Swiss audio specialist Goldmund has spun out a new SACD player. The Eidos SACD arrives as the baby brother to the company’s 2021-released flagship Eidos Reference model, trickling down much of its CD replay engineering prowess into a smaller, more affordable package. Goldmund says the Eidos SACD is essentially “a more compact object without compromise and with an improved ergonomics of the space”.
Like its predecessor, the Eidos SACD is capable of not only playing a variety of audio discs (SACD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, as well as audio from DVD-R formats) but also PCM 384KHz and to DSD512 when connected to a computer via its USB input. Unsurprisingly that’s it for inputs, though outputs span RCA, XLR, coaxial and optical sockets for adding a preamplifier, processor or integrated amp.
Goldmund says it’s taken every consideration to shield the different sections of the internals to reduce unwanted interference, including the power supply which the company’s R&D team has made more compact and “even better quality” than the one in older Goldmund players, as well as the same audio card found in the Eidos Reference.
As the Eidos Reference was the result of a long-term project researching disc mechanisms at Goldmund's Geneva labs, the new player continues to be an advert for that development. It also incorporates a D&M-based SACD mechanism that is integrated into the Goldmund mechanical grounding system to evacuate vibrations. And the Goldmund damper is there to increase the rigidity of the loader mechanism for improved sonic transparency, too.
While there’s now a new front panel that features a ‘control keyboard', the new Eidos largely retains its predecessor’s sleek grey aesthetic. The 20kg player is more compact than its big brother – 44cm wide, 18cm tall and 37cm deep, and without the stand construction that contributes to much of the Eidos Reference’s 110kg weight.
Though the ‘baby’ Eidos SACD was developed with the Asian market in mind (disc playback is still very popular there), it is also coming to the UK and Europe. The damage is £80,000 – substantial but (every cloud…) nowhere near as heavy as the Eidos Reference’s £175,000 asking price.
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