Lyngdorf CD-2: One of the best-sounding CD players

Designed and manufactured in Denmark, the Lyngdorf CD-2 provides the unrivaled sound quality you expect from Lyngdorf Audio. Built on the expertise gained from developing Lyngdorf Audio’s award-winning digital amplifiers and turntables, this unit is one of the best-sounding CD players on the market.

The Lyngdorf CD-2 is designed for audio-only playback and uses only an audio drive, which simplifies the design and improves its reliability. All multi-format drives are based on a platform designed to work primarily with a video stream, and one of the disadvantages of these solutions is the inability to control the clock frequency of the audio stream. Various manufacturers are trying to integrate a clock generator into the electric drive module, but in any case two problems arise: difficulty in adjusting the zero potentials, as well as interference induced on the electric motor control board.

Lyngdorf Audio’s philosophy is to achieve the purest sound possible and optimize playback technology using Lyngdorf Audio’s precision timing system. Having worked many times to create CD players and all-digital amplifiers, we have learned a lot and developed a number of approaches. We took the clock generator from the Millennium Mk IV amplifier and implemented it in the Lyngdorf CD-2. Thus, a low level of phase noise is achieved in the audio range.

When mixing music, the signal level is often deliberately overestimated, and when analyzing such a signal, a cut in amplitude (clipping) of several sequential fragments is often discovered. Audio that exceeds DBFS level 0 (the maximum possible value of a digital audio signal) is subject to distortion because there is no headroom. Unfortunately, this is typical for music in digital format – unlike vinyl. The Lyngdorf CD-2 has reduced the gain by 3 dB, which allows you to maintain the full dynamic range and there will be less distortion in the sound.

Oversampling the CD drive output with a low-noise clock suppresses jitter in the output signal to an absolute minimum. The Lyngdorf CD-2’s high-tech sample rate converters, using special silent techniques, allow the audio drive’s digital output to be upsampled to a selectable value. The main advantage of this is the ability to adjust the output signal to the optimal operating mode of the D/A converter. The digital signal resolution is 24 bits with a sampling rate of up to 192 kHz. At the same time, the sampling frequency of the output signal of the analog section is increased to 96 kHz.

From the digital-to-analog converter section, the signal is fed to a high-quality output stage with single-ended and balanced circuits. Built on the Wolfson WM8740 chip, the DAC, combined with a balanced design and high-quality audiophile-grade op-amps, delivers outstanding sound quality.

Characteristics of Lyngdorf CD-2 

DAC: Wolfson WM8740.
Outputs: RCA, XLR, optical and coaxial digital outputs.
Dimensions (WxHxD): 450 x 58 x 375 mm.
Weight: 6.1 kg.