I tried two of the best modern CD players, but they're both missing something obvious

For years, the only CD players I used were inside car stereos or thrifted relics. Modern CD players are finally here, and they’re packed with features I won’t find on the TEAC five-disc changer that previously handled my living room playback duties. I tested two of the top CD players, the Fiio DM13 and the Fosi Audio Merak, and quickly learned they’re capable of much more than CD playback. Each player includes a handy DAC that can drive more demanding headphones than your old-school player ever could.

If you’re choosing between the Fiio DM13 and the Fosi Audio Merak, the best CD player for your setup depends on how you use it. Fosi Audio’s Merak is ready to be a permanent fixture of your desk or listening station with a 12V trigger and convenient outputs. Fiio’s DM13 is truly portable with a rechargeable battery that lasts for 10 hours of playback. Both options can rip CDs, but in a convoluted way that you’ll probably never use. Each one felt incomplete, and they’re both missing one key feature.

This CD player is an elegant addition to your desk

Unboxing the Fosi Audio Merak CD player brought both surprise and disappointment. For one, the Merak is incredibly stylish. The metal chassis, orange volume slider, and crystal-clear plastic window help the Merak appear more premium than most other compact CD players — including the Fiio DM13. However, this is partly because the Merak CD player isn’t designed to leave your desk. It doesn’t have an internal battery, so those seeking a portable player will need to look at alternatives like the Fiio DM13.

The stationary approach allows the Merak to do things the DM13 can’t. It delivers more power via its single-ended connections and supports a full-size Toslink optical digital output. This allows you to use the Merak as a simple CD transport connected to an external DAC if you have a more powerful one available. The mode bypasses the internal DAC completely, and I enjoyed the flexibility. I opted to plug my headphones straight into the Merak’s 3.5mm headphone jack and sent optical audio to the Fiio K15 desktop DAC for my speakers.

Aside from the 3.5mm headphone jack on the front and optical output on the back, you also get a line output on the back. Plus, there’s also a 12V trigger output on the back. This makes using the Merak CD player with an external DAC or amplifier a streamlined experience. Hook up the Merak’s 12V trigger output to another accessory’s 12V trigger input, and one power button can automatically turn on your entire system. It’s a nice touch that helps the Merak outshine the DM13 for permanent desktop or listening station use.

There’s a USB-A port on the back, too, but you can’t use it in the way you might expect. It’s not for putting the CD player’s internal DAC chip to use as a USB DAC, or for putting the CD transport to use as an optical drive. Instead, that USB port can do just two things: play 16-bit, 96kHz digital files from a flash drive and rip CDs to a flash drive as 16-bit, 44.1kHz WAV files. Considering each rip happens in real time at 1x speed without lossless compression or metadata, a cheap optical drive will be better for CD rips than the Merak CD player.

The Fiio DM13 is less flashy, but more practical

I’ve used the Fiio DM13 for almost two years, and the CD player’s portability is its primary advantage over the Merak. The 10-hour battery life lets me move the DM13 around my home, or even take it outside, without trying to find a USB-C port somewhere. The plastic chassis of the Fiio DM13 isn’t as attractive, but it might hold up better over time. The plastic window on the Merak CD player is already showing scratches, and all I’ve done is rest CD jewel cases atop it during playback.

The underrated perk of the Fiio DM13, though, is its balanced output. Aside from the single-ended 3.5mm headphone output, the player also includes a 4.4mm balanced headphone jack on the front. This bumps the power output from 180mW + 180mW at 32 ohms on the single-ended output to 660mW + 660mW at 32 ohms on the balanced output. I used the 4.4mm balanced connection on the Fiio FT13 headphones with the DM13, and everything sounded more lively.

On the back, the Fiio DM13 offers a 4.4mm balanced line output and a 3.5mm combo jack supporting line out, coaxial, and optical. It uses USB-C instead of USB-A for flash drive ripping and USB recording. The DM13 can be used with a Mac or PC for manual CD recording using a USB-C cable, which the Merak can’t do. But the DM13 can’t play back music files from a flash drive, which the Merak can do. Neither player is the complete package.

The DM13 is limited to 1x-speed USB flash drive ripping, leaving you with bland 16-bit, 44.1kHz WAV files that lack track titles, artist information, or album art. It’s the same limitation as the Merak. For relatively expensive CD players with quality lasers and DAC chips inside, it’s a shame these options can’t double as external USB DACs or optical drives.

Neither can replace your optical drive, and that’s a problem

The Fosi Audio Merak costs $140, and the Fiio DM13 will run you $165. Both CD players live in the premium segment, and it’d be nice if one of them replaced some of the audio gear already on my desk. If the Merak or DM13 could function as a USB DAC, I’d have little need for the dedicated Fiio K11 desktop DAC and amplifier. If either CD player was better at ripping or could function as an optical drive, perhaps I could ditch the finicky ASUS external CD drive on my desk.

I wish the Merak or DM13 could replace the optical drive cluttering my setup, but I understand why they can’t. CD players decode audio signals from optical discs, converting them into an analog signal that can be played through your headphones or speakers. Optical drives simply read raw digital streams, leaving your PC and its software responsible for reconstruction and playback. They serve different purposes, and one can’t replace the other.

After trying both the Fosi Audio Merak and the Fiio DM13, I’m still searching for the perfect modern CD player. If I could pick and choose the best features from each player, I’d essentially have my dream product. The Fiio DM13 has an internal battery and balanced outputs, while the Fosi Audio Merak works as a CD transport and has a 12V trigger. In other words, the DM13 is for those who value portability, and the Merak is for use within a larger setup. Still, the lackluster USB functionality on both players makes me wonder what could’ve been.