Bargain Priced SACD Giant Killer?

Cwlondon, I don't know what to make of your statement that you are listening less to digital now and mainly from your PC. Is it because you only are listening to your PC that you are now listening less to digital? If so, stop doing that.

While the Sony SCD-1 has retained much of its value as modifiers covet it, you are probably talking about a far less expensive universal player as some have suggested. I don't think you will accomplish your goal with a $1000 sacd player. But if you like your pc playback, just sell the SCD-1 and your sacds and enjoy. I suspect that putting pcm on hard drives will be the wave of the future anyway.

Having spend time in both the VMPS and APL rooms, I would have to say that Alex had the best sound. Of course, there are many differences other than the players.

I wonder if Cwlondon even monitors this less than constructive discussion of the trl unit. Anytime you entertain a discussion of best buy in a component, one is opening a can of worms. Excellent sound is difficult enough to get agreement on and once you weigh in cost, I suspect agreement is impossible.

I am sure the TRL unit is excellent as are many other units at that price-point. I am equally sure that there are better unit at higher price-points. Certainly, Alex's TEAC is excellent and costly. This is the limits of any certainty that I have. How Alex handles himself in discussions is irrelevant to anything.

Jes45, certainly in the case of linestages and amps, I would agree. I don't recall what additional circuits you are talking about, but most mods of players don't add circuits, they improve parts in power supplies or circuits, stiffen power supplies, add tube output stages, and/or upgrade clocks. None of these are adding circuits.

I have no idea which mod at any given moment would please me most, nor do I believe anyone has ever really had the opportunity to make that judgment. There is only one unit in my experience that stands above everything I have heard as to make it a benchmark, that is the Reimyo CDP777. It does not play sacds. Were it not so expensive I would keep it around.

Lkdog, if someone did indeed sell a Reimyo because he preferred the TRL, I would say that I am shocked. Knowing what I do about the chip, transport, and sophicated circuit within the Reimyo, there would have to be something revolutionary within the TRL, which of course, I don't believe I have ever heard.

Cwlondon, I think that every once in a while there is a unit that has high value for the dollar in many people's opinions. Since many have limited budgets a large number rush to it. They often then question whether anything more expensive can be worth the cost. I can think of another example of this, the Supratek preamp.

I doubt seriously if the TRL rivals the Reimyo, the Esoteric, etc. regardless of the fact that one person did apparently sell his Reimyo to keep the TRL.

I think your original post invites the recommendation of inexpensive players as you state "75% of the sound on a budget." I think you conditioned the response you got. 75% is a very low standard.