Difference between these really good CD players

Rule # 1.Dont read reviews.
The reviewer's ears are not your's.

I second that emotion.

I agree. You have to decide for yourself. I would also consider the manufacturer's responsiveness. No matter how good the products are, it would be the manufacturer's attitude, service, and accessibility if and when something goes wrong. In that sense as well as quality associated with reputation, I would add Cary's 306/200 to the audition list (all on your list are non-US products). Good hunting! Ken

The Cary Is a Double A Ball product.It does not deserve to be mentioned.
And what is the problem with all them being NON USA.I thought we where interested in Sonics not Politic's.

i own one of these. and i do agree with natalie, my entire system is derived from products from elsewhere than the us, other than cables and tweaks. listen to as many as you can, and you make that sonically pleasing plunge...

Umm, sorry if my words are not enough. What I meant was, if you were in US, US manufacturers are more accessible than European manufacturers, and it is more likely you can get faster and better service if something goes wrong. I have heard some horrible stories about those non-us manufacturers. Of course, there are a LOT of horrible stories as well about US manufactureres, but the prospective buyer should at least contact the manufacturer or the importer to see how fast or slow their responses are. No, I have never dealt with those listed. I did not mean that US products are better than European. My comment has nothing to do with politics. Sonics is the most important, I agree, but once you own it, you might want to be sure that the manufacturer or importer is 100% behind the products and you can expect speedy and reliable service. As to your comment about Cary, I don't argue. People have different taste, and you should add to your comment "in my opinion". I hope I did not hurt your feeling this time.

Thanks for all the advice people. I plan to audition all the players before I make a decision. And it does not make a difference where the product is from, because I am in Hong Kong, so it is going to be an imported product, wherever it is from.

I will be taking along some discs(CD) that I listen to a lot, but anybody has some suggestions for some good discs that will be good for the auditioning?

Hi Kaneson,
Well, in that case, make sure at least that you can trust your dealer after purchase (FYI, Cary CDP is actually "assembled" in HK, and maybe a good deal there). As to auditioning CD, I don't know your taste in music, but as a classic lover, I would bring my favorite (1) violin solo, (2) piano solo, and (3) symphony. Make sure that you listen well those CDs with your current setup before auditioning the new equipment. I use (1) for clarity + detail, (2) for overall frequency response (piano has very difficult lows), and (3) for how well it reproduces complex passage. The point is how you will like the sound of your favorite music reproduced by respective candidates. Good luck!!

To Ken's cd list, I strongly recommend a female voice accompanied by piano; very difficult to reproduce well and magical when rendition is on the mark...
Happy holidays!