Last time I looked, you can get a real nice new transport plus a real nice new R2R DAC for the price of a high end old CDP like Levinson, etc. The combination that piqued my interest the most was a Cambridge Audio CXC paired with a Denafrips Ares. If I remember correctly the combo came under $1500.
Crazy to buy a 17 year old CD Player?
My ARC CD2 just died...I think the laser finally gave up the ghost. Any how I've got thousands of red book CDs in my library and need a replacement player. I'm thinking an ARC CD 3MKII or the Mark Levinson 390S. Am I crazy to be thinking this? Got a budget of around $2000.00. My system, though dated, is made up of higher end stuff: ARC 25 pre amp, ARC VT 150 mono amps, VPI TNT IV, Wilson Witts, all running through Transparent Reference (Balanced).