The pleasures of reviewing a new CD player reside in its light weight, compact dimensions, and, most of all, its ABC-simple installation: no cartridge to mount, no stylus to break, no step-up transformers or cartridge-load values to explore. No server, no Ethernet switches, no digital processor or outboard clock, no NOS, OS, filter choices, or upsampling (usually), no DSD or DXD, no specialized cables, and—especially—no garish, billboard-sized LCD menu to trigger anxiety. Just plug the player in, connect it to a preamp, and choose a CD to play first.
The Viking put Gieseking’s minutest tempo changes front and center where I could “watch” them and be captivated by them.
Yes, folks, digital audio was once that simple.
Streamed digital presents audiophiles with a morass of format choices, streaming-company choices, and recording-provenance uncertainties. When I stream an album from Tidal or Qobuz, I never know where that version came from or how many mysterious black boxes it has passed through on its way to me and my system. Streaming has forced me to lower certain expectations. Streaming can sound amazing, but when it does, I look up and point a finger at the sky.
The #1 worst thing about streaming is, I never know when my internet will shut down or a glitch in someone’s software will end my subscription, dissolve my playlists, and leave me wishing for a CD player. Where’s the joy in that?
I’m pleased to be reviewing a new CD player, the Viking from Hegel Music Systems, in part because Hegel’s founder and chief engineer Bent Holter appears to feel the same way I do. “In a world full of options for downloading music, sound formats, compression methods, and streaming services, putting on some music can feel overwhelming. What should be easy and enjoyable suddenly becomes complex and stressful. Playing a CD on the Viking is not stressful. It is only joy. The Viking is a true-native 16/44.1 CD player developed from the ground up for optimal performance on standard (‘Red
