Introducing the PL100 CD Player - Now Available on Apos Audio

[Apos Audio]

Hi all,

We are excited to announce the new CD Player from SMSL. The PL100 CD Player is a space-saving desktop design with a Cirrus Logic CS43131 D/A chip, a jitter-reducing PLL circuit, and four available outputs: RCA, headphones, optical, and coaxial. Those digital outputs give you a ton of flexibility for experiencing your CD collection with your favorite standalone DAC.


Product highlights 

• New from SMSL: PL100 CD Player
• Built-in CS43131 chip for well-defined detail
• Second PLL circuit to keep timing tight and reduce jitter
• Optical and coaxial outputs for pairing with your preferred DAC
• Headphone output with 60mW at 32Ω for confident listening
• Full aluminum alloy enclosure with gold-plated terminals
• Two placement options—flexible sizing
• Included remote control for easy playback adjustments
• Available in silver or black

Here's the link to our blog for more information: https://apos.audio/blogs/news/new-from-smsl-pl100-cd-player

 

[javertim]

Gapless playback?

 

[XERO1]

This might be one of the ugliest faceplate designs for a CD player that I’ve ever seen.

SMSL, what were you thinking?!

 

[TsukiGermany]

This might be one of the ugliest faceplate designs for a CD player that I’ve ever seen.

SMSL, what were you thinking?!

Harsh, but I do agree
That’s a miss

 

[jonathan c]

There can't be much vibration / body resonance control in PL 100 -- from the look of it ....

 

[XIAOXIN Xingfei]

Interesting.

 

[evga96]

Hmm...what happened with the design??? This one seems more like Moondrop products...
SMSL should've kept the design of PL200-D400pro-H400 series

 

[Unseen Aura]

Contrary to popular opinion, I love the design and look,

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Hi all,

We are excited to announce the new CD Player from SMSL. The PL100 CD Player is a space-saving desktop design with a Cirrus Logic CS43131 D/A chip, a jitter-reducing PLL circuit, and four available outputs: RCA, headphones, optical, and coaxial. Those digital outputs give you a ton of flexibility for experiencing your CD collection with your favorite standalone DAC.


Product highlights 

• New from SMSL: PL100 CD Player
• Built-in CS43131 chip for well-defined detail
• Second PLL circuit to keep timing tight and reduce jitter
• Optical and coaxial outputs for pairing with your preferred DAC
• Headphone output with 60mW at 32Ω for confident listening
• Full aluminum alloy enclosure with gold-plated terminals
• Two placement options—flexible sizing
• Included remote control for easy playback adjustments
• Available in silver or black

Here's the link to our blog for more information: https://apos.audio/blogs/news/new-from-smsl-pl100-cd-player

From an aesthetic point of view the pl100 is certainly basic looking: imho even kinda cute. However, for only a C note, if it actually sounds good, for those who aren't content with its looks, you can always place it in a cabinet. I think it's encouraging that SMSL has tried to build a super compact CD player for those audio enthusiasts who still own CDs, but do not want to make a substantial investment in a new CD player.

 

[Martin Zeef]

Does it play gapless? Does anybody know?

 

[sygnus21]

This might be one of the ugliest faceplate designs for a CD player that I’ve ever seen.

SMSL, what were you thinking?!

Harsh, but I do agree
That’s a miss

Definitely a miss. Hate the faceplate. Hate the buttons. Hate the look.

 

[Apos Audio]

Does it play gapless? Does anybody know?

Hi there,
Thanks for the good question. We shared this with the engineers and they mentioned that every CD player will have a certain "gap" which cannot be completely absent but as per SMSL, PL100 basically does not make people feel that there is a gap.
We hope this helps.

 

[sygnus21]

Hi there,
Thanks for the good question. We shared this with the engineers and they mentioned that every CD player will have a certain "gap" which cannot be completely absent but as per SMSL, PL100 basically does not make people feel that there is a gap.
We hope this helps.

Personally, I think the "gapless" question is a needless worry. Pretty much all CD players today support gapless. I bought a Teac VRDS 701 CD player and never thought to ask about gapless. Sure, enough it supports gapless playback. And yes, gapless meaning the player will play a gapless CD without pausing at each track.

 

[javertim]

Personally, I think the "gapless" question is a needless worry. Pretty much all CD players today support gapless. I bought a Teac VRDS 701 CD player and never thought to ask about gapless. Sure, enough it supports gapless playback. And yes, gapless meaning the player will play a gapless CD without pausing at each track.

You'd think and hope this would be the case, but most modern CD players (save for the very TOTL) do NOT support gapless. Every small CD player I have tried in the past 3 years has put gaps in between the tracks of live recordings, opera recordings, and others that are intended to lead gaplessly from track-to-track. Even the recent Fiio release that claimed to be gapless (as an advertised feature, no less) inserts gaps intermittently where there are none on the original recording.

 

[sygnus21]

You'd think and hope this would be the case, but most modern CD players (save for the very TOTL) do NOT support gapless.

I simply do not buy this argument. I bought this Teac VRDS 701 CD player April of this year; if it isn't modern, I don't know what modern is. It certainly supports gapless. And you know what? Nowhere in its literature does it say anything about gapless playback.... because is not a feature it's a standard thing.

Every small CD player I have tried in the past 3 years has put gaps in between the tracks of live recordings, opera recordings, and others that are intended to lead gaplessly from track-to-track. Even the recent Fiio release that claimed to be gapless (as an advertised feature, no less) inserts gaps intermittently where there are none on the original recording.

Pink Floyd's The Wall is a gapless CD, and the 701 plays through it without any gaps between tracks. Continuous mix dance CDs are gapless and no issues there. I have a live recording of Santana's Lotus recorded live in Japan, a gapless CD, and again.... zero gaps between tracks. I'm sitting here right now as I type this post listening to the Wall and the transitions from track to track is well.... gapless.

Perhaps you can point to a specific CD player that you say you tried that doesn't support gapless?