I run a Chinese-made Doge 6 tubed CD player, which cost me about $1,600 with upgraded tubes, in a system that is otherwise high-end by most people's standards ($100k+). I've paid a fair amount for digital gear in the past, but won't do it anymore given the speed with which digital gear becomes obsolete: like any other computer, I can buy a relatively cheap current-production CD player that outperforms state-of-the-art digital gear from five years ago. There is of course a certain minimum level of money that must be spent to ensure that a CD player has a good transport and good power supplies, but even that is available cheaply now given what is coming out of China. This Doge smokes my ARC CD-3 and smokes smokes my Levinson 37/360s, all at a fraction of the price.
Sure I could get better performance with an AMR, Meitner, etc., but I just can't justify the added performance in view of the cost -- this thing sounds great!
Sure I could get better performance with an AMR, Meitner, etc., but I just can't justify the added performance in view of the cost -- this thing sounds great!