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Law of Diminishing Returns - CD/SACD Players

I've been surfing through Audiogon reading many of the posts regarding the sonic qualities of some of the top tier cd/sacd players. Some brands/models that seem to be mentioned often are EMM Labs, dCS, Meridian, Esoteric, Audio Aero, etc. These players, however, are in the tens of thousands of dollars. I would love to own one of these machines some day, however, finances do not currently permit.

For those of you that have evolved to owning a top tier player like those listed above, what players can you recommend that would give 95 percent of the performance of a top tier player, without having to pay the price of a top tier machine? What does one have to pay to get that 95 percent performance? Does a Rotel 1072 give us 95 percent of the sound? Can a $1000 player like the Rega Apollo compete? Or does one have to move up a more costly player like the Resolution Audio Opus 21 or Ayre Cx7e to obtain the 95 percent? ...or perhaps one has to move to the $5000 - $6000 category of player like the Cary 306, Ayre C5xe, or Bluenote Stibbert?

Unfortunately, I have not heard any of the top tier digital players. I would love to hear from those who have had the opportunity to own or audition the very best. We all know that extracting the last 5 percent of sonic nirvana is extremely costly! What is the best "bang for your buck" to obtain 95 percent of the sound of a first class player?

calgarian
calgarian5355

Showing 1 response by hammergjh

hammergjh
157 posts
 
I think speakers make a much bigger differnce. In my experience, upgrading the player has only made very subtle improvements.

I went from a Denon carosel player (300 bucks) to the Rotel 1072, then later I added a Bel Canto Dac2. The improvements were only slight between the additions. I also heard the MacCormack UDP and it was better than the Rotel, but again, only slightly, for 3 times the cost.

I compared the Jolida 100 side by side to the Rotel, same equipment. Each had their strengths and weaknesses. The Rotel was better for Jazz and better recordings with less instrumentation. Clearer and more delineated. The Jolida did better on raucous rock music. Not as crowded, reduced the "wall of sound" effect.
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