used Audio Aero Capitol Mark 2 |
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I have compared several brands of players ( Krell , Wadia 860 , Electrocompaniet , Arcam cd 92 ) I prefer by a large margin The Bat VK-D5SE 24 bit version. It is my favorite player. |
The Audio Research CD-3 is the best unit at this price
point for Redbook CDs. |
Wow! Did you open a can of worms! I'm currently using a Cary 306/200 and love it. There's lots of fantastic players at the 5 large price point. It really depends on what you want in your system, as each player will provide you with unique characteristics. I suggest you the research, and try to listen to as many as possible. If you're willing to pay a little more than 5, say $5200 and you want a new, cutting edge player, the Music Fidelity Tri-Vista has been getting a lot of positive press. |
We had a discussion at the asylum and the usual suspects were in no order:
Ayre
Resolution audio
musical fidelity
sim audio moon eclipse and nova
cary |
Hififred, if you love your Cary, you don't have to go higher $ wise to get the same (or more satisfying) sound. I wound up purchasing the Audio Aero Prima. $2200 list. More satisfying, to me, than players costing more than twice as much. peace, warren |
The pmdt is an incredible player both for dvd and audio. The mixed reviews are due to lousy software on release which has now been fixed. It is either being brought into the Mark Levinson line or discontinued. The used prices will probably be very good in the future. |
digital front ends will evolve in the next two years beyond our imaginations...unless you want a $5,000 museum piece,try to spend a lot less. i recently had the opportunity to compare a tivoli cd player which sells for $200 to three current digital battleships that sell for $2000 to $3500....it was embarrasing how similar they played all types of 2 channel music. with hi def dvd audio and video being a certainty, don't overspend.... |
Speaking of digital evolvement: How so? What's in the pipeline? Where are we headed? I'm very interested, as I'm sure all the audiophools, out there, are. Maybe they know, but I haven't a clue. Thanks in advance. peace, warren |
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EMC-1 UP. Can be bought new from a guy in New York for $3300 on eBay once in awhile.... |
Disclaimer: I am an Electrocompaniet dealer.
Ernie...What are you doing!? After what you have been through I cannot believe that you would post this!
There is indeed a person in New York that sometimes brings the units directly into the US from overseas (he was banned from Audiogon quite some time ago).
***IMPORTANT***
EVERYONE...If you purchase a player from this individual:
1) YOU WILL NOT HAVE A US WARRANTY
2) YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE LATEST AND GREATEST EMC-1 (SOMETIMES CALLED THE "SIGNATURE EDITION"). AS THE "SE" VERSION UPGRADE IS DONE HERE IN THE US (BY THE US DISTRIBUTOR).
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Best Regards...Mike - Father & Son Audio |
Thanks for the helpful responses.
I've been surfing around and I see that Linn is coming
out with a Universal Player [A player that will play
DVD, DC, SACD, DVD-A, and all of the rest]. It is called
a Unidisk 1.1.
I've made a list of your suggestions and I will also keep
an eye on the "pipeline."
Along with suggestions, if possible, I like to hear what people like about their particular CD players, or ones they've heard.
Thanks,
Rob |
Warren, I agree with what I think you're trying to say: that you don't have to spend $5000 any longer to get a player comparable to the Cary 306/200. However, a slightly used 306/200 can be had on this site for a little under $3000, which is about what I paid.
Back to Rsbeck's new question regarding likes/dislikes of indiivdual players. The Cary is an extremely fast player with tons of midrange. Voices sound incredible, upper treble is decent and bass is powerful, yet not as tight as-lets say-the new Ayre player. However, the Ayre does not have the speed of the Cary, it actually sounds slow in comparison. According to the Positive Feedback folks, the Resolution Audio Opus 21 player sounds better when compared to the Cary and costs $3500 factory direct with 30 day trial period. |
Disclaimer: I am a Xindak dealer
Rob...I forgot to mention one player that you OWE it to yourself to at least look into (you could save yourself a LOT of money). That player is the Xindak SCD-2 (CD/SACD). The retail price is $1695 and I guarantee you that it will outperform ANY player $4000 and under. I realize that this is a strong statement, but it really is a special product.
I would be happy to send you a unit to try out for 14 days, with absolutely NO risk to you. If you decide not to keep the unit, you will only be out the shipping costs.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Best Regards...Mike - Father & Son Audio |
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