Is my dealer lying to me?

Gunbunny - dont let him into your house. If you do, dont let him anywhere near your equipment. If you do, dont let him see your cables. If you do . . . .

Seriously, dont let him into your house. If he is serious about making a sale he should let you take the piece home to audition in private.

I have 5 different cd players in my home and a dvd player that will also play cds. Between my $3995 list ($2200 cost) meridian 508.24 and my $1000 list Denon 1650ar(somebody is selling one on Agon for about $500 asked right now), there are meaningful differences through electronics and speakers capable of demonstrating those differences. And I would not forsake the natural palpable three dimensional real life like sound I get from the meridian. But I doubt that I would be able to tell much of a difference between them through many speakers other than my own or speakers costing considerably more.

Between the Denon and my $1500 list meridian 506, there are meaningful differences, but there are tradeoffs. Depending on the system, I might choose either one of them. But neither one of them sounds as much like real life as the 508.

Cheaper stuff in various bedrooms or just sitting around doesn't come close.

I have heard the inexpensive marantz and most of the Sonys and found all of them wanting in some way or another. I do think you get what you pay for in cd players, but the quality of $700 to $1,000 cd players has improved considerably over the years and for most systems any of a number of players in that range (retail) would be satisfactory. I think the Denon is the best buy around.

I have heard about qc problems with Cambridge gear, and I have always been struck by the markup from the UK to the US. Cambridge prices here are much higher than in the UK. In contrast, NAD prices are about the same in the US as in the UK.

What a strange thread. Starts off by asking if cheap cd players are as good as expensive ones and gets responses about prioritizing. I'll join that sub-thread too: your most important component is the weakest link in your existing system. Speakers are, of course, the least accurate audio components, and thus the most critical. But you won't be able to stand the sound of a cheap cd player or a glary hard transistory amp through really good speakers. If you are starting from scratch, you have to find speakers and source you can live with. If you have speakers that you like, focus on the source components.

But dont let him into your house!

Gunbunny, you dont say which Panasonic dvd player you have, but it might be just as good or better as a cd player than the Cambridge.

Pbb, don't assume the reason the story the dealer told you about the line he no longer carries is true. I've heard all sorts of stories about lines dealers "decided" to abandon.

I knew one retail salesman who, knowing my price range and objectives, recommended a cd player that his store did not carry. He was also honest about the merits and deficiencies of the products in his store. Only problem was, the guy could never hold a job in retail.

Oh, and speaking of retail, Gunbunny et al., sometimes a salesperson has an extra incentive (e.g., a manufacturer's spiff) to promote one line over another. Ask them when they give you the line about A brand putting all its money into those glossy ads and B brand putting more money into "the product." In reality, both brands spend as much on promotion, but A advertises more and B gives spiffs to salespeople.