Modwright modded OPPO 95 - Sunning! |
Try Playback Design and EMM Labs. |
You can pick up a used EMM Labs XDS1 in that pricerange. Probably not quite the same caliber, but a lot cheaper would be Krell Evolution 505. |
The dCS puccini is a killer player closely fitting the attributes you list... |
I don't want any artificial sweetening, tubes, colorationes etc. Just pure signal The EMM Labs CDSA-SE has a lifelike sounding software inside. Getting one 2. Hand is a real Deal. |
I've got an Esoteric K01 and would highly recommend it.
Besides being a great SACD/CD player, it also has digital inputs for your music, stored either on idevices or PC
Slightly more than $15000, but some dealers do provide great discounts..
Hope this helps
Best |
Krell Evolution is a great sounding CD and SACD player though I did find it sounded its best in an all-CAST system; 2nd up was XLR outputs. Esoteric K-03 or if you can find it, K-01 on the used/demo unit market both come in close to your price range. A unit I've only heard once, the Ayre C-5xe MP is also something you should seek out and listen to (IMHO) though for me, the Esoteric K-01 unit would be the ultimate 1-box player. You mention Classe above; the Classe Omega SACD player still holds it own after all these years though you'd have to find it on the used market I believe. Jfrech mentioned dCS puccini; log a 2nd vote for that player! |
If you are interested in the Esoteric K-01please let me know. |
Sir-
Your profile suggests you are from Russia. Do you intend to buy from US sellers or are simply looking for advice? |
Gfroman, you mentioned the Modwright modded Oppo early in the thread and then mentioned the K-01 that I saw you advertise before. Have you compared both of these? I might be interested in either one, including your K-01. |
Liking my Esoteric K-03 very much. A LOT less money than the 01, and very close... |
Stanleylocke, well I would shop around Moscow for starters, most brands mentioned have distributors over here and there is a big used market as well. Buying from american sellers means different voltage etc. Lots of pain in the ass, but there's always european sellers as well. |
I personally own the Modwright modded OPPO 95.
A great player especially for the $.
I am a dealer for Esoteric and have sold the K-01 's to happy customers.
Personally I would love to own the K-01 but cannot afford this state of the art player. Have not done any direct comparisons. |
I would also recommend Ayon cd-5s. In my system sounded better ( more 3d and more natural) than esoteric-k03. |
it has been suggested that the modwright modded oppo 95 is a bit on the tubey side, not neutral.
i suspect esoteric to be closer to neutrality than a unit that has a tube analog stage. |
Ayon cd-5s does not play SACDs, correct? |
Lindemann 825. The best you can get. |
Playback Designs MPS-5 would be my choice. |
James6462, you say that the K-03 is very close to the K-01. I assume you've had a chance to compare. Could you elaborate further? There have been a lot of responses on this comparison with many assuming a step down for the K-03 and in some instances a substantial step down according to some listeners. I'm curious though to hear more of your thoughts on this. |
I own the top of the line Rega Isis at $10,000 new. I compared it with the K-03 & K-01 in my system ad bought the Rega. Check it out, no digital glare or hifi sound. |
Hi Antonkk,
IMO, Soulution 540 (on the secondhand market) or Wadia 781iSE.
Best regards, |
Second Zephyr's recommendation to at least check out the Ayre C-5xeMP. Very happy with mine. Only caveat is that it is a more up-front and detailed player than some others, so it will work best for you if that's the kind of sound you want to emphasize. Just wondering if it would be too much of a good thing with your B&Ws that also tend in that direction.
An early review by Mark Mickelson pretty much nailed the difference between the punchier Ayre C-5xe and smoother Esoteric X-01 in a review several years ago. Since his review, Ayre has added the MP filters that have relaxed the sound quite a bit, but not so much that its essential up-front character was altered. You can read his review here:
http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/ayre_c5xe.htm
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Bobheinatz,
Is your Isis the SS or tubed version? Were you able to listen to both? |
My Isis is the SS version. I was able to compare the tubed unit with the SS and like to SS better. SS was more dynamic and presented the music overall more natural. On vocals the tube unit would have a slight edge. Both unit are great and it would boil down to personal taste.
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The Playback is > 15k now with the USB-X box and I think it sounds great. The XDS1 is a cleaner more neutral sound but the MPS5 is so close to it, it's a real bargain. I use the MPS5 in my second system while the XDS1 is in the main room. |
tsk tsk...still pushing it, Doggie?
At this rate, I may end up owning a Playback Design rather than an EMM Labs. Noticed that there are NO pre-owned Playback Design units for sale here while thre's plently of EMM Labs around?
By the way, how is the 115VAC vs 220VAC situation with the Playback Design unit? Switchable? Unlike the EMM Labs that is very inflexiable with international voltages, you need to get them to change the input voltage at their Canadian factory?
(Audio) |
I have no idea. There is no switch at the back and it uses a linear PSU rather than a switched mode like the EMM.
Having been A:B-ing on discs, I still think the XDS1 sounds a tad more resolving. The Playback sounds a bit richer but it's at the expense of the last smidgeon of detail. But for the most part, it's very enjoyable because there's more emphasis on the vocals and strings/instruments in that range. The XDS1 allows more of the background instruments to be discernible and it is impressive in that way. Both are smooth and grain free, very analog sounding.
BTW, I thought the USB-X with AudirvanaPlus reduced that midrange emphasis a bit which made it sound more like the XDS1. Odd, huh? |
Have you considered a moderate player (e.g. The newest Oppo) that outputs USB into a killer DAC of your chosing instead of a single CD/SACS player? Or are you looking for a player that accepts asynchronous USB digital inputs or better yet FireWire inputs? With the DAC acting as the master clock to the standalone player, I think it reduces the dependency for a high-end player, hence the suggestion of a moderately priced player. You might also wish to consider Pro gear like Metric Studio, Prism And DAD that offer FireWire inputs and offer much better value than over priced audiophile gear.
Just another option to consider . . . . |
@Kevinzoe, the Oppo does not output USB to an external DAC.
The 105 does have USB inputs, but not output. |
Gfroman - before you purchased your Modwright, did you compare with the Exemplar modded Oppo95? |
Brought from the grave...:) I have an oppo 103D connected with hdmi vodka Audioquest to à Bryston bda-3 so it can play sacd's ,sound is amazing!
But the ce players discussed in this post looks very interesting price wise, but are they still the top end ? Is there any lower prices that can compete?
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