2025广州Hi-End臻品展的现场，在众多音响爱好者与业界媒体的热切关注下，世纪格雷为新品GLD1.0数字播放器成功发布。这场活动由HiFi168的吴斌先生担当主持，世纪格雷创始人邓剑辉先生深度解析了GLD1.0的研发思路与技术亮点。这不止是一款产品的登场，更是一次技术理念的集中呈现。

发布会上，邓剑辉先生细致回溯了公司的发展轨迹：世纪格雷于2011在深圳创立，初创之际，其产品线聚焦蓝光视频产品；与众不同的是，与美国Marvell公司的深度合作，为其蓝光方案注入了“独立音频双时钟”架构——这一HiFi级数字时钟架构，让世纪格雷的蓝光产品在音质上早早确立领先地位。

2013年，9i-AD音视频播放器面市，旋即引爆HiFi市场；其后的9i-AD乌金版、乌金终极版更成炙手可热的数字播放器，良好口碑为品牌根基的夯实埋下伏笔。

At the 2025 Guangzhou Hi-End Premium Audio Exhibition, amid great anticipation from audiophiles and industry media, Cen.Grand successfully launched its new product — the GLD1.0 Digital Player. The event was hosted by Mr. Wu Bin of HiFi168, with Mr. Jianhui Deng, founder of Cen.Grand, delivering an in-depth presentation on the development philosophy and key technologies behind the GLD1.0. This was more than just a product debut — it was a focused display of technological vision.

During the launch, Mr. Deng offered a detailed review of the company’s journey: Cen.Grand was founded in 2011 in Shenzhen, with its initial product line centered around Blu-ray video players. What set the company apart early on was its deep collaboration with U.S.-based Marvell, which allowed Cen.Grand to incorporate a dual independent audio clock architecture into its Blu-ray solutions — a HiFi-grade digital clock system that quickly established its products as sound quality leaders in the category.

In 2013, the release of the 9i-AD audio-video player ignited strong interest in the HiFi market. The subsequent 9i-AD Black-Golden Edition and Black-Golden Ultimate Edition became highly sought-after digital players, with their strong reputation laying a solid foundation for the Cen.Grand brand.

Since 2014, DSD audio has gradually become a focal point in the HiFi community. Responding to the shift in mainstream demand, Cen.Grand initiated the development of its DSD DAC solution. After five years of rigorous refinement, the demanding 1-bit architecture, upsampling capability, and clock reconstruction design were finally realized. In 2019, the DSDAC1.0 was officially launched, joining the ranks of the few true 1-bit DSD DACs in the world. In 2021, the milestone DSDAC1.0 Deluxe Edition made its debut. With class-leading performance, it received high praise and awards from multiple media outlets and quickly gained traction in the international market. Alongside the 9i-906 “Silver Fox” headphone amplifier, it became a shining emblem of Cen.Grand’s global presence in the HiFi field.

As the limitations of Blu-ray products as audio sources became increasingly apparent and demand for pure audio amplifiers surged, development of a new generation audio source product began in 2018. After a challenging journey, the GLD1.0—an innovative digital player with groundbreaking synchronous data technology—finally began shipping to early adopters in August 2024. According to Mr. Deng, all of the more than 200 initial users have continued using their GLD1.0 units for nearly a year, with none choosing to abandon it. Every day, users actively share their experiences in enthusiast groups. For a new digital product to achieve unanimous approval is a small miracle—something that had never happened before. It’s worth noting that many of Cen.Grand’s users are veteran audiophiles; the GLD1.0 must possess exceptional qualities to earn such a position of prominence among them.

Innovation Through Reinvention: A Deep Dive into the GLD1.0 Digital Player

For years, the notion that “digital players are inferior to CD players” has circulated in the HiFi community. After meticulous research, Cen.Grand identified the root issue: the data transmission process. In particular, the USB asynchronous audio protocol—designed to tolerate data errors—poses inherent limitations. Furthermore, most digital players rely on ARM-based platforms not originally designed for HiFi audio. These lack dedicated audio data output interfaces and rely solely on USB asynchronous transmission, leading to compromised data integrity and insufficient computational power—two factors that jointly hinder digital player performance.

In response, the GLD1.0 offers a disruptive solution:

In terms of architecture, the integration of an x86_64 platform and Windows operating system, PCIe interface for data output, synchronized digital clock system, and the proprietary POW transmission protocol with its dedicated receiving module, allows GLD1.0 to rival a computer in software ecosystem, while being hailed as a “revolutionary design” in the field of digital audio (as described by Hong Kong Audio Technique magazine).

With the powerful computing performance of an Intel CPU and an advanced data processing system, 100% data integrity (bit perfect) is achieved, truly living up to its positioning as a “perfectly performing, fully functional” digital player (or digital transport). The glowing feedback from first-batch users and its consistent placement at the "C-position" in audio systems are the best endorsements.

Core Highlights of the GLD1.0:

• Pioneering the move away from USB asynchronous to PCIe synchronous transmission:
  While USB asynchronous protocols allow data errors, PCIe has zero tolerance for errors. Its implementation of synchronous control marks a new level of technical sophistication.

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• Original POW transmission protocol:
  Named "Parting of the Way", POW represents the separation of data and clock signal transmission—data is transmitted via optical fiber, while the clock travels through coaxial cable. A specially designed receiving module on the DAC side reconstructs the signals into I2S format. This innovation has thrilled audiophiles.

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GLD1.0 Product Line and Roadmap:

Currently, GLD1.0 is available in both Deluxe and Standard editions:

• The Deluxe version is powered by an 11th-gen Intel i7 processor.

• The Standard version features a 12th-gen Intel Celeron processor.

An all-in-one integrated model, GLS1.0, is scheduled for official release later this year.