Boulder 1021 CD Player Preview

Apparently someone forgot to tell the high-end crowd that the CD isn't the pinnacle of all that is good and wonderful in audio. Instead of capitalizing on advanced features like hard-disc media storage and cataloging your entire CD collection in high resolution lossless format, Boulder Amplifiers has gone with an uber-expensive single-disc CD player. The new 1021 Disc Player from Boulder Amplifiers is going to make a lot of people exclaim "you paid HOW MUCH for that?!?"

The luxury performance brand claims to have put two years and around $1 million in development of the new CD player. We can only hope that they purchased a nice ocean-front office in the Carribean as part of that deal. The 1021 upsamples 16-bit/44.1kHz CDs to 24-bit and can process other sound files at data rates up to 32-bits and 192 kHz.Where does this new information come from, you ask? It's all part of the magical proprietary features boulder has within the 46-pound behemoth.

Note the AES outputs, balanced stereo and Ethernet port. There is no RS-232C control

Features like a dual buffering system (with ~60 seconds of storage) and ultra-low jitter precise interval clock ensure optimum processing and accurate playback. Raw data from the buffer is manipulated entirely in the software domain by a dedicated digital signal processor (DSP). The DSP features a Boulder designed Eigen-value oversampling filter. It also has its own data buffer which calls for audio information from the host computer. While the product documentation makes a big deal about the buffer and "listening beyond the redline" essentially the system seems to be bragging about the equivalent of a high-speed CD drive with buffer - something that has been present in most PCs since the dawn of 4x or higher CD transports (though without the quality and complexities of Boulder's particular style of buffer).

There’s also a 6.5-inch full-color LCD display for track listings, menus, setup features and full-screen feedback. An Ethernet connection on the back allows the CD player to pull artist, track title and album name info from either the Internet. In lieu of an active connection, the system comes with an internal database for CD information and it can also read metadata or CD text. The 1021 allows you to program playlists for your CDs, and program "literally thousands of listener preferences." Unfortunately, since this is a single-disc player, that means that most of the features either target a single CD (big whoop) or a disc loaded with tens of MP3 files, certainly not audiophile in any sense of the term.

The 1021 is provided with Boulder’s distinctive remote control. When a button on the remote is pushed, a full-screen icon appears momentarily on the 1021’s display to confirm that the player has responded to the remote’s command. A selectable digital volume control allows you to connect the 1021 directly to a power amplifier or powered loudspeakers, however, the player’s output can only be adjusted in 1 dB steps. Additionally, the volume control can be disabled for operation in fixed output mode in a separate component audio system.

The 1021 is the first source component from Boulder and features the impressive build quality and design which adorns the company's other components. It has an MSRP of $24,000. Clearly there are people in the world who "want the best" regardless of what it costs. And as long as these people exist there will be dealers and custom installers who will sell it to them at 50% margins. Chalk this up to a company who is smart enough to know that. The Boulder 1021 CD player is most likely an excellent product with unsurpassed clarity. But what it all boils down to is that this is a $24,000 single disc CD player. Big whoop.

For more information, please visit Boulder Amplifiers.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.