Buy a hi-end CD player/transport now?

rlb61, i pretty-much agree w/what you're saying, tho i don't have 1st-hand experience w/hdcd. only thing i have a small disagreement about, is how much money is needed to spend to get the most out of a basically flawed format... ;~)

doug s., happily on the sidelines, too! :>)

no, i have *not* had intimate experience w/all (or even with many?) hi-dollar cd-rigs. all i know, is the experience i *have* had: my modded di/o, fed from a modest nad 5-disc cd-changer, smokes the well-respected $1.8k alchemist nexus, & the $3k+ resolution audio gear. there are others, tho, w/hi-dollar cd experience, that think the di/o *does* hold its own, in comparison. i 1st heard about them here:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1003098758&openfrom&1&4#1

ymmv,

doug s., don't have $4k+ to spend on digital hardware, even if the format wars *were* decided! ;~)

the $3k resolution audio cd-50 & its replacement, the $3.5k cd-55 are well-respected single-box units. i wouldn't trade my modded art di/o for one of 'em, tho. if you can diy, it'll cost ~$200-$250; otherwise, get one already modded, for $300-$350. if ya got money to burn, sure, go ahead & spend more... ;~)

doug s.

brulee,

thanks for the comments re: my analog set-up. dunno if it's as good as ya make it, but i do know that, barring any unforeseen lottery windfall or something, i'm set on the vinyl front! ;~) i'm not much of a tweeker w/it, tho - yust set it & forget it. so, no, i have never had any frustration w/tweeking it. the oracle suspension seems pretty constant - i check its level once in a while, but it's usually spot-on. for system specifics, i have it listed on the audio asylum if yure really interested (search doug s.)

re: digital, tho, i can honestly say that my modded di/o really *does* get me better sound than i ever thought i'd hear from my set-up. and, it's good enuff so that i could live w/it as a main source. no, it's not vinyl, but it's really close in ways where vinyl always has reigned supreme - the liquidity, soundstage depth, & lack of harshenss. it's also wery strong in areas that digital is expected to be strong - the dynamics, the detail, & the blackness between notes is superb. it's an absolute no-brainer for anyone looking to improve their digital playback w/o breaking the bank. and again, while i don't have the "mega-buck" rig experience, there *are* those who have ditched their multi-thousand-dollar digital rigs in favor of this little thing... (at ~5.5"x5.5"x1.5", the art di/o really *is* a little thing!)

doug s.