The CD player just got a bit more interesting. Parasound just announced the Zcd CD Player. You may not be able to pronounce it easily, but you should be able to rock out to it just fine.

As part of Parasound’s Z Custom line of rack-mountable components, it’s nice and compact, designed to squeeze into half the width of a standard 19-inch equipment rack.

However, the real hook on this slim component is that it includes Cirrus Logic DAC and an independent power supply for the analog circuits. With built-in premp functions, the Zcd and its remote can be paired up with Parasound’s Zamp v.3 class AB stereo amplifier and a pair (or more) of speakers for a very nice, very high-end audio system.

Other features include a USB input for playing MP3 files on a flash drive, as well as a 3.5mm stereo line-input jack for adding in portable players and other line-level sources. There’s also a rear-panel IR input and one-way RS232 serial control port.

Of course, it’s also a CD player, and is compatible with the aforementioned MP3 files from a CD-R.

Parasound is selling the Zcd CD Player now, with an MSRP of $400.

Rachel Cericola - Contributing Writer

Over the past 15 years, Rachel Cericola has covered entertainment, web and technology trends. Check her out at www.rachelcericola.com.