Swampwalker: After recent gear purchases my hi-fi budget for a changer is around $150.00. That is what makes the Aiwa "really" attractive. LOL. The $150.00 was originaly set aside for a used PC upgrade for my CAL Icon II as I am going to steal the HT Pro 11 cord from it for the new DAC. What's that old saying, robbing Peter to... Anyway, since our (me and the wife) discussion in regard to a multi player she reminded me that the deal was that when she agreed to the new gear, she got a new leather club chair. She just gave me a tear sheet on one this afternoon in lipstick red with the salesmans card attached. I think I'll just buy a PC and charge the chair, life is too short. I should be hooking the Bel Canto up to the Icon sometime next week when the Mapleshade digital cable arrives. I have already heard the Bel Canto, I'm more curious about the Mapleshade IC which was a leap of faith purchase.
Shopping CD players: my big adventure
The Parasound 1000 was getting old and my new Kestrels were a big leap over the Superone's. Got an Msb III and that was a good upgrade but I was sure there was more. Read all the threads here and Audio Asylum and decided to take a drive; 75 miles to the closest dealer. Listened to the Audio Refinement Complete player through ARP integrated and JM Lab ($1700 model, didn't get name). Sounded like a boombox! I says to the guy, "guy, thats a metal tweeter, right?" Guy says yes. I says, "you got anything in silk or linen, or possibly taffeta?" We rotate 90 and face a pair of Maggie 1.6r, still the Complete integrated, etc. Now Baez (I like to use acoustic female vocal although her politics suck) sounds like Baez instead of Roseanne Rosannadanna. Trumpets on Capriccio Italien (Mercury re-issue) sound like trumpets. Maggies are NICE except for imaging....violins and cellos are playing roundball running up and down the court and I start yelling, FOUR CORNERS, FOUR CORNERS, where's Dean Smith when you need him? So I says to the guy, "guy, my humble system is better than this, what else you got?" So we retire to the REALLY BIG ROOM, Audio Research to port and Classe' to starboard. Classe' CDP is $1500 clams, a bi-valve, but it's mine for 13, let's listen. Only one problem: he won't take the player to the poor man's room. Got one of those telephone switchboard things with the garden hoses terminated with Neutriks for switching.So now Rimsky's spinning on the Classe' thru 5 grand of electronics into the lesser of the 2 vonSchwiekert's. (I'm not complaining, nobody else has ever let me into the REALLY BIG ROOM before, ever, I look like a guy who works with his hands.) Talk about blown away, talk about holographic imaging, talk about musical...you get the point. BUT WHAT DOES THE CD PLAYER SOUND LIKE? And this was a really nice guy who was trying to please! Any of you who make their living selling know what I mean when I say that I asked every buying question in the book, musta said 8 times "I wonder how it would sound in my system?" Did he offer a trial? No. Would I have given him $1300 to take either one home on trial? Of course. So why shouldn't we buy on the Net? Anybody got a CD player suggestion for me? I don't need to hear it. I'll take your word for it. Honest.
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- 24 posts total
- 24 posts total