Is the CAL ICON a reliable choice in a used CDP


Anyone know of problems I should be concered about when considering a 10yr old ICON? Does its sound still compete with more modern CDP's? How would it compare with
a Cambridge Audio CD4se or CD6 or Marantz CD63/67se?

Thanks for your help.
dakajoba

Showing 1 response by dekay

Mine is. It was purchased in used mint condition (thanks John) and has averaged better than 10 hours per day (playing time, which also includes a great deal of 7/24 activity, with cool down periods, when breaking in and auditioning cable) over the past two years, without a problem. I have read of reliability issues on the DX series and the original Icon (not the MkII), but never heard/read of any problems involving this particular model (other than the post above). It has a fuller/smoother sound than the CD67 and the CD4/CD500 series (never listened to the CD6) with bass and midrange which will compete with that of much more expensive players (Theta Miles and RA CD-50 to name a few that I also like), but it only runs around $400 used (more for a low hour, mint unit). I am using mine as a transport "only" right now, but occasionally listen to it solo (as a reference) when I am making any changes to the DAC, cables and such and it still sounds pretty good on its own. It is also the only inexpensive player, I am aware of, that does piano right (this is a very difficult thing for CD players to accomplish) and vocals are nice as well. When mine finally goes, I doubt if I will have it repaired, but for the money invested, I have no complaints. I am not saying that it is a "better" player than the @ $2.5K-$3K players, just that it is "very close" in musicality for a lot less money. As always, buying used can often be a crap shoot. If Brian promises to be nice, I would give him a call and see what problems he has experienced with the units. Repairs @ CAL are not cheap based on what they used to charge for the upgrades (I prefer the stock version myself) on this model. Also, maybe there is a "new" inexpensive player (with a warranty) that he can recommend. I have not auditioned any budget players for the past year, though have read about new models on the web. New models by Heart/Hart and Nor (sp) come to mind.