What makes a Cd player a Great cd player

How about a marriage between cd and analog. I am happy to have an LP copy of The Modern Jazz Quartet live at Carnegie Hall to play on my CDP courtesy of an engineer.

Very low surface noise (those old engineers have it nailed) so cd playback is all about enjoying the performance. Direct to disc? Ha.

Heard this player at the Axpona Show in Florida a few months ago:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1280216981&/Continuum-Audio-Labs-Caliburn-+-Cobra-+

Awesome. It did not have dynamic swings relative to the material played but boy you could be tempted to sell all your toys for this one.

La45, you nailed it, dynamic swings !

I'm still keepin my digital front end, it gets close enough to satisfy (for now)

Ddan6815,

I haven't read all of the posted comments, so forgive me me if this has been touched upon.

There is a problem, as you said, that when going from a good CD Player to a better one, it does have a tendency to bring to light the difference in recordings.

I used to and still get down when listening to a CD that just doesn't sound as good as it used to. The saving grace is that the well recorded CD's now sound much better.

It is a trade-off, that's for sure. One solution is to keep the older one along with the more expensive one. But to me that would be a pain in the rear.

Chuck

Ddan6815,

"I actually find myself falling asleep listening"

I guess you mean your system is boring now and it puts you to sleep. All kidding aside, many audiophiles have the same problem as you with saxophone recordings whether on CD or vinyl, but it's a matter of taste because some people actually like the sound. I have the same problem with Doc Severinsen's trumpet, but it has nothing to do with CD or vinyl, it's the style of playing that I find offensive. On the other hand I can listen to Miles Davis all day.

To me, CD players are like turntables and cartidges. There is bound to be one out there that will float your boat, but it most likely won't be cheap. All of the CD players I have enjoyed over the years have been at the top of the class for quality and price.