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Dedicated Red Book CD player vs. "Universal" type players....

I surmise this discussion has been debated a fair amount but here goes....I'm searching for the "final" cd player. Red Book playback is important to me as I have an extensive cd collection and am not into computer based sound (yet). So, I don't mind grabbing and popping those silver disks into a player. What are my fellow Audiogoner's thoughts on a dedicated cd player vs. the universal (see Oppo) type of player? Does a one-box solution sacrifice some cd playback performance trying to be a jack of all trades? If so, can you hear that difference? Input and comments most appreciated!
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Showing 3 responses by stereo5

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stereo5
6,278 posts
 
I have an Esoteric UX-3 CD,SACD and DVD audio player which is my LAST player.  It is built to very high standards, includes an r to r ladder dac and sounds incredible.
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,278 posts
 
My Esoteric UX-3 Universal Player CD, SACD, DVD A, DVD sounds great and IMHO sounds much better than many other players on the market.  I can shut all the video circuitry off from the remote, but I hear no difference in sound.
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
6,278 posts
 
I had an 8005 in my system this Summer for 2 weeks, sold it and purchased a McIntosh.  I didn't like the very small buttons on the player and the controls felt cheap to me.  The sound was fine but I wanted a McIntosh to match the rest of the system.
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