Philips CD880 1988 brochure

A new milestone in the history of the Compact Disc

When Philips introduced the Compact Disc, the world was enthralled by the incredible quality of crystal-clear CD sound. Since then, Philips has driven the development of laser optics so significantly that today's state-of-the-art technology has far surpassed the astonishing performance of the early years. Once again, it is Philips that is heralding the next major advancement of the CD, reaffirming its leading position in this field. Philips' milestone is called the CD 880, the latest top-of-the-line Compact Disc player crafted by the most experienced specialists at Philips!

A treat for uncompromising audio experts

The Philips CD880 embodies everything that audio perfectionists can expect from Philips, the essential inventor of the CD. Like its predecessors of the highest class, the Philips CD880 is designed to transform the purest CD sound into the perfect listening experience. But this masterpiece of electronics and mechanics offers the uncompromising audio expert more than just the highest fidelity and purity of sound, which makes everything you've heard before seem forgettable - it sets a new standard in functionality and design. The Philips CD880 combines Philips' best achievements: the fully integrated digital components, the famous single-beam laser on the super-precisely adjusted swing arm, and the remote control responsible for all functions. Moreover, this "dream device" is prepared for the not-so-distant future. Outputs for digital and optical signal transmission are already available, as well as connections for a high-class D/A converter, for digital sound processing, for CD-I, and DAT (Digital Audio Tape). The Philips CD880 is presented to you with pride - a resounding proof of how strongly Philips is committed to the perfection of high fidelity.

Easier function control, simpler programming

Just one look at the Philips CD880 tells you "There's something new!" And when you press the on/off button, you immediately see what's new. Life immediately comes into the function display: Every operating state is brightly, large, and clearly visible on the FTD field.

The CD front drawer opens silently at the touch of a fingertip. The CD is inserted - a light push and the drawer closes. It is protected against jamming. Depending on the selected mode, the CD is then automatically played or the device enters "standby" mode. Like all top-of-the-line CD players from Philips, the Philips CD880 has the Fixed Programmable Title Memory . With it, you can compile pieces from up to 195 discs into an unlosable private program that you can change at any time. Choosing a piece, time segment, or index for direct or programmed playback is very easy with the front-facing numeric keypad or with the infrared remote control.

Under any light, the number, index, and the position of the current track within the program are clearly visible on the light gray multifunction display. For the automatic "Music Scan" function, a touch of a button is enough to briefly play the tracks of a CD. With the Philips CD880, you can program 20 of 99 tracks in any order and select indexes, time segments, or sections (A-B). Every setting is readable on the display.

There is also a random playback ("Shuffle" or "Random" play) to play individual CDs and track programs in random order. This even works in conjunction with the FTS.

Further advantages include the restart of a track or index, the second-fast "Skip Up" and "Skip Down" to any previous or subsequent track or index, and the repetition of a CD or an entire program. The convenient music search with 2 speeds, forward or backward (slow search allows listening along), is accurate to 1 second. The search is stopped during playback when the laser unit reaches the start or end track. Searching within the program is protected in the same way when tracks, indexes, or times are being searched. With the Philips CD880, you can choose between normal playback, copy pause, and auto-pause. The copy pause automatically inserts a 4-second pause between tracks when recording to tape. The auto-pause stops playback at the end of a track or programmed section. The separate pause button allows for short interruptions of the current function. Finally, the Philips CD880 has a timer load, with which playback can be switched on via an external timer. There is a connection from the internal headphone amplifier in reference quality with its own volume control on the front for undisturbed listening pleasure!

Masterpiece of CD technology

The Philips Philips CD880 is built to allow every musical nuance that your HiFi system's amplifier delivers to be heard perfectly. This explains why precision electronics and fine mechanics are paramount in CD technology. The rapid progress in microchip development made today's high standard of CD playback possible. For example, Philips has incorporated selected fully integrated circuits into the Philips CD880, which have been developed for CD playback of unprecedented perfection. Optimal decoding and error correction are the tasks of a single chip! And it guarantees the cleanest, interference-free signal playback, even with dirt or scratches on the CD. The fast 2X 16-bit converter chip was also selected for top performance. It serves both the right and left channels simultaneously - without interleaving - thus ensuring better channel equality, an even more linear frequency response, and a greater dynamic range. The new, highly linear digital filters, as used by Philips in the Philips CD880, guarantee the highest possible fidelity. Like all Philips CD players, the Philips CD880 has employed quadruple oversampling to enhance playback quality. A technique that helps fulfill the dream of authentic sound.

State-of-the-Art Laser Technology

The introduction of the Compact Disc by Philips was preceded by years of laser optics research. Further research in this field led to ever-new improvements. The Philips CD880 by Philips operates with a laser unit of the highest precision, which neither wears out nor ages and requires no subsequent adjustments. This ensures truly consistent high scanning accuracy.

Just like digital filtering, Philips' single-beam laser technology set the standard for other manufacturers and was further refined. The result is the fully integrated laser drive Philips CDM1 MkII in the new Philips CD880. The scanning laser is mounted on a freely rotating swing arm, in a vibration-free, spring-mounted die-cast chassis, which in turn rests on a solid base plate. The laser always remains precisely on the CD track. Even in the presence of vibrations or rough shocks, it remains precisely focused. Additionally, the access times have become even shorter. And the "noise" of the drive with its brushless turntable motor remains below the threshold of perception.

Studio-Quality Technology for Studio Sound

The Philips CD880 is the result of Philips technology aimed at studio quality. This is evident in every construction detail. The die-cast chassis sits on large, vibration-resistant feet on a solid base plate. The rear panel and mounting screws are solidly copper-plated, ensuring optimal shielding and grounding. The front panel is made of aluminum. Resonance-damping die-cast frame, shock-proof-mounted laser unit, and smooth-running disc drawer are all part of this Philips CD player: studio quality for HiFi studio sound.

Selected Special Components Ensure Reference Standard

Philips spared no effort to ensure the best possible music playback, authentic sound with the Philips CD880. That's why the analog and digital circuits each have their own power supply. Analog and digital signals also run on separate sections of specially developed circuit boards. The interplay of these special components is a significant reason for the playback quality of the Philips CD880, as is the "Super" transformer with 3 separate windings for supplying the servo drives, analog, and digital circuits. Special shielding prevents disturbing electrical and mechanical influences.

New Dimensions of Operating Comfort

In the Philips Philips CD880, state-of-the-art integrated circuits open up new dimensions of operating comfort for you. The access time here is significantly shorter - never more than 1 second: "Skip up," "Skip down," index search, forward, backward, finding a specific music passage. A touch of the respective button - and you are immediately where you wanted to go. The silky-smooth disc drawer of the Philips CD880 opens at a button touch. It closes just as gently with a short press on the front panel at any point. It does the same when you touch the "Play" button - and the inserted CD is automatically played!

Visibly new in the operating comfort of the Philips CD880 is the large, eye-friendly multi-function display, which clearly indicates every activated function: track and index numbers, playing time, remaining playing time, total playing time (in minutes and seconds), track and program section, volume (level), "Repeat," "Random Play," "Operating Error," "Disc Error," "Pause," "Program Activation," "Review," "A-B," "Music Scan," "Shuffle," "FTS," and IR remote control in operation.

Direct Selection of a CD Title and Title Programming

With the "Play/Program" button of the Philips Philips CD880, you can directly go to the title of a CD - play it and save it as desired. To play, simply enter the track number using the numeric keypad. Playback starts without having to press the Play button. If you choose the program function, do the same, and this track number will be saved without an extra "tip" on the "Store" button! The saved title is displayed in the multifunction display.

"Tailored" Recording with "Copy Pause"

Transferring a CD to tape is particularly easy with the Philips Philips CD880 due to its "Copy Pause" function. It automatically inserts a 4-second pause between tracks during recording. This ensures that most cassette decks equipped with a "search function" can reliably locate the tracks in the program that you want to listen to.

FTS - Philips' Unique Fixed Programmable Title Memory

Philips' Fixed Programmable Title Memory is truly unique. With this system, you can store the favorite titles of your Compact Discs into a program for as long as you wish. Simply touch with a finger - and FTS will remember the identifier of the disc and title. Once you have a programmed CD in the disc tray of the Philips CD880, a flashing "FTS" indicates the existing program, and a press of the FTS button automatically starts playback. The FTS has an amazing capacity. Depending on the number of tracks, up to 195 CDs can be compiled into a private program. Instead of entire tracks, you can also program timed excerpts or sections (A - B) of the CDs. You can save both types of play. Of course, an FTS program can be changed at any time. The available storage capacity is automatically available at the end of the last program in the FTS memory.

Individual Volume Adjustment Digitally Remote Controlled

This is something for audio perfectionists! The Philips CD880 has remotely controllable volume adjustment via special connections for preamplifiers or power amplifiers. The signals from the remote control influence a finely graded resistance cascade in the analog part digitally and maintain the achievable best CD sound quality at a consistent level. The set level is displayed on the display. It is permanently stored and returns to the set value after the Philips CD880 is switched back on.

Digital Outputs - Optical and Electrical

With its digital outputs - optical and electrical - the Philips Philips CD880 is future-proof. They allow connection to a high-quality D/A converter, e.g., Philips DAC960, to signal processors, and to CD-I systems that will be available in the near future. The electrical connectors have gold-plated, low-loss contacts. The optical connection via fiber optic offers the advantage of lossless and absolutely noise-free transmission of the digital CD signal.

"Low-loss" Connection Cables

A specially developed connection cable with gold-plated RCA plugs is the final link in the perfection that the Philips CD880 offers. It ensures that no nuance is lost from the pure CD signal on its way from the Philips CD880 to the amplifier of your HiFi system. Then you hear it perfectly - the best CD sound!

Amplifiers for the Era of the Compact Disc

The best possible playback of CD sound places high demands on all components of the HiFi system - from the signal source to the speakers. The "powerhouse" - the amplifier - is most challenged. Philips has developed two outstanding power amplifiers that truly optimize the CD signal of the demanding Philips CD880. They are the Philips amplifiers FA 860 and FA 960. In manufacturing, Philips constantly monitors all factors that influence the sound result - both during simple playback (CD direct) and via the source selector or the separate recording selector. The Philips amplifiers FA 860 and FA 960 are therefore perfect partners for the best CD players from Philips - like the new Philips CD880. Their top quality sets standards for upcoming power amplifiers - just as the introduction of the CD raised new demands on sound quality. They are the right amplifiers for the era of the Compact Disc.