Way back around November 2024 I wrote an entry around a series of changes to the hifi as it had changed radically in several years thinking that would be pretty much the end of that for a while but something happened.
Issues started to develop with the cd player, never one for playing recordable cds, around 40 to 60% of my super audio cds with hybrid regular cd layers just refused to be recognized and play spitting them out and those that did seemed to have audible errors on the first track.
Then to top the lot it was fussy about the slightest mark or finger print on regular cds, skipping tracks so it needed to go.
Pity.
I bought this SMSL half sized transport from someone unused as due to financial issues having just got it they needed to raise cash quick that had been on my list of potential upgrades in the future.
One aspect of it took me back to my first cd player a Toshiba and that was it loads from the top with no slots or draw mechanisms with a magnetic puck you put on top or more accurately two, a larger one forming part of the lid.
It's a bit more basic on the display just track number and time information and if you wish to use the USB socket but it spins very quickly on anything finding all the tracks accurately.
There are a choice of outputs, the newer I squared S, AES/EBU XLR, coaxial which my default and optical which the lead to the minidisc portable was put in.
It works really quite well once you relearn how to get the disc out using the recesses the grip the disc with the edges of your fingers having removed the puck.
I did reorganize the shelf to make it a bit neater and stack the mini size components in a more functionally related way while I was at it.
