I've been pleased with my Talk 3.1 player. I know it's not in your budget but assuming Kevin puts his all into eveything he makes,and I know he does, the 2.1 or 2.2 would be really nice. There may not be alot of talk on the Talk players yet but I'm sure there will be. People are emailing me from seeing my system on audiogon and asking me if I love my player as much as they do. Talk makes good players and I'm sure their amps and preamps must be pretty darn good as well.Unfortunatly the nearest Talk dealer is a two day drive from me so I am unable to demo equipment at Canadian HiFi but if they are your local dealer you're lucky.
CD Players $1,000 - $1,500 US - any info on Talk?
Current Considerations:
- Talk Electronics Thunder CD 1.1/2.1 (1.2/2.2 just announced)
- Rega Planet 2000
- QUAD 99 CDP (CD Pre-Amp combo)
- Cary CD-308
- NAD 541i / s500i
My Current System:
Quad 21Ls - NAD C350 Integrated - Pioneer DV353
My QUAD will become my multi-channel movie system - this CD player will grow with me to start my two-channel music system.
The Talk's are 500-1000 more than the Rega Planet 2k depending on the Talk model but I can find hardly anything on Talk Electronics/Saxon - anyone have any information?
The Cary might be in my price range but its just on the edge .
Any recommendations of used players or impressions of any of these players or any other tips would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Nathan K.
- Talk Electronics Thunder CD 1.1/2.1 (1.2/2.2 just announced)
- Rega Planet 2000
- QUAD 99 CDP (CD Pre-Amp combo)
- Cary CD-308
- NAD 541i / s500i
My Current System:
Quad 21Ls - NAD C350 Integrated - Pioneer DV353
My QUAD will become my multi-channel movie system - this CD player will grow with me to start my two-channel music system.
The Talk's are 500-1000 more than the Rega Planet 2k depending on the Talk model but I can find hardly anything on Talk Electronics/Saxon - anyone have any information?
The Cary might be in my price range but its just on the edge .
Any recommendations of used players or impressions of any of these players or any other tips would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Nathan K.
19 responses Add your response
Hi, My name is Kevin Edwards and I own Talk Electronics in the UK. I take it you have been to the website www.talkelectronics.com. If you need any further information please feel free to e-mail me. Our company policy is not to fill the mags with reviews, these are only one persons opinion at best, with commercial considerations on top they are seldom accurate in my experience. At the end of the day listen and trust your own ears, we do!! If we did not think it was better we would not make it, it would not be worth it!! The 1.2 is quite a lot better but is also more expensive, you should get a good deal on a 1.1 Best regards Kevin |
Consonance CD2.2 could be on your list. I was researching for a while and was interested in some of the players that you mentioned. I ended up buying the Consonance, and I'm very happy with it. It has balanced and RCA outputs. The RCA side has a tube output, and volume control on the remote, so you can plug it straight into an amp. The XLR side bypasses the tube, and must be used with a pre-amp. Hope this helps, Sonny |
Disclaimer: I am a Xindak dealer. One unit you may not have heard of or considered is the Xindak SCD-2. It is an absolutely wonderful player for the money ($1695 retail). It is SACD/CD with tube output stages (true balanced outputs). It is also available with solid-state output stages (SCD-1). Please let me know if you have any specific questions. Best Regards...Mike - Father & Son Audio |
You might want to consider a used player such as the Cary. I compared the Cary 303-100 directly to the Rega models and it was clearly better in openess, soundstage, bass response and detail. I bought mine used here and will never buy a new piece of audio equipment again. Used 303-100's can be found for $900-$1200. Good luck. |
I seem to be answering my own questions - the Talk Thunder 1.x is essentially off the list now Talk Thunder 1.1 CD Review - unless the 1.2 is a substantial improvement. So far... Jolida 100A / Used ARCAM FMJ23T / Used Sony SCDXA77ES The Cary is out of my price range I've recently been informed ;)- Any other suggestions? Sorry for the review posts just trying to add to the knowledgebase about a company/player that I haven't been able to find a lot on. Thanks again! |
Since there isn't much info on the Talk's just thought i'd post a review (finally found one) of the Thunder 1/Cyclone 1 combination Talk Electronics Thunder 1 CD and Cyclone 1 Integrated I'm going to start talking to my local dealer to see if he is able to acquire the Jolida for me - I'm still a ways away from my purchase though so any other info anyone can supply would be great :) |
Thanks so much for the responses :) Part of my bias in manufacturers is that I wish to continue to do business with my preferred local retailer. Musical Fidelity (A3.2), Talk Electronics, and the Quad being the manufacturers with products in my price point which they carry. Again any info on Talk other than the 3 or 4 meager reviews I can find would be useful (and only 1 post on Audiogon) and any impressions of the Musical Fidelity A3.2 Thanks again :) |
Arcam FMJ CD23T ($1200 used), the Rega Jupiter ($1000 used)or the Jolida 100 ($650 used) should be on your list. The Jolida 100 is noticeably better than the Rega Planet 2000, the Rega Jupiter is slightly better than the Jolida and the Arcam FMJ 23T is another step up from the Jolida and the Jupiter. If you want warmth and sweetness, go with the Jolida or the Jupiter. If you want detail and resolution, go with the Arcam. |