XM Series

A CD player now. A transport when you change your mind.

Name: Exposure XMCD CD Player / Transport
Brand: Exposure Electronics
SKU: EXXMCDBL
Price: 3499.0 CAD
Availability: InStock

Half-width CD replay with two volts out, distortion below 0.008% across the band, and coaxial and optical digital outputs so it can feed a converter of your choosing. Designed and built in Lancing, West Sussex.

Scroll

XM Series

Exposure waited twenty-three years to build a CD player.

The company made amplifiers from 1974 and did not put out a disc player until 1997. That reluctance shows in how this one is built: digital outputs as standard, so the transport is never locked to the converter inside it. Buy it as a player, keep it as a transport when your DAC changes. It is the half-width partner to an XM5 or an XM7, and the 3510 top-loader is the same idea at full width.

XMHalf-width separates. Phono, integrated, pre, mono, headphone, CD.You are here
2510Full-width. Seventy-five watts, with an MM phono stage as standard.
3510The complete tier. Integrated, pre, stereo power, monoblocks and CD.
5510The current flagship. One hundred and twenty watts, black only.

Within this tier

What usually follows

Exposure 3510 CD Player Titanium #colour_titanium

Exposure 3510 Top-Loading CD Player$4,799.00

Shelf plan

Half the width. Deeper than it looks.

Exposure XMCD CD Player / Transport 218 × 94 × 348 mm, 4 kg This model

Full-width chassis 440 × 115 × 315 mm, 12 kgThe 2510, 3510 and 5510 boxes, for comparison.

Drawn to scale, viewed from above. Two half-width boxes sit side by side in the space of one full-width chassis — but check your depth, these run deeper than they are wide.

Technical specifications

Output level	2 V RMS
Frequency response	20 Hz – 20 kHz ±0.25 dB
Total harmonic distortion	<0.008%, 20 Hz – 20 kHz, 0 dBFS
Signal-to-noise ratio	>100 dB (A-weighted)
Digital outputs	S/PDIF coaxial and Toslink optical
Power consumption	<15 W
Dimensions and weight	218 × 94 × 348 mm (W × H × D), 4 kg net / 5 kg gross

Can I use it as a transport with a separate DAC?

Yes. Coaxial and Toslink optical digital outputs are both fitted, so the disc mechanism can feed a converter of your choosing — the standalone Exposure DAC, the DAC+ board in a 3510, or anything else. Player today, transport later.

How does it compare to the 3510 CD player?

The 3510 is full-width, top-loading, and uses two Burr-Brown PCM1704 converters in dual-mono, measuring below 0.007% distortion. The XM CD is half-width at below 0.008%, and both hold better than 100 dB signal-to-noise. The real difference is the transport and the chassis, not the numbers.

Will it fit my shelf?

218 by 94 by 348 mm. Note it is 4 mm taller than the rest of the XM tier to clear the disc mechanism, and like every XM box it is deeper than it is wide. Check the depth of your rack before the width.

About the Exposure XMCD CD Player / Transport

Player or Transport, Your Call: Exposure XMCD

The Exposure XMCD is an award-winning, half-chassis CD component with a split personality — in the best way. Use it as a complete CD player through its internal 24-bit DAC and analogue outputs, or as a pure high-resolution transport via its BNC or optical digital outputs. Made in England, it's the compact silver-disc specialist that Stereo Magazine called an "impressively musical player, also perfectly suited as a pure drive" — and which even out-livened Exposure's own larger 3010 S2 player.

Engineered to Read Every Bit

A top-loading mechanism with a machined magnetic clamp holds each disc dead flat to minimise read errors, and the onboard 24-bit DAC delivers a clean 100 dB signal-to-noise ratio with low 2.1 ns jitter. Reviewers praised its "bouncing elasticity" and "three-dimensional relief" — an appealingly lively, powerful sound with real bass authority. Prefer to use your own DAC or the one in your preamp? Take the digital output and the XMCD becomes a superb dedicated transport.

Compact, Flexible, Beautifully Made

Both RCA analogue and BNC/optical digital outputs are on board, all in a solid half-width aluminium case in black or titanium. It slots neatly beside the rest of the Exposure XM series for a complete compact system with nothing left wanting.

Why You'll Love the Exposure XMCD

Player and transport in one — internal 24-bit DAC or pure digital output, your choice
Top-loading with magnetic clamp — holds discs flat to reduce read errors
Award-winning musicality — "impressively musical," with lively, three-dimensional sound
Low jitter, high resolution — 24-bit DAC, 100 dB S/N, 2.1 ns jitter
Flexible outputs — RCA analogue plus BNC and optical digital
Hand-built in England — black or titanium finish

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the XMCD be used as a CD transport only?

Yes. Alongside its internal 24-bit DAC and analogue outputs, it offers BNC and optical digital outputs, so you can bypass the internal DAC and feed an external DAC or the DAC in your preamp/integrated.

Why is it top-loading?

The top-loading mechanism uses a machined magnetic puck to clamp the CD perfectly flat, which reduces read errors for cleaner data retrieval and better sound.

Does the XMCD match the other XM components?

Yes — it shares the compact half-width XM form factor and black or titanium finishes, pairing naturally with the XM7 preamplifier and XM9 power amplifiers.

Exposure XMCD Technical Specifications

Type	CD player / transport, half-chassis, top-loading
DAC	Internal 24-bit
Signal-to-noise ratio	100 dB
Jitter	2.1 ns
Analogue output	2.2 V (RCA)
Digital outputs	BNC and optical
Disc clamping	Machined magnetic clamp
Dimensions (W × H × D)	22 × 9 × 36 cm
Weight	4 kg
Finishes	Black or titanium
Made in	England — Exposure Electronics