If I had the money (a big if), I'd go for the CD-12. It is much more emotionally satisfying to me. When I heard the two side by side, the Ikemi was an ordinary player and bested by many in and below its price range, but the CD-12 was something special. That extra 5%, or whatever (I think it's higher in this case), is ridiculously expensive, but it would be worth it if I had the money to buy either.