What makes a Cd player a Great cd player

I have to chime in on this one. I read from folks I respect that for $3000 you CAN'T get a CD player that sounds as good or "even come close" to vinyl. I read this all to often in print and here on Agon. I stay quiet, but the truth must come out.

Come on you vinyl snobs. Please, this is simply not true for all Aphiles. Even Aphiles with good hearing and the experience and ability to know good sound. I have twice tried the vinyl route spending up to $4000 (used) each time plus having a vinyl expert(experienced audio friend) set up
the two rigs in my home.

Bottom line is I prefer my SACD/CD player thank you. My players are/were;

Current - Cary 306
Sony 900 modified by TRL with battery power supply

I paid $1800 for the Sony and $2500 for the Cary used.

I simply found my CD players to sound better. I also disliked the vinyl noise (clicks & pops etc). Now, I repect those who like vinyl better, that is great for you. However, we need to be careful and not make generalizations that are simply not true for all.

Dorkwad, you may well find a player that pleases you as much or more then vinyl. I have heard CD players costing up to $8000 that I would not own. I have also owned an $1800 player that was wonderful and pleasing in every way to my ears. For me even more pleasing then a good vinyl rig.

I am not saying SACD/CD is better than vinyl, I cannot say that is true. All I know for sure is that it is to me and many others who do have "good" ears. Other "good" ears enjoy vinyl more.

Enjoy and experiment for yourself. The Cary 306 is a fine player under $3000 used. I saw a TRL modified Sony 900 for only $800 used just recently.

Meant my comments regarding the possibility of finding a CD player for $3000 that is as pleasing as vinyl for Ddan6815, not Dorkwad.

A great CD player does not attack you with music, or hyper detail. Rather, it fills the room with pleasing music that is never hard on the ears and always draws you into the music.

"or will I get the realism that I get from vinyl."

It is very difficult to get all the clicks, pops and noise from CD to accurately mimic vinyl but it can be done.

CD's have come a long way

I appreciate all the responses, I really do. and from what I've gathered, it is possible to find a very pleasing sounding cd player. I wont even go as far as to put a price tag as to how much one would have to spend. I think its more of a trial and error and a little bit of luck, to find the perfect synergy that mates well with your speakers and amp. I also think there are so many other factors that can come into to play such as the acoustics of your room, some such as myself my never find what I may consider that perfect sound because of the vaulted ceilings in my home, the very open area in which my system is placed, the wood flooring just to name a few of the drawbacks. Also just to clear up the misconception of vinyl sounding better than cd, I dont think its a case where vinyl sound better, its just more natural sounding and less fatiguing, than some cd players, maybe not all, just the ones thats within my budget, that I've had experience with. Maybe oneday, I'll buy another house, with a dedicated listening room, and fork out a couple grand on a great cdp, but until then, I'm pretty pleased with what I have and can afford for now. In other words my system still puts a smile on my face when I listen to certain cds....:)