APL 3910, Exemplar 3910, MF KW, Esoteric X-01?

I agree with Michael's suggestion. Take the units you seem to like best home for a spin if possible at all.
I personally adore the Teac Esoteric X-01, -- audio-only brother of the UX-1--which not having video output and no DVD support, has been optimized for redbook and SACD playback, and is equipped with 4 DAC chips per channel instead of the 2 per channel found in the UX-1.
Just a word of warning: X-01 and UX-1 do not sugar-coat nor caramelize the recording.
They will give you lots of information, in all its beauty, but also in a lot of its truth. If the recording were terrible, these machines will not hide it.
They will sound their best with revealing but tonally complete power chords like the Shuniata Anaconda VX and the Electraglide Epiphany. Power chords that exasperate treble or bass like the Kimber Palladium may make the X-01 sound unbalanced. To make an analogy, these are like Arabian horses: don't feed them hot chile peppers!

I have recently received the Exemplar 5910 which is still too new to be assessed, although the first night was a revelation. Apart from the possibility that the 5910 will change this, I have not heard any digital that beats the Reimyo CDP777, although I have never bought one as I want to play sacds. I had both the Exemplar 2900 in its many mods as well as the Exemplar 3910 in its several versions, with many of them caused by the development of the 5910. I have preferred these to my old EMM and dCS gear, but those comparisons were made before there were changes in both. I have only heard the APL in several shows and not in a side by side comparison in any good circumstance. I have heard the DV-50, UX-1, and the mono dac unit whose name I don't recall. The DV-50 was easily bested by the Exemplar 2900 and the APL/Philips sacd100. I didn't like the UX-1 without the atomic clock and with it it was too expensive. Same for the mono dacs. I do not think any of the above would be a downward step from the Krell cd player, which I consider second rate.

I agree with dvavc in that you should listen to these in your system if possible.

Tbg - I am curious to know if the Exemplar 5910 is significantly more superior then the Expemplar 2900 - please post your finding as soon as you have enough hours on it. Also would like to know how it stacks up with the Reimyo CDP777

Sd2005gt, I am most curious about the Reimyo also, but it may be difficult as I do not own the Reimyo.

First off I sell high end audio in Michigan and go to CES every January to hear what's new. I owned the Esoteric DV-50S briefly and found it to be dry and "hi-fi" sounding yet it was better than most things I'd heard up to that point and at a reasonable price. The $20-40k digital systems I've heard offer very small improvements but are a big rip-off.

Fortunately I was able to hear one of the APL units at last years CES and decided I needed one. I ordered the 3910 that I'd heard at the show but by the time I received it several significant upgrades had been added.

I'll cut to the chase and tell you it is by far the best digital I've heard. On red book cd's it doesn't even sound like digital. It's like really good analog without the ticks and pops but better in many ways.

After I e-mailed Alex to tell him how happy I was with my new player he informed me that he had just received some new dac's that are pop in replacements for the ones in mine and that as good as my sound is "the new dac's are so good it's scary." I'll be sending mine back for a quick upgrade soon but the funny thing is the sound is so good right now I really can't imagine how it can be improved.

I wouldn't waste my time worrying about what else might be out there. After many years of searching for a player that doesn't have the usual digital grain and edginess to the sound my search is over. Alex's player is so good I won't waste words trying to describe it other than to say it absolutely sounds "real."

Happy hunting,

Bob Fogel
Arthur's Audio
Orchard Lake, MI