My new CDP FMJ 23 Impressions


Here are my brief impressions of the player.
This is my second front end update. The first was from a 1st generation Sony CD changer to a Cambridge Audio D300. The Cambridge was far smoother and easier to listen to at high volumes or for extended periods. It did however seem to give up some detail in the mid to high end.
Enter the FMJ.
Stunning increase in low (signal) level detail while maintaining a smooth non fatiging sound. I would not have really believed what I was missing on the little silver disks until I heard it myself. I am agast at how detailed this player is while still being smooth. It reminds me of when I switched from a cheap stylus to a mid-fi moving coil back in the 80s. Suddenly there is more on the disk. There is no shrill digital sound like I had with the old Sony. (this was a problem at high listening levels or long listening sessions) In fairness the Cambridge was smooth also but at the expense of detail IMO.
Also improved are the features of the player but this was never a priority for me.
Now the not so good news. All the reviews are right. This player is a little light in the bass. It hits all the frequencys but just seems to carry a little less weight than I would consider ideal. Not a huge problem and I was able to conquer by re-adjusting my sub phase and placement as well as doing some cable swapping.
Anyhow that is a brief review of my impressions of the FMJ 23. I'm no expert but those are my humble mid fi enhthusiast impressions.
Steve
energeezer
I own this CDP. My impressions are similar: It's an excellent player, transparent, with very good low level resolution and giving you lots of ambience information. The treble is very smooth, non fatiguing.
Drawbacks: slightly lacking in bass slam and drive (when compared to Nad S-500 e.g.).
To improve the bass slam, try putting the FMJ 23 on aluminum cone feet and using a respectable power cable. The stock rubber feet snap off easily. Using sorbothane rubber feet takes the liveliness out of the sound, puts too much warmth into the midrange and reduces bass weight even further. I shall experiment with the Black Diamond Racing cones soon.

You may also experiment with speaker placement to take advantage of the clean, unexaggerated bass reproduction of the FMJ23.
I've had the player now for over a week and another pleasent surprise.
I had expected my poorly recorded/produced CDs to suffer under the high res of this unit but by some miracle it is more forgiving than the Cambridge. Some disks I had trouble stomaching using the Cambridge are almost listenable now.
Gotta love it.
Steve