Well, no new news here but thought I'd chime in with my .02 now that i've had it in my system for almost a month. Very positive. In fact I just sold off my Musical Fidelity a308cr cd player (MSRP when new $3400) and don't miss it. I say this honestly: my rig has never been more engaging and enjoyable. I'm getting a feeling of holistic music and not 'what's missing or doesn't sound right?'. At the same time, sound is refined and I don't feel I'm missing much of anything in the details. Plus plenty of air. I'm a little awestruck actually. To me the most noticeable difference is that sound has a fluidity and ease to it I've never heard or experienced before.
The only 'tweaks' I did were upgrade the power cord to a PS Audio Power Punch (better bass, fuller sound, more focused) and put the unit on 3 brass cones sitting directly on my hardwood rack (not in brass pucks). I did this mostly to get airflow underneath and also my racks are solid slabs of Ash and not 100% straight or level. The adjustable cones enable the unit to be leveled and going directly into the wood I've found doesn't lighten up the sound as does on brass pucks.
The unit I received seemed well taken care of (ebay find) and no mech issues whatsoever (knocking on lots of wood). Just in case, I also have a back up that I'm considering modding, but as I listen now that things have had time to settle, I am enjoying the stock version quite a bit.
Associated equipment:
Shindo Aurieges-L preamp
Nuforce Reference 8V2 amps
Usher 6381 speakers
47 Labs OTA Stratos cabling throughout
