The best CD Player for the money

Recently heard the Music Hall CD player. Most impressive at $595.00,damn little can touch it in any respect. For a few bucks more can get the Rega,but why? The Music Hall is that good.

The Onix XCD 88 is identical to the Music Hall CD 25 internally. Face plate is different from Music Hall. Other than that same unit and at far less cost than the Music Hall by about half the cost. This is one superior player for the money and can readily be upgraded for additional performance. However in its stock form, it is very difficult to fault this player and in my opinion, doesn't get much better till one passes the $1,000.00 mark. Also has the HDCD chip in it,very nice touch there. Have been most impressed with mine in its stock form and see little need to move further up at this time. Superb sonics, way above average build quality and at $299.95 new with 3 year warranty it is truly a no brainer to choose the Onix XCD 88 CD Player. This replaced my Arcam CD 73,Denon 1560, and eventually my Classe CDP.5. I am impressed beyond my most jaded expectations. Spend more if you like, but for a redbook player this is one of audios great present day bargains.

At present have a Musical Fidelity X-Ray CD Player original version on the test bench. At stellar performer for a 6 years in service,over kill Sony CDM as opposed to the sometimes problematic Philips CDMs. Excellent build quality and one of the most ridgid chassis I have seen. Released at $1296.00 and still command about half that in the pre-owned market. Strong resale value as opposed to others that only bring about a third of retail value.

Excellent sonic signature, 24 bit 8 times oversampling unit. One of the most revealing CD players to pass through here. If interested look for an indepth review on Audiogon before end of year.

Would be very hard pressed to do better than this machine at its current pre-owned market place value. Although very hard to come by. Visually it is a love it or leave it proposition as it is not conventional in standard EIA format.

Just got back from Miami, where I heard a Wadia 270 transport with the 27i DAC. Or as I was told a computer processor.

At any rate if I could afford this combo I could finally put my analog to rest. If there is better than this I have yet to hear it in digital. At $15,995 for the combo, thats a mighty price to pay for digital to sound as good as a $2K analog set up.

The Wadia set was not a one box set up. But with that being said,all else that was with this system was way far over the top. Wilson Watt speakers Pass Labs Mono Blocks,Goldmund preamp. Plus some very esoteric interconnects and speaker cables.

After some 48 years in this hobby, I think I finally heard what I consider the ultimate achievement in two channel audio. There is certainly nothing in the past I have heard that can come close and I have heard some very exotic gear in that period of time. It was like being completely immersed in the music, like you could dip your hand into the sonic signature, truly a musical experience I have not experienced till then.

In regards to this thread best CD Player for the money, I have to tip my hat to the Wadia set up. In my opinion it is best for the money,if you have $16K to spend on a digital set up.

If memory serves me correct the F 1 legends system is FM Acoustics amp and preamp, with the rest of the system Goldmund. My last update on this was 2003. Seeing as FM Acoustics never gives anything away, he probably paid for that. More than likely he probably got the Goldmund gear gratis. No matter,still has to be a wonderful system though.

As for me personally I can find little significant sonic difference between a $2,000.00 CDP and a $4,000.00 CDP and have heard both price ranges in separates and single unit players. Personally I won't spend more than $2K on any digital system, for me becomes a point of diminshing returns on investment at above $2K. Not trying to convince anyone, just my point of view. Of course when one gets into the stratosphere of ultra high end like the Wadia setup I heard, then it becomes something all else. In the final analysis each one of us has a perception of what sounds the best to any one individual. What reproduces the music that appeals to me, may certainly not be someone elses cup of tea. And thats how it should be.

Digital has been with us for some 25 years now and I bought one of the first players to hit the market in 1983. Digital has come a long way since then and has miles to travel before it finally puts analog to rest. The gap is narrowing each year and some of the technolgy is trickling downstream at this point to mid high end units.

While at CBS I was able to see the genesis of Digital long before it arrived at the consumer level. First prototype I remember was in 1964.For a variety of reasons to lengthy to go into now it took 18 years to deliver the first digital medium to the market place.

I applaud all who continue to strive for excellence in this realm, to serve the music we all enjoy. For in the final analysis I firmly believe this hobby is much more about the music, than the gear. You see if music was not the key then the dreaded I-Pod and MP 3 would not have the market on music delivery.

I find this point in time in high end audio fascinating as no time before. And feel that a true genuine break through in the digital medium is very near indeed. I don't think it will come from a major manufacturer, but from a cottage industry, where the mavens keep pushing the envelope of design to loftier heights. While I am 63 now and have been in this hobby/business since 1957 and have seen first hand the growth of this industry, I keep looking forward to what the gifted designers will bring forth.

After all Nelson Pass when he started Threshold, did so, literally on his kitchen table and that is where break throughs continue to come from. The kitchen table. Not in a corporate environment, where visionaries are held in disdain.

Don't forget the Audio Analogue Paganini CD Player. Have one here on the test bench now. All I can say is WoW. Spectacular is a word that doesn't even come close to describing this unit from the land of Ferrari and built like it as well. More to come on this player as the testing continues.

Are we talking a redbook CD Player, and new or used? Lots of good choices out there Grpkmp.

One of the better combos that has come through here has been the Muse Model 5 Transport, and Muse Model 2 plus DAC and at current used prices this could be within the budget.Plus Muse is in business so service is not an issue. In single chassis players at or near budget is Arcam 73 and 82,Rega Planet, Jupiter, Apollo,Musical Fidelity X-Ray,Creek CD 50 MKII Audio Analogue Paganini, Classe .5 and 1.0 and Theta Miles. There are others, but these I have heard and can recommend.

If memory serves me correct, I believe the Cary line of CD Players have tube units that also decode HDCD. Quite expensive when new, but usually can be purchased for about half on the resale market.