mark levinson led the way in digital reproduction for a long time, 1st with some very good sounding proceed dacs/transports, and cdp's that were built like tanks. then they made the first ML-brand dac, the #30, which was considered the absolute best you could buy, along with their extraordinary reference transport(the 31.5). finally trickle down resulted in the #36, #36s, and the #360s dacs, which came so close to the #30 many dealers stopped carrying the "reference" gear. their final cdp, the 390s, is still made and incorporates many if not all of the features offered in all of those previous components. i feel the ML-390S digs almost as deep into the music as many players costing (as much as you care to spend). the HDCD filter is absolutely superb as well; if you like Reference Recordings you are in for a super treat. if they would only make sure the drawer would last for a good 10 years (or they'll fix it for free), imho this compact little black box is/would be very tough to beat.
Best analog sounding cd player under 5K
Hi,
Im looking for a new or used one box player mainly for redbook. My budget could go up to 5K.
I know and have read a lot of threads about cd players but none deals with the analog sounding issue. Also, not everyone like his cd player to sound like his analog set up.
I can define analog, as neutral(good tonal balance), organic, natural, with a lot of low level information retrieval, inmediacy,with very good 3d image, not forward sounding and not analytical. I think the extension at both ends is not a must. Obviously, It cant be dark or too bright sounding.
I have in my short list so far, resolution opus, bluenote sttibert, apl denon 3910, audio aero capitole mkII, ayre Cx5.
For the reviews and comments on several forums it seems that the most organic and natural sounding is the Stibbert. How does it compare with the others? And also what other should be included in this list?
Thanks
Alan Brain
Im looking for a new or used one box player mainly for redbook. My budget could go up to 5K.
I know and have read a lot of threads about cd players but none deals with the analog sounding issue. Also, not everyone like his cd player to sound like his analog set up.
I can define analog, as neutral(good tonal balance), organic, natural, with a lot of low level information retrieval, inmediacy,with very good 3d image, not forward sounding and not analytical. I think the extension at both ends is not a must. Obviously, It cant be dark or too bright sounding.
I have in my short list so far, resolution opus, bluenote sttibert, apl denon 3910, audio aero capitole mkII, ayre Cx5.
For the reviews and comments on several forums it seems that the most organic and natural sounding is the Stibbert. How does it compare with the others? And also what other should be included in this list?
Thanks
Alan Brain