CD Players $1,000 - $1,500 US - any info on Talk?


Current Considerations:
- Talk Electronics Thunder CD 1.1/2.1 (1.2/2.2 just announced)
- Rega Planet 2000
- QUAD 99 CDP (CD Pre-Amp combo)
- Cary CD-308
- NAD 541i / s500i

My Current System:
Quad 21Ls - NAD C350 Integrated - Pioneer DV353
My QUAD will become my multi-channel movie system - this CD player will grow with me to start my two-channel music system.

The Talk's are 500-1000 more than the Rega Planet 2k depending on the Talk model but I can find hardly anything on Talk Electronics/Saxon - anyone have any information?

The Cary might be in my price range but its just on the edge .

Any recommendations of used players or impressions of any of these players or any other tips would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Nathan K.
vaystrem
I've been pleased with my Talk 3.1 player. I know it's not in your budget but assuming Kevin puts his all into eveything he makes,and I know he does, the 2.1 or 2.2 would be really nice. There may not be alot of talk on the Talk players yet but I'm sure there will be. People are emailing me from seeing my system on audiogon and asking me if I love my player as much as they do. Talk makes good players and I'm sure their amps and preamps must be pretty darn good as well.Unfortunatly the nearest Talk dealer is a two day drive from me so I am unable to demo equipment at Canadian HiFi but if they are your local dealer you're lucky.
Hi, My name is Kevin Edwards and I own Talk Electronics in the UK. I take it you have been to the website www.talkelectronics.com. If you need any further information please feel free to e-mail me. Our company policy is not to fill the mags with reviews, these are only one persons opinion at best, with commercial considerations on top they are seldom accurate in my experience. At the end of the day listen and trust your own ears, we do!! If we did not think it was better we would not make it, it would not be worth it!!
The 1.2 is quite a lot better but is also more expensive, you should get a good deal on a 1.1
Best regards
Kevin
i would add the cairn fog2 cdp to your list. it is a great peice for it's price point. $1100 standard / $1700 with 24/192 upsampling.

the classe cdp-10 is also a great peice for the price. $2000 new, but could be found for $1500 used.

good luck in your search!
Consonance CD2.2 could be on your list. I was researching for a while and was interested in some of the players that you mentioned. I ended up buying the Consonance, and I'm very happy with it. It has balanced and RCA outputs. The RCA side has a tube output, and volume control on the remote, so you can plug it straight into an amp. The XLR side bypasses the tube, and must be used with a pre-amp.
Hope this helps, Sonny
Try the Vecteur L4 or L4.2. They are awesome players beat anything in their price class
Disclaimer: I am a Xindak dealer.

One unit you may not have heard of or considered is the Xindak SCD-2. It is an absolutely wonderful player for the money ($1695 retail). It is SACD/CD with tube output stages (true balanced outputs). It is also available with solid-state output stages (SCD-1). Please let me know if you have any specific questions.

Best Regards...Mike - Father & Son Audio
The Jolida 100 has many faces. With the right tubes, it is awesome. See the 100+ message Jolida thread for details.
The Cary 308 retails for $1,500. If you have a dealer that you regularly work with then you should be able to get it for less than that, probably around $1,250. You can get one used for between $750-$1,000. Good luck! Robert.
You might want to consider a used player such as the Cary. I compared the Cary 303-100 directly to the Rega models and it was clearly better in openess, soundstage, bass response and detail. I bought mine used here and will never buy a new piece of audio equipment again. Used 303-100's can be found for $900-$1200. Good luck.
I seem to be answering my own questions - the Talk Thunder 1.x is essentially off the list now
Talk Thunder 1.1 CD Review - unless the 1.2 is a substantial improvement.

So far...
Jolida 100A / Used ARCAM FMJ23T / Used Sony SCDXA77ES
The Cary is out of my price range I've recently been informed ;)- Any other suggestions?

Sorry for the review posts just trying to add to the knowledgebase about a company/player that I haven't been able to find a lot on.

Thanks again!
Since there isn't much info on the Talk's just thought i'd post a review (finally found one)
of the Thunder 1/Cyclone 1 combination

Talk Electronics Thunder 1 CD and Cyclone 1 Integrated

I'm going to start talking to my local dealer to see if he is able to acquire the Jolida for me - I'm still a ways away from my purchase though so any other info anyone can supply would be great :)
I think the Cary 308 is a pretty sweet player. It definitely deserves an audition. So far, it's the one that's done it for me. In that price range, I've heard the Arcam, Rega, and Musical Fidelity. Good luck!
Robert
You might be able to get a used Sony SCD XA777ES for around $1,500 -- $1,600. That's a great CD/SACD player.
Thanks so much for the responses :)

Part of my bias in manufacturers is that I wish to continue to do business with my preferred local retailer.
Musical Fidelity (A3.2), Talk Electronics, and the Quad being the manufacturers with products in my price point which they carry.

Again any info on Talk other than the 3 or 4 meager reviews I can find would be useful (and only 1 post on Audiogon) and any impressions of the Musical Fidelity A3.2

Thanks again :)
A Shanling CD-T100 can sometimes be found for a price around that of the Arcam FMJ 23T Auaarons mentions. I would place its sound on the warm, sweet side of his grouping, but the T100 has lots of detail too.
I'll second the Arcam. It's analytical and resolute. The Rega is very neutral sounding (some say boring) but doesn't augment the sound. Both have good build quality. Rega has a better remote. For some reason I still have chosen the Arcam. Have not tried tube gear though.
Arcam FMJ CD23T ($1200 used), the Rega Jupiter ($1000 used)or the Jolida 100 ($650 used) should be on your list. The Jolida 100 is noticeably better than the Rega Planet 2000, the Rega Jupiter is slightly better than the Jolida and the Arcam FMJ 23T is another step up from the Jolida and the Jupiter. If you want warmth and sweetness, go with the Jolida or the Jupiter. If you want detail and resolution, go with the Arcam.