Similar sound to CEC maybe Vecteur or..?


Recently sold off my CEC TL-51x that I really really liked for the most part but it was just not up to par with faster paced progressive music as sounded slow and not as life like, dynamic and lacking a little in bass as I have read many others point out.
I sort of miss it and have three choices to make now.

One is to buy another TL-51x and do a very simple mod on it that supposedly improves on its deficiency by bypassing the signal generator as shown here

http://www.lampizator.eu/lampizator/REFERENCES/CEC/CEC%20TL-1X.html

Or maybe move up to the TL-1x however I see that it has the same problem as it is the one shown in the mod above and exceeds my $1000 budget even in used form.

Otherwise I buy another make of transport. So I have been searching for other smooth analogue sounding transports like the CEC but that might also sound dynamic at the same time.

I came across Vecteur which maybe others can tell me if it might be CEC-like. I have read they have been bought out and are now made in China so I don't know if design and quality has gone downhill. There newest model is called Cdi-4 but can't seem to get any info on it. Maybe someone can comment on this or comparisons of their older models like 2.2 and 4.2. with the CEC.

Then thought of Audiomecca but read way too many reliability issues. It must be a French thing as this is not the only french brand that has transport issues.

Any help appreciated.

frankk
I had a 51Z for years and replaced it with the much older TL-2X transport.
It it much, much, better in every way but one. It will only play commercial production CD's, no copies.
I have a RAM - modded CEC TL-1X that is in shop getting refurbished, due to age. Until it returns, I have been using a Toshiba 9200 CD/DVD/DVD-A player that is built like a tank and is about 85% the sound quality of the TL-1X as a transport. (It was formerly rated Class A by Stereophile as a CD player.)If you an find one used, I think you will agree this is what you are looking for, and at a very reasonable price -- less than $1000. Very smooth and sweet sounding.

Neal
The Toshiba is an interesting player I have never heard mentioned. I would like to find a newish late model diamond in rough without paying huge dollars for an old SOTA transport that might be on its last leg.

The problem is finding one that sounds natural like a CEC and dynamic like a couple of Sonys I have had which which where not natural.