I thought I would share my cd player journey.
Stage 1 were the following:
Oppo 103D SE
followed by a major step up to my
Esoteric K03xs SE
Dissatisfied with the harshness of leading and trailing edges, I sold it
Meanwhile, I have bought and upgraded two other disc players, the Oppo204 and Pioneer LX800, that were seemingly excellent with very analog sounds c.f. the Esoteric, then I caught this unit...
Audio Research Ref CD9 tube cd player and had it upgraded including renewing the power supply that failed.
Fyi, all upgrades are limited to EMI RFI control by the Upgrade Company here.
I tried various DAC’s also during my time with the Esoteric, including the Lampizator Amber III that was also an upgraded unit. Sold that too...
Most definitely the ARDC Ref CD9 SE is the most analog experience where you don’t notice you are listening to CDs. It’s seriously seductive.
The analog experience is helped by the rest of the systems variously ARC LS10SE preamp and D240 MkII SE power amp into my MB2SE by PMC. And my other system that features right now the XP20 preamp by PassLabs into the Luxman M900u feeding into some very fine horn speakers, L’Instrument by Viking Acoustics.
The bottom line is that carefully selected cd players that are synergistic with your system will and can create a fully analog sound, better than your vinyl experiences, with no pops, clicks, or dust particles to interrupt your brain’s pleasure signals.
Listening to Leonard Cohen just now his final cd... and it’s eerie, smooth mellow, and gorgeous. The super tweeters in the speakers have plenty to pick up and blow out...
I enjoy the two bcdp’s but they are more digital and less range full than the ARC Ref CD9, and this kit is still burning-in, speakers, and the CD9 player.
Stage 1 were the following:
Oppo 103D SE
followed by a major step up to my
Esoteric K03xs SE
Dissatisfied with the harshness of leading and trailing edges, I sold it
Meanwhile, I have bought and upgraded two other disc players, the Oppo204 and Pioneer LX800, that were seemingly excellent with very analog sounds c.f. the Esoteric, then I caught this unit...
Audio Research Ref CD9 tube cd player and had it upgraded including renewing the power supply that failed.
Fyi, all upgrades are limited to EMI RFI control by the Upgrade Company here.
I tried various DAC’s also during my time with the Esoteric, including the Lampizator Amber III that was also an upgraded unit. Sold that too...
Most definitely the ARDC Ref CD9 SE is the most analog experience where you don’t notice you are listening to CDs. It’s seriously seductive.
The analog experience is helped by the rest of the systems variously ARC LS10SE preamp and D240 MkII SE power amp into my MB2SE by PMC. And my other system that features right now the XP20 preamp by PassLabs into the Luxman M900u feeding into some very fine horn speakers, L’Instrument by Viking Acoustics.
The bottom line is that carefully selected cd players that are synergistic with your system will and can create a fully analog sound, better than your vinyl experiences, with no pops, clicks, or dust particles to interrupt your brain’s pleasure signals.
Listening to Leonard Cohen just now his final cd... and it’s eerie, smooth mellow, and gorgeous. The super tweeters in the speakers have plenty to pick up and blow out...
I enjoy the two bcdp’s but they are more digital and less range full than the ARC Ref CD9, and this kit is still burning-in, speakers, and the CD9 player.