STATUS - SOLD
Click here for more pictures

Description :
The Copland CDA 266 with its austere, yet elegant, Swedish styling, is one of the most aesthetically pleasing CD players to pass through the listening room. In terms of performance wise, it's no slouch. The Copland CDA 266 presented a soundstage full of dimension at all gradations of volume. Even during the most intense orchestral eruptions, the CDA 266 refused to reduce the soundstage to two-dimensions. The depth and breadth was well communicated and presented well behind the plane of the loudspeakers. On well-engineered orchestral discs, soundstage transparency was exemplary, with the most distant reaches of the stage being well delineated. The CDA 266's ability to present a precisely focused image of the soundstage, with instruments and performers occupying well-defined spatial positions was good. Using an artistic metaphor, images rendered by that cd player were more akin to those of the impressionistic than realist periods.

The Copland CDA 266's upper octaves were full of air, sparkle and life. The percussive sounds of cymbals, tambourines, and triangles, as heard on a diversity of discs were rendered with a considerable measure of the clarity and speed of their live counterparts. Counter-balancing the cd player's extended top-end was a full, taut bottom, with enough power and impact to bring life to the bass drum strokes and the requisite articulation to dissect the unison double bass lines. The CDA 266's low-octave performance did, in fact, prove the equal of the considerably more expensive cd players impressively.

The downside though, the CDA 266's upper midrange and lower treble which could, at times, cross that fine line from detailed and up-front to slightly aggressive and fatiguing. However it's forward presentation did not always prove off-putting, working to good effect on intimate lounge material. The trumpet sounded simply splendid with each detail of the superb performance being bathed in a most illuminating light. For notice, the CDA 266's slight treble spit and splash could be partially ameliorated by switching off its front-panel display, indicating that noise from the display's electronics was finding its way into the player's sensitive audio circuitry. It is recommended that anyone wishing to hear the full potential of the Copland CDA 266 to switch off its display while using.

Aside from its slight grain and glare in the upper midrange, much to admire in the CDA 266 is its rendering of the human voice. Midrange articulation was another hallmark of the CDA 266's performance. Although singing as a group, the large choral forces could be heard to consist of singular voices, each one readily discernible within the vocal mélange. Perhaps owing to its transient speed and extended upper octaves, the CDA 266 was one of the more energetic and lively players. It is on the whole, a very musically satisfying device and just may be the thing to while away the time in peace and harmony.

Specifications :
AUDIO
- Number of Channels.................................2
- Frequency Response...............................20 - 20,000 Hz +/- 0.1 dB
- Signal to Noise Ratio................................Better than 98 dB (1 kHz)
- Phase Linearity........................................Less than 0.5 degrees (20 - 20,000 Hz)
- Dynamic Range.......................................Better than 96 dB (1 kHz)
- Harmonic Distortion.................................< 0.004% (1 kHz 0 dB)
- Wow and Flutter......................................Unmeasurable (quartz accuracy)
- Channel Separation..................................Better than 95 dB (1 kHz)
- Output Analog.........................................2.7 Vrms
- Output Digital..........................................Goldplated S/PDIF (phono)
                      ..........................................0.5 Vp-p / 75 Ohms (coaxial)
                      ..........................................Toslink - 15 dBm - 21 dBm (optical)
- D/A Converter..........................................Burr Brown PCM63P 20 bit
- Digital Filter.............................................Pacific Microsonics PDM100HDCD
- Analog Filter............................................Third order
PICK UP
- Type.......................................................Optical 3-beam laser pick-up
- Objective Lens.........................................2-Dimensional parallel drive
- Laser Type..............................................GaA|As type semiconductor laser
- Wave Length............................................780 mm
SIGNAL FORMAT
- Sampling Frequency................................44.1 kHz
- Quantization Bit.......................................16 bit linear / channel
- Channel Bit Rate......................................4.3218 Mbit / sec
- Channel Modulation Code.........................EFM (Eight to Fourteen Modulation)
- Error Correction.......................................CIRC 
                        ........................................(Cross Interleaved Reed Solomon Code)
Dimensions(w x d x h)................................43 x 42.5 x 11 cm
Weight......................................................9 kg

Miscellaneous :
Made in.....................................................Design in Denmark
Remote control...........................................Yes
Box...........................................................Yes
Manual......................................................Yes
Condition....................................................9/10 (Good condition)

Reviews :
http://www.audiophilia.com/hardware/cda266.htm
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/digital-sources/cd-players/copland/cda-266/prd_116847_1586crx.aspx
http://hometheaterreview.com/copland-cda-266-compact-disc-player-reviewed/
http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews798.html