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Musical Fidelity A3.2 v. tubed CD players

Hey-
I have recently made some changes to my system & have moved from seperates to an integrated. I now have a McIntosh MA 6900 and a Musical Fidelity A3.2 CD Player. I used to have a Rogue 66 tube pre & Conrad Johnson MF 2500 amp. Now that I no longer have tubes in my system i've realized the 3.2 is a little too bright - dont get me wrong, its a wonderful & detailed player, just a little too harsh for my tastes. So now im beginning to ponder getting a tubed CD player, i've checked out the Jolida JD100 and that looks like a nice unit... My goal is to eliminate some brightness without losing much detail. Id like to saty under $2K and would prefer a unit with a sliver face. The new Cary 303/300 tube & SS outputs looks sooo tempting! Any suggestion on some warm CD players?

Musical Fidelity A3.2 CD player
Tara Labs ic's
Mcintosh MA 6900 integrated
Luminous Audio Renaissance speaker cables
B&W N804 w/ Sound Anchors

i've swapped the Tara Labs ic's for some various Luminous Audio ic's and havent noticed too much difference between the two...

thanks for reading!
jclyle
maineiac
649 posts
 
If you like MF, you should check out the A5 which is a very nice tubed CDP. It can be had for just a smidge over your budget if you look around. I think you will give up detail with the JD100. It is interesting that your logic flowed from the change of the preamp/amp that now makes the CDP the cause brightness where it wasn't a problem before.
jclyle OP
35 posts
 
I loved the 3.2 while I had a tube preamp, now I see it as being too bright for my tastes. I thought about getting one of MF's tube buffers, but I want to keep my rack simple with just a CD player and an intergrated. I have thought about the A5, alobg with a Cary 308T
reb1208
518 posts
 
MF A5 is extremely refined, never sounds harsh. Even through a passive pre. Has plenty of tube warmth IMO.
Cary 303/300 goes way too far in the direction of warmth, from both the SS and tube output IMO.
maineiac
649 posts
 
You may consider auditioning some different speakers with the A3.2 as well. I have found the 804s to be a bit bright.
jburidan
803 posts
 
I love my Cary 303/300, but it's not warm by any means. Formerly, I used an AH! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 with upsampling, and it can be warm depending on the tubes one uses. Also, I understand the Cary 308T is warm, but I haven't owned it.
Jay
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