Compact, stylish and sparkling-sounding, the Tangent CD II is the perfect CD player for enjoying your disc collection.

The Cyrus CD t is one of the best CD transports you can get, regardless of price. It's a CD transport, rather than a CD player, meaning it will simply read the data on the disc. You'll need a standalone DAC to handle all the digital-to-analogue conversion. Software developments have also created a more user-friendly operation particularly in multi-room environments or where commercial applications limit operation via the remote control. Finally, as a test of flexibility, I dismantled the system and set it up again in my TV room where I ran the optical out from the TV into the Ampster. The results were as expected. The DALI/Tangent combo did a fine job as a 2.0 TV set up, and I could see lots of people integrating it into a modest media room installation, and adding a small powered subwoofer too.I strapped everything together and set the units up on an equipment table (see photo). I placed the speakers flat on the equipment stand about 4.5 feet apart and at knee high level. From a purist’s viewpoint this is not ideal, but it is a mini-system after all and many potential owners will set it up this way – for example in a student’s dormitory, or in a bedroom system or an office. Some compromises are often going to be necessary. We are always impartial in our testing and ensure we hear every CD player at its optimum – connected to the appropriate kit and placed on a sturdy and level surface. We'll use them in their best use case with different partnering amplifiers and speakers, as well as play plenty of discs in different genres of music through them. Naturally, we give them plenty of listening time (and time to run in) too. Much as Tangent would like you to go CD, the true calling of that input is for two rather more modern roles. The first is that the Ampster is a fine partner to boost the sound of a flatscreen TV - and one that comes in at price more in keeping with the outrageous bargains that seem to crop up routinely in the world of soundbars. That inbuilt ability to work out of sight allows the Tangent to be hidden away so you can have a nice clean install of the TV and a pair of speakers and, potentially, very smart it will look too. The small matter of the Masterchef final was entrusted to the Tangent and the Polks and a very fine job they did too.

Digital Output: The Tangent CD Player II is equipped with a digital output, allowing effortless integration with other digital audio components for a seamless audio setup. The housed speaker drivers may be described as full-range, but they’re most comfortable in the midrange, and work best with less densely arranged music. Streamed from Tidal, Max Richter’s The Waves has an almost brittle clarity to it, as the electronic chimes drift through the air, while the rich tones of the slowly building strings hint at the drama to come. It’s a little more powerful than I’d expect from the quoted 40W output and can certainly fill a bedroom or other small room with music. It’s an expressive and punchy performer that builds its performance around a solid framework of surefooted rhythmic drive and expressive dynamics. Detail levels are good, but it is the confident way this unit organises that information into a cohesive and musical whole that really impresses.Tangent Audio has released a new and improved version of its compact Ampster Bluetooth amplifier. A new matching CD and Tuner have also been designed. What does all that mean? It makes your music sound great. It's full of rhythm and drive. It's precise, clean and delivers for dynamics at every inch of the spectrum. Stereo imaging is focused and expansive, and there are even a few digital filters to tweak the sound to your tastes. With DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) you get a whole new world of stations. Featuring popular digital only stations such as BBC 6 Music and 4 Extra, there’s a much wider choice of stations to listen to. Analogue FM is also standard and ideal for local stations or parts of the country where DAB reception is less easily accessible. RDS gives FM radio some of the features of DAB, including station naming and radio text.