presentation, but there’s still plenty of punch in the low end, a smooth and fluid midrange and a healthy dollop of treble bite to keep things exciting too.

Whether it’s Hans Zimmer or Billie Eilish, the CD5 is a confident and engaging performer, with great timing and next-level insight. It might be an investment but it’s one that will last and last.