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CD player recs under $2000 to replace Jolida

Looking for a single box CDP new or used under 2k for the long haul. Replacing a Jolida JD100, and it will be matched with the current Bel Canto Evo2 integrated and either Meadowlark Kestrel 2 or Equation 25 speakers.

A few preferences:
>Fast, dynamic and compatible with most styles of music- not only acoustic or vocals-- most important for me
>Kind to poorly recorded discs- need not be hyper-detailed but should still reveal some ambience
>Tonally rich/warm with good bass- current components are fairly neutral and the room is lively- CDP should not be too lean or edgy
>Balanced a plus, but not essential- no need for volume control

A couple CDPs I'm considering are a used Cary 303/200, Naim CD5 or used CDX, Opera consonance 2.2. Opinions on these or others appreciated.
nzera

Showing 2 responses by nzera

nzera OP
68 posts
 
Thanks for the thoughtful responses.

Beavis- Have considered the mod for the Jolida, but it is hard to know how much improvement they will make in the areas that are important for me (timing and dynamics- rock or complex music are not its strengh). Also, there are few posts from individuals who have heard both modded and unmodded.

Jh2os- The cairn fog (odd product name) looks interesting- especially for the price. Sounds like it is a sweet, musical player- might be a good match with the bel canto amp.

Scd112- Thanks for the description of the 308- anyone compared the 308 to the 303- is the 303 worth the extra money?
nzera OP
68 posts
 
I agree with several of the posts above that the Jolida has its strengths- it is transparent, listenable, reasonably detailed, and sounds great on vocal or acoustic music. However, I have tried a number of tubes, interconnects, balanced power, and platforms- and the Jolida just does not sound dynamic enough for me on rock and complex music. I don't think the problem is elswhere in my system, since for many CDs, a cheap yamaha cdp gets the music across better(albeit crudely)- also vinyl sounds great through a Nottingham/dynavector tt. Mainly want a CDP to keep longterm that works on all styles of music- cairn and naim are probably worth looking into- there are dealers locally.
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