If you are unacquainted with Gold Note, then the brand is well worth getting to know. I have not been disappointed by any of its products that I've heard, from streaming amps and phono stages to moving coil cartridges, and I always found them to be well-built. This Italian company started in 1992 by manufacturing for other brands, but in 2012, it decided to launch itself publicly – and everything is made in-house.

The CD-5 CD player you see here uses the same half-width [80x200x260mm, HxWxD] steel case as Gold Note's popular PH-5/PSU-5 phono stage, although only a black finish is offered. For the CD-5 and its more expensive CD-10 sibling, it was apparently necessary to create an entirely new CD platform, as the one in its flagship CD-1000 model was unsuitable. Whereas the latter uses Burr Brown DAC chips, the CD-5 sports an AKM AK4493 chipset alongside a new disc mechanism from SUOS Hi-Fi. A touchscreen is used to control the player, and this works very well.

I asked Tom Dalfi at Gold Note how the designer met the challenges of minimising noise and intermodulation interference between the digital and analogue circuits in such a small box. He said they had to pay particular attention to component selection and layout of the motherboard. This is multilayered and has strictly controlled impedance, with special attention paid to physically separating the analogue and digital areas on the PCB. The power supply is also designed to filter interference and reduce noise.

To get to grips with this new CD player, I hooked it up to my usual system of Audio Note Meishu Tonmeister integrated amplifier driving Russell K Red 150Se and Audio Note AN-J LX Hemp speakers. The speaker cables were the QED Supremus Zr. I also had a highly respected CD player standing by for reference purposes.

THE LISTENING

Considering its modest price, the CD-5 sounds most impressive. Music is vibrant, engaging and powerful. Playing Sleepwalk from Larry Carlton's album of the same name, I was immediately impressed by the sheer presence, definition and detail on the Fender Rhodes piano. At the same time, drums were sharp, snappy and dynamic. Carlton's gorgeous Valley Arts Stratocaster guitar was beautifully voiced, and I could easily hear how each note was being played and shaped. The bass line was tight and tuneful and drove the track along well.

This highly lucid midband makes listening a pleasure, as does the CD-5's weighty yet supple bass performance. On Ben Sidran's Enivré d'Amour CD, the track Shine A Light on Me positively shone. It's a superbly recorded album with powerful drum work, expressive vocals, and a superb bass line that really adds to the occasion. The Gold Note CD player let this truly move the track along engagingly and nimbly – providing a firm rhythmic foundation for Sidran's hypnotic vocal phrasing.

Spinning up Lo Siento Mi Vida from Linda Ronstadt's superb Hasten Down the Wind album, the CD-5 showcased its detail retrieval, which is unexpectedly good for what is – in today's terms – almost a budget CD player. The way it conveyed the timbre of the two guitars in the intro and separated the lead vocal line from the backing was most satisfying. Ronstadt's voice was packed with emotion yet never sounded strident. 

Compared to my similarly priced reference, the Gold Note was more impactful with better dynamics and yet also tonally slightly smoother. Human Nature from Miles Davis's You're Under Arrest allowed the CD-5 to show its fine insight into Davis's unique style and phrasing on trumpet. It also conveyed drums with more verve than expected, making for a highly satisfying listen.

THE VERDICT

At this price point, one tends to expect relatively little from Compact Disc players – while the more expensive designs usually make music much more fun. Yet Gold Note's entry-level CD-5 actually took me by surprise. It's an exceptional machine for the money, one that never puts a foot wrong. Sonically, it punches well above its weight and represents super value for money. Only gadget freaks will be disappointed, as it's not exactly bristling with facilities. At the same, if you just want to listen to digital audio discs, then certainly keep this in mind.

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