Cambridge Audio D300

I bought this Cambridge Audio D300 CD player on a managers special for £90 from Richer, to go with a NAD 3020A amp and Tannoy M20 speakers which I had come by recently.

Really, with hi-fi, sound quality is paramount, and the D300 passes with flying colours. The detail that it unearths surpasses a Marantz CD player (CD4000 or something like that?), and the sound doesn't become tiring even with extended headphone listening.

The NAD amp and big Tannoys deliver a deep, clean bass the likes of which I haven't heard without a sub - proof that the D300 CD player is accurately reproducing the bass on the recording.

A 20 year old amp isn't the best thing to test a CD player's frequency extension but on the other hand I don't have any complaints.

The shuttle control is pointless - it looks as though it allows variable speed searching, but actually it's an on/off affair, and the search speed doesn't speed up like on most CD players after it's been held for a couple of seconds. This makes it tedious to search through very long tracks. It would be nice to be able to see time remaining on track/disc but the display only shows current track time.

Also, compared to something like a Marantz, this CD player looks and feels cheap. But the likes of NAD have built a reputation on spending money where it matters and it looks like Cambridge are trying to do the same.

I think Cambridge have replaced it with newer models, but I'd recommend it as something to slot into a system if you can get hold of one. The D-series CD players have a modular design which apparently allows the DAC to be upgraded. Outs on the back include co-ax and optical digital, and you can't really ask a lot more than that.

Basically, worth a look, but I'm sure there is plenty competiton at the original £150 selling price of this unit.