Absolute top tier DAC for standard res Redbook CD

I am always surprised that the BMC Arcadias are not mentioned as outstanding. When I seek to hear the best speakers at CES or other shows, I realize that the demonstration rooms have to be made usable very quickly, that electronics is often quite green, that others are demonstrating nearby and disrupting the demonstration. But I am never even close to impressed.

This is further complicated by the lack of demonstrations comparing an amp versus another amp or a speaker versus another. Overall, I can only recall one instance were what I heard at a show totally convinced me that I had to buy a set of speakers. I had to buy the Tidal Contriva Diacera SE. They were ultimately replaced by the Arcadias. I was somewhat impressed by the Arcadias at the RMAF, but they were only prototypes, the room was the usual terrible CES towers room, and it was their bass that most impressed me plus the sound stage they generated.

I have owned every type of speaker from compression drivers to ribbons. I think all are compromises.

Never heard of them. Will look into it. Thanks.
Is there a U.S. Dealer?

Matt, As much as I admire the thoroughness and exquisiteness of your analysis, I can't help but be astonished that so many dealers have acquiesced in loaning so much high caliber equipment with so little prospect of a return. From a retailer's perspective this is pud-pulling on a grand scale. I hope at least that when the dust finally settles you pay full retail.

I actually take offense at that post. And I've never said that before.

I have every intention of buying a speaker if I love it. I have been honest and forthright with every dealer and rep I have spoken with and all know their is a solid potential sale but the competition is tough. Most of the speakers I have heard have just not done it for me. I have paid all freight and moving costs to and from which has already cost me thousands.

These speakers range in price from $20k to $100k! The profit potential is massive for practically no effort on the dealers part other then having it avaable and maybe needing to pack it and get it to me. Again, I have paid all freight fees plus I have sent my mover to one store to pick up and return the speaker with them just overseeing.

As of right now my top contender is the $80k Coltrane Tenor. For that kind of money I'm going to make damn sure there's nothing better out there for around the same price or less, or even a tad more.

There is no pud pulling going on. My investment in freight and moving alone during this search is more then most people spend on their actual speakers. And I spent well over $35k to get the MM3 into my house just so I could hear them. How is that possibly pud pulling?!?!? I flew to Canada, Chicago and California to hear every speaker I could. And I may still fly to Missouri to hear the Vapor and now possibly to Colorado to hear the Arcadias. I will buy when a speaker deserves purchase. To be honest, I have asked naybe an hour or two of time at the most from most of the dealers I've been working with. Profit potential
Is in the tens of thousands......

Thanks for your useful post.

Sorry to all, you've never in all these posts Sean me go off. But that was just flat out insulting!

Matt, No insult intended. You asked for all opinions and you got one more, admittedly contrarian.

Thanks for the background on your considerable effort and expense in the search. However, none of this expense accrues toward dealer satisfaction. I wouldn't underestimate the expense of the individual and collective efforts of the dealers. There is hidden cost in carrying inventory, wear and tear during shipping and set-up and tear-down, and the time value of money while the equipment is away. You are obviously a fickle purchaser-- so what else is new in high end audio? My criticism is directed more toward the supply-side: the generally desperate and sorry state of retail salesmanship involved in fronting so much equipment into a home setting in a brute force gamble. Some of this may owe to the retailer failing to properly qualify the sale and the LF room issues-- which appear to render a full-range solution problematic.

As brick and mortar retailing declines in scale and in breadth of product lines and inventory, the regional audio shows have emerged as the best opportunities to clarify and focus purchasing decisions. That's not to say that there is no place for home demos, but at an extreme this begins to read more like match.com serial dating. Infinite choice invites infinite regression.