Stereo Times gushes over the world's only belt driven CD player, the C.E.C. TL-51XZ. Belt drive is what high end analog turntables use in part to achieve that cherished vinyl sound. C.E.C., makers of turntable belt drives, has shrunk the whole mechanism and stuffed in into your standard disc player (check out the next page for a picture of the guts).
The TL-51XZ is $1590 and includes an integrated DAC. Read the article for full details and serious amounts of reviewer drool. Don't be surprised if this time next year belt driven DVD players are all the rage.
C.E.C. TL-51XZ Belt Driven CD Player [Stereo Times]
Gizmo! You really have got it wrong this time. Belt driven turntables are the worst. They do not have a strong startup speed, no torque, and poor speed reliablilty over time. Direct Drive turntables are the best. I see no way possible that having a CD drive run off a belt would or could make crappy CD audio sound better. This is like putting a digital to analog converter on the drive motor.
I do understand the points of isolation and noise reduction this con provide, but it looks like a cassette player with a CD head mech. strapped on.
It looks like C.E.C. has found a new way to deceive people with too much money. 'That Cherished Vynil Sound' comes from being ANALOG, not belt driven.
Belt turntables are actually preferrable to direct drive turntables for hi-fi applications, since the belt helps isolate low frequency rumble. Note that this applies to audiophile applications - DJs still need direct drive. This travesty, on the other hand, makes no sense to me whatsoever. If you want warmer sound, buy vinyl or get yourself some tube amps.
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