Plinius CD-101 Brochure

THE HEART OF MUSICTHE HEART OF MUSIC

CD-101

COMPACT DISC
PLAYER

Plinius Audio Limited
PO Box 1836, Palmerston North
New Zealand

Ph [phone]
Fax [phone]
Email [e-mail]

www.pliniusaudio.com

CD-101

COMPACT DISC
PLAYER

In July 2001 our Director of Design, Ross Stevens, presented us
with a piece of bent aluminium. This, he said, is how PLINIUS will
look in the future. At the time we had no real idea where this
journey would take us but as time moved on and new amplifiers
evolved we realised that we had created something very special.

The new PLINIUS look was very well received by the audio public
but the distinctive curves have created a gap. Very quickly we
found that a source component was needed to match. We didn’t
really want to develop a CD Player as there are many very
competent designs available, but we were unable to withstand
the constant pressure from our customers.

In true PLINIUS fashion we have approached the development
of our CD Player from a different angle. We have always felt that
the potential of Redbook CD has held promise but has been
short on delivery. In our research we have listened long and
hard to SACD and other formats but we have elected to stick
with Redbook because of the results achieved and to support
the extensive CD collections our customers already have.

Our DAC development was time consuming. An initial false start
using some of the latest technology (asynchronous upsampling,
and bitstream conversion) lead to a disappointing sonic result.
We then re-thought and developed a DAC following a very
conservative path. Noting the DIY enthusiasts’ endorsement of
simple solutions, and with our general philosophy of avoiding
unnecessary complexity, we evaluated a DAC design that used
simple synchronous oversampling, and a multibit DAC. This
needed no additional analogue filtering, and was in keeping
with our like of simplicity. The outcome was more than we
expected. This design, coupled with a low jitter master clock
feeding the transport, has delivered Redbook CD performance
that surpasses what we have previously heard.

Physically the PLINIUS CD101 matches our range of Integrated,
Pre and Power Amplifiers. The operational styling of the CD101
has only one control button on the front panel with all other
functions driven from the distinctive remote control. The remote
control also has some basic functions allowing volume and
mute adjustment on PLINIUS Pre and Integrated Amplifiers. We
put much effort into understanding the interface requirements,
and decided that as music is the goal, the interface should
distract as little as possible. Considering the user interaction
with vinyl replay, where there are no digital track-time-elapsed
displays, and the focus is on just listening to music, we decided
to make the user interaction with the CD101 similar. The display
consists of a series of micro LEDs showing the progress of the
tracks through the disc. This is simple, elegant, and directs the
listener's focus to the music and away from the technology.

The mechanical design has also seen much effort go into
ensuring the transport is isolated, and the chassis is well damped.
We have developed a substantial tray support and bearing
system, and applied damping material and compliance where
necessary. The build quality is beyond reproach. As with other
PLINIUS products it is the music that matters most. We believe
the CD101 is a worthy addition to our range.

Specifications For PLINIUS CD-101

Frequency Response:

20Hz to 20kHz +0.2dB

Distortion:

<0.01% THD at rated input level

Hum & Noise:

–100dB at rated input level, A Weighted

Maximum Output Level:

2V RMS into 10k Ohms or higher

Output Source Impedance:

Typically 100 Ohms

Digital Output Impedance:

75 Ohms

Dimensions:

Height: 105mm (4")
Width: 450mm (17 3/4")
Depth: 400mm (15 3/4")
Weight: 10kg (22lbs)