Absolute Best CD Players Out There Under $12k ?

FWIW, Judy's post strikes me as having a cruel undertone, e.g. "...ad nauseum...", "...always the greatest thing...", etc. Norm is one of the very few people I know of who is almost constantly trying new, cutting edge components. And I gather from reading his posts over time that he is not always posting about just "His latest acquisition...", i.e. I believe that he tries many things that he does NOT like that much (and that he doesn't post about). When he does post something positive, I always think that OF COURSE it's because it's the best he's heard! (isn't that largely true of all of us, the only difference being the amazing volume of equipment that Norm hears in a year?). Seems to me there's a HECK of a lot more benefit in what he has to say (and introduce us to) than there is downside. And, OF COURSE, one should take what he says with a grain of salt. I take what ANYone says about audio components with a grain of salt.

Having heard the dCS stack, the EMM Labs gear, the Wadia 27/270 and the Linn, I would choose the EMM from those choices principally because it does SACD and I like SACD far more than redbook. If it were just redbook, though, I'd go with the Linn, it isn't the most detailed or revealing but it just sounds "right" to me--the others are a little too analytical for my taste (Meitner's sound surprised me, quite the opposite of what I would have expected given his early CD3 CD player, still one of my old favorites). And I'd choose (and have chosen) my Forsell/Audio Logic combination over all of them, but I am admittedly an unabashed fan of those pieces, as my posts will attest, so take that for what it's worth.

Jfz, I concur 100% about Norm. I'd like to know everthing he's forgotten in this hobby.

Jfz/Joperfi: Wouldn't you want to hear from people who "actuallY" heard Tbg's system and see what they have to say? We all have our own bias and I bet you will find someone who heard it say it was not their cup of tea.

Busypk: Of course!! I have no idea why you would assume what I said would preclude that. I feel quite the opposite: it would be another great piece of information.