Your CDs. Our sound excellence. The Gold Note CD-5.2 combines a high-precision Stream Unlimited tray-loading mechanism with an AKM AK4493 DAC, 124dB SNR, 123dB dynamic range, gapless playback, balanced XLR and RCA outputs, coaxial and optical digital outputs, a switchable digital volume control, and an intuitive touchscreen — in the elegant black anodised aluminium chassis of the Gold Note Linea 5.2. Designed and built in Florence, Italy.

Your CDs. Our Sound Excellence.

There are CD players that play discs. And there are CD players built around a conviction that every recording pressed to Compact Disc deserves to be heard at its full resolution, with every nuance preserved and every detail rendered with the naturalness and precision the musicians intended. The Gold Note CD-5.2 is the second kind.

Part of the Gold Note Series 5.2 — a range built not on marginal improvements, but on real, tangible, audible steps forward — the CD-5.2 is the definitive expression of what a compact disc player can and should be for the discerning audiophile. Every design choice reflects a desire for concrete progress: a new precision mechanism, a high-resolution AKM DAC, a fully balanced analogue output stage, and a chassis engineered from the ground up to create the most stable possible electrical and mechanical environment for the sensitive circuitry within.

This is not a CD player that simply reads a disc. It is a CD player that honours the recording.

New Chassis — Designed to Minimise Interference

The CD-5.2 showcases the new aesthetic language exclusive to the Gold Note Linea 5.2 — a new black anodised sandblasted aluminium chassis, designed specifically to minimise interaction with magnetic fields. By creating a more stable electrical and mechanical environment, this chassis significantly reduces background noise and improves micro-detail retrieval, producing a more natural and effortlessly composed listening experience from every disc.

The result is an instrument whose physical engineering contributes directly to its sonic performance — not just a cosmetic statement, but a functional one.

AKM AK4493 DAC — 124dB SNR, 0.001% THD

At the heart of the CD-5.2 is an AKM AK4493 high-resolution DAC — a conversion chip of exceptional quality, meticulously implemented with select audio-grade components to eliminate distortion and noise from the signal path. The figures confirm the standard of the implementation: 124dB signal-to-noise ratio, 123dB dynamic response, and THD of just 0.001% — numbers that guarantee the full dynamic and tonal character of every recording reaches the analogue output stage without loss or coloration.

Frequency response is flat to ±0.3dB from 20Hz to 20kHz. Speed fluctuation of just 0.0001% from the high-precision mechanism ensures that the rhythm and timing of the music are reproduced with absolute integrity.

Stream Unlimited Mechanism — Gapless, Precise, Reliable

The CD-5.2's transport is a high-precision tray-loading mechanism by Stream Unlimited (SUOS-HiFi) — a specialist manufacturer whose mechanisms are trusted by the most respected names in audio for their precision, reliability, and long-term performance. Gapless playback is fully supported, ensuring live albums, classical recordings, and progressive works are heard as their creators intended — without the artificial silence between tracks that lesser transports introduce.

Compatible with CD, CD-R, and CD-RW discs to the Red Book standard.

Balanced XLR & Full Digital Connectivity

The CD-5.2's fully balanced analogue output stage delivers 2Vrms from both the XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced outputs — ensuring clean, hum-free signal transfer to any amplifier or integrated amplifier at any cable length. A low 100Ω output impedance provides a stable, consistent signal regardless of the downstream load.

Digital outputs — coaxial S/PDIF (75Ω) and optical TosLink — allow the CD-5.2 to serve as a high-precision CD transport feeding an external DAC, making it equally at home as the source component in a more elaborate reference system. A switchable digital volume control enables direct connection to a power amplifier for the most minimal possible signal path.

Intuitive Touchscreen & Multifunctional Remote

The CD-5.2's touchscreen interface offers clear, immediate access to playback controls and settings. The included multifunctional remote control brings every function to the listening position — and an optional external power supply is available for those who wish to further unlock the CD-5.2's dynamic range and fine detail retrieval.

Feature Cards

💿 Stream Unlimited Precision Mechanism

A high-precision tray-loading mechanism by Stream Unlimited (SUOS-HiFi) — specialist transport engineering trusted by the world's finest audio manufacturers — with gapless playback, 0.0001% speed fluctuation, and compatibility with CD, CD-R, and CD-RW.

🎛️ AKM AK4493 DAC — 124dB SNR, 0.001% THD

Gold Note's implementation of the AKM AK4493 DAC delivers 124dB SNR, 123dB dynamic response, and 0.001% THD — with select audio-grade components throughout and a fully balanced analogue output stage that honours every nuance of every recording.

⚖️ Fully Balanced XLR & Digital Outputs

Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA analogue outputs (both 2Vrms, 100Ω), coaxial S/PDIF and optical TosLink digital outputs, and a switchable digital volume control — complete flexibility for any system configuration, from simple to reference.

🏗️ New Black Anodised Aluminium Chassis

Designed to minimise magnetic field interaction, reduce background noise, and improve micro-detail — the Linea 5.2 chassis is as functional as it is beautiful. Designed and built in Florence, Italy.

Editorial Blockquote

"Not small marginal improvements, but real, tangible, high-level changes. Every design choice is guided by the desire to offer a concrete step forward that is always audible, never just theoretical." — Gold Note

At-a-Glance Bullets

• CD player with integrated D/A converter
• Mechanism: Stream Unlimited (SUOS-HiFi) tray loader — high-precision
• DAC: AKM AK4493 — high-resolution
• Gapless playback — supported
• Disc compatibility: CD, CD-R, CD-RW (Red Book)
• Speed fluctuation: 0.0001%
• Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz (±0.3dB)
• THD: 0.001% max
• SNR: 124dB
• Dynamic response: 123dB
• Analogue outputs: 1 × balanced XLR (2Vrms) + 1 × unbalanced RCA (2Vrms)
• Digital outputs: 1 × coaxial S/PDIF (75Ω) + 1 × TosLink optical
• Output impedance: 100Ω
• Digital volume control — switchable on/off
• Multifunctional remote control — included
• Colour touchscreen interface
• Optional external power supply available (for enhanced dynamic range)
• Power consumption: 30W
• Dimensions (W × H × D): 200 × 80 × 260mm — Weight: 3kg
• Available in Black

Finish / Colour Options

• Black (black anodised aluminium)

Specifications

Transport & Playback

DAC & Performance

Inputs & Outputs

Controls

Power

General

Closing Quote

"A perfect union of precision engineering and pure musical pleasure. The Gold Note CD-5.2 — because your CDs deserve nothing less than sound excellence."