Cal Audio CL-15 vs Music Hall, Jolida, Carin Fog

I had the CL-15 and thought it was a great player. I then upgraded to the Meridian 508.24. That was an even better player. I then upgraded to a MF Nu Vista 3D. That too was an even better player. Now I have a Esoteric DV-50, which of course is an even better player.

Before you go down this road, make sure you have the money to spend. If that is no problem, then go for it, it will be worth the price of admission.

Think about why you are considering changing your player. In my experience, when I'm really satisfied with the sound of a component, I don't want to change it. My guess is there's something that's not quite good enough for you somewhere. If it's only that people say good things about other players, though, is that the best reason to change?

You have good downstream gear. In my view, you could go with a much higher quality source. My own system is source-biased and that's what I like to recommend. Linn Ikemi, Sim Moon Nova, Vecteur L4, Shanling CD-T100--all quite different in sound and in price, BTW.

FWIW, my favourite economy player is the Shanling CD-S100 Mk II at CDN$999. It is IMHO at least twice as good as the (already excellent-value) Music Hall CD-25.

For what it's worth, I have a Cal CL-10 and I use it as a transport for a Bel Canto Dac 2. It is sweet.