Looking for a cd player with analog or digital vol

better to buy a placette passive and use a regular cd player through the fixed outputs!!! This will be better than any volume control thats inside any cd player. This is comming from a die hard active person and so I am not biased on the passive side if you know what I mean.

I agree with Mahandave. Compared to variable outs in sub $1000 players you would be hard pressed to beat a passive as the volume control. Passives tend to be very transparent but compared to an active line stage seem to lack in dynamics (based on my expereince with a couple of passive units). Even so, I far preferred the slight dynamic restriction of the passive compared to the flattening of the sound field of the variable output cd players I've tried. The only cd players I can think of that perform rather well with variable outs are the big guns from Wadia which control volume in the digital domain and the Theta Miles which controls in the analog domain.

A good passive like an older McCormack Micro Line drive can be had for around $300. A Creek even less. There are plenty of $700 or less fixed output cd players out there that sound great. Total of $1,000. That approach would allow you to have greater flexibility in finding a player with sonics closer to what you prefer.

Oh, if you go passive keep your cable lengths short.

A Linn Genki with two variable outputs can be had below $1000. Not as good as a separate good Preamplifier (e.g. Wakonda, but actually better than Kolektor, see other posts on Audiogon about this topic). The Genki is a very good reliable player for the money, i. e. if you don't mind Linn.

Rene

The suggestions offered so far from Mahandave and Arch2 are good ones. Another choice you have to to buy a set of attenuators from www.tweakaudio.com. These mount on the rear of your amp via the rca jacks. Essentially, your ICs running from your cdp out to the amp input connect to directly to these. I've had mine for quite some time now, super quality and performance. Benefits: low cost, high performance, no need for more ICs. Draw backs: They are somewhat inconvenient. Cost is $350 new, Ric Schultz at EVS is a super guy to deal with too.

Sorry Restock, your post wasn't up here when I wrote mine, we must have reponded about the smae time.

Audiodynamo,

It seems that nobody wants to answer your actual question, which was, "I can think of Theta Miles(750-850) and would love it if somebody knew of one, but what else is there?"

I have 2 systems in my listening room, one HT and one 2-channel. The 2-channel rig has a single CD source, so I too have had an ongoing interest in CD-players with built-in volume control that is usable from the remote. Here are the units that I have personally owned. They have all been very nice and all have remote controlled, built-in volume control.

Theta Miles (balanced version-has 2 DAC chips per channel vs. 1 per ch. for the RCA only version) The balanced version is supposedly sonically superior, even when using RCA outs. About $1100 for a nice used balanced version, $800 for un-balanced.

Cary CD-308 The Cary is nice because it has switchable upsampling. Also, it is an excellent transport as it outputs 24/96k via the digital output. About $800 for a nice used one.

Resolution Audio Opus 21 WAY more expensive and out of the price range you listed, but I wanted to say that it is a FINE CD player. If the RA CD-50 or RA CD-55 sound similar, they may be a great value too.

Personally, I have used all of the above with and without pre-amps and in my system/room, the extra cost of having a pre-amp is not justified. And it's not because I can't afford it! I bought the RA Opus 21 because it is A GREAT CD player, regardless of the available volume control. If I thought a more moderate CD player with a passive or active pre-amp was superior, I could have easily bought that setup for less than the cost of the RA Opus 21.

Lastly, just bacause these players have built-in volume control doesn't mean you have to use it. All of these players have been well reviewed over the years and were/are considered great values, even without considering the built-in volume control.

Enjoy,

TIC

Thank You. I had thought of cary and Theta, but not linn. I appreciate the input.
Amp is an Aronov integrated, I just want some form of remote volume control.
Thanks

Just remembered. There's the Quad CDP99 that has variable outputs as well. That one is supposed to have decent outputs as well. Gene Rubin seems to be a good dealer, who recommend the CDP99 with 99 poweramp as CD-amp combination. Might be worth looking at as well. Good luck and have fun finding the right one. Let us know, what you get....

Rene