Cd Player shootout ; which is the best of the best


Want to have some fun and at the same time benefit from some savy advice, here is the deal.
My front end is a Wadia 861 (actually an 860x recently upgraded). The unit's presentation is exquisite, in fact it bettered or equaled in various areas a 270/27ix Wadia combo I was babysiting for a friend while waiting for mine. However I've been serously considering going one step further and send it to Steve Huntley of Great Northern Sound(GNS) for his further upgrade which it's know to yield a significant improvement in the performance of this unit.
While doing some research in this topic a couple of units have cough my eye as serious contenders to the title of "best of the best cd player" Now I am wondering if I would do better upgrading my 861 or switching to one of these, the contenders are:
* Wadia 861 (with the GNS modificaton)
* Audiomeca Mephisto 24/192
* Audio Aereo Capitole 24/192
* Electrocompaniet EMC-1 MK II 24/192
There maybe some other worthy contenders but for sanity purpouses I've limited the scope to these ones.
For matching purpouses the rest of my set-up includes Lamm M1.1 monoblocks driving Verity's Parsifals via XLO Limited speaker cables, balanced interconnects are XLO Limited.
The 861 goes directly into the amps. in my current set-up but with 2 of this units I would need some volume control and am thinking a Placette pasive unit since ther is no analog in my inmediate future. No offense to vinyl lovers, I recognize it's many strenghs but at this point in my life am not willing to deal with it's complications.
Have you had the chance to compare some of these units among themselves? Your experiences will be greatly welcome and appreciated. Thanks.
jmr

Showing 2 responses by patmatt

The Electrocompaniet is my favorite player regardless of cost. I would liken it's build quality to a Rolls Royce- Adequate! Meaning anything less................etc.
As far as sound quality, I am extremely impressed. Even a vinyl lover has got to respect this player. Detail is top notch. It definetly retrieves info as well as any player in it's price range and well beyond. It is exceptionally musical and gives the music a weight that easily helps suspend disbelief that the musicians are performing in your listening room. It is the player that I will buy one day. I am currently using a Wadia Model 8 trans. recently upgraded and feeding a Perpetual Tech. P1A/ P3A with Modwright upgrades as well. The sound is excellent, but the EC is something else entirely.
At the Talon Audio room at the show in New York, I popped in the remastered " Yellow Submarine" and listened to "Eleanor Rigby". It was, and I mean this sincerely-BREATHTAKING! A "pop" recording from 1966 literally left people gasping, wide-eyed and shaking their heads in disbelief. It was that incredible. So was everything else we through in it. Harry Connick's recording of "The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" was uncanny. His voice was as intimate with out going over board as some players can do as I think is possible.
I could go on, but I've gone on long enough. If there is a weak link with this player, it is the remote. It works just fine mind you, but is not of the build quality that you would expect. I for one will not let this effect my decision to purchase this unit. Make sure you run balanced from this player to the preamp if you can.

Good luck and please post back what you end up purchasing.
Hey Tekunda,
Remember to run balanced out of the CD player into the preamp. If cost is no object, get something nice from Nordost. Or better yet, a pair of EC's own balanced cables. If cost is an object, you would certainly do well to get a pair rom Goertz. Either way, the Electrocompaniet will more than hold it's own against any player that's out there. I was just listening to it again this past weekend at a friends house, and I must tell you that I have never heard compact disc sound more three dimensional than on that player. The depth was INCREDIBLE! like no other player I have experienced before, and I've heard many. Even the 47 Labs rigs which are beautiful inside and out cannot be justified cost wise after listening to a properly set-up EC 24/192 player. It's just my opinion. You have to hear it for yourself in your system and make up your own mind. Hell, if you think a Yamaha 5 disc player sounds best in your system, why not? It's your system. Do what sounds best! (To you)