Wadia, Audio Aero, Meridian, BAT and BOW

I too have a Capitole 24/192. Makes the 860 sound very lacking in palpability, seeming to just give you the details and not the organic reality. The Capitole is wonderful, but I must admit my Res Audio CD55 comes awfully close for much less money.

Sorry Ken1. Gregm was referring to my obsessive hunt for the secrets to vibration isolation, not my knowledge of CD players. I have not heard the EMC-1, but do own both the Audio Aero Capitole 24/192 and the Res Audio CD55. Both are just great for building a system around. All the detail is there and you can extract it with the rest of your system if you get it right, but the key thing is both players do it without any nastiness that has to be covered over.

At full retail in the US (where I don't live) the CD55 is much cheaper. Elsewhere the comparison on price is much closer and the Audio Aero is a wee bit better overall. But the difference is not large and I think I would be inclined to recommend the CD55 and put the dollar difference elsewhere in your system. Having said that I would hate to give up my Capitole. Your choice.

I managed to get mine at around $3,000 US, so the $2,800 is believeable. And I cannot divulge how I got that price but it was at importer's cost.