I had the same concerns and so went with the Marantz SA-14 ver. 2 because not only is it not cluttered with video circuitry, it's only 2 channel, which avoids more clutter. That said, the multi-channel players I've heard on even modest players and systems are very compelling given a good surround sound SACD. Maybe keep your good CD player and add an SACD player? If you have a stellar two-channel set up, you can add an amp to power the sub, center, and rears without "tainting" your current set up. : ) There *are* expensive high-end universals available now, as you've noticed, but why not wait for someone to come out with a really clean dedicated SACD player that's less cluttered and less expensive? I'm sure the people over at Musical Fidelity are working on something like that right now. It's my humble opinion that a good SACD player may not have to be as expensive as a good CD player, as CD players need a lot of band-aid technology, to flesh out CD sound, that SACD players don't.
hi-end universal players?
Linn's Unidisk, Goldmund, the new Theta Compli, MSB Platinum Universal, Bell Canto, Esoteric etc etc...
How do they compare?
How do they compare on CDs with the better CD players?
Which one the best in terms of CD? SACD? DVD-A?
Given the age of uncertainty, but a personal interest in high-rez, I am tempted to just go with an universal player, though concerned all that circuity, especially for video, will degrade the quality...how about you?
How do they compare?
How do they compare on CDs with the better CD players?
Which one the best in terms of CD? SACD? DVD-A?
Given the age of uncertainty, but a personal interest in high-rez, I am tempted to just go with an universal player, though concerned all that circuity, especially for video, will degrade the quality...how about you?
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- 33 posts total
I am thinking the same way, going with a universal player, mostly to save real estate on the rack, my main concern is for regular CD playback. I too was thinking Esoteric DV-50, or even Linn unidisk. From what I've read if you can handle the price you can't go to wrong with the Meridian 800, it's supposed to be incredible with regular CD as well as the other formats. It's just too much dough for me, but that's the one I'd go for if price were not a concern. |
I had considered several high end players, including the DV-50, Unidisk, Compli and RT-10, but the route that I am giving a go is to have Dan Wright modify a Denon 5900 for me. The stock 5900 is a respectable machine (especially after the latest firmware upgrade), and Dan's mods have had rave reviews here on Audiogon and elsewhere. While I am a bit nervous about purchasing a product and having it extensively modified without first having heard a similarly modded player, from all I have read, and from my communications with Dan, I feel very optimistic. It'll be a while before it comes in, but I'll be sure to share my results. Tom. |
Few more to put on your list: Primare DVD30 MSRP $3,995? Luxman DU-10 MSRP $8,999 Luxman DU-7 MSRP $3,499 Integra Research RDV 1.1 MSRP $4,000 |
Another link to Integra Research RDV 1.1 |
- 33 posts total