Jolida CD-100...Who has moved on and...

I have a few cdps. One of them is a modded JD100. The posters here that were critical of the Jolida did so likely because it was a poor match in their system. Although I've never heard the stock unit, the moddded Jolida I have is a pretty good music maker that is not the last word in detail. It is far from garbage. The challenge we all face in system-building is being able to match the electronics, speakers, sources, and cabling. Then there's the issue of the room. With all these variables at work, it's a big challenge and daunting task. System synergy as a term is over-used here, but imo it's a very real concept. When you don't have it, you won't be happy with the sound of your speakers. I still have the JD 100, but I moved on to the Modwright Sony 999 and the Raysonic 128. What I hear from these players is more detail, a wider deeper soundstage, and resolution. Your mileage may vary based on the rest of your gear. Having a great amplifier-to-speaker match is crucial and then adding a synergistic source is key.

Exactly, I had really good synergy between my Ribbon/Plannar Renaissance 90's and my Aragon 4004mkII amp, 28k MKII preamp and the Jolida. I was able to tone down the speakers just enough with different tubes. Since switching to the Preludes with the conventional tweeter, they are a bit dark paired up with the Jolida no matter what tubes I use. The preludes are a more neutral speaker, and have the potential to sound great...I just have to go through the motions again with different components. I picked up a Cambridge 840c to try, have yet to hook it up but will tonight for a shootout.

I moved on to the Cary 308 from the Jolida. I did replace the stock tubes with GE black plates which improved the player. I preferred the Cary quite a bit over the Jolida. Since the Cary I have tried the Paradisea DAC and Muse Model 9 Gen III. I really like the Muse.