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arcam alpha 7 upgrade to alpha 9 or go to a cd92?

Okay, I've been toying with what to upgrade next or whether to enter the HT arena, etc. I think the weak link in my system is my cdp, an arcam alpha 7, and i'm starting to lean towards this as my next step.

I just called the arcam dealer and he is checking on whether they can get the upgrade board to the alpha 9 which i believe would cost me around $800-900 to have installed (price diff + installation fee). He also mentioned that they have the arcam cd92 on sale for $1299 and said that he thought it was a good step up from the alpha 9.

So I guess the question is how does the Alpha 9 compare to the CD92 and maybe even the FMJ CD23 (even though this one is most likely out of my price range). I'd like to keep it around $1000 and maybe could go a little more than that.

I have seen many reviews of the alpha 9, mostly good, and several very good of the CD23 (including a good one in stereophile). But i have not heard much about the CD92? What gives here, did arcam miss on this one, or it just didn't catch on or what?

my system:

arcam alpha7
aragon 18k
aragon 4004mkII
thiel CS2
jps and harm tech IC's
Transparent speaker cable
virtual dynamics pc's
kmorris31c4
cellorover
417 posts
 
I may be viewed as a heretic, but the 72 sounds better than the FMJ. Listen carefully and with your own equipment. The 72 is a sleeper.
chelentano
14 posts
 
Actually I was told on this board that alpha 9 is the older version of FMJ player (FMJ is based on alpha 9 with some improvements). So in sound quality alpha 9 is between cd92 and FMJ.
azza
3 posts
 
The upgrade for the alpha 7 to the 9 is no longer available as the ring dac has been discontinued.This is why the fmj23 is being replaced by the 33 which does not use the ring dac.So if you can find a used 92 or even better by some distance a fmj23 go for that.
daveherm69
42 posts
 
Although I have no experience with the Alpha 7,I just recently sold my Alpha 6 and bought a cd92.The improvement was not subtle.More detail,better bass, and non fatiguing.I compared the cd92 to the Musical Fidelity 3.2 and the Linn Genki.The genki was the best but the deal I got on the Arcam was very good and enough to make me buy the Arcam.Price aside, the cd92 is a damn fine player.a better power cord will help it also. Happy listening.
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