NAD C542 vs Audio refinement Alpha complete CDP?

I owned the C-541i and the Audio Refinement cdp a while back. I had been using the NAD and thought I'd try the AR. The NAD was much more alive to my ear, plus I got hooked on HDCD. Many more cds are HDCD encoded than you'd think. Many have no labeling but are HDCD encoded.
I sold the AR after about a month of comparing them. The NAD was in my systemm for two years without a glitch. Basically, the AR complete integrated was a much better product than the lack luster cdp.

The best way I could think to decribe the difference is alive but I guess dynamic would be a better description. Unless you've already made your purchase you should really listen to a player with HDCD. It's worth it and as I said, you have more HDCDs than you think.